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The John Norwich Riders CornerIn honour of our fellow moderator: John Norwich R.I.P. September 17th, 2014
Buy, sell, trade bikes and gear, set up bike rallies, meet discussions. #revscenebikes
I'd say first off, go sign up for lessons if you don't already have. And see if you actually would want to ride. If you feel competent after your lessons, go straight to a 500-600cc class bike. A 250cc bike, you will out grow in no time, if you are going to do alot of spirited riding and highway rides.
After my lessons, I went straight to my daytona675, and I have no regrets. Make sure you feel comfortable and confident with a bike, and you shouldn't have any problems. This season was my first, I only started riding in August after taking my lessons in july. Got my full 6 in september.
You have to have the drive to learn to ride. If you don't, stick with something like the ninja 250. Good luck.
i've heard of a lot of people out growing their ninja 250's in a year or so. you'll end up switching for a new bike really quickly or be stuck to a beginner machine.
as for the GS500, that bike is a piece of crap. filled with primitive technology. the bike has no fuel injection, and starts with a choke. its got no power on the highway, and no grip in the corners.
for me, i went with a yamaha FZ6R. mid-range sport bike with a tuned down R6 motor. revs great. its forgiving enough without most of the draw backs of a beginner bike. i was also considering the Ninja 650R. didnt get that cus its got a 2 cylinder engine and i preferred the smoother in-line four. sv650's also a good choice.
Well let's see now; my first bike was a Suzuki 80, then a 90, then a 185, then a 360cc motocross, all of these single cylinder 2 strokes. Then I bought a 350cc four, then a 500cc thumper, then a 1000cc four that I still ride now, along with a single cylinder 250cc 4 stroke Trials bike that renders all of the street bikes totally boring. So; If you want to save yourself several decades and many thousands of dollars, just go straight to the 250cc Trials Bike ! Once you crash it countless times learning, then start to win trophies, then you can go out and buy any bike you like with complete confidence that the only thing fun about riding street is going way fast.
I was thinking about a CBR 125 when i get some more experience on the road, but I've been hearing the things a wimp. Its nice and cheap, but maybe I should just look on jumping into the ninja 250r? I'm only about 5'6 130 lbs but don't want to outgrow a bike within a year. Any more opinions?
^ I would advise a ninja 250r to start off with, the CBR 125 is a very good beginners bike, thats it. You will outgrow it within a year for sure, do you have any riding experience? Taken a course?
I started on a Suzuki GS500, its a good bike for my size (6'1, 190 lbs).
The 2011 CBR125R is a significant improvement over the earlier models, that's the bike I would recommend to lightweight novices, as for growing out of it I'm a veteran rider and still want one in my stable. For not too much more cash the new CBR250R is a beauty, they are too new for test ride yet, but I butt tested them all at the motorcycle show yesterday and CBR250R felt superior to the Ninja 250. For much bigger riders, I was very impressed with the comfort and euro style of the Moto Guzzi Cafe Classic.
If you are tall and comfortable on it, any 600 is fine. If you ride like an idiot, you'll die on any of them.
But if you are short, you don't want to be worrying about dropping it everytime you get on it, so a 125/250 is a good way to go just for the seat height alone. It's also a good bike for those who's brains turn off at the turn of the throttle.
With the cheap insurance and 100mpgs on the 125R, pretty much everyone who rides should have one as a toy at the very least.
hey guys, how much price difference annually is on a 250cc vs 600cc bike?
Are you referring to the cost of purchase, insurance, consumables, fuel or just the overall cost of ownership? High power bikes cost consume just short of double the fuel, rear tires, brake pads and chains. Insurance is outrageous for any motorcycle and 20~30% more on the large displacement bikes.
As for learning on a four cylinder 600; you'll always be a learner if you start out on one, unless you are a born natural and if so please introduce yourself, I've never met one before.
Are you referring to the cost of purchase, insurance, consumables, fuel or just the overall cost of ownership? High power bikes cost consume just short of double the fuel, rear tires, brake pads and chains. Insurance is outrageous for any motorcycle and 20~30% more on the large displacement bikes.
As for learning on a four cylinder 600; you'll always be a learner if you start out on one, unless you are a born natural and if so please introduce yourself, I've never met one before.
im still looking into it. i plan to take a prs riding course in the spring. i will learn on whatever bike they assign to me. dont think im a "born natural" at all. i havent even riden something over 50cc.
just tryna find out the cost of owning one. when you say "high power bikes". is this something over 600cc?
Not all 600cc or even larger displacement bikes are created equal, many four cylinder machines that are sold as 'race replica' bikes are basically street legal race bikes, they produce upwards of 100 horsepower and have powerband characteristics that are not well suited to casual street riding, in low rev's they might be tame enough but when they reach optimum performance rev's the front wheel comes up easy in the first three gears and third can pull 100+ mph. easy. By comparison a Moto Guzzi Cafe Classic has a 744cc twin cylinder engine, puts out a maximum 50 horsepower and it's torque peak is reached at 3600 rpm.
