Bike ideas?

[NWDRVRBWE]

So here is my story,
been wanting a motorcycle my entire life. turned 18 in january which is great because at the age of 18 in kentucky you no longer need a parental sig. to get your motorcycles licence. not really sure if its like that in any other state. anyways, i have been having a very dificult time deciding what caliber bike i should get. i cant afford to spend 5k on a bike. i have been attracted to CBR's and GSXR's and other sport bikes. but i really just cant decide. i know Honda has great quality over all and that is really what i want because i plan on buying an older bike to save on cash. in an attempt to prevent my death, i thought it would be a good idea not to cross over the boundaries of 600cc bikes. but is a 250cc too small? not to mention i keep seeing new 250's are more expensive than 5 yr old 600's. (the 250's i have been looking at are 08 kawi ninja's)
currently im 6'2" and 175ibs and have about 2k cash.... i would need insurance too which also brings up another point... shoud i get 6 months coverage because i can only ride for half a year or should i go all out....?
just looking for some advise as usual.
Thanks
NWDRVR

 

[E_SolSi]

DRZ400 S or SM

can be had cheap
cost practically nothing to insure
very easy to ride
dont go stupidly fast
low as hell maintenance
bulletproof reliability
take crashes well
are very cheap to mod or repair
can go damn near everywhere

 

[George777]

IMO, a 250 will be too small. You will have loads of fun on one, but you will be wanting more in no time.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--much to the disagreement from others--a 750 Katana is a great bike. More than enough power, comfortable to ride for an extended period of time, and they can usually be bought for a decent price.

I agree with you, a super sport or an RR or any fuel injected bike over 600cc's is a lot to handle for a new rider.

My .02

 

[phyregod]

If you want to do it right, grab a used 250 at a good price, take damn good care of it, learn to ride, and sell it for what you paid. Assuming you don't wad it up or lay it down.. It'll teach you everything you need to know.

I would certainly go this route if you have never ridden a motorcycle before. If you grew up playing on mopeds and dirt bikes and you have plenty of experience from that, you could just make the jump to a 600.. Carefully..

But, absolutely do not ignore gear in your finances. You need a good helmet (HJC CL-15 comes highly recommended from many, its just over $100, snell rated, best helmet "for the money" hands down) Then you need a jacket and gloves at the very least. Personally, I ride in full gear. Every time. Its a pain in the ass, but when I crash, it'll be worth it. You can hit ebay and motorcycle site's clearance sections.. You don't have to spend a fortune..


Just remember, a 250 will kill you just as well as a 600 or a 1000. Although it might leave a better looking corpse..

 

[97hatch]

well my first bike was a 99 ZX9R not the best choice but i got a great deal on it. I was a little large for a first bike. But after about 3 monts of riding every day i loved it and was very happy with my purchase.

 

[jeffie7]

Bandit 600
SV650
GS 650
Ninja 500

Any of those should be good first bikes.

Just like with cars, most people can't buy their dream car the first time out. Ride to learn then buy what you want down the road. Took me about 5 years to get the bike that fit me perfectly.

 

[NWDRVRBWE]

Just remember, a 250 will kill you just as well as a 600 or a 1000. Although it might leave a better looking corpse..

they need to make a slogan for this or something. i totally agree. my only fear of buying a small bike is that i dont really want to outgrow it soon. my plan is to have one bike and drive that until it finaly dies. i dont want to have to buy sell and buy again. then i have to redo insurance and other shit like that again. i have some experience with motorcyles from dirtbikes, and i have yet to crash like many of my friends. i witnessed my best friend bite the dust about 4 feet from me and he was never the same since. i am very cautious when it comes to motorcyles, but i think that a 250 will just be too small.

does anyone have any direct experience from honda motorcyles??? still looking for reliability....

 

[efhondakid]

DRZ400 S or SM

can be had cheap
cost practically nothing to insure
very easy to ride
dont go stupidly fast
low as hell maintenance
bulletproof reliability
take crashes well
are very cheap to mod or repair
can go damn near everywhere

A friend of mine had the Suzuki for a while and loved it.

 

[phyregod]

does anyone have any direct experience from honda motorcyles??? still looking for reliability....

I ride a CBR 1000rr. I love that bike. But I worked my way up to it. You really, really shouldn't start with a liter bike. Even with years of riding, the 1k took some getting used to. The 600rr is bloody fast as well, but has less torque.

A good investment at this point would be a riding school that provides bikes.. Then you can hop on different bikes and try them out. And get training as a bonus.

 

[NWDRVRBWE]

ok. sounds like a neat idea. now i just need to do some research on local riding schools with bikes. also in KY a riding school can eliminate having to take the licence test and lower my insurance. its a win-win situation.

did you happen to take one of these classes? how expensive are they generally? i know they are usually 16 - 20 hrs long so a couple days....

 

[George777]

I took mine at the local racetrack. They had a program that was sponsored by the racetrack and offered the certificate of completion. It cost me about $250, which was significantly more than some of the other programs available, but the classes were small and the instructors were very good. Smaller classes offered more individual attention and instruction, making it easier to learn. My course lasted two and a half days.

You could probably go into the local bike shops/dealers and see who they recommend. They may even give you a discount as a referral. I know the course that I took gave me a discount for mentioning the Honda dealer, and when the course was over, I got a voucher for $500 worth of gear with the purchase of a bike from either Kawasaki, Honda, or one of the other shops in the area.