Thinking about getting a bike?

Hi everyone, I have recently been interested in acquiring a honda motorcylce for myself. I have NO riding experience, so I am just asking what kind of bike does everyone suggest? I am the kind of life on the edge type of person, so I was htinking that a 600 would be a nice size to get, considering Ill most likely have it for a few years. My real question is what should I look for in a bike? How many miles, prices, specifics, any training courses or advice would be greatly appreciated. Stats: I am 18 (dont give me bullshit cuz ive had my share ;), i weigh around 160 lbs, 5' 9". I am really just looking for some buying advice, thanks.

Most pro riders will tell you that very few pro riders can make use of a 600 sportbike's full potential, and it's definitely not a beginner ride...

As a beginner, you'll drop it a few times, even if only while not moving. Plastics are expensive for sport bikes...

All things considered, I always suggest a new rider buy an old 80's era standard like a Nighthawk or a Seca or something like that which are plentiful, cheap, reliable, and don't cost $1000 to repair every time it tips over...ride it for 6 months to a year, until you're comfortable with riding, sell it and then get what you really want.

You can generally find these bikes for $1500 or less easily...

Then when you get something newer and nicer you'll have the experience to make use of it, tempered with a respect for what you are doing which helps keep you outta trouble...

As always, the MSF course is absolutely the best first step a new rider can take, they will teach you things that will save your life...

You have a point there in wanting to save money by buying a bike that you plan to keep for the long term. The downside to that option is that you may not learn basic riding skills that are more easily learned on a beginner bike.

I thought about getting, as my first bike, the one that I plan to keep (like an R6, CBR 600RR, ZX-6R), but I have read way too many threads of beginner's using super sports and totaling them within a week after picking it up from the dealer because they did not get their basic riding skills down before grabbing a handfull of throttle.

It is common sense that you'll learn way faster if you're not having learning multiple skills at once (ie getting used to the weight of the bike, steering, balance, clutch release, signaling, braking, downshifting). There's a much greater chance something will go wrong. To add to those tasks, you'll have to watch out for those crazy cagers.

This is your first bike, not your last one.

Rather than beat on a topic that has already been beaten to death over and over again, I can only recommend you read this stickied thread http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=224918.

Don't forget to take the MSF course.

I guess I left out the most important information, my moms boyfriend has a 1980s honda 250 at a friends house, current tags and everything, so I guess I will be riding that baby until I am comfortable enough to upgrade, thanks for the help!

Lotta people got ego tied up in it, they're afraid to be seen on something small thinking they are gonna get ridiculed for it. If you do, those aren't riders you want in your circle of friends...people who enjoy riding and want to encourage others are happy to see you out there with them on ANYTHING...

We used to have a guy that was a rookie rider, 35 years old and first bike. Real tall guy, he borrowed my old '73 Honda CB350 and tagged along with us, the rest of us were riding Sportsters, Dynas, Valkryries, Intruders, etc...funny thing was at every gas stop, that old CB350 was the one that drew attention the most from others...seems everybody over 40 years old began riding on one of those and had a story about it...

It was a great beginner bike, aside from the relatively high seat height that was the curse of 70's bikes, but that was no problem for him, as tall as he was...

http://images5.theimagehosting.com/bikes (600 x 375).th.jpg (http://server5.theimagehosting.com/image.php?img=bikes (600 x 375).jpg)
click it....

My wife took this pic as we were leaving on a group ride...I'm the fatass on the Sportster :lol: trying to keep my hands warm while the bike warmed up...man it was cold that day.

Note he is wearing my white helmet that they gave me free when I bought my Vulcan and realized I didn't bring a helmet with me to ride it home with...it was affectionately known as the ping pong ball by our group, and we did make fun of him for that:iceslolan ...kept telling him it was so everybody could easily spot the newbie if he went off the road or something....

He got really good on that old 350...before long we were chasing his tail in the curves...

my first streetbike was a honda cb360T. Probably the reason i'm alive today...it was SLOOOWWW, but it taught me how to ride on the street without getting myself killed by goosing that throttle. My DR650 felt like a whole new world of power after that, and those things only make ~40hp! If i got this SV1000 as my first bike, I probably wouldnt be tpying this right now.

interesting stories, i guess i can put up with other people's shit for a while, and best of all, its a FREE learners bike, so i wont have to spend a dime. thanks for the advice and i will be posting in here again most likely with hopefully, tales of success.

