What Is A Good First Bike

[ECMgarrett]

heres my opinion on it - you may think youre cautious and have control, but you have no idea until you're on the bike.

i have a buddy thats ridden for years (started on dirtbikes and then went to a 883 sportster and recently bought a RC51), plenty of experience. he wrecked his bike this past weekend. too much speed going into a curve was the first part of the problem and then too much brake...
yes, you can have too much brake, thats when people flip over the handlebars.

dude, dont get more than a 600, unless of course its like a 1985 750 or something lol.
if this is your first street bike you need to be able to handle it well, its going to be a lot different than you think.

lightspeed - you give horrible advice....

[lightspeed]

ECMGarrett, you give wussy advice
I said 600, then you just said dont get more than a 600...hmm. Sounds the same..
The point you are making about the Harley guy getting an RC51 is moot here. There are going to be a lot of differences going from a cruiser to a sportbike. This is because he is used to riding a cruiser, and therefore his experience and skill is based on that. The CHANGE of going to a sportbike may have caused the issue....the fact that his experience taught him to expect a bike to react one way, but since he changed bikes, the new bike is reacting differently. However, if he had learned on an RC51 and the skill was built on that, it wouldnt have been an issue. By the same token, if you learn on a 600, you are going to have no pre-conceived expectation of how a cruiser was, therefore avoiding the issue.

I had an RC51 for a season. I liked it, but ironically, I thought it had incredibly sensitive brakes...probably the most powerful Ive even tried.

This is really a silly debate, since its all opinion anyway. Each person needs to make their own decision based on how comfortable they are with the situation.

[lightspeed]

A ninja is safer than a 600 because it is much more feasible to correct or recover from a miscalculation/mistake due to the lighter weight, slower throttle, enhanced flickability, and more standard seating position.

OK...finally, here is a good point, and I agree partially, in the case of a ninja 250 and a cbr600f4. I agree about the lower weight in this exact scenario, but then again I picked an incredibly light "starter" bike for comparison. A lot of people buy more cruiser or "standard" bikes as a starter bike. A lot of those bikes actually weigh more than a cbr 600, even ones with smaller displacement and/or less power.
As for flickability and seating, I think that comes down to the rider. True, a more upright bike with longer clipons/bars is going to allow more leverage, but I think that is easy to overcome.

I'd think that a seasoned rider like yourself would be able to figure that out.

Im not sure if youre questioning my experience riding, so ill give you the skinny. First, I do not consider myself to be an expert rider. Ive only been riding for about 6 years now, which isnt a long time compared-to a lot of "seasoned" riders. I have been to a couple race school and track days, and I spend the majority of my riding time in mountains. I dont consider myself an expert rider however, and I am the first to admit I have a lot to learn before I would be viable in competition.
I have never owned a bike that wasnt a sportbike. Ironically, the bike I first rode on the street after I got my permit was a Ninja 250, but that was only because its the only thing that I had available (a friend let me borrow it.) I rode it two times before buying my cbr 600. Even more funny, I actually bought the new gsxr750, the second bike, while I still had my permit only. I actually took my motorcycle license test on a new gsxr750 LOL. That was a trip actually.
I ride motorcycles for two reasons. The first is for the adrenaline rush of acceleration and speed. The second is the desire of getting away from everything and everyone for a few hours on the weekends, without possibility of hearing my cellphone ring or having to deal with other people. I actually prefer to ride alone. I dont ride because I like to be "part of a group" or anything like that, nor do I particularly care about the scenery or other things that many other people like about riding. For these reasons, Ive never owned anything but sportbikes. I prefaced my original post with the disclaimer of "if you are speed-addicted like most riders..." Hence my opinion is based on this mindset, and I still stick to it. A sportbike can be an acceptable first-bike, if you can control it. If you like sportbikes and speed, dont waste time and money on a non-sportbike, just because someone tells you its safer.

[ECMgarrett]

I said 600, then you just said dont get more than a 600...hmm. Sounds the same..

If I was you, and you have the money, get a new gsxr750.

Buy the biggest bike you can possible stand, and grow into it. Dont waste thousands of dollars trading around.

really? you said that, cause here youre saying get a 750....

[lightspeed]

really? you said that, cause here youre saying get a 750....

You are correct, but I also say "If I was you." I brought up 600's prior to that, and, all the subsequent posts were discussing 600's as the starter size. Although I do think a 750 is probably just as acceptable, its more money than most people want to spend for a first one.

Damnit, speaking of 750's, I almost bought an 06 750 last weekend, although I dont want to sell my bike and I dont need two bikes. Its rediculously sweet. <drools>