Okay, other than one summer of riding dirt bikes at a friends house, I have absolutely no experience with bikes, but it is really something I'm wanting to take up as a new hobby. I'm getting a new job soon which has better pay, and will begin saving up for one, and anything else I may need.

If anyone on this forum has any experience with sports bikes, help me out. What are some good forums to start learning on, or maybe a website with good videos for a novice?

I was going to do some research in my area, and see how close a place would be that might offer classes? And after looking at one forum, I've found out that my best bet would be starting out on something like a ninja 250r? something that I can learn on without getting killed, then after a couple summers upgrade to something else. Not really sure where to start?

Advice? lol

 

I have ridden a few times and contemplated getting one for myself many times. In the end I know one of the old people driving would kill me so I haven't picked one up yet.

From my research (not hands on experience mind you) You may want to look at something a little bigger. A lot of people start out on a 600cc but I watched many of my friends almost kill themselves by starting out on them. One of my friends layed his bike down on the interstate going 120 on a brand new Suzuki 600. I think one of the best compromises would be a 650 like the Suzuki SV650 or the Kawi 650R. Both are sharp looking bikes that you won't get bored of in 6 months and are reasonably priced. I have seen a lot of experienced riders saying that the torque offered in the lower and mid range make these bikes much easier to ride around town.

 

Start small, and dont by a super-sport bike (GSXR, CBR, ZX, R6 ect) unless you plan to take it to a track and you plan to learn how to lean and not just go fast in a straight line.

Tires are important. Dont skimp or try to get by with worn or crappy tires.

WEAR ALL THE GEAR --->Helmet, gloves, boots(RIDING BOOTS), armored jacket and pants.

 

I'd start off on a 250R. Thats what I started on, and that thing seemed fast for awhile. Eventually as I learned and got better at riding I got bored of it, but I wouldn't of done it any other way.



As for riding gear, I'd definitely get some. I sold my 250R and am looking for a bigger bike but when I did ride, I never wore anything. I mean like shorts, a t-shirt, and some sneakers. Looking back it was stupid. Oh well.

 

Google, YouTube and Riding classes. Don't go getting something to big. 250's are nice to start on, but you'll more than likely want to upgrade. Bunch of people skip it and get something a little bigger. Just don't go riding over your head and take it easy, learn the bike and it's ablity.

I jumped straight to a 636, without any kind of training.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I actually talked about it with my dad earlier, and he's all for it. I'm going to ride dirt bikes with a friend all afternoon tommorow, but in the mean time have started a savings fund for a begginer bike, or possibly a ninja 600cc?

I'm not some rebelious teen who plans on doing 100mph the second I buy one. I completely understand the importance of taking it slow and learning the basics. This is just something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm going to the courthouse soon to pick up the manual for a motorcycle license test.

Hopefully by June I will have saved up enough cash for a good bike, just something I can learn on. And are there any links you guys would suggest as far as who to buy from? Like helmets and stuff? I'll keep you guys updated, so be expecting this thread to be revived by me in a few months, And thanks everyone.

 

Here in Oregon and I believe Washington, anyone under the age of 31 Years Old has to take the Schooling or you can't get your Endorsment. I really suggest you to go take some classes, it's very useful and you get insurance discount (not much probably). A 250 will do 100 no problems, almost any sport bike will. I jumped to the bigger bike because I knew I'd hate the 250 and would be a waste of my money. Also because the 600 range is the best for carving, cornering, twisties, track, turns ect...

Gear, it's all personal perfernce and what fits you best. Go to a local shop (cyclegear if possible) and test fit gear.

This website is VERY useful:
http://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/

Edit:
You have a message!

 

absolutely. what you don't understand is the physics and how even tiny control inputs can land your *** on the ground.

like everyone said. work your way up like all of us do/did. sure people start out on 600rrs and 1000GSXXRRRRs and are fine. to be honest, they got lucky. a friend of mine bought an r1 as his first bike, his excuse? 'its an older one so it's not as dangerous' it was an '03 lol...he was riding with a friend on the back. they were all squided out in t shirts and shorts. my buddy hit a curb at 110 with both of em on. almost killed his buddy. I'm not saying you'll do **** like this...but he was hauling ***..saw some gravel in a turn and grabbed a fistful of brake. dumb new rider mistakes. everyone makes them..and usually on a bigger bike, the consequences are higher.

buy some gear, TAKE THE SAFETY COURSE, and learn as much as you can. you'll be good to go.

check out http://sportbikes.ws/ now it's not a very busy site, but there is some great info. specifically under the subforum Doc's House of Knowledge

good luck. feel free to ask any question..I have literally had this conversation at least 20 times lol..I've definitely made my share of mistakes, maybe I can help a couple people avoid them

 

Thanks for the advice man. Do you think I'm going about it right by riding dirt bikes for a month or so? or would I be okay to go ahead and look for a ninja 250r or something similar?

