New to riding.

[SVZuki]

Originally Posted by King_of_Dub-C

"Is this the advice you would give to your son?"

It was my father that encouraged me to purchase my 600.

your father encouraged you to buy a race bike as your first bike??

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by King_of_Dub-C

"Is this the advice you would give to your son?"

It was my father that encouraged me to purchase my 600.

That's cool, but I think, if you were to take a survey, of fathers, that have first hand experience of what a Gixxer is, most would not encourage ther sons/daughters to buy one.

Untill I rode my son's R-6, I didn't think a 600cc bike would be such a bad starter bike, but when you see that big "R" added to the name of the bike, all bets are off. Something like an SV 650, I would say, sure, go for it, but not any of the "R" rated bikes.

In any case, my question was, "Is this the advice you would give your son". I asked it that way, because you do have first hand experience of what a Gixxer is.

[GregR1]

i'll quietly agree that it's more the rider and their attitude than the bike that would matter. of course, i'm FOR NOW speaking from a car driver's stance, but it's the same thing in a way.

what am i MORE concerned about as i drive on the roads - a young asshat in a Cavalier / Sunfire who just wants to show off, or someone more mature and responsible in a Z06 or Viper? obviously, asshat worries me MORE not because of the car or what the car is capable of, but because of who is controlling it and what they're most likely to do with it. yeah, the cavalier is a more tame car than a Z06, but asshat behind the wheel makes it MORE dangerous than the CEO driving a Z06.

i think it was here that someone posted a link to a news article where a young early-20s military guy was riding his yamaha bike to see his gf, but got killed. the bike LOOKS like an R1 / R6, but the guy got killed because he crossed the yellow line into oncoming traffic. sadly, i don't think that SV650's are magically capable of staying on the proper side of that yellow line - they can cross it just as easily as an R1. in fact, you could WALK across the yellow line and when that truck doing 55mph hits you, you're as dead as if you were on an SV650 or an R1.


it's not the arrow, it's the indian. (political correctness aside)

[inspiron]

Not so, I'm afraid.

Cars and bikes are very different. In a car, you can take your attention off the road for a few seconds. You might start drifting over the line or off the shoulder, but in most cases you can correct before anything happens. On a bike, if you take your attention off the street, that's it. Next thing you know, you're riding in the back of an ambulance.

In a car versus motorcycle accident, it doesn't make a difference who was at fault - the motorcyclist loses every time. And it doesn't matter if (s)he was riding an SV, an M50 or a CBR-RR -- the biker always loses.

The main difference is that a newbie-friendly bike will be more forgiving for a fraction of a second. And that fraction of a second may mean the difference between a near-miss and a near-death experience. It has happened several times that I have hit a pothole or other surface debris which has caused me to "blip" the throttle unintentionally. This happens. My bike happens to be quite friendly, even though it is a 1403ccm engine. It "winds up" slowly, so I can usually close the throttle again, before I get in danger. A GSX-R or CBR will respond IMMEDIATELY to throttle input, so an unintentional "blip" turns into an unintended shot forwards. And if you happen to be leaned over when this happens ... hello Mr. Lowsider, or worse, Mr. Highsider.

[King_of_Dub-C]

We could play "what if" all day long. You could be stopped at a light on a damn scooter and an 18-wheeler could run your ass over. People who have been riding for their whole life still have accidents. In the end, like I said, FOR ME a 600 was a good starter bike. I could handle the power as a beginner and I that's all I said. And a Gixxer 600 is not a race bike unless you race it.

[Rickster]

Yup, your right, anything can happen to anybody, at any time. What you described were isolated incidents, not the across the board average.

The point that's trying to be made, seem to be eluding you, and that is to put the odds in your favor. Buying a race bike to learn on is definitely not putting the odds in your favor.

And yes it is a race bike, even if you don't race it, because that's what it was designed, and built to be, just like it's still a gun, even if you never shoot it.

You never did answer my question. Is a Gixxer what you would recommend to your son to learn on?

[Haze]

Wow, i didnt intend for my thread to turn into this. Was just looking for advice on a good starter bike lol.

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by Haze

Wow, i didnt intend for my thread to turn into this. Was just looking for advice on a good starter bike lol.

Lol, Not to worry, this is a common occurrence, and it always ends in one of two ways. Either the newbie gets frustrated because were not telling him what he wants to hear, and he goes away, or he realizes that what were saying makes scenes, and he stops arguing.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by Rickster

Lol, Not to worry, this is a common occurrence, and it always ends in one of two ways. Either the newbie gets frustrated because were not telling him what he wants to hear, and he goes away, or he realizes that what were saying makes scenes, and he stops arguing.

one of THREE ways... #3 being newbie gets totally put off by the "thou shall not contemplate or discuss non-newbie-approved bikes until thou are skilled for at least 2 years or however long we see fit, weather permitting and whatnot" and says screw it all to the motorcycling community and ends up riding anyways but doesn't associate with fellow motorcyclists because they were kind of being holier-than-thou arses when newbie was getting started


a distant possibility, but ya never know

[Rickster]

Isn't that pretty much what I said in number one? Gets frustrated, and go's away.

Any way, with any luck, in the not to distant future, you'll be one of the holier-than-thous, giving out the advice.

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by Rickster

Any way, with any luck, in the not to distant future, you'll be one of the holier-than-thous, giving out the advice.

cool (as long as i don't need to own SIX bikes to do that)! do i get a sticker?

[robertc729]

Originally Posted by GregR1

cool (as long as i don't need to own SIX bikes to do that)! do i get a sticker?

Of course you get the the sticker, also you get a full reimbursement of your first year of membership fees.

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by GregR1

cool (as long as i don't need to own SIX bikes to do that)! do i get a sticker?

Hey, most guys would love to own 6 bikes.

Any way they arn't all motorcycles, and one is a dirt bike.

The KTM is a dirt bike, the Heckler is a bicycle, and the 700 Twin peaks is a 4 wheeler.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by GregR1

cool (as long as i don't need to own SIX bikes to do that)! do i get a sticker?

No, but here's your sign.

[PPS]

Hi Everyone. I don't have a bike and I don't even have my license. I will be getting my learners permit tomorrow.

I always wanted a 600R bike as my first bike. After talking to many many experienced riders, they all said "DON'T"!! Start with 250 max, and develop your skills before upgrading.

I think starting with smaller bikes will be better.

[inspiron]

It doesn't have to be a 250. Most important is that the bike doesn't have a crazy thrust-to-weight ratio. A newbie bike shouldn't have more than about 35 horsepower. With that (modest) power, you can certainly keep up with traffic, and get yourself in plenty of trouble. However, there is still a huge difference between 35hp and 150+hp.

[SVZuki]

Originally Posted by King_of_Dub-C

And a Gixxer 600 is not a race bike unless you race it.

Remind me what the R stands for in GSX-R????

[GregR1]

Originally Posted by SVboy84

Remind me what the R stands for in GSX-R????

Rutabaga.

[inspiron]

No, silly, "R" is for "Rmmm rmmm", the sound the engine makes!

[SNAFU]

I'm sure there are a lot of sites that promote stunting and squidding and buy whatever bike you want, this isn't one of them. Which is why I like it here.

My .02