I'm buying a sport bike

[get_nick]

Ok, so i'm buying a sport bike. I've wanted one forever. I have had dirt bikes but never a street bike. So they are kinda new to me. I tried to search google but that was hard to sift through all the info on there and i know people on here have bikes.

so my question is, does anybody know where i could find good comparison research for some of these? i'm leaning towards an R6 but it's not set in stone (i know, everybody has one). I'm not buying brand new either. looking for maybe a 2002 or 2003.

any other input is welcome, i know there are a lot of riders in here.

 

[posol]

R6 FTW
that or a cbr. stay away from gixxers.

but what do i know about bikes.

 

[ripperbone]

Quoted post[/post]]
stay away from gixxers.

gsxr is a much better bike than the r6,

I would start off with a 600cc bike either the gsxr, cbr, r6 or ninja would be a great starter bike to get. your best bet is to go to the diffferent bike shops in your area, look at the different bikes, do some research on the different models, look into different sportbike sites and forums. but most inportant thing is to get the bike you like and fits your style, and is confortable for you, each bike is setup differently, and the sitting postions are different. the gsxr is a more agressive seating then the rest.

http://sbw.sportbikes.com/
http://www.sportbike.com/
http://www.cycleworld.com/
http://www.sportrider.com/

 

[reckedracing]

CBR is said to be the most comfortable, you're not laying over the tank as much

i would personally look long and hard at honda, the others are nice bikes, and i'm sure the others can be faster, but i like hondas reliability and the how they can take a beating

 

[get_nick]

damn, these sites are making me paranoid about getting a 600cc bike. is this just the reality of a bike, or is an R6 a legitimate bike to have for my first street bike? i was planning on getting a bike in the next 3 weeks or so and i want to make sure i'm buying the right bike.

 

[ripperbone]

an R6 is a great first bike, keep it for a couple of years, and then up grade to a bigger bike, or stay with the 600 class. I know a lot of people that start of with the r6 and just love it, its a great bike to take in the canyons, nice and light, and still has more power than you will ever use.

 

[reckedracing]

an R6 is a great first bike, keep it for a couple of years, and then up grade to a bigger bike, or stay with the 600 class. I know a lot of people that start of with the r6 and just love it, its a great bike to take in the canyons, nice and light, and still has more power than you will ever use.

i'm going to FIRMLY disagree with you saying that an R6 is a great first/beginner bike...

if you trust yourself to have immense respect for the machine, then you can THINK about getting an R6
but the 600 class bike is nothing to fuck around with... it'll just get you in a wreck faster
i would look into something a little more tame as a beginnner bike unless you know you'll have the self control to keep it rolling slow...

 

[get_nick]

Quoted post[/post]]

an R6 is a great first bike, keep it for a couple of years, and then up grade to a bigger bike, or stay with the 600 class. I know a lot of people that start of with the r6 and just love it, its a great bike to take in the canyons, nice and light, and still has more power than you will ever use.

i'm going to FIRMLY disagree with you saying that an R6 is a great first/beginner bike...

if you trust yourself to have immense respect for the machine, then you can THINK about getting an R6
but the 600 class bike is nothing to fuck around with... it'll just get you in a wreck faster
i would look into something a little more tame as a beginnner bike unless you know you'll have the self control to keep it rolling slow...

my dad is pushing me to get this local 2006 Ninja 250. i'm 25 and it's going to be my own money, but he's nervous i'm going to kill myself. I think i'm just wanting to get the R6 because i just want a bike I can keep for a while. He wants me to use the Ninja for the summer and upgrade next year. So i'm just trying to research everything.

 

[Seany-izzle]

i kind of think its a waste of time and money to buy a small bike as your first bike. Take a look at the cbr f4i's, whether its the ninja, gsxr, cbr, r6, f4i, whatever... each bike is great, sit on each one, really get a feel for how you fit, then take whatever is teh most comfortable... who cares if the r6 is .035 seconds faster than the gsxr... it comes down to feel and posture.

 

[get_nick]

This is what i've really been thinking about after the research. I just don't want to kill myself. I also wouldn't be upset with laying down a $3000 bike versus a $9000 bike. 74.2 mpg FTW!!!! Yes, i hate the flames to.

 

[reckedracing]

my dad is pushing me to get this local 2006 Ninja 250. i'm 25 and it's going to be my own money, but he's nervous i'm going to kill myself. I think i'm just wanting to get the R6 because i just want a bike I can keep for a while. He wants me to use the Ninja for the summer and upgrade next year. So i'm just trying to research everything.

your dad is a very smart man

my second bike was a NINJA 250, and it was a huge upgrade from my first bike
the 250's are nice and light, but they still have more than enough pep to get you killed...
i would listen to your dad and get the 250
you might find out that 2 wheels isn't your deal after all and just end up selling the bike
a lot of people can't handle the close calls and the car drivers not paying attention etc and just get out of the game...
and you will drop your first bike, doesn't matter if you're going 60 or at a red light or in your driveway, the bike will fall sooner or later, they always do... 250 parts are cheap to replace

this was my first bike
1980 yamaha sr250 exciter, it was an awesome learner, broke the rocker arms on the way back from my road test

