[Anthonyx24]

I am a new rider looking for a little insite on purchasing a bike. I have been researching for the past few months and gathering as much information as possible. Read several reviews, but I was hoping someone could give me some advice based upon my body type. I am about 6″1 210lbs, athletic build. I have some riding experience from a couple rides on 125cc dirtbikes and a couple times on some mini bikes. I plan on taking the beginner rider course this spring, but still find myself questioning if that is enough. I tell myself that I will respect myself and the bike, so thats why I don’t think a 600cc sportsbike would be bad. I plan on purchasing used, because everyone has said that I will most likely drop it. (I’d like to be optimistic and think not.)

Additionally, when do winter season prices begin to increase? Many places have been offering discount pricing for offseason. How long can I hold out so I can test the bike before I choose to purchase? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Anthony

[A]

At 6’1″, 210 lb. you should have no trouble with most of the motos available out there.
Go to your local dealership, sit or straddle as many motos that your dealer allow you to do so on the showroom floor. Get a feel of what might be comfortable for your physique. Take along a buddy with you, while you straddle the motos, your buddy can hold the moto upright from the forklegs to allow you to try out the seat to peg distance for knee comfort.

Determine what type of riding you plan to do the most, whether it be commuting in city traffic, long distance highway, on/off pavement dual sport rides, twisty canyon carving, multiple day trips.. one moto is not likely to do it all without practice, lots of it.

In my experience, as soons as tempwerature warms up above 40’s for a week the used moto pricing starts to climb… but that’s the eastcoast… don’t know where you are located.

[Anthonyx24]

First off thank you for responding.

Im from Massachusetts. Usually doesnt start to warm up until the end of March if we are lucky. Usually not until April.There is one bike that I have had my sights on and spoke with the dealer. It is an 07 gsxr 600 with low miles. With the economy the way it is and being out of season I am hoping to make a good deal with them, but who knows. Any advice on what to look for when it comes to milage. Some bikes I have seen with some small scratches and low miles go for way less than a super clean looking bike with 20k miles on it. I am really confused by this.

The cleaner the bike is.. doesnt mean it is better right? How many miles can you typically get out of a 600cc sports bike before you have any issues? I understand a well kept vehicle can last you a long time, but where I am buying used I am skeptical to go with higher miles rather than someone who forgot to put down the stand and dropped the bike. I figure that I will probably drop it at some point so I am not worried about the scratches because it is my first.

[A]

Sportbikes durability like GSXRs are difficult to determine, majority of their owners either ride them hard or crash them hard, you probably will not find a GSXR type moto that have little mileage and the previous owner have only easy touring miles on the engine.

Check the tire/chain/sprocket wear if the moto have been ridden hard.

Check the steering bearing if the moto has been doing wheelies/stoppies.

Check the wheels/brake rotors for round and true if it might have been crashed hard.

Depending on your budget, personally I feel something under $3000 is a good start for a beginner bike, mid/late 90’s Honda CBR600F’s are great beginner sportbikes. Hit up your local craigslist, show up with cash in hand usually good for $50 less on the price for me.

If bike needs new tires -$200 from Bluebook price or whatnot..

If bike needs new brake pads/rotors/fluids -$100-250, need new sprockets/chain, -$120

Check the inside of fuel tank for rust; if engine hard to start when cold/idles funky or @high rpm, carbs may require cleaning.. -$100

Buying used moto from a dealer is probably safer, but do expect to pay 15-30% more than private used moto sales.

As I said before, go to your local dealers and try to sit on ALL of the bikes they allow you to.

[eon]

If you have done any type of research you will know that a GSXR 600 is pretty much a rocket ship. It’s a hard core super sport designed to do one thing, go fast. Because of that it’s favored by young men with small penises, an overwhelming sense of immortality and no patience to learn the skills needed to exploit 1/10th of its capabilities. I would be very cautious about buying a low mileage bike of this type as it may have had slightly more than a kickstand drop.

I’m confused by your comment about the MSF class not being enough but then wanting to buy a GSXR. The MSF class is a *basic* introduction on how to ride safely and the *basic* mechanics of riding a motorcycle. It certainly does not prepare you for riding a GSXR but hopefully puts you on the path to learning how to be safe while you develop your skills.

If you are looking for a 600cc class sportbike then look at the SV650 and the 650R, both recommended by the folks in the know here. That is a more realistic goal for you at this point. It is not just about respecting the machine you ride, it is about having the skills to control it and that takes time and experience.

[A]

A bit critical to someone you don’t know..

[eon]

I don’t think I criticized Anthony at all. I highlighted the fact that many buyers of GSXRs are young men of the squid variety, something you alluded to yourself. I have no idea if he fits that mold or not and did not imply that he did. I then suggested there are better choices for new riders than that bike. I’m not sure where there was any criticism in there. At least I didn’t suggest he get a bicycle.

[Gary856]

deleted and moved to “General” section

[eternal05]

It’s not a criticism or an insult; it’s a friendly word of caution. Anthony, I hate to be the broken record here, but a 600cc supersport just isn’t a beginner bike. It doesn’t matter if you’ve ridden on dirt; the low power of the bikes (was that 125cc 2-stroke or 4-stroke?) and the loose terrain will mask a lot of the learning issues you run into on pavement. You’ll probably learn faster than somebody with no experience at all, but you still shouldn’t take unnecessary risks.

I’ve said it 1000 times on this forum, but it’s the same question again and again each of our new members, so here’s my response…AGAIN (sorry to all the people who have to read this every time):

I own a GSX-R600. I wanted it from day one. I’d dream about it. I had friends that had them. But somehow I got talked into a different direction, and my first bike was a Ninja 250R. It’s a damn good thing that it was. I learned to ride faster, better, and safer than I ever could have on a gixxer. I still have that bike, and ride it fairly often, despite the fact that it’s one of three that I now own.

