First Bike

First Bike

by Sami
(Texas)

Hello,

I'm 19 and I've been wanting a bike since I was 10! I've never ridden a bike, but have ridden w/guys plenty of times...for some reason it's always been on Yamaha R1, never ridden on anything else..well, it's come time for me to get my own bike..I have many guy friends who have offered to officially teach me how to ride and encourage me to get an R1 because most of them picked it up quick on one..I know any bike I get, I'm going to have to drop a couple inches so I can get my balance right (I'm only 5'4)..do you think it's ok for me to start off with a powerful bike like the R1 or do you think I should just start with a 600?

Comments for
First Bike

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Jan 22, 2011

1st Bike
by: hannah

The best advice I can give you is choose your own bike! I work at Granite State Harley and for first time motorcyclists, the biggest thing is to go with something that you are comfortable with and that you can handle...unless you can pick the bike up from the ground by yourself (another topic on how to do that right!) then don't get it. You need to feel comfortable and be able to handle the bike you get, otherwise it will handle you and you will be at its mercy. Good luck and have fun, but do it in your comfort zone to begin with, once you have your license and a year or so of riding under your belt then you can stretch your limits.

Another good thing is a motorcycle safety course which teaches you a lot and also lets you try out different motorcycles that you may never have even known about. My first bike was a 250 Honda Rebel and she was perfect for the course and my first yr...

Hope this was helpful. Enjoy and welcome to the motorcycle world.

Jan 13, 2011

Thxx
by: sami

Thank you guys..this really helps.. I am actually about to start my classes, and haven't started shopping for a bike yet..I wanted to get some opinions first, but thx for the advice I really appreciate it, BIG help!

Jan 11, 2011

MSF
by: Anonymous

Whatever you do, do NOT let your friends teach you. If your friends have bad habits they will teach you those also. Those habits could and will get you killed. Take a MSF course or any other basic riding course first. Start on a 250 just like the others have said. A cheap used one is all you need to learn on. Do not let anyone talk you into anything else or push you into risking your life.

Jan 10, 2011

Every year, same BS...
by: Quicklimegirl

Some "friends" who "did okay" starting out on a Superbike say you can start with a 600. These people are blathering IDIOTS. Do you live in an area with lots of twisty roads or are all these people "straight-line heroes?"

Riding competently takes time and lots of practice. I've been riding on the street since the mid-70s and I'm grateful we didn't have 130hp 600cc superbikes that people stupidly call "starter" bikes.

Totally ridiculous. These bikes have hair-trigger responses to throttle input, especially at higher RPM ranges; & hair-trigger responses to braking and chassis input. Now, if you don't know INHERENTLY exactly what that means, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY from your so-called "friends."

Do you know how many young people I've seen buried or totally maimed over the past several years because they were sure "I can handle it" and "I'll be careful and take it easy." BULLSHIT.

If you want to master riding and learn to ride a bike to it's full potential, start on a Ninja 250. Like the other poster said, it is forgiving...quite a bit because of the meat of the power band resides above 5000 rpm.

Buy ALL your safety gear, take the MSF course, and then start riding. And don't make the mistake of thinking once you're "comfortable" on the bike after a measly few hundred miles that you've mastered it and you're ready to move up. When you can ride it in the twisties to the edge of the tires until the suspension is fully utilized, then you know you have begun to master the bike. That normally doesn't happen right away, it takes either several thousand miles at a bare minimum, and/or a couple of seasons, at least.

You can listen to the voices of reason from EXPERIENCED riders, or you can listen to your "friends" and be really cool. Well, it's REALLY cool inside the drawer of the local morgue.

Jan 10, 2011

First Bike
by: Anonymous

Start with a Motorcycle safety class first.

Then start small, maybe a 250 Ninja. They are small, low to the ground, very forgiving, but you will still have the sport bike look that you are use to. No matter what anyone tells you the little 250 will run 95 all day, just takes a little bit to get it wrapped up...it won't hurt the "R" to wait on you till get some saddle time and miles on you.

I started on this same bike about 4 years ago. Put about 3500 miles on her and took her to the track couple of times. Then I stepped up to a 600 and now I have been on my 1000 for about a year.

Again...start small...Just being on the back DOES NOT prepare you for the front seat. This is the voice of experience with 30+ years on the back before I got my own.

Good luck!

Jan 10, 2011

MSF!!
by: Anonymous

The FIRST thing you should do is sign up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Beginner Riding Course and learn to ride from trained MSF Rider Coaches so you'll learn how to ride safely.

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