curling said:
Choppers make your legs hurt and crotch rockets do a number on your wrist.
try riding the bike sitting a little bit lower, forearms parallel to the ground, and don't put any weight on your wrists. this will not only reduce the stress on the wrists, but also make your turn in a lot faster because you'll go from almost no pressure on the clipons to a direct pressure for counter steering. try it out. the hardest part for taller riders/riders with long arms is sitting back far enough to get your forearms parallel at all times while keeping your back straight.
SoreArms said:
I like to call them Jay Leno bikers
i gotta spread it before i can give it to you again
that was definetly worth it too.
HS Lifter said:
mdd, I really doubt you can outride that 600 in the twisties, most of us cant. Straight line riding is another story. Bottom line: you survived on the 600, does meant this guy would.
damn good point. i hate when people say that a 600 "isn't enough bike" because they really don't know what the fuck they're talking about. not enough power for you? ok, well, go drag your knee for a while then. the thing with sportbikes of ALL sizes is they have tremendous power AND excellent handling. it's very easy to "get used to the power." getting your riding skills to the limits of the bike's handling is something a lot of riders never acheive.
curling said:
We have never had a run in before but we are now. I suggested 750 or up for his size he is around 250 lbs.
his weight has nothing to do with the engine size of the bike. anyone can rip the throttle WFO all day long. it takes skill to learn how to carve the twisties all day long. people need to stop focusing on the engine size and start focusing more on handling. period.
curling said:
And just becuase you are still wet behind the ears and a highschool punk and can't handle more power than 600cc doesn't mean the mdd or delinguent can't.
the additional power of a larger bike can be overwhelming for a new rider. anyone can learn to handle the power of a liter class bike. big f'ing deal. learn to corner the thing...that's something that no one ever masters unless they are a professional racer, and even those guys are constantly learning as they get better suspension and chassis setups.
curling said:
And far as the twistys I bet I could outride you on the twisties on my chopper hs punk!
ok, curling, HSlifter, get a room already.
Debaser said:
Holy shit, some of you have no fucking clue what you're talking about. A 600 is NOT a good first bike, no matter what you or your buddy started on. I could skydive without a backup chute 100 times and never get hurt, so would I conclude that a backup is unnecessary? Your logic that because you never got hurt, he'll be okay, is very poor to say the least.
From beginnerbikes.com:
600+ cc sportbikes are designed for expert users. Although it is possible to learn on a 600cc sportbike, there is far less room for error. They have very peaky power bands, with very touchy throttles. 600s also have powerful brakes that can drop a new rider in a heartbeat if you grab too much brake. 600+ sportbikes are excellent bikes, but we recommend a new rider start on something smaller and move up when they are ready.
"This is your first bike, not your last."
debaser - the reason i and so many others recommend a 600 is it's something that you can learn to ride on yet not out grow in terms of handling in 1 season. yes, a smaller bike is definetly a good idea, but then you've got to replace it in a year or so. for some, it's just not an option to keep buying a different bike year after year. sure, you can pick them up used, but financially for most people, it's easier to do in 1 shot. thus the recommendations for 600s as a first bike.
also, any of the CBR 600 series is excellent as a beginner bike because they are very rider friendly for newbies and advanced riders alike.
Delinquent - let me be the first to say that if you get a brand new bike as a first bike, i'll be more than willing to smack you upside the head. GET A USED BIKE. listen man, everyone goes down at one time or another, and more often than not they go down in the first few months. doesn't have to be a major accident either, it could be something minor. now let me ask you this, would you rather go down on a used $3K bike or a brand new $8K bike? on the used one, you might just have a slow speed low side that rashes up the plastic. hell, on a used bike, you might not even care to get it fixed, just keep riding. now do that on a brand new bike and all of the sudden your pride and joy is rashed up and you want to make it look good again. or what's even worse...say you total the bike while learning to ride. now, what would you rather have reported on your insurance....totalling a brand new bike as a new rider or a used one? i'm not saying you will total it, i'm just saying that the chance of doing so is going to be higher while you're learning to ride...especially in the first 6 months (which has been proven before).
here's some more food for thought on used vs. new...say you go and buy a brand new bike. you ride for a few months and you just don't enjoy riding (hey, it happens to some people). well, you've just spent over $8K for a bike, put maybe 5K miles on it, and you're going to lose $3K on the resale value. buy a used bike for $3K and if you find yourself in the same position, you'll probably be able to sell it for just under what you bought the bike for. or if you ride for a year on that used bike, you won't lose much on the resale value (provided it's still in good shape) and you'll be able to upgrade to something newer, but you still spent time learning to ride on a used bike that had less power and gave you more room for error.
as far as what type of bike to go with....
the CBR 600 series are all good. i'd look for an F3 or an F4. the F4i has a seat that's similar to a brick wrapped in some cloth. bonus to the F series is that they are very rider friendly and farily comfortable. if you find yourself in a "shit about to hit the fan" situation and need to change lines in a turn, the F series bikes won't fight you as hard as some other 600s will.
you could look for a kawi EX500. sure, it's going to be under powered compared to a 600, but you'll learn how to ride. you've got to learn to ride before you learn to haul ass. almost no one can hop on a bicycle for the first time and ride like they've been doing it for years. same goes with motorcycles.
the Suzuki SV650s i've heard lots of good things about as far as smaller displacement bikes go. comfortable, sporty, and enough power to have fun.
the biggest reason a new rider shouldn't start out on a large displacement bike is the power factor. you're just learning how to ride. you've got to learn throttle and clutch control and have room for error on both. "you'll respect a larger bike more so you'll learn to ride better."
THAT'S A LOAD OF FUCKING BULLSHIT. hop on a liter class bike and rip the throttle too hard and you're going to find yourself flipping the bike over backwards if you don't know what you're doing. rip the throttle too hard in a turn and you'll suddenly find the back tire spinning out from underneath of you, placing you and the bike on the ground. these are some of the reasons why people say that large displacement bikes are NOT for new riders.
now, do those same things on a smaller bike. i've own a CBR600F4. there have only been a handful of times i've spun the back tire from ripping the throttle too hard in a turn, and it was very minimal spinning at that. wheelie that 600 by power and not clutch? yeah, it can be done, but you've got to do it intentionally.
"but you'll learn to respect the bike's power..." fuck no. you'll fear it and won't enjoy riding nearly as much.
used, small displacement bike. take the money you saved and invest in good riding gear. if you're not willing to spend the money for good riding gear and wear it every time, then don't even bother getting on a bike.
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