[IBA270]

Hey rookiedude…you’d better hope it doesn’t rain…to the best of my knowledge, you ride rain or shine my friend!

An FZ6 is a great bike, but it’s a lot of bike. It’s not detuned for a beginner, it’s got plenty of go. The ergo’s are good and it’s a very capable machine. I think depending on your maturity level and your commitment to practicing and being dilligent about learning, it COULD BE a great bike for you.

I would definately consider putting some frame sliders on it. Beginners tend to drop their bikes in the first few miles/first few times out. It’s about $100 at the most, and will be worth every penny.

Good luck!

[IBA270]

You’re right; displacement generally is NOT a good rule of thumb in choosing a bike. Power to weight ratio, torque and ergonomics are much better in determining whether a bike is good for a beginner or not. The HD 883 Sportster is another example…

[IBA270]

and then find a bike. If you decide you like motorcycling and continue to ride, your tastes will change, I can almost gaurantee it. 500 to 650cc twins make very good beginner bikes. They have linear power delivery, and reasonable weight wise, and depending on the bike, they have good ergonomics. While there’s nothing wrong with a 250 as a beginners bike, I don’t generally recommend them for a couple reasons;

First, they have low horsepower which can be a liability at freeway speeds. Certainly an advantage of a motorcycle is the ability to accelerate quickly. 250’s will struggle a little at highway speed.

Secondly, riders tend to outgrow them quickly. Why are there so many low mileage 250’s out there? One of two things happen; new riders decide they don’t like riding, or they are ready for a more capable machine horsepower wise.

The 500 or 650’s aren’t too much for new riders. If you take the course, you have the skills to practice and to become a skilled rider. They lack the “peaky” power delivery that the supersports have and the more aggresive steering geometry that tends to get riders into trouble.

hope that helps…

[IBA270]

I think most people CAN ride. Here are some things, in no particular order that I’ve seen over the years that might “preclude” people from being safe riders:

1) Right mental attitude, which includes accepting and managing risk, understanding their respective personal limits, and accepting 100% responsiblity for everything that happens to them on a motorcycle. It sounds funny, but you will be safest on a motorcycle when believe that everything that occurs when you’re riding is YOUR responsibility. Otherwise, you’re toast.

2) Situational awareness. Part of this is described above, but there are a lot of things that are happening when you ride a motorcycle, and you need to be aware of all of them. Many people struggle with this..they can’t seem to process all of the information that they are revieving as they ride (or drive) and get into trouble because of this. If you know someone who has a lot of car accidents, whether it’s their fault or not, they might not be good candidates for motorcycling.

3) Coordination. Lack of coordination alone shouldn’t preclude someone from taking the class and learning, but the skills needed to safely operate a motorcycle are perishable. If you don’t right often enough, and you don’t practice ALL of your skills, EACH time you ride, then you’re going to get in trouble. If you lack the coordination neccesary to manipulate all of the controls, you’re going to have problems. Not everyone can dribble a basketball or play ping pong. Having said that, everyone SHOULD be able to learn, but then those who struggle the most must practice the most.

I can think of few physical limitations (legal blindness, paraplegics, quadraplegics) that would preclude a person from riding. I know of people with missing limbs for instance that ride, and I know of one who won a national flat track championship…with one arm!

Hope that helps…

[IBA270]

A lot of people simply aren’t meant to ride. Often times dealers, friends, ridercoaches…whoever, tend to tell us that we can learn and we’ll be ok. Unfortunately, many of us who probably shouldn’t be riding end up in an accident and what they knew all along (they shouldn’t be riding) comes rushing out right after the accident.

[IBA270]

and here’s why…

A motard is a little more than half the weight of most sport bikes, plus they have much wider bars that allow a rider great leverage over the clip on set-ups. On tight, technical tracks, motards SPANK sportbikes. They simply have a much greater advantage with simple physics.

On longer tracks with sweepers and straight aways, the more powerful bikes have the advantage.

Oh, and sticky tires? Pretty much any tire will have all the stick you need.

