[badboi4life0830]

So i just took the riders course here in CA and i loved it….now im looking into buying a used motorcycle off craigslist….would this be a good starter bike??

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/1297213248.html

if anyone can help me look for one on craigslist in the bay area section…my budget is 2000$…..thanks

[SafetyFirst]

Does this do it for you?

Wikipedia sez: The ZX-7R is a 749 cc in-line 4-cylinder four-stroke, which in standard guise provided impressive power figures, enough to enable a top speed of 178 mph (285 km/h).

I’m guessing it’s easily 4 times the HP and torque of my Ninja 250. I had a ZX-9R follow behind me on the concrete slab today in the rain. No problem keeping up with my speed, and never passed me even given many opportunities. Seriously, even a Ninja 250 can haul you faster than you can get your license suspended. I was very impressed at how well the 250 does on the freeway. Yes, I took it 10-15 peaking at 20 over most of the way, but I had to do it at least once after having the bike. Call me a squid if you want to.

[AtlAggie]

If you look on the right side of this page, you’ll see a link to an article “Why 600ccs is Too Much!”. I think it might be a good read for you.

[briderdt]

It all depends on the beginner.

Your moniker “badboi4life” doesn’t give me any kind of warm feelings to the fact that you might have a decent amount of self-control with the right hand, or that you’re overly endowed with a lot of “common sense” (which I find increasingly UNcommon).

That you took the MSF class is one good thing going for you.

So… Not knowing anything else about you, all I can say is “it depends”.

[JackTrade]

I had a friend in high school whose parents bought him a Mitsubishi Starion, a turbocharged coupe of the era. Was a seriously fast car for the time. And you know what? He never crashed it.

It really does depend. The reason why inline 4s on bikes (or turbo 4s in cars) aren’t recommended for beginnners is because a lot of people tend to get in a lot of trouble with them. But some don’t….there are always exceptions, and you may well be one of them. Only you’ll know for sure.

My best argument for starting small is that in Europe, you don’t just get a motorcycle license and then go buy whatever you want. You get a graduated license…at first, you can only ride 250s (!). Once you’ve put in the requisite amount of time, you can apply to get licenses for successively more powerful bikes, eventually getting an unlimited license.

In my BRC, there was a guy from Spain, newly arrived in the states. Due to our in this case totally idiotic laws, they wouldn’t accept his full European motorcycle license, so he was taking the BRC to get it.

He was, for lack of a better term, flawless. He got a perfect score on the riding test, and frequently outperformed the instructors in the exercises. The instructors were suitably impressed, and when I left were still trying to get him to apply to become a MSF instructor.

[WeaponZero]

The bike hes linking to is not a ZX-7R. It is a ZX750 which is an ’80s 750cc sportbike which puts it at roughly the same level as my SV650 numbers-wise..

[SafetyFirst]

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a guy on a Goldwing outside of Harbor Freight last evening. I was saying how I want to move up to a 600cc I-4 sporty sometime in the next few years. I gave the reasons against it, too much power, heavier. He said that it’s all a matter of how you twist the throttle for power. And I’m a strappin’ young lad, in better shape than him on his massive Goldwing, so control isn’t an issue.

I guess what it comes down to is, is it better to have massive power and never use it (without losing your license for wreckless operation or worse), or have decent power and really give the engine a good workout? I think the latter is more fun for now.

[Spool]

As you will read here many times, the problem with powerful bikes is that beginners don’t know how to control the power yet so they may use it accidentally.

[irenco]

I can’t see the link because I’m at work, but by the replies it looks like a big bike. look, I bought a 2002 gsxr 600. it’s my very first bike. I believe everything comes down to you. if you are irresponsible, it doesn’t matter if you have a big or a small bike because 30, 40 or 50 mph is the same in a 250 and a 600. almost every accident is the rider’s fault. put it like this “a hammer is a useful tool, but in the hands of a murderer is a dangerous weapon.” you have to be aware of the power that a 600 has, so you need some throttle control. I’ve been happy riding with no drama yet. once the bike is running, the weight doesn’t matter. I rather have power and use it at will than want it and don’t have it. just be safe and resposible.

[Author]

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