I wanna buy and learn how to ride a sport bike. Any recommendations on make/model/size and the reasons why? I'm 6'1 and 220 lbs if that matters..



I've been entertaining the thought of a YZF-600R or a Katana 750 or something along those lines.

Both of those are great starters. I started with a Katana 600, it was a great bike, the one I now have the wife on.

I am thinkin of getting a GSXR 750 or 1000.. I think it was Phins who said Yamahas have Frame problems.. so .. I am ruling them out.. Besides..I do not have the need for speed.. but I like the power.. Think it is wise to get a NEW bike as a starter, since there is the posibility of dropping it..

No i don't think it is wise to get a new bike for a starter.



Yami says they have fixed their frame issues as of the 2002 or 2003 model year, I dunno but the pre-2002 models have very weak frames, like hit a pothole and you are gonna tweak it. That's why you didn't see them on the track much a few years back, great bike otherwise.

so maybe a Katana 600 then. you don't think it'll be too small for my fat ass?

Hmm.. Sinful looks like a Hefty mofo.. I am thinkin he would like a 750 better..

yeah, definitely go and sit on some bikes. Everything might look good about a bike, then you might sit on it and get like a pinched nerve or something, because of the way it "fits." Never hurts to try some out. As far as I've seen, bike shops let people sit on bikes.

Get a Harley for your fat ass...LOL

How bad is insurance on those bad boys..

I'm not sure what bike you should start out on, but if you are interested in learning how to ride a sportbike properly, check out this book 'a twist of the wrist' by keith code, theres a sequel 'a twist of the wrist 2' which is good also.



I'm also learning how to ride sportbikes and initially I figured it would be easy to learn and I know some people who ride regularly. But there are some things about riding that are not intuitive, like steering, and even some people I know who ride regularly don't know how they steer. They actually think they're leaning the bike at speed by shifting their weight and steering as a result. I almost got in a accident taking a friends bike out and using this method, you cannot steer a bike at speed this way.

GOod suggestion..

In florida, if you're under 21, you're required to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation safe-rider course, or something like that. It also gives you a break on insurance. Anyway, they teach the physics and stuff of how you actually steer. Push right, go right. It blows people's minds when I tell them that.

In florida, if you're under 21, you're required to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation safe-rider course, or something like that. It also gives you a break on insurance. Anyway, they teach the physics and stuff of how you actually steer. Push right, go right. It blows people's minds when I tell them that. [/quote]

Thats cool, they don't do that here as far as I know. It's funny when you talk to experienced riders and ask them how they steer and they don't know what counter steering is. I guess it's no surprise there are so many deaths on motorcycles every year, if so many of them havent even learned how the bike actually steers, how can they be in control.

Splain Lucy..

In florida, if you're under 21, you're required to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation safe-rider course, or something like that. It also gives you a break on insurance. Anyway, they teach the physics and stuff of how you actually steer. Push right, go right. It blows people's minds when I tell them that. [/quote]

Thats cool, they don't do that here as far as I know. It's funny when you talk to experienced riders and ask them how they steer and they don't know what counter steering is. I guess it's no surprise there are so many deaths on motorcycles every year, if so many of them havent even learned how the bike actually steers, how can they be in control. [/quote]

yeah, I've read stories about wrecks caused my target-fixation, where they would stare at a truck, try to lean out of the way, but end up getting smushed. If only they knew...



lesson here? get proper instruction!

my buddy at work just bought a Vulcan 1500 and he says that you actually steer in the opposite direction of the turn and the bike will just lean. Push right to go right, like Baldy said.

I just got a '94 Yamaha FZR 600 as a starter sport bike. I don't know a lot about sport bikes but I do know when the FZR was first introduced it had the best frame and other manufacturers copied it. It was called the Deltabox frame, today new R6's and R1's have a deltabox 3 frame. I am not sure about older YZF's having weak frames but I have read that the frame on the fzr 400, 600, and 1000 is a very good frame.



As for my bike I think it is a great starter bike, it's light and narrow, easy to flick. It's not too powerful (that's why I am not dead yet) and it's a cheap bike to start with. (Got mine for 2k) I weigh about 180 and sometimes it seems a little underpowered for me (it's completely stock), I originally wanted a GSX-R 750 and still want one, or a CBR 600, 900. I would definately not get a Katana. The FZR is a better bike all around, if you look online you can find comparisons of the FZR and the Katana and generally the consensous is the FZR is a better bike. I think if you want a good sport bike to start on an older CBR or FZR or YZF would be better than a Katana, just my opinion though.

Oh, thanks for the input - i want to make sure were both talking about a new(er) 2001+ katana.



I've been watching 2003 Katana 750's go for 5800 with ~2k-5k miles in my area.

How about you get one with training wheels! They are cool and awesome to watch at the track but that is where I draw the line. My as is gonna need 4 wheels if I am gonna go faster then 60mph!

Whatever you get, please let me buy an insurance policy on you.

lol, I think I may pick up a tiny cheap bike to learn on, then move into a real machine.. i don't wanna kill myself immediately



edit: someone suggest a good learner bike now.. I heard an old FZR, do we have a concensus that this is a good trainer?

