Every
year when it starts to get a little warm outside, I am often asked the
same question over and over again; and no it’s not “Sir,
Do you know why I pulled you over?” believe it or not, the question
is
“I’m thinking of
buying my first bike, what do you think I should get?”
In the past I used to be the one to tell people they shouldn’t
get anything smaller then a 600 because it is too small and they would
regret it. I would like to change my opinion on this matter due to all
the problems I have seen new riders have with these middle-class sportbikes.
The fact of the matter is nowadays most 600cc sportbikes aren’t
even close to beginner bikes at all; they are nothing less than street
legal race bikes. I have seen many new riders hop on a brand new super-sport
600cc bike thinking they can handle it, thinking they won’t have
a problem and that they are the exception to the rule. Sorry to say
it boys and girls but you are no exception. If you think you can handle
anything that brand new 600 can throw at you then you are in for a huge
surprise! I have seen countless wrecks where new riders just don't understand
the amount of power that there 600 has; I've seen riders give a small
twist of the wrist and end up flat on their backs. I've seen riders
go into a panic stop and give the brake lever a slight squeeze and they
go flying over the bars ending up several yards away from their bikes.
You want to start on something that is more forgiving to new riders
and won't surprise you when you are a bit harder on the controls. Starting
on something smaller will allow you to learn the balance, basic controls,
and rules of the road at a much more comfortable pace then a middle-class
sportbike. The fact that they are even called middle-class sportbikes
should be your first clue that they are not for beginners; they are
few the ones that have been on two wheels already and have had the chance
to get their experience and seat time.
If you are looking for your first sportbike, you may be thinking that
anything smaller then a 600 will look stupid and people will make fun
of you. The truth of the matter is that the newbies on bikes bigger
than they can handle are the ones that look stupid; we can always point
them out in a crowd too, they have that real nervous look on their face.
They are always extremely wobbly when pulling off from a stop or slowing
down to a standstill. They are the ones that look really surprised and
terrified when they give the throttle a little jerk and the bike takes
off a lot quicker than they expected. Another argument many use against
smaller bikes is they claim they won't be able to keep up with other
bikes on the freeway; We use to have a guy ride with us every now and
then on a 2008 Hyosung GT250R and he had no problems sticking with us
on the highways even when we would kick it up to triple digits. Really
there is nothing that you need to be doing as a new rider that a smaller
bike such as a Ninja or Hyosung 250 can’t do. Another great thing
about a smaller bike is the little impact that it will have on your
wallet. A new 250 will only cost you about $4000 and that's with a factory
warranty. Most of you can pick one up for less than $80 a month. I urge
you to go out and see what it would cost a month to finance a GSXR-600,
CBR 600RR, R6, or Ninja ZX-6. Going with a 250 will save you a ton of
money is gas, not to mention the cash you will also save on insurance.
Don't be a statistic, use some of the money you save on the 250 and
put it towards your safety gear.
Below is a list and a few pictures of what myself and others feel are
good starter bikes, check them out and if you have any questions you
can always send them to me at twitch@adrenalinesedge.com. No matter
what bike you decide on, I would highly recommend you take a rider’s
safety course; the site for the one I used is www.weridesafe.com. They
lend you all the gear needed to ride for the weekend and you even get
to use one of their bikes. Good luck and I hope to see you on two wheels
in the near future.
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