motor cycles

[DOOK]

as has been stated before, take the class, it had ALL sorts of benefits from cheaper insurance to the fact that IF you do get pulled over and the cops see you took the class they are more likely to go easy on you and give you a warning. As for good starter bikes, a full out street bike is not good to learn on, the ninja 250 is ok, but I'd go with a more streetable bike like a suzuki sv650 or a honda blackhawk.

[SHIFT_Slide]

Most drops are from stops. New riders aren't used to the weight of the bike, and moving that weight around. It's easy to tell if someone is comfortable with the bike by the way they move it without it actually running. A good idea for a new riders is to pick a bike with a low seat height, so you're able to stand up flat footed and not on your tippy toes. It'll help you hold the bike up.

[eastcoastS14]

just curious.....any one here every been on a ducati, or know anything about them? they look so sick, probably wouldnt get one for a first bike but maybe get a 748 down the line or something. What do you guys think of em how do they ride etc?

[SHIFT_Slide]

I've ALWAYS been in love with 996's but sadly I have never actually gotten a chance to test it on the street, only around a parking lot. While that may not be much I still loved it. Most Ducati's have a very linear power band, not a super amount of torque like a Harley but a lot more linear yet not as peaky as other Japanese sportbikes. (They still rev very high)
Both the 996 and 748 are powered by L twin motors (90°). Great bikes they are and I'd love to own one.

[infinitexsound]

old school 70's bike best bang for the buck... cafe'd out

get a 70's honda cb, or a kawasaki kz..... if u like new up to date crotch rockets i say a zx.

[DOOK]

Originally Posted by eastcoastS14

just curious.....any one here every been on a ducati, or know anything about them? they look so sick, probably wouldnt get one for a first bike but maybe get a 748 down the line or something. What do you guys think of em how do they ride etc?

I've ridden many Ducati bikes, from the monster style the 999s and I've never been a huge fan, the 999s is a VERY expensive bike and I was expecting much more... they are ok, but ehhh... I'm actually a much bigger fan of Aprilia... My best friend rides a Falco with Mille swingarm conversion and built Mille engine... it's wicked and with the dual Akropovic pipes it sounds like a muscle car... gotta love it.

[ChingSR20]

the ninja zx10r is a nice bike.

[silvia-junkie]

i learned on a 87 ex500. my advice would be buy used for a first bike if you drop it you wont care to much. a smaller bike is good i recomend 500's fast enough to have some fun but not crazy that it will get out of hand to quick. if you are experienced atleast where i am a new fi 600 is all you need there are lots of corners around me and not to many straights perfect for a 600. the next question is how tall are you kawasaki and honda's tend to fit shoter folks better while yamaha's and suzuki's are a bit bigger. im 5'8" and my zx6r is perfect.

my bike


oh and dravins13 the msf course http://www.msf-usa.org/ has bikes for you to learn on. they had honda 250's here. good course they teach you the basics and emergency manuvers that have saved my ass more than once.

[sunnys14]

Originally Posted by eastcoastS14

just curious.....any one here every been on a ducati, or know anything about them? they look so sick, probably wouldnt get one for a first bike but maybe get a 748 down the line or something. What do you guys think of em how do they ride etc?

i dont like them, my buddies duc 749 dark was prolly the most uncomfortable bike to ride long distances. seat was firm, tank was very long, seatpegs awkward position. puts the rider stance far back with your arm extended fully forward. really torquey but the top end power isnt there, at all... period. handles good though

[GSXRJJordan]

^^^ like everything else on this site, there's waaaay too much mis-information floating around here.

1] Ducatis are shitty bikes for anyone that actually rides. The 1098 is a nice bike, but no one who owns a 240 is going to drop $20k on a bike - and especially one that gets it's ass handed to it by EVERY $13k Jap literbike. Long story short, I've owned a few, including a 916SPS (look it up, they're rare, like S15s in the US rare), a 996, and a 749 (got in trade). They all suck compared to Japanese bikes, in EVERY respect.

