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How big was the rock?

I also read on another forum that it’s a bad idea to stop with your rear wheel on a man-hole cover. Too much throttle on the cover will equal little traction and when it does grab will shoot out from under you.

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Might be pushing it size wise… you’d have to check a showroom and sit on one to be sure for anything.

If you are set on a sport and the 250 is too small, sit on the 650r or FZ6R as mentioned above. My FZ6R is quite nice so far.

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My suggestion…. go with the Yamaha/Star VMAX… sport and cruiser in one for bigger people!!

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I’ve ridden a CBR600 and it’s a lot of bike to start on. I ended up with a Yamaha FZ6R which is more tame, manageable, and offers a more comfortable seating position without dropping a fortune. It’s easy going in the low RPM’s, but gets going in the high RPM’s.

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Only 140 miles of “Sunday riding” on my FZ6R so far, but no drops or close calls. Just a couple stalls when I first got it and was getting used to it.

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In the past, I’ve seen sport bikes pass cruisers at a high rate of speed in or near the same lane seemingly to show off how cool/stupid they are. My wife said she saw the same thing once which scared the cruiser guy shipless since he never saw the sport bike coming. She was scared the cruiser guy was going to wipe out just from being startled so badly.

Sadly, they seem to fall in same demographic… youngin’s on sport bikes that they can probably barely afford with a high end helmet and no other gear… unless you consider a sleeveless shirt “gear”.

I must look really out of place on my sport bike with my hi-viz jacket.

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I had trouble getting counter-steering through my head as well until I watched one of those YouTube videos on it and could “see” the counter-steer in action.

It’s almost as if you are doing a “mini-swing-out” to initiate the lean. Pushing your front wheel ever so slightly the opposite way for a split second while leaning/accelerating into the turn allows you to make a better leaning turn if that makes sense?

As for the previous points of your post. It’s like trying to take a piss test with someone staring at your stuff. It’s just difficult to do.

The more confidence you gain, the less that will bother you. Don’t let anyone push you farther than you want to go, just wave them by or pull into a 7-11 and let them go by.

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At 6’3 250lbs, I’d suggest sitting on a few bikes before you set your mind on one for sure. Some of them just may not fit you well. I think I sat on most of the bikes at the dealer before deciding for sure.

A couple other good “beginner 600’s” would be a Ninja650r or Yamaha FZ6R, but again would suggest sitting on them first. The Kawi Versys is a “tall” bike also that may be of interest to you.

I’m still a newb and haven’t dropped my FZ6R and don’t really plan on it. I don’t think it’s as inevitable as some may lead you to believe.

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49cc’s and $2400 or so. Don’t even need a motorcycle license for it in most states if you keep it under 35mph

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Being the owner of a new 600cc I4 … I’m interested in what tires you had stock and what you like better about the Pirelli’s ?

Mine came with Dunlops and I haven’t had a complaint yet, but I’ve just been cruising around town in the evenings and by no means have taken them to any extremes.

Thanks.

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I almost got my first bike when I was 19, then I checked insurance rates… LOL

I’m 32 now and finally got my first bike a couple weeks ago. I’m in VA also.

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I got an ’09 Yamaha FZ6R after debating the same thing in my own mind for about 3 months. As with the Ninja650r, it seems to be a toned down 600cc engine and to me is very easy to manage, yet provides a little ummphf should you desire.

At some point, I may actually get a 200-250 dual-sport just for fun since it was so fun to ride in MSF. (Lots of gravel/dirt roads around here)

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My new Olympia jacket is made of this: “Outer shell constructed in 500 denier Dupont Cordura® with ballistic airflow mesh panels”

Anyone know anything about Cordura and how durable it is?

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Just put the first 9 miles on my bike last night. I wouldn’t mind driving my bike to work once in a while once I get more comfortable since I put 30k/yr on my car.

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I just rode my new bike last night. I guess it’s kind of like driving a convertible car while standing up It seems very “free” as opposed to riding/driving a car.

Best way to find out if you like it is to take the class one weekend and see if it’s “your thang” or not? That’s what I did back in May and then got bit by the bug to get my own bike.

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