I commend you on your smart decision to start small. You admitted you like to live life on the edge, and by starting on a small bike (especially if you've never ridden a dirt bike), you'll get to continue to do so. Do yourself a huge favor and take an MSF course. I did a few years ago for the insurance break, and after riding motorcylces since I was 5, I still learned a few things and enjoyed helping others with my experiences (i knew the instructor and he let help out). Anyone who harasses you about riding a small bike is an idiot, and you can laugh all the way to the next gas station. I ride a Harley Fatboy, and acknowledge all other motorcyclists, whether they're on a crotch rocket, standard, dual sport or whatever. Have fun on the free new bike, and when you get your skills tuned in, use the gas money you're saving to buy that 600 you want!!

You can call me crazy (and you wouldn't be the first) but my first bike is the VTX1300 in the sig below. I fell in love with it the first time I took it out and had to make it mine. I ran a 250 at the MSF and this was a whole hell of a lot more bike. It didn't take long to get a good feel for driving it and I'm glad I didn't get anything smaller. It'll carry my wife and I quite well.

If I were in my twenties (instead of 40) I'd have gone with something smaller and less expensive.













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You can call me crazy (and you wouldn't be the first) but my first bike is the VTX1300 in the sig below. I fell in love with it the first time I took it out and had to make it mine. I ran a 250 at the MSF and this was a whole hell of a lot more bike. It didn't take long to get a good feel for driving it and I'm glad I didn't get anything smaller. It'll carry my wife and I quite well.

If I were in my twenties (instead of 40) I'd have gone with something smaller and less expensive.
Yogs, allow me to shed light on a few things:

1) You're old and whipped :p
b) Your bike may be big, but it doesn't make power like a supersport ;)
III) You're old and whipped :p

Seriously, though... your bike is big for a starter, but you did take the MSF and you are FAR less likely to feel the need to prove the size of your manhood as the under 30 population.

Ok..my turn...
My first bike and current bike....was and is a 98 zx1100. Big heavy 650 lbs -1100cc's and like Yogs...I can't imagine riding anything else or having started out on anything less. 2 yrs later...I finally felt what it was like to ride a 600 for the first time. Never had I ever been on a bike before riding my zx11. I guess it may be in my blood. My friends dad rode it home for me and I sat on it and after a 5 min tech and theory explanation on how to do what..I was going around the block solo. Don't know if any of u all remember. Now I'm not saying this for u to go out and buy the 600 and think ur the sh!t but this is my story. I remember a few times I hit the throttle and almost hit parked cars cuz I didn't have the experience to get the bike to turn the way I needed her to and just barely missed by 2 inches, hitting parked or double parked cars. Or trying to cut in front of a car on my left and almost hitting the car in front of me. I dropped my bike standing still at a light cuz my timboot heel got stuck on the left peg...I hopped off and the left peg scraped from the ankle...to calf..and up my thigh right above my knee. Had bloody black and blue from that running up my whole leg damn near. Dropped it while washing on uneven surface in neutral...it rolled and I tried to catch it..busted my plastic and signal light on that. But I must add...the main advantages I had were...that I am 6'2" tall....300 pounds....and I rode with much more experienced riders...8-20 yrs experience. Plus I lived on this forum...aussie...jeffcoslacker....richtazz and everyone else(take no offense if I didn't mention u by name)....fed me info and I started all kinds of convos and contraversy..lol. I think if u have the op to get use of a free bike its cool but regardless..its gonna be like starting over once u get ur new bike. The only difference to me is that u will know how to use the controls and shifting...and hopefully have some experience in real traffic. But I was happy learning on this beast of mine and would have needed a bigger more responsive bike a month or 2 after riding something like a six or smaller. Plus a cruiser that size and a sports bike will feel like 2 different beings.just my opinion from my own experiences. If u do go with a sports bike...600 or whatever bike...make sure u learn 3 things very fast. Throttle control... counter steering.....and consider urself invisible to EVERYONE!!!! I didn't know what it was like to ride anything else and when I finally felt a 600..it felt like a toy...and I felt scared bcuz it felt like I was on nothing and no bike in front of me practically about to flip over the front of the bike at everystop...so my point is u can learn on what u r gonna be on and it will feel normal to u. Switch to a different bike or borrow a friends....that is different ....and it feels different. At least to me. I've only ridden 3 other bikes after my zx11 and they all felt way different and not as comfortable as what I know. That was an r1 z1000 and an r6. Hope this sheds some understanding and doesn't add any confusion.

