New(hopefully) michigan rider

[the goat]

I am looking to get a bike this summer for Transportation/rec purposes, but I the only bike I have ever rode was a little 80cc dirtbike, and that was only for an hour or so. Im 25, 5'9" 160 lbs and have been reading up on Ninja 250's, Ninja 500's and SV650's. Not exactly sure which would suit me right since all seem to be touted as good beginner bikes. I will be taking a MSF course in June or July. I'm a college student so I don't exactly have the money for a new bike, and have had minimal luck finding a bike around me(a couple Ninja 250's, and an SV650 in my price range). I also need some gear, so advice would be helpfull on that. Thanks for the help in advance.

[stevie c]

You will get loads of good advice on here.
Glad to see you don't want to jump on a sportbike with minimal experience.
As for gear recommendations, get the best you can afford, helmet, gloves, boots and body protection. Road rash is nasty!

[Trapper]

Welcome. Don't forget the GS500.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

As someone who teaches the Canadian version of the MSF i'll say I don't like the SV650 as a beginner bike. With your size stay away from the 250 Ninja and have a serious look at both the 500EX Ninja and the Suzuki 500gs. You might want to have a look at the BMW F650GS if you have cash. It's an awesome bike especially if you get it with the ABS option The Beember is a more user friendly bike than the SV as it's a single making decent power vs the V-twin making too much power for a nOOb

Although we don't recommend a new bike for a beginner (look in the FAQ section to see why), the new Kawasaki EN-6r / EN-6f is a nice looking machine, has an ABS option, and can be restricted to 34hp if necessary.

[SVZuki]

Howdy Goat!

Well Let me introduce myself first, the name is Nick, 21 and a college student as well. Firstly, I commend you on getting into an MSF class. It helps a ton!! I currently have an 01 sv650s that i picked up for 3 grand and then spending almost another grand on gear. No matter the bike you get, do not go cheap on gear, you get what you pay for and your life is worth far more than $1000. Most will say that a sv650s is not the recommended learner bike. To which i will agree. Myself and one of my close friends both have the svs as our first street bikes. I have a tons of 2 wheel history, while he does not. Neither of us have laid our bikes down or gotten into a bad situation do to the bikes. They do not produce that quick snap of the throttle that true sport bikes do and that is why I will not push you away from a SVS. While the GS500F is not a bad bike and neither is a ninja, I have been riding the SVS for 15,000 miles and I am still not bored. You need to remember that your insurance will be lower after the MSF class and a 500 will be cheaper than a 600+ cc bike. The only problem I have with telling you to get a 500 bike is that noone is ever looking for one or selling one in south east Michigan that I have seen in 3 years. It is hard to find them and harder to sell them as everyone wants a 600. This may be beneficial as the price on one may be lower if you can find someone selling them. So the moral of this long story is be responsible. Get what you will be comfortable on and always respect it. Thanks for not coming in asking if a CBR-R or a gixxer is a good beginners bike though. So keep searching and keep it rubber-side down.

[the goat]

I really appriciate all the good feedback I'm getting. I have been doing some searching the last couple days and have found what SVboy says to be true. It is really hard to find a 500 anywhere around me. The closest I found as about 100 miles away in Ohio. I did find a SV very close, and think it actually might belong to one of my friends brother's, but not sure so don't quote me. Is that any for sure good place to find a used bike or just keep trying the big ones(ie. cycletrader, craigs, and local classifieds), because it seems like there is a serious lack of sportsbikes im my area.
Gear: Leater, or Textile? I could live with either (although leather looks a little cooler IMO), but I want to go all black since I will probably change colors from this first bike(which I don't even know what color it will be) to the second bike.
Last, I was going to go to a dealership to at least try to see how I will fit on these bikes. Good idea? Maybe they know about some used ones for sale, and could possible buy my snowmobile off me while they're at it. Ok, eneough noobing for right now. As always thanks in advance!

[Paytony]

u might like the Suzuki Katana 600 its a great starter bike..

[MagnumForce]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

Please do not recommend a bike making 70+ hp as a beginner bike. There are better choices

Per Uncle Bob's post on another thread:

Katana 600= 80hp, 455lbs

Just because the Katana 600 is perceived to be on the "low end" of sportbikes does not mean it is suitable for a beginner. At 64.8 hp/44.7 ft-lbs, do you think the Ninja 650R is a more suitable bike for a beginner?

[Clint]

That's still quite a bit of power, and since it's a brand new bike, dropping it will be expensive.