I am just gonna get a Big bike to begin with.. I will PM Banzai when I get it.. so he can get his policy on me..

Sinful7



I got a FZR 600 as a beginner sport bike but I have been riding motorcycles for almost 10 years. (half my life) Many sportbike forums recommend that if you have never ridden a motorcycle before a sportbike should not be your first.



Let me put it this way, most sport bikes are basically race bikes with turn signals. Now if you were going to learn how to drive a car, would you jump in an f-1 car and try to drive it on the street. It's unrealistic. That example is a little bit more extreme than trying to learn to ride on a sportbike but you get the point.



The reason most people believe starting on a sportbike is dangerous is because they are touchy and very responsive. The slightest user input can change things very quickly. Basically you can get yourself into a lot of trouble a lot faster on a sportbike.



However, I am not your mother and you can do whatever you want. Just do some research and some reading then make your decision. go to www.gixxer.com and go to there forum for newbies, one of the stickies is all about what bike to have for your first.



Good Luck

I actually had a Yamaha YZF600R for quite a while. I'm 6'4" and 220lbs. and it was a really good fit. While there's been mention of frame problems, I never was aware of a problem and I rode that bike constantly. It's a great bike not only as a starter, but as a permanent bike too. I'd weekend ride with a group of others who had the high-strung R6s, GSXRs, etc. and at the end of every ride, I'd hear complaints from everyone of those guys about sore backs, butts and wrists. I never had that problem...the YZF600R's geometry is a bit less aggressive so it's quite a bit more suitable for street riding. The thing is, I could easily hang with those guys because I was a better rider and a lot of them were just squids. So, yeah, they had the blingiest bikes out there, but they couldn't enjoy the full potential of them due to their inexperience or stupidity. I took a few long-distance trip too and it was a pleasure on that bike.



Why don't I have it anymore? Because, a Lincoln Towncar swerved behind me to make his freeway exit and hit me. It's bad enough that the bike was totalled (I loved that thing), but I got hammered too. Week-long coma, punctured lung, shattered right foot, shattered left ribs (all of them), fractured left clavicle, road-rash like you wouldn't believe and the icing on the cake...amputated left leg below the knee. I guess I wouldn't be typing this had I not been wearing a helmet, boots, Kevlar gloves and full leathers.



Bikes really are great, but a bike mishap is more likely to be devastating that in one with a car. No matter what you wear and no matter how many safety courses you take, you're gonna be the loser out on the street.



You know what the worst thing was? Putting my family and fiancee through the idea that I may die. What profound agony it must have been for them.



If you feel like you really need a bike, get a YZF600R. If you're smart, though, you'll put that money into your car.

uh.. wow. okay, I guess, ummm... maybe a T04R in the FD will fix the itch.

relistic beginner bike = 600cc

kill yourself you overconfident noob = hayabusa

i'am trying to sell my gixxer 600



600 are good bikes to learn on

If you've ever played with a gyroscope, you'll remember that pushing forward on the left end of the axle didn't result in the wheel turning to the right. Instead, thanks to a force called gyroscopic precession which redirects the force 90 degrees in the direction of rotation, the wheel actually leaned to the left, rotating on an axis around the center of the wheel. Your motorcycle works the same way. By turning the handlebars to the right, you are effectively inputting the same force we used in our example. Trying to push the spinning wheel to the right causes the wheel, and the rest of the bike attached to it, to lean to the left. This is called counter-steering. Turn the bars right, and you lean left. It is the only way a motorcycle steers at any speed above walking speeds. Those of you saying "No way, dude, I never do it that way," are wrong. And this is why so many motorcyclists actually steer into and accident -- they try and turn right to avoid an incident by turning the front wheel to point to the right. This, in turn, steers them left, straight into the accident. So whether you realize it or not, you are doing "it," better known as counter-steering.



from:



URL=http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnews/safe2.html]http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnews/safe2.html[/URL]

Remember Riding can be lots deadlier than driving. Learn on a small bike (250cc) then master it. Then work your way up.

I wanted one but when it comes down to it. No matter what precautions or how good you get there are always assholes out there in cars who WILL hit you and then you pretty much get your ass handed to you. I'm even more reluctant now especially due to the large ass amount of SUVS emerging.

Them GSXR bikes are badass bikes,the best! https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif

Dodge Charger > Sport bike



Cop in a Supra > Sport bike



It's that easy, just watch the movie.

i'm sorry but i can't understand **** you are saying.



riding a bike is only as dangerous as you make it.



you can choke and die on a teaspoon of water. so that shows you anything can kill you. its how you handle it.



when riding a bike you just have to pay attention more to whats going on around you.



i think a 250cc bike is way to small and would grow out of it in a day. or an hour.



no more no less then a 600. for starters

The truth is the new 600cc bikes are enough for even experanced riders. Most riders can't take a 600 to the limits, on the track. Anyone can go fast in a straight line, track riding is a different story. Sure it cool to have 1000cc bike, but that high insurance bill isn't that cool.



I have crashed 2 times, each time a car pulled out in front of me! So it doesn't matter if you are a superbike rider you have no control over the other drivers. You just have to be lucky and look out for shitty drivers.

Motorbiking involves wayyy more than just twisting the throttle and pointing it straight. Try corner carving (literally)