WEll..hmm. I dont think anyone needs to "learn" countersteering - it comes naturally. More important than that is to learn to gauge your speed when coming into corners, and not go in too fast. That's the easiest way to avoid single-vehicle accidents (you splatting yourself in other words). Most peoples reactions when they hit a corner to fast is to stand the bike up/slam on the brakes, which is the WORST thing you can do. Best thing is to pucker up, lean her harder, and giv'er gas.

Hmmm well I don't really know what I can add that hasn't been said already.... but I tend to agree with yogs and es. get what you want and don't be an idiot on it. The bike only goes as fast as you let it with that throttle. Be mature and responsible and expect to make mistakes. YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE. Nobody is. You can and will die on even the smallest of bikes if you are not careful.


As far as my experience, I bought a honda 919 last march for my first bike. After 4000+ miles and 1 season I absolutely love it and can't even believe I was gonna buy an old 600 instead, I think I would have been pulling my hair out by now. She still satisfies me for the most part but sometimes I'd love a little more power for when I really punch it. I have been tossing around the idea of trading it in for a liter sport bike. The 2008 cbr1000 really has me drooling. But I'll probly wind up holding off seeing as the color combo I want isn't offered:icon16: Besides the 919 still has alot to offer me. Like they say most riders can't even utilize a 600 to the fullest of its abilities.

Ofcourse u need to learn countersteering. Although it may happen naturally and u don't realize ur doing it.....it is still an applied science. Once u learn what u r doing..why...and how it happens...it gives u the ability to control ur actions and maneuvers intentionally as opposed to it just coming naturally. If u understand how it works and how to apply it...then in an emergency u know what to do......what ur doing and don't have to panic and hope it all works out. Countersteering is a science. There is information on it and explanations on how it works....and once u have that understanding from the knowledge....u go out and u practice that. That makes u a better rider and gives u a bit more skill. No offense but saying its not something u learn...doesn't make sense to me. Especially since I learned it a little from my learners permit manual.... and was really taught by others on this forum ...plus read whole articles available all over the web on the subject of countersteering... including threads on this forum. That sh!t will save ur life.

Sorry but I don't agree. If one doesn't know 'how' to countersteer, then they'll splat themselves on the first turn >15mph. You learn it as a kid. Its great to know the fundamentals of how it works if you're so interested, but otherwise there's no point in actively thinking about it when riding, because like i said, you are going to do it, no matter what. You dont 'practice' it, because again, theres only one way to steer a bike. If you dont do it right, you're going to run into something. I was riding bicycles for a long time as a kid and never realized i was countersteering, but still managed to do it all of the time.

Even in the permit manual....the msf course....the literature on the web...and discussions on this forum....all tell u to practice countersteering. Although u may do it without knowing what is actually happening....or doing it naturally bcuz it is the only way to steer a bike....u still need to learn what it is u r doing and why it works the way it does.think about it.....if ur moving fast and going thru a turn...and the bike starts to move towards the outside...its the knowledge of how to countersteer that may stop someone from going into a panic and give them that idea that they have to push the handlebars a little harder in the opposite direction. For u to say its not something u learn and something u need to understand...is foolish and sounds like u r just closed minded and want to sound like a pro. Or simply just want to hear urself talk. the Truth is an undisputable fact. An opinion is just ur point of view. I have read too much and understand what I read. Countersteering is something that definitely must be taught to a beginner so they understand what is happening and how it works. To say its not something a beginner who never rode before needs to learn....is foolish and very very bad advice. When that day comes that a car pops/cuts out in front of him/her....knowing how to countersteer and how it works might save that person from clipping that car or smashing into the back of it. So many beginners have those kinds of accidents or hit a wall in a turn or run off the road because they don't understand the science behind countersteering. They panic because they don't understand the applied technique. I'm sorry man...I don't respect ur opinion...and will be leary of any advice u have to offer me or a beginner in the future. I respect the debate and difference of opinion factor...so I am in no way being unhumble or hostile. Just that one mans opinion cannot outway too too many lectures, lessons, information...and even professional curricullum. Read ur permit manual again....take it back to the basics. if u haven't taken the course...go take it. While u may be an experienced rider and all of those things may come naturally to u.....it will not be the case for a new rider. Even with that being said....u know what happens when u countersteer and u know what it entails so u r a better rider bcuz of it. U don't just do it bcuz that's the way it is.
"Well g...I dunno how it works it just does....duh huh duh hud doy" I doubt that that is the level of intelligence u r dealing with. Think about it. The gentlemen who posted this originally...has never b4 ridden and depends on ur opinion and knowledge. Peace.
Just for the record....I have nothing further to add so if u feel the need to add more in defense of ur viewpoint...then by all means u win. Ur words will be final. Its been fun.

