a good first bike????

[wafflehouse]

hey im new to this forum and read through and there seem to be quite a few knowledgable people here

so i have ridin dirt bikes up to 125cc but have been inlove with streetbikes since i was about 10

so now my question, my friend is trying to get rid of his 2002 gsx 600r so he can move up to a 750 or 1000 and offered it to me for 4000 with only 1500 miles on it

i jumped at the offer but on second thought decided it might be too fast of a bike for my first

i was wondering what you guys thought and if it would be really stupid and dangerous, i have ridden the bike before and feel pretty comfortable cruising through neighborhoods at 25 to 30 but think these might get a bit more exciting trying to enter traffic

and comments or thoughts would be appreciated

-wafflehouse

[wafflehouse]

ok so the more i read the more i realize the idea of a gixxer as a first bike is going to be strongly discouraged

im 6'1" 190lbs

in florida it is required to take the new rider courses before you can get your license which from what i have read seems like a very enjoyable weekend of learning basic riding skills

so again any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated

-wafflehouse

[Louis]

You read right, a Gixxer is NOT recommended for a newbie. A low HP bike is what we recommend such as a GS500 or an EX500 (from the competitors ). However, given your experience, a Katana 600 could be a good starting point.

Welcome by the way.

[Uncle Bob]

Just what is your dirtbike experience ?.

If you rode a dirtbike occasionaly or were you riding one all out all the time. Dirtbikes are a great place to start but it depends on exactly how much time you spent on one.

The reason we don't recommend the Gixxers is not the ridiculous power these bikes have but rather the power delivery ( hair trigger ) and delicate brake controls wich will magnify any newbie mistakes a new rider may make.

Obviously dirtriders used to controlling throttle on uneven terrain uphill and down have throttle control down to a science, same for braking. Question is how good are you off-road ?.

Friends bike seems like a good deal, could you buy it and another smaller used bike to ride for the first couple of months till you get your skills up?.

[NomadTurk]

why don't you buy it and then sell it for more, I know 02 GSXR costs more than that.. and buy your self something smaller, and make profit at the same time...

lol

[tlwisner]

I often see bikes ads like like:2004 Suzuki GSX-R1000 ONLY 2 MILES! SLIGHT DAMAGE ON LEFT SIDE, LOTS OF FACTORY WARRANTY LEFT.
actual ad, here's the link:
http://www.bellssuzuki.com/new_vehic...&pov=98746

This makes me curious about the story of somebody who put out the money for a new Gixxer 1000, laid it down after less than two miles of riding, and took it back to the dealer. Maybe it was a bit too much bike for this rider....

You have to decide if you can handle the bike. If you are scared and asking if it is too much bike, perhaps it is. Maybe your skills aren't there yet, or maybe your skills are there but your confidence hasn't caught up. Have you ridden the bike?

Enjoy whatever you choose!

[wafflehouse]

alright to answer a few question and bring up some more

yes i have ridden the bike, i realized how touchy and exacting the throttle and brakes are and when i can start liesurly and take my time to make sure i dont throw open the throttle i am fine

but with dirtbikes you arent waiting for all the cars on the track or trail to pass looking for a hole big enough to jump into

on a streetbike you are i can ride the thing comfortably and if there were no other vehicles on the road i would say its no big deal i would get used to the throttle and everything but there are suvs and semis and all that fun stuff that scares the hell outta me

sooo i know this is a suzuki forum but i dont really like the styling on the katana but i love full fairing bikes so my question is is a cbr 600 f4i equivalent to a katana or is it still more bike

you guys have helped answer several of my questions in this thread and in others that i have read

-wafflehouse

[pitbull76]

The CBR F4i is definitely more bike than a Kat. Even the old CBRF2 that I had was more bike than a Kat. The F4i is known as one of the most civil of the 600CC supersports, but it is still a modern supersport bike.

[RookWV]

Look at the Yamaha YZF600R or the Kawi ZZR600 as alternates.

There's a great article in this months SportRider (Ithink that's the one) about the Kat, T-Cat and ZZR

[wafflehouse]

yah i was thinking about a maybe 2000 to 2001 yzf600r but the people at the yamaha dealer are all dicks and unless you look like you are going to buy right then dont even look at you twice

so i think im gonna buy a new katana it seems like it will be a good bike to start with and the new paints look pretty good

thanks for all the help everyone

-wafflehouse

[Louis]

Katana 600: 80 HP
YZF600: 100 HP
ZZR600: 100 HP

The Katana would still be a better choice in my opinion.

[manxsv1]

I passed my test last year and bought an 2003 sv650s great first bike, glad I bought something like that rather than a sportsbike, going to keep the sv for another year before I swap it, quite fancy the sv1000 next, rode my mates GSXR 600 the other day and it scared the living daylights out of me couldnt believe how quick you got in to 3 figures on the speedo, totaly different than my humble v twin