Anyone who started on a 600 or 6R bike?

[georgiabow]

my personal opinion is start small, youll learn about riding motorcycles in a whole different way than jumping on a big bike. even riding a 250 can make you hate driving something with 4 wheels in a hurry.

i grew up on 2 wheels and it is a part of me, i still a ride a 250 back and forth to work, but thats because of the 67mpg gas mileage and how far from home i work. pays for itself many times over in fuel savings.

 

[Merlin]

My first was a 2004 R6 easy to learn on and handle, after i got used to the bike it was a blast to take in the mountains, and it was my dd for a while. It was plenty quick enough i topped it out a 167 stupid trans am lol.

 

[RamRoddoc]

Learn wrist management. It's not the size but the operator.

SpeedyR hit pretty much all of the highlights. He is a very talented and very fast competent rider that doesn't crash out on the street but years of practical experience in the dirt, on the road and track/racing will do that for anyone. He rides the wheels off that little Honda twin even though his tall lanky frame makes it appear a little odd, sort of a monkey humping a melon..... Sorry Jeff, but your long legs poking out look humorous on the small honda....

A 400lb >100 HP motorcycle is not a beginners motorcycle. These bikes in the hand of a talented rider make most other "riders" look slow or foolish. Most can't use half of the power these high performance sleds put out unless it's in a straight line. Then the fools don't know how to stop the bike from 80 to 0 in the least amount of space/time and typically wad it up. Many don't know how to initiate a turn at a speed or maintain a line while cranked over and just run off the outside of the corner "thinking" they are in too hot and hopefully don't hit anything solid.

For a first street bike get a lower horse power sport bike like a Suzuki SV 650 twin or even smaller like the 250's for the first season or two. Once you can ride that nearly to it's limits then step up. You'll become a better rider. In my opinion, it's much better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

I really miss the old 400 cc screamers. Honda's CB1 400, CBR 400R, Suzuki 400 cc Bandit and Yamaha RZ 350 two smokers. I loved giving guys fits when they caught up or stopped to say hello and realized they just got served on a much smaller bike. Those were great times.

Get a bike with less horse power, less plastic (operating/repair cost!), a decent set of frame sliders, proper attire (leathers, boots, gloves and good full face helmet) and learn how to properly ride the dang thing. Please don't become another street squid with more balls than brain.

Take Ed Bargy's or other decent on track school when you are able. Best money you will spend, will be getting you up to speed with good training, not a bigger, faster bike. http://edbargyracingschool.com/

 

[DMGun]

The size of the engine is only one consideration, the Horse Power is more important. Motorcycles are very much purpose built for the intended use, sport bikes for driving fast, cruiser bikes for styling and profiling, dual sport for off road use... I would strongly advise against getting a sport bike for your first bike. It is extremely easy to get yourself into trouble with something that is race tuned like that. Once you start riding and gain a little confidence, you will start pushing the limits some and a 600cc sport bike has very high limits. Go to Cycletrader.com and look at how many wrecked or salvage title GSXR600 there are...

Go to Suzuki's wesite to get an idea of the different types of bikes... http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product Lines/Cycles.aspx?sc_lang=en

Good Luck & Be Careful

 

[No2sc2]

Took my class today and yesterday. Don't know how I did on the riding exam because I didn't ask but I did very well on the written. I passed. I was on a 250cc suzuki. It was very light and very easy to control. I don't even think I stalled at all and taking off was a little slow due to having not mastered the fiction zone on the clutch. I've never rode a bike ever that had a clutch so everything was new to me. I think riding out in the road is alot different than riding around the parking lot cornering, quick stop and swerving. Yeah those are important skills to know but having to worry about those and not know how to ride. It was a bit difficult but I caught on real quick. For sure it was fast but I don't think it would have been highway suitable. I don't know I'll go with a 250cc-300cc. I will probably see if a place will let me rent a 6R or something. Just want to see how 1st gear is. If its manageable, I will end up getting it. As the gears get shifted up, the ride was alot smoother!

 

[Laxguy59]

Started on a Yamaha Radian 600, loved it, beat it up, then moved to a 2000 CBR600 F4.

Don;t start with a small engine, just start with a cheap bike you don't mind beating up.

 

[chopper duke]

I started on a Kawa EX500 and it was fine, except for the occasional muddy spot

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

I learned to ride on a 125 cc dirt bike (enduro model-- it had street legal lights and turn signals and a spot for a license plate in back).
I very quickly sold that and got a 250.
I rode a 500cc dirt bike and it was no problem. More power going up hills and such, but not more difficult to ride.
Then my buddy got a big Suzuki cruiser. 1500 CC or something like that. Wind screen, side compartments, radio and CD player, and all that.
I rode it a few times when he'd let me, and it was a pretty easy transition from the little 250 that I'd been used to riding for years.
I think with maybe 10 hours of riding time and some low-speed practicing in a parking lot, I would be very comfortable and skillful on it.

BOTTOM LINE: I think you'd be OK to start with a 600 - 750 cc bike IF it fits you, and IF you are strong enough to not let it fall over if you come to a stop on uneven ground.
But the SAFER course of action, and probably less stressful for you, would be to get a smaller and lighter bike to start, use it for one riding season, learn a lot from it, and then sell it and use the money plus more money to buy a bigger bike that you can keep more or less permanently.

 

[AmbiEncE]

It's not like the bike is gonna take off when you crank it. Just respect what it can do and be happy.

 

[WC1911guy]

You'll be fine on a 600 for a while. They are faster than you think and far more capable than people give them credit for if you know how to ride. The issues will be when you've been riding for a few months and your confidence builds. Then you'll start to explore the bikes ability and mistakes are maginfied by 1000 at higher speeds.

Just ride defensively (especially at intersections) and assume everyone else is an idiot and out to get you. Also, remember rule 1. You go where you look. Target fixation is a killer so be careful about getting distracted.