If we’re honest, you and I, we’ll have to admit that a large factor in the decision making process to get a sportbike revolves around either the LOOK of a sportsbike, or the desire to own an authentic race machine. It’s no surprise. If Ferraris cost $11-13K a piece, a lot of dumb teenagers (not to say you are one, but I sure was back in the day…hopefully have learned a bit since then) would buy them too. But just as a Ferrari is a terrible first car, and totally impractical to drive around the city, a sportbike is a terrible first bike, and just as impractical anywhere but on a track or a spirited ride through some twisty backroads. If you really want to get to the point where you can really ride a sportbike the way it was meant to be ridden, get good at just riding a normal bike first. Just trust me. You don’t have to get a 250, but there are a ton of decidedly beginner-friendly bikes of all styles out there, all the way up to 650cc. Walk before you run, look before you leap, blah blah blah you know the drill.

[Anthonyx24]

SO i took your advice. i looked at a used bike tonight. Really clean bike. 2001 gsx 600. only 4200miles on it. thing was spotless. I have been looking around and you can see the wear and tear like your talking but the bike tonight was really clean. had some extras/ yoshi exhaust chrome frame and rims/ LED lights/smokescreen/ very clean overall. he was looking for 4500 i thought the bike was worth about 3600 we ended up at about 4k. I told him i would get back to him in a couple weeks. So we will see. I think im going to avoid dropped bikes and high mileage. My eye is not good enough to pick up on all the examples you referenced. I can only tell when a bike looks really new and clean like tonight.

He let me ride the bike around the storage lot and I now see what the other guys were talking about with the power from the bike. It is very fast, but for the first time riding a motorcycle I didnt feel uncomfortable at all. I really like the way your knees can hug the gas tank the way it does. The only issue i felt might have been that he had the rear lowerd slightly so i could feel my legs crunch a bit.

I am going to see a dealer in a couple weeks to check on a much newer bike. Just dont know if i can muster up 5g’s for a bike.

I will continue my search. I havent decided whether or not to take all the advice yet. The guy who owned it said he started on a 600 and never thought twice about it and loved it. Never dropped never crashed. I want to be cautious but id like to get my moneys worth out of my purchase.

Do i go with what feels right? or what other experienced riders have to say?

[SantaCruzRider]

Telling a guy who’s new to riding that a 600 gsxr might be a great bike is pretty much the opposite of the purpose of this site. And basing the bike choice on someones weght is equally lame.

What’s the formula for that? <150 lbs you start with a 250; 150-180 gets you a 500cc; 200-250 it's a 600 gsxr; 300 lbs and it's liter or nothing?

Personally, I don’t have an issue with newbies buying and starting on whatever they want. But it’s absurd for them to look for (much less find) affirmation of their poor choice on a site whose recommended reading starts with a story titled “Why 600ccs is Too Much.”

Anthony: I’d recommend you keep reading this site as you’ll find some really great info on smart bike choices for a beginner. You might also check insurance rates for different bikes. It’s a pretty good indication for what the insurance industry thinks your chances of avoiding hurting yourself, your bike or others might be.

[eon]

Never used either by the sounds of it. 4200 miles over 9 years is about 450 miles a YEAR. I’ve done that much in one day. I did about 10,000 miles my first year and I think most people do at least 5,000 miles without trying too hard. All means this could be a great bike to buy but I would not give much weight to the previous owners comments as he obviously did not ride it much.

If you do decide to get this bike then as SantaCruzRider says, check into insurance rates before you buy. I’ve a feeling it’s not going to be pretty viewing.

Be safe whatever you choose.

[JackTrade]

When it comes down to it, what’s really behind the common advice given here to NOT start out on a supersport is really the question of odds.

As in, the odds of a beginner safely operating one for any length of time are pretty low. And that’s definitely true; accident rates, insurance costs, and mortality figures bear it out.

BUT…the odds aren’t zero. There *are* outliers, people who ride them as beginners and do just fine.

While I agree with the others here that it’s better to start on a small displacement bike (that’s what I did), the fact that you’re here, that you sought advice, and are fairly considering it may indicate you may be an outlier.

Most people who ask for advice re this question (it comes up a lot) have already made up their mind, and are looking for validation for their choice. When they don’t get it, they get annoyed and upset. You see this on TONS of motorcycle sites.

Have you considered a 650cc twin bike instead? Plenty of power, but with a more linear, progressive delivery. They’re easy enough for a beginner to ride, but still provide plenty of fun for experts.

[eternal05]

Dude, you keep saying “GSX 600” but were originally talking about getting a GSX-R600. If it’s a Katana that you’re referring to, that’s an entirely different story (though not altogether better). It’ll be heavier, but less absurd in the power and track-specialization department. Which is it?

[CBBaron]

Read the article on why a 600cc is a bad idea, listen to the other experienced riders here, including many who currently own a supersport. Just avoid it for a first bike.
Instead get a nice used ninja 250r. pre-08 ninjas are usually less than $2000 and many are available. You can learn and thrash on that bike for a year or 2 and if you decide to upgrade you will lose little on the sale. The 250r has enough power to exceed any speed limit in the US and can out accelerate most sports cars from a stop.
Other good choices include the GS500F and ninja 500r. A little more expensive and not as common but you still can probably find some good used ones without a problem.

Don’t think you have to get “the bike” you will keep for your first bike. In fact that is probably a bad choice as you don’t yet know what you really want. It seems no matter what bike a person starts out with he ends up changing bikes 3 or more times in the first few years of riding. You might as well start out on a cheap bike that is easy to learn.

Craig

[Author]

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