2] Seat heights for all NEW bikes (like 04+) are the same - 600s, 750, 1000, all of em - they're all within an inch or so. The only difference as far as standing up the bike/waiting at stoplights is seat and tank width, with 600s/750s being narrower.

Lesson: If you're starting out, go sit on the bike before you buy it. If you're small, and/or can't walk the bike in a straight line, it's physically too big for you to handle - go find something smaller. For you little guys, this means starting on a Kawi EX500 or something. That's fine - don't get a bike that's too large (not talking engine size, just physical size) for you to get comfortable with.

3] The 2004 ZX10 linked to above is the hardest-to-ride bike I've ever ridden. Even with a steering damper and different tires, the front end is so unpredictable that it's not enjoyable to ride fast. Please look into other options (2005+ GSXR1000 would be the best) for a literbike in the $4000-$8000 range.

4] "cafe racers" are nice to look at but not that fun to ride (if you actually ride for a while), in addition to being inherently unreliable (they're older bikes, sketchy maintenance, carbureted instead of FI, etc). Again, wouldn't recommend it.

Oh, and as far as crash stories - I've lost count of most of them (majority are low speed, where the front end loses traction - braking and hitting painted lines/water/sand and you dump it, braking between cars/splitting lanes on the freeway and dump it, coming to a stop and your foot slips and you dump it, etc), but these are small potatoes - little knick on your frame sliders and some embarrassment. I've had probably 10 of those little ones in my >60,000 miles of street riding experience.
The big accidents are up in the canyons when people outride their equipment (usually brakes or front tires) or their skill level (braking too late, running wide/into the next lane) racing or trying to be 'fast', or doing stunts. I've never gone down in the canyons or on the track, and I've never gone down doing stunts. I do 1st/2nd/3rd gear wheelies and at least one endo almost every time I get on my bike, too.

Lastly, like I said in my first post on this thread, anyone in the LA/OC area can come to me to learn to ride, or to have me pick up their first bike with them and give 'em some lessons. I want you guys to all enjoy riding, and survive your first few months on the mean streets.

[silvia-junkie]

^^^^ this man speaks the truth. sitting on the bike is the best way to find if it fits you. and when i was talking about size i more ment ergos. atleast in my experience as a shorter rider i felt to streched on suzukis and yamahas. small variations on hand and foot position can make a huge difference.

[Dorifto89]

CR500 Supermoto. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/456342752.html

[topsecretgold]

im getting an r6 or 03+ gixxer as soon as i get off my lazy ass and make money

[wingsnthangs]

My first bike was a Kawasaki Ninja 250. It was a great bike, I rode it for a good 10 months before moving up to a Yamaha R6.

I concur. Wear your gear, get a used bike, MSF, etc. I also second the Ninja 250 as an excellent starter bike (best fuel economy, very maneuverable, very manageable dimensions, excellent value and resale), but if you worry too much about how you look and people giving you props, you won’t get it. Bike selection is a very subjective and (dare I say) emotionally driven choice.

I rode a Ninja 250 for the first 10 months before moving up to a Yamaha R6. I’m 100% sure that I would have crashed or dropped the R6 had I not gained the experience on the Ninja 250 first. Like all riders, I’ve had my share of close calls. But I’m fortunate enough to say I have yet to crash or drop a bike.

But as my coworker, who’s been riding/fixing bikes (dirt, sport, cruiser) for over 20 years, says: "There are two types of riders: those who have crashed, and those who have not crashed yet.” He has given up street riding completely for years now, and I have recently stopped commuting to work. I guess it’s kinda like leaving the poker table while you're still up (aka alive and uninjured).

Ride safe.

[Farzam]

I want to learn how to ride...

The closest thing i've ridden to a motorcycle is years of BMX and a moped.

I should probably have a friend with a dirtbike teach me...right?

[Dorifto89]

Yep. I learned how to ride on an '85 XR350.

After that I picked up an XR250 dualsport and rode that around for a while until I realized I bought it from a fat dyke and the engine blew up.