[IBA270]

Depends what you think most of your riding will consist of. Much like a pair of shoes, one motorcycle doesn’t do it all (at least that’s my excuse for having several) so if you’re going to have one, it needs to do many things. The DRZ probably fits that bill a bit better, and I dare say, is a lot more fun. Plus, when the inevitible happens, it’s a lot more forgiving when plastic/metal contact pavement.

Good luck!

[IBA270]

Pass.

[IBA270]

and one that I have recommended to beginners time and time again. They are low seat, wider with wider bars and easy to ride. They have reasonable horsepower without having a big power rush that makes many sportbikes, especially the more modern bikes, a little tough to ride.

On the Ducati-make sure it has at least some service records. Depending on mileage, you’re looking for valve adjusts and belt changes. After 12K or so, the valves tend to take a pretty good seat and will they require checking, generally don’t take much in adjustment. Many dealers make belt changing seem like an art. It is I suppose if art takes 15 minutes to complete…seriously.

Ducati’s DO REQUIRE a little more effort/involvement in owning them, but in my opinion they are well worth the return. Lot’s of aftermarket, surprisingly cheap parts…and…it’s a Ducati!

If it floats your boat, I wouldn’t be afraid of it. Just do your research and know what you’re getting into.

Last thing, and you didn’t say…did you take the MSF class or are you “self/friend taught”? If you did, excellent choice! If you didn’t, stop riding and take the course. You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor.

[IBA270]

There are some good one’s out there, it just depends on what you want to spend. I know Firstgear has a few examples that come with liners as well as Olympia.

I ride in an Aerostich Darien jacket and pants year round, with extremes from 8 degrees up to ~120. They can be purchased with windblocker fleece liners that are good (depending on you and the bike) down to around 35 or so, and with electrics, about as low as you want.

[IBA270]

Generally, the each state sets the maximum price that a school can charge for the course. There are LOT’S of private groups that teach the MSF, and most community colleges contract with these groups. It pays to shop around because just like a seat on an aircraft, what you pay and what your neighbor pays aren’t neccesarily the same even though you’re going to the same spot!

Oh…why is riders edge more? It’s because of the “value added” stuff that they add in. I’m not knocking it…it’s good stuff especially if you’re moving towards the Harley crowd/bikes/gear.

[IBA270]

Riders Edge rider training is the same MSF course that everyone else offers, but Harley throws some extra pieces in like the store tour, gear intro and the like. The actual riding portion is identical however.

[IBA270]

The CRF’s are great little bikes! We use them at one the schools I teach in the dirt/dual sport as well as motard trim…and they are a HOOT!

Kawaski has a Motard in similar trim that I actually think is a little nicer with a digital dash and I believe it has fuel injection. Might check that as well…

[IBA270]

At your height, you’ll be fine on just about anything. I’m a little bigger than you are and have spent a lot of time on things like old Ducati 900SS’s and Ducati Monsters. While dual sports are little top heavy, I don’t you’ll have any problems at your size. See if you can find a Kawasaki KLR. They are a lot of fun. A little buzzy on the freeway though.

I really enjoy the smaller motards and dual sports, but in the real/traffic/freeway, then can actually be a little dangerous as they just can’t go with a big person on them.

As “A” pointed out, there are some 600’s out there that I think you’d be fine on. Look for the older air cooled 600’s like the bandit or the katana.

[IBA270]

You need to get some professional training through the MSF. Riders who are self taught or taught by friends represent 92% (or more) of fatal accidents in the US.

Read these stats (they are a few years old, but still very relevant)

http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html

If none of these stats convince you, then remember this; depending on your state, you probably cannot get a license without the MSF course. If you plan on learning to ride on the street unlicensed, then you’re not only heading for a crash, but also a ticked.

It ain’t worth it.

Here’s another suggestion; Go take the MSF with your cousin. If he hasn’t taken it before, the odds are even that you’ll do better in the class that he will!

Promise.

Allen Dye
MSF Rider Coach
Track Day Instructor
435,000 miles (and counting) accident free

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