I'm looking around in my area for classes or schools, and would definetly go to one if I find something. Was gonna go to the courthouse tommorow and get the bike manual to start studying... just to give me something to do ya know.

I want to do this right, and safe... so I would buy all the necessary gear, once I finaly got a bike. Just gotta get some experience first. Have to start somewhere. But I really appreciate all the help you guys are giving me. And will definetly keep you all updated.

 

That sounds like some solid advice.


On a side note, what's up with the new sig pic?

 

His sig is from one of my favorite movies...fight club!

 

Riding a dirt bike is very very different from riding a street bike. Its not really the best thing to use one to train for the other.

 

Yea, but I figured it would be better than nothing for right now. What I need to do is find someone in my area who might let me practice on their bike, like if someone had a 250 or something. Someone who might be willing to teach me, until I find classes in my area.

 

The class instructors will tell you having experince riding a dirt bike helps a whole lot. Survival reactions more less. Not to mention TONS of people use them on the road. 250's are usually the best bike to start off on, but if you'd like a little get go that wont be to much, get like an SV650 or some other kind of bikes. Read that thread I showed you, look for good starter bikes. A lot of the people on there are track instructors and have been doing it for YEARS.

 

here's a safety course kind of near you

http://drlic.kytc.ky.gov/motorcycle/kmrep.htm

and dirt bikes definitely do help. but once you're on the road the bikes are faster and the game is a whole lot different.

as far as what bike you should get, I think you need to assess yourself. a lot of people including myself recommended a 250r as their first bike. but honestley that may not be entirley necessary. i'll give you an example; I have a friend who just bought his first bike, it's a 2004 Ducati Monster with 85-90 horsepower and s decently fast. a lot faster than a 250r. and he'll be fine, I know this because he is very coordinated, athletic, smart, and pretty much good at everything he does. my friend buying a ducati inspired my other friend who is looking as we speak at buying a bike. this other guy is not coordinated at all, constantly makes mistakes in every aspect of life, is terrible at making executive decisions, and has poor situational awareness. this guy is my best friend. and i'm worried..lol. now this is the type of person I generally recommended a 250R. but I think a great bike for you would probably be a SV650. but the 250R is a awesome bike and is a great starter for anyone. a lot of people just get bored with it super fast. but if you can lean those little *******, everything else is a breeze.

and how could you not know the sig is from fight club whitestang?

 

Never seen it

I just read a comparison review with the Triumph street triple R and man do I want one now.

 

ATGATT

 

How long have you been riding dirtbikes? Its basically the same concept. Clutching and shifting is the same, but you'll be on street tires, and you'll be on a paved road....most of the time, so the bike will handle different. Its easy to go straight, but when you're turning, you really just kinda have to trust your bike when you lean it. Just practice leaning on wider curves until you feel ccomfortable enough to take tighter turns, and avoid manhole covers, potholes, and other fucked up spots in the road as best as you can, and if you hit loose gravel, or dirt or something, your clutch is your friend.The main thing you have to worry about when you're riding is other drivers. Most of them have no ******* respect for bikers at all. They will ride your ***, cut you off, pull out in front of you, etc, so you really have to pay attention. As for starting out on a 250....I wouldnt, mainly because they feel too small, and Im only 5'11. Plus its a really light bike, so riding on a windy day could get annoying.

 

Riding in the dirt... mud, trees maybe, hills and bumps...

Riding in the street... traffic...pedestrians...semis...way more idiots.. soccer mom's/minivans... ect.

yes, as far as the basic operation of a motorcycle...

 

I'll check it out man. Basically a dirt bike is better than nothing, and they're fun. But idk what it is about the ninjas, i just really like the idea of a 250r? But I'm open to suggestions, I got a lot of information to sort through. lol.. thanks for all the help.

Yea man, Richmond isn't too far away, I am definetly going to look into that. I'm very coordinated and athletic, played varsity soccer two years and do martial arts. Im pretty good at learning new things... It would mainly just be a bike I would only take localy, like from my house to the gym, or through the neighborhood. very rarely down the highway and stuff, while im still learning. Im kinda worried about the turning tho. And thanks for that link man.