[dnthmn44]

Keep your eye on the classifieds, the 500cc bikes will start showing up more regularly in the next month or so as people upgrade. Set your budget and be prepared to buy when you see one, contrary to popular belief (in my area at least Near Port Huron on the Canadian side) they sell quickly. Any bike you buy will be fun and stay fun depending on how you ride.

Everyone who said "buy good gear" is giving you the best advice anyone could. I would just like to remind you that the brighter the colour of your gear the more visible you are. Buying black gear so it will match any bike is understandable but how does buying gear in a colour that you like and then buying your second bike to match the gear (or painting it) sound?

[Mavman]

Originally Posted by dnthmn44

Everyone who said "buy good gear" is giving you the best advice anyone could. I would just like to remind you that the brighter the colour of your gear the more visible you are. Buying black gear so it will match any bike is understandable but how does buying gear in a colour that you like and then buying your second bike to match the gear (or painting it) sound?

Just for an example for gear.......I got this one, a Silver Joe Rocket Phoenix 4.0 mesh one.

http://www.newenough.com/product_pic...hite_front.jpg

Lots of brands/types to choose from, and great prices too.

http://www.newenough.com/product_department_mens.htm

BTW......Welcome to the forum!

[GIXXER-Mike]

. Happy searching!

[sonny]

Good job on taking the MSF. it's a good class i rode for 3 months and have ridden dirt bikes before and actually learned a couple of things at the BRC.
Plus the break on insurance rules!

As for a starter bike.. go with something LATE MODEL, I wouldnt buy brand new. 250-600cc. If you're going to get a 600.. make sure its toned down. I started with a 93 kat600 and im glad i did. It doesnt have too much power, even though people stated in earlier threads 80hp is too much i dont think so. the weight can be an issue at low speed.

GS500 / Ninja 500, you can go with a 250.. it would be GREAT to learn the fundamentals on.. but you might get bored. (atleast i would) Make sure you go sit on the bikes and if possible take one for a test spin. You and the bike must *click* you gotta feel an emotional attachment. afterall its going to be your first bike, you might wind up keeping it!

Originally Posted by the goat

I am looking to get a bike this summer for Transportation/rec purposes, but I the only bike I have ever rode was a little 80cc dirtbike, and that was only for an hour or so. Im 25, 5'9" 160 lbs and have been reading up on Ninja 250's, Ninja 500's and SV650's. Not exactly sure which would suit me right since all seem to be touted as good beginner bikes. I will be taking a MSF course in June or July. I'm a college student so I don't exactly have the money for a new bike, and have had minimal luck finding a bike around me(a couple Ninja 250's, and an SV650 in my price range). I also need some gear, so advice would be helpfull on that. Thanks for the help in advance.

[Clint]

If you get bored on your starter bike that quickly, you didnt' learn much.

[SVZuki]

wow, I thought i was the only psycho one that squeeked in a ton of miles my first season. I racked up 15, 000 miles...hehe, never got off of my bike!

[the goat]

So I know this is an old thread, but why start another"Which bike should I get" thread when there are so many out there.

I have been trying to sell my sled for the past month or so, and today I get an E-mail asking if I would be interested in working out a trade(plus I would probably have to fork over a little cash) for a 2000 M2 Buell Cyclone. I did a little research, and it looks like this may be too much bike for me to learn on. I have been looking a lot at SV650Ss and Bandit 600Ss. I like how the Buell looks, but it is at 95HP, something like 115 ft/lbs on torque, and I cant imagine that it's 1200 cc engine is light(edit:i did some research and found out that it is something like 434 lbs dry). On the other hand, this guy lives in the same city as me, and it would kill two birds with one stone(sell sled/buy bike). Keep in mind, I haven't really ever ridden a bike.

2 Weeks to MSF course!!!!!

[cb400bill]

What city in MI are you in?

[jbrough7]

I had a 31 horse cruiser for a couple of years - just a piece of used junk but I learned a lot on her and rode her nearly 20000 km. 31 hp. is enough for a newbie, easy.

Then I traded her in on a mid size 650 Bandit. Beautiful bike and the power and handling fit my experience now. My bro' teachers the safety course up here in Canada and he tells everybody to buy the Ninja 500. He actually had to go out and get one himself, as well. They're a great bike but sure are old tech looking. There's a ton of them used. How about that? Then if you have to go bigger after a couple of years, you're not losing too much?

Best of luck!

jim