My first bike. What to buy?

[Redegal]

Hi,
I recently signed up for a basic rider's course. Iv'e only ridden a street bike once my life. I'm selling my Turbo Regal and I'm going to have a little cash to spare. I'm thinking of getting a bike. My brother got a Honda Nighthawk 750 for his first bike and I don't want ot get the same thing. I'm not a small perrson (6'1" and just over 200lb.) so I don't want to get something too small. I was thinking of getting a sport bike. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Mike

[Nhra Firebird]

sv650

[GhostofKrypton]

any 600 sportbike will be good for a beginner. but like anything else you will want more power. for those that are 6' and bigger, most prefer the 1000 but as you have not riden one i would suggest buying a cheap used 600 and then saving money for a liter bike (1000). also as to which brand, almost all are the same performance wise. As for your choices, it should be narrowed down to comfort of the bike, and then color.

[86 IROC-Z]

liter bike.

Safety gear should consist of a tshirt, cargo shorts, flip flops and oakleys.

[Redegal]

liter bike.

Safety gear should consist of a tshirt, cargo shorts, flip flops and oakleys.

Lol, that's what I'm talking about!

My brother's Nighthwak 750 can't outrun my Camaro so I'm thinking I might want something a little faster. I haven't done any window shopping yet either so....

[dklowrider]

imo: over 6', over 200# on a 600 crotchrocket will look like a monkey f'ing a football. unless you're dead set on a crotchrocket you might want to check out honda shadows. lots of different models over the recent years, fairly inexpensive, dead reliable, and even the smaller motored bikes are physically large machines comparatively.

[dklowrider]

liter bike.

Safety gear should consist of a tshirt, cargo shorts, flip flops and oakleys.

[tromanf3]

any 600 sportbike will be good for a beginner. but like anything else you will want more power. for those that are 6' and bigger, most prefer the 1000 but as you have not riden one i would suggest buying a cheap used 600 and then saving money for a liter bike (1000). also as to which brand, almost all are the same performance wise. As for your choices, it should be narrowed down to comfort of the bike, and then color.

This is pretty stupid to say. A 600 will get you in trouble just as fast as a 1000, they are not good for a beginner unless you are mature enough to respect it and not think just because it's a 600 it's not fast. I'd say 99% of riders can't exploit the power and capabilities of a 600 so don't think they're toys.

Why does height have anything to do with what size he gets?? It doesn't matter if it's a 600, 750, or 1000 they all are pretty much the same size. I'm 6'0 250lbs and I do just fine on a 600, they are plenty fast and will be fun for a long time.

I agree with what someone else said, SV650. Hell i'd even say get a new ninja 250, great bikes to start on and they hold their value really well so you could ride it for a year then turn around a sell with a good chance of breaking close to even.

[Redegal]

SV650 looks nice:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CA0Q9QEwAw

[whoa guy]

You gotta really think about what style of riding you're going to be doing? Local or long trips? What do your buddies ride? What appeals to you? You're 35 and 6ft 200lbs... are you dead set on a sport bike??

[Ramairgod84]

I almost got a yamaha R6 years ago. I went around shopping for a bit. I'm 5'6/7 on a good day, and the r6 fit me the best. Being shorter, I wanted to make sure my feet touched the ground to help strattling a 300lb or so bike.

[Redegal]

You gotta really think about what style of riding you're going to be doing? Local or long trips? What do your buddies ride? What appeals to you? You're 35 and 6ft 200lbs... are you dead set on a sport bike??

Eh.. I guess I'm not dead set on a sport bike. I just like the look of them. The Honda Shawdows don't look bad either.

[SHines-IT]

I still want a sport bike, but insurance scares me...

[whoa guy]

Ditto on the looks. I drool over a lot of the crotch rockets out there. The Shadows aren't a bad bike. Its like a small cruiser.. a great beginner bike. I think you'll feel pretty cramped over time on it, and the lack of power will leave you wanting more. SVs and Nighthawks are sorta "inbetween" bikes. I'd say either get a cruiser or a sport bike. For me, I prefer to be comfortable on rides, plus I do long trips and attend rallies and such. There are tons of great metric cruisers to be had for cheap too that look great.

[Redegal]

If not a sport bike I think I'm leaning toward an SV. It is a good "in between" bike.

[whoa guy]

Id get the 650 then. I love the way this one looks..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phoenix_bike_019.JPG

[brendan.9]

sell you the bike in my picture

[pecha]

sv650

/thread

please don't get out and buy SS bikes and get hurt

bikes do NOT lose their value as fast as cars

just pick up a used 03 or newer sv650 and be happy

BTW I was 6ft and over 200lbs when I picked out mine for the forst bike and was very satisfied with that choice

[wheeliE-maxx]

sv or ninja 650

[pecha]

sv or ninja 650

huge aftermarket for sv650
kawasaki versys 650 would be better than ninja 650 IMO