Been riding dirtbikes for two summers, basically i never use the hand brake for the front tire (unless im keeping myself from rolling back in neutral) because i dont want to throw myself forward. but on a street bike, is it used more often? And the smooth paved roads is something Im looking forward to. Not a huge dirt bike enthusiast, just needed a hobby to teach me some things. And some bad news... im only 5'6''. And yea, other drivers are what im afraid of. gotta watch for people pulling out infront of me, slamming on brakes, not seeing me in the mirror, etc... plus loose gravel/dirt.

Yea I see your point. Thankfully for this hobby, I live in a small town. City population of 1,500... not sure about the county. Roads are fairly empty unless its the 1st. But still... all it takes is one idiot, and bad reaction time.

Thanks everyone for all the help. I really appreciate it. Pretty much have that job now, and a buddy of mine on facebook said we can head over to pikeville ky, he knows of a ninja shop there with tons of bikes to look at.

(dont worry, im no where near ready to buy one yet) Maybe 2 months at the most till i will.

 

The front brake on a sport bike is essentially your lifeline, and the stopping power is incredible..get to know it

 

I myself use the handbrake pretty much everytime I stop, but its always footbrake first. remember that, and you'll get to keep your face.

 

False. Footbrake will cause you to lock up the rear wheel. It's BOTH, everytime, no matter what. Equal pressure between the two, not just one or the other.

Your first reaction is to just instantly grab one or the other. And that is EXACTLY what leads to most accidents.

 

To each their own I guess. I ride by experience, as my bike is my DD. I rarely use my brakes in tandem unless I absolutely have to..i.e. going into a turn too fast, or just having to stop quickly. Havent had any problems so far. You'd have to be pretty ******* stupid to lock up the tires on a bike. For me its always foot first, then handbrake.

This might explain it better than I can...its in a Royal Enfield manual that Im reading, for a bike Im working on.

"When you want to brake with the shortest possible braking distance, you start by using the rear brake. Of course, you don't slam it. In fact, you only use the rear brake to start a process of shifting weight from the rear to the front wheel. This will cause the springs to get contracted, which will decrease the chance of a lifting rear wheel, and which will stabilize the bike. By using the rear brake first, there is already more weight on the front wheel when you use the front brake. Because of that, you can squeeze the front brake harder than when you would have started braking with the front brake."

 

Yeah, on the average motorcycle the front brakes do 70% of the braking, even still, you should always reach for both the handle and pedal at the same time, and never brake if possible in cornering. And you might wanna go to a dealer and sit on a few bikes, im personally 5'7" and i sat on a CBR600, and it feels like a pretty big bike. Dirtbikes do help, idc who you are. If you go from riding a dirtbike in comparison to never riding a motorcycle at all, it will be considerably easier for the very first few steps(learning clutching and braking). And as smart as the 250 is, the worst part is that yeah, people get bored of them fast, and when you do get bored of them you gotta deal with the pain of selling them, and buying a new bike.

 

That's why I was wanting to start out a a ninja 600, after I went and looked at a few of them, made sure they weren't too big or anything. But I may end up with a 250. Still not sure, but I'll be reviving this thread in a few months whenever I'm about to buy one, and let you guys have some more input.

 

You don't have to jump right up to a supersport bike if you don't want a 250. The SV650 is a good looking bike that's faster than a 250 but slower than a supersport 600.

 

hmm, I'll do some research on those.

And I didn't think the ninja 600 was a super sport bike? I thought it was just 'sport'. On the website I didn't click on super sport section, since they're probably too expensive and too fast for me. Could be wrong tho, maybe it is ss? I'll check later.

 

The ninja 600 isn't a super bike. Now the ZX6R (which is what I have) are. I told you to read that thread, they talked about the SV's and other bikes. I rarely use the rear brake and I use the front all the time. I can pretty much slam on my front brakes and not flip over. When I upgrade the front brakes then it probably will. My rear brake will lock up without having to slam on it. I actually like messing with the rear brake so I can slide. haha

Oh and having experince with a Motorcross Bike will make all the difference and will help with a lot of things. I'm pretty sure a school instructor and track instructors would have more experince and wouldn't be talking out of their *** if it wasn't true.
Example: A new rider on the local forum who has experince riding a Motorcross bike. Some how the rear started to slip on him and he used this technique from Motorcross that saved his life.

 

Whoops, I saw someone advising you not to buy a super sport bike and assumed that meant you were looking at those. I should have read the thread a little closer.