If you can, get yourself on some 4 stoke dirtbike and bwot around for a bit to get a good feel for riding, clutch engagement and what not.

After that get on a 250 2 stroke and piss off your neighbors. bbrrraaaaaaaaaaapppp

[Diabolical]

Start on a used 600cc bike

[rainier]

start on a 250cc-600cc.

250s are great learner bikes and people on bike forums will tell you that. you need to learn basics before hitting the big bikes man. Don't worry about what bike you get first, everyone starts somewhere. when i first bought my ninja250, i thought it was gonna be crappy, thought people would make fun of me, but really, i learned alot and im glad i started on that. the mistakes i made on my small bike helped me out with my other 600cc bikes. only reason i upgraded to the 600s is because the freeway SUCKED ASS. i always got tailed.

[240_whore]

I'd love to have a crotchrocket... But I'd probably kill myself. You know the Honda CBR 600RR (2007) does the 1/2 mile in 9.96 sec bone stock?


My favorite one to dream about is definitely either the Suzuki GSX 600 or 750. Guy down my street has a Hyabusa (spelling?) and it's outrageously fast. He won't let me drive it for some reason... :P

[wootwoot]

SV650's are really nice....Somewhat mellow riding position, still look nice with full feiring, cheap, plentiful, simple, dont have to rev the snot outta em. If I were to purchase a bike it'd be one of em. Doesnt have the crazy racer aspect but that isnt what you're looking for.

I wish I wasnt so scared of dying otherwise I'd have a bike, they are so fun. I had a friend who was sitting at a stop light recently and a dude took the turn wide and where my friend on the bike was is where the truck went. That was a terrible sentence but basically he got plowed by an f250 at 3 in the afternoon when he was just sitting there. Well he's dead now so that sucks.

[Andrew Bohan]

+1 for SV's

good starter bike. mellow but not unbearably slow

[soreballz]

+1 for a 250.

I want a bike. But, my self control issues keep me off of anything with two wheels and a motor. lol

[GSXRJJordan]

You know the Honda CBR 600RR (2007) does the 1/2 mile in 9.96 sec bone stock?

Um, no.

1/2 mile? Cmon man...

600s have NEVER broken the 10sec mark in the quarter, stock, and especially not a Honda (known as the slowest, least hp brand in the last 10 years or so).

So I call BS. Edit: Yeah everyone's saying that it turns mid to high 10s with a pro rider, which means an average rider would see mid to high 11s. Just like every other stock 600.

Back on topic, yes the SV650 is a great starter bike also, but doesn't have the HP that the CBR600F4i has, and LA has a lot of freeways where that extra 20hp is greatly appreciated.

[Andrew Bohan]

i dunno, i've never had trouble blasting from 80 to 120 on mine. hopping around a car going 60 in the fast lane is no trouble either. it's all that torque it has.

[GSXRJJordan]

^^^ I assume you're talking about the SV. Ride a few more bikes - I've ridden SV1000s and SV650s and love the torque too, but my bike makes 50ft-lbs (the SV650's peak torque) at like 6000rpm... and then I rev all the way to 13.5k Whenever I ride an SV I keep bouncing it off the limiter hoping to finally hit the powerband lol.

But for someone who's not jaded, the SV650 is a blast of a bike, just like any other recent (last 10 years) Japanese bike.

[status:one]

[Andrew Bohan]

oh i'm not saying the sv is the torqueiest bike, just that it's not so shitty that the freeway isn't good for it.

and although the sv's peak torque isn't that high, it's barely lower than peak at low rpm's, the same characteristic torque curve difference a V8 has over a 4-cyl

[eastcoastS14]

so a freind of mine said he would sell his 06 zx6r to me for $5000....not sure how serious he is but i might find out and try and take him up on that offer

[SochBAT]

Zilvia Riding Team.

Lets do it.

[eastcoastS14]

ha yeah def....if i move out to cali after school id be down


so does anyone have opinions of zx6r's? do you think it would be worth buying my friends as a first bike? Like I said 5k for an 06 zx6r