2nd bike was a 1990 ninja 250 that i completely beat the hell out of, dropped a few times, almost died a few times... but it was a great bike

This is what i've really been thinking about after the research. I just don't want to kill myself. I also wouldn't be upset with laying down a $3000 bike versus a $9000 bike. 74.2 mpg FTW!!!! Yes, i hate the flames to.

get one used, they drop in valvue pretty fast off the show room floor
insurance will be ass cheap and the gas mileage is just beyond awesome

 

[importjdmcivic]

I just bought my first bike last August and i was in the same boat as you. I decided on a Ninja 250R. A friend of mine had one and let me ride it and i loved it. It handles great and it has enough power to get you where you need to go. If you are lookin at the specs and thinking to yourself...DAMN 29 horses...thats not enough!!! Well, it is enough. At least for a beginner.

 

[StealthMode]

Sometimes I think about riding, and then for some reason, I just KNOW that some dipshit is going to run a light and I will be the one to lose. I know that I would be responsible, but that only goes so far, so good luck on your bike. I think sometime I will just buy the Quad that I want SO bad, and stick to trails. I looked into a Ninja 250 a while ago. When I get home from Spain, I will post some pics of the local bikes here in Sevilla. I have pictures of 2 R6's and I will be getting some of this sick Ducati 749 that I see almost every day on the way to school.

 

[reckedracing]

If you are lookin at the specs and thinking to yourself...DAMN 29 horses...thats not enough!!! Well, it is enough. At least for a beginner.

mine had over 30K miles and still ripped

 

[erebunicrx]

im going to have to say cbr 929rr. nothing less. its more comfortible then any of the 600's i've riden. the power is there throuout the power band so you dont have to rev to 11k to move anywhere. also my 929 is lower so your feet can sit just about flat on the ground and the new 600's are more narrow and taller. start with a bike you have to respect.

 

[Dustin_m]

Quoted post[/post]]
im going to have to say cbr 929rr. nothing less. its more comfortible then any of the 600's i've riden. the power is there throuout the power band so you dont have to rev to 11k to move anywhere. also my 929 is lower so your feet can sit just about flat on the ground and the new 600's are more narrow and taller. start with a bike you have to respect.

my friend did that same thing. he got a GSXR 1000 for his first bike. pretty stupid in my opinion, but i guess each person learns different. atleast i'm not the one sitting home with a broken collarbone though, like he is.

i plan to get a bike hopefully next year, and i guess i fall into the group that wants a smaller bike and move up later, so i am also looking at the ninja 250. from what everyone here on HS says, it seems like it would suit me fine.

 

[Seany-izzle]

what is everyones gripe with the GSXR??

 

[Dustin_m]

almost everyone i know prefers GSXR's,and from what my friends have said, i want one, but not for a first bike. i have nothin against em, i just would rather trash a 250 instead of any gsxr

 

[jeffie7]

Buy a used Ninja 500, you should beable to resell it for the same price you paid for it.

After that if you're looking at 2000-2002s I would look into either the F4i or the GSX-R. Im not a fan of the R6 becuase it has carbs.

GIXXERs IMO are over rated just becuase everyone wants a GIXXER, its more of a bragging bike then anything else. Is it any better then a F4i, R6 or ZX6R? NO! each bike is within X many LBS as with HP, all bikes put up very close #s on the track as with dragstrip. The only thing that makes any real difference is the rider.

Most reviews I've seen on the bikes in 100% stock from the GSX-R600 is slightly faster then the other bikes on the track, however almost always once you dial in the other bikes (setting up the adjustable suspension getting it dialed in) the other bikes end up for the most part running faster.

What does this mean? GSX-R is setup harsher and more for the track from the factory, is that a good thing? for street use IMO no.

Plus more people (not pros) are able to run faster track times on the CBRs then most any other bike becuase its more forgiving, that lets people feel comfortable pushing the bike harder.

Just remember any newer 600cc supersportbike will run in the 10s from the factory. 0-100mph is just as fast in a 600cc as a brand new 1000cc bike.


With all the bullshit aside from people thinking one bike is better then the other. Just sit on everybike and get the bike that fits YOU better.

Only downside I see to the GSX-R is the fact that the engine will feel like its going to blow up in the higher RPM range, Suzukis motors have always had vibration issues. the newer bikes (2004+) I believe had fixed a lot of it. but I do know the 90s and earily 2000s GSX-R had reviews like (the engine feels like its going to blow up but it keeps going and going and going not missing a single beat) I myself enjoy the super smooth motor Honda puts out.

 

[ripperbone]

go and take the riding class, and get your license, and what ever bike you get take time to learn the bike, when I went from my cbr600 to my zx9 some of my friends were worried cause it was a jump in size on the bikes, but I took my time on the zx9 and learned what it was capable of doing. every bike is different.

if I was you I wouldnt buy a new bike I would look at used bikes to start off, you can get a older R6 for around 3g's