- This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by gitchy42.
Hello everyone.
-
AuthorPosts
-
July 2, 2010 at 5:27 pm #4080WolfvenParticipant
Hello,
I am new to these forums but have been reading a lot of the topics and beginner motorcycle guides. i am 20 years old and my step father has been trying to teach me to ride on his 1983 Honda vf750 Magna. i have been looking around for a decent starter bike. I know alot of people say the Ninja 250R is a good starter bike but my question is will it support me. i am a big guy at 280lb’s at around 6ft. If you know of any other bike’s that might work for me please let me know.
Thanks A lot ahead of time.
~Wolfven
July 2, 2010 at 10:03 pm #27309JackTradeParticipantHave you taken the MSF course yet? If not, definitely look into it.
What style of bike are you interested in? Sport, cruiser, etc? That may help us narrow down your choices for a good first bike.
July 2, 2010 at 10:09 pm #27310WolfvenParticipantI am planning on Taking the MSF course as soon as i get the money for it. I am more interested in Sport bikes.
July 4, 2010 at 1:47 pm #27318CBBaronParticipantThe Ninja 250r will handle you all right. You will probably use up more of the suspension statically than you might like but it won’t be a real problem most of the time. There are some suspension upgrades you can do to eliminate that problem. Power won’t be a problem.
Other good choices in sportbikes are the GS500F and Ninja 500R. I’m not sure but the suspensions may be a little stiffer on those bikes and I found the GS500F to have more room.I’m 6’2″ 220# and ride an `06 Ninja250R.
Craig
July 5, 2010 at 6:08 am #27330madjak30ParticipantI have a GS500E and feel that it is enough for me at 275lbs and 5’11, but just enough…the bike is great, it accellerates and turns quite nice and the top speed is enough to lose your license…being 20 will help you fit the bike better than me (39)…the 250cc will be great for starting out, but you may find it a little under powered after a short while…if you are looking at the Ninja I would also look at the 500R. It has a little more power than my Suzuki GS, and is also recommended here on the site as a good starter…I don’t know if I would look much bigger than that unless you have previous bike experience…
Good luck and have fun…
July 5, 2010 at 5:47 pm #27336Livinglife61ParticipantOK – so I found this site when I was looking up how to get over a wreck….
I’ve been riding about a year and half…and last week had a guy from a complete stop take off in front of me. I was going about 45 MPH…not sure how much I slowed before hitting pavement…did avoid him……major road rash…shook my confidence….I love riding and want to get back on – just the mind games are getting to me (bike is still in the shop) and the road rash sucks…..July 5, 2010 at 6:10 pm #27338eternal05ParticipantFirst off, I’m sorry to hear you had a spill and I (think I) speak for everybody here when I say I’m glad that you made it out relatively alright!
It goes without saying that if you suffered major road rash, you should start by thinking about upping the coverage of your gear. Without getting into a “how much gear is appropriate” feud, I think that wearing more gear and building confidence in its ability to protect you will go a long way towards helping you lose any psychological baggage you’re keeping around from your crash. I know I gain a TON of confidence knowing that if I fall, at least I’m not going to lose skin.
Solid motorcycle pants (not chaps…which leave your butt unprotected), preferably with some sort of knee armor, riding boots (again, armored is better), a jacket with a minimum of shoulder and elbow armor, and a full-face helmet are the things to get you back on your feet. If you don’t like wearing all that gear, you can slowly start taking it off once you get your confidence back. I think you’ll find that you won’t want to, and I suggest you don’t, but to everybody has a right to their preference.
July 5, 2010 at 7:43 pm #27342eonParticipantSorry to hear about your crash. Getting over these things takes time (I had a low drama low side but it still took time to get over it). I agree with everything Eternal said but would add in take more training classes. Get back to basics and work your way up again.
Oh, and I would recommend starting a new thread. Adding onto someone else’s with a completely different topic is considered bad form.
July 7, 2010 at 12:54 am #27360gitchy42ParticipantSorry to hear about the incident, hope everything heals up well and the bike is out and road-worthy again soon.
I’ve been lucky enough to not have had a wreck. I have had a dumb stop-and-drop moment though, that ended in a quick, unplanned dismount. Just this was enough to rattle me a little, so I can’t really imagine how going down ‘for real’ would.
I have heard (read?) that analyzing what happened, and using it as a learning opportunity can help the ‘mental healing’ process. For me it was easy, see the slope in the road before stopping. For you, it may be a little more difficult. Perhaps do what Eon suggests and post a new thread, possibly with a more detailed description of what happened. Working though what happened, and what could have been done differently and practicing those skills/techniques should make it easier to get back on the road on the bike.
Perhaps have a friend get the bike to a parking lot and start over from the beginning.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.