Even in the permit manual....the msf course....the literature on the web...and discussions on this forum....all tell u to practice countersteering. Although u may do it without knowing what is actually happening....or doing it naturally bcuz it is the only way to steer a bike....u still need to learn what it is u r doing and why it works the way it does.think about it.....if ur moving fast and going thru a turn...and the bike starts to move towards the outside...its the knowledge of how to countersteer that may stop someone from going into a panic and give them that idea that they have to push the handlebars a little harder in the opposite direction.

No, it's the knowledge that you give it more gas while continuing to steer how you've always been doing it.

For u to say its not something u learn and something u need to understand...is foolish and sounds like u r just closed minded and want to sound like a pro. Or simply just want to hear urself talk. the Truth is an undisputable fact. An opinion is just ur point of view. I have read too much and understand what I read. Countersteering is something that definitely must be taught to a beginner so they understand what is happening and how it works. To say its not something a beginner who never rode before needs to learn....is foolish and very very bad advice.

The more important thing to practice is THROTTLE CONTROL, BRAKE CONTROL, and SPEED AWARENESS because those things will get you into and out of trouble more than thinking about how to turn the damn thing ever will. Even that loses its effectiveness at high angles and one has to lean off the bike to take ever sharper turns at speed, which is a learning curve in itself. Sorry, i've been riding for 16 years, I never learned countersteering, and i didn't hear about it until maybe my 14th year riding. To me telling someone to practice that is like telling them to practice breathing and blinking while on the bike. It's just something that's done without thought. You don't need to teach a kid countersteering on his bicycle, its just done naturally. If for some reason you don't "learn" it on your first turn, your career on a bike will be extremely short.

When that day comes that a car pops/cuts out in front of him/her....knowing how to countersteer and how it works might save that person from clipping that car or smashing into the back of it.

Quick reactions, cool nerves, and defensive driving (or offensive if one is so inclinded) will keep one out of that situation more than all of a sudden getting confused as to which way to turn the handlebars. I've been in similar situations and i've never once thought to myself as it was happening "OH SHIT! which way am i supposed to turn the bars again??!"


So many beginners have those kinds of accidents or hit a wall in a turn or run off the road because they don't understand the science behind countersteering. They panic because they don't understand the applied technique.

No, most single bike accidents involving a bike going off the road is because they went into a turn way too fast, paniced and slammed on the brakes, causing them to lowside, or stood the bike up and then slammed on the brakes, causing them to whack whatever's on the outside of the turn.


I'm sorry man...I don't respect ur opinion...and will be leary of any advice u have to offer me or a beginner in the future. I respect the debate and difference of opinion factor...so I am in no way being unhumble or hostile. Just that one mans opinion cannot outway too too many lectures, lessons, information...and even professional curricullum. Read ur permit manual again....take it back to the basics. if u haven't taken the course...go take it. While u may be an experienced rider and all of those things may come naturally to u.....it will not be the case for a new rider. Even with that being said....u know what happens when u countersteer and u know what it entails so u r a better rider bcuz of it. U don't just do it bcuz that's the way it is.
"Well g...I dunno how it works it just does....duh huh duh hud doy" I doubt that that is the level of intelligence u r dealing with. Think about it. The gentlemen who posted this originally...has never b4 ridden and depends on ur opinion and knowledge. Peace.
Just for the record....I have nothing further to add so if u feel the need to add more in defense of ur viewpoint...then by all means u win. Ur words will be final. Its been fun.

I'm all about practicing how to ride the bike, maybe do a quick test of "push left=left" and in your mind you go "oh no shit, so that's how it works" but other than that it doesn't take any concious thought to do it. There are much much MUCH more important things to practice and look out for when riding. Hell, I'd rate remembering to put up your kickstand before taking of as being more important, if your bike is unequipped with a kickstand cutout switch.