For a quick and dirty way to glance at a bike and know what you are getting into don't pay attention to the cc's, look at the front brakes! If it has a single disk front brake, it's either a lightweight or lower performing machine, if it has huge twin discs up front, they are there for one of two reasons, it's either a very heavy bike or super fast crotch rocket.
a 600 is an excellent bike to learn on and grow with. 250 is much too small, and although a litre bike wont kill you at first, you won't progress quickly with a litre bike (give youre super cautious)
I taught myself on a 600cc. I'm only 5'4 too so risk of dropping it was high. My first ride was to the gas station and because there was so much traffic, i was scared to leave hahahaha. Then i was like fuck it, im going, left and went around the small streets around my friends neighbourhood. Then friends came, went with them to the brick while they followed me. I was still pretty scared of the bike. Then when i got comfortable on how everything worked, like how sensitive the brakes were, where clutch engagement was, and getting used to shifting and braking with the feet. Its very multitasking, but becomes more natural as you ride. It really all depends on the person too. I think 600cc is good. I've learned lots on it, just respect the machine. Say you want to buy a 600. Take pacific riding school out in surrey. Then buy a bike. You might not even like it.
Watch all four of these, then tell us that 250cc is too small and that you can live to be a good rider on a 600cc bike by simply respecting the power.
modern 125 cc street bike
lol, your "modern 125cc" is the best 125cc 2 stroke(aprilia rs 125) out there... something very hard and expensive to get. I bet with a rider thats weights no more than 130lbs. I mean the thing can do 190kph... last time I checked even a 2009 ninja 250cc can't do much more than 160kph with riders around that weight.
....anyways back to reality for most people here in vancouver. I say new rider should start with bmw s1000rr + abs and traction control... in rain mode. Very safe bike. haha
No kidding, I have a 125R and it's downright dangerous on the highway. It's great for going back and forth to work, but forget climbing any hills. I think I squeezed out 130kph on it, but the speedo-calibration is a little suspect on these things .. and I really wouldn't want to run the thing at redline for hours at a time.
If you do ride on the highway, you actually want heavy traffic so you don't get run over by people thinking you will be going faster than you can.
I'm stunned Honda is still keeping these around with the 250R coming out in the spring.
That new 250R is pretty darn slow too. It's not like the grey-market 250s that make 40+ hp. This thing is only going to have 26hp, which will be just as slow as the Kawi 250.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by delSol97
That new 250R is pretty darn slow too. It's not like the grey-market 250s that make 40+ hp. This thing is only going to have 26hp, which will be just as slow as the Kawi 250.
Buy nothing.
Go take some riding class' and see how you like it. They usually have 2 or 3 bikes to choose from to ride on while you are there.
Find out what style suites you best. Learn the basics and then go from there.
Asking people what is best has no baring on what works best for you. Take the courses, get your L permit and start hunting around for something that fits you and works for you.
lol, your "modern 125cc" is the best 125cc 2 stroke(aprilia rs 125) out there... something very hard and expensive to get. I bet with a rider thats weights no more than 130lbs. I mean the thing can do 190kph... last time I checked even a 2009 ninja 250cc can't do much more than 160kph with riders around that weight.
....anyways back to reality for most people here in vancouver. I say new rider should start with bmw s1000rr + abs and traction control... in rain mode. Very safe bike. haha
I weigh 145 with my riding gear on
and I know exactly what it's like to have the rev limiter kick in on my K100RS without tucking in
...I could scarcely make my point about noob perceived displacement limitations by showing off the performance of a CV carbureted bike like the ninja, now could I.
Just as a side note, when I took the ART course during the summer, Kramer was out on the course on a Sherpa 250 and was spanking everybody's ass who was on a 600cc+ sportbike
I'm really digging the new Honda CBR250. Once my wife gets more comfortable on her Kawi (e.g. after she drops it a few more times), I'm going to trade it in. FI + ABS = !
Just as a side note, when I took the ART course during the summer, Kramer was out on the course on a Sherpa 250 and was spanking everybody's ass who was on a 600cc+ sportbike
I'm really digging the new Honda CBR250. Once my wife gets more comfortable on her Kawi (e.g. after she drops it a few more times), I'm going to trade it in. FI + ABS = !
someone who get's it
... speaking of horsepower numbers for the bikes I offered for comparison:
Aprilia RS125 32.5 hp
125cc Honda RC149 34 hp
250cc Honda RC174 65 hp
And some amateurs are actually recommending it's OK to learn on a Honda CBR600RR that cranks 118+ hp (as long as you take it easy and respect the power)
honestly i started out with a 750cc but I'm willing to down grade to a 400cc or even a 250cc. Want to buy my gixxer 750 ?
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Quote:
Originally posted by E N D L E S S these cars are like high maintenance girlfriends, and everytime they whine or something isn't right....your bank account crys
A good riding buddy of mine got RS50 as it is easier to get out and go for quick rides around town, not to mention how nibble it is for track days. He just loves this little bike, and he's a big guy. His other ride is a ZX14 that he is selling for a Ducati 1000GT
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
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Once you crash it countless times learning, then start to win trophies, then you can go out and buy any bike you like with complete confidence that the only thing fun about riding street is going way fast.
