I said NO WAY! I want that Gixxer. So what if it's my first bike. I knew what I wanted. Plus, a Katana is about 100 lbs. heavier. (yuk) I'm glad I got my Gixxer. It's by far the most exciting thing I've had between my legs in a long time!!!!! hahaha:D

hmmm i like the last part lol :-P just playing! ride safe! where in cali are u?

Damn leg humpers.

SV probably would've been better as a first bike, but at least you got a 6 ;) Keep your head on shoulders with it :)

I'm in Sunnyvale.

isnt that upnorth? lol come to so cal !! post some pics of the ride up here tooo

I said NO WAY! I want that Gixxer. So what if it's my first bike. I knew what I wanted. Plus, a Katana is about 100 lbs. heavier. (yuk) I'm glad I got my Gixxer. It's by far the most exciting thing I've had between my legs in a long time!!!!! hahaha:D

LOL, nice choice. Yeah, I didn't want a Katana either...... :biggrin

NICE!!! Yea, I was going to get a 250 Ninja and I am so glad I got my GSXR too. Love the comment too. LOL

My friend wants the silver/gray gixxer too. Good luck and have fun and be careful!

Katana's are no slouches and even those are too much bike for a beginner. My first bike was a Katana and as they say, hind-sight is 20/20... I shouldn't have started on ANY kind of sport bike. Period. It's too much power and they're too nimble which makes them somewhat quirky in the hands of a beginner.

Anyway, EVERYONE I have ever know (myself included) that has started on any kind of sport bike, Katanas and ZZRs included, has been in a wreck (typically at fault) or dropped the bike somehow within the first six months.

Case in point, I was out riding by myself about 3 months ago when a group of 4 bikes passed me going the other way. I decided to turn around and get in behind them. Turns out, the last rider had only had his bike for a week and hadn't even had a rider's safety course yet. So, his friend's decided it would be best to take him out in the country so he could get some time on the bike away from traffic.

When I fell in behind him, we all started going through a looooooong left sweeping turn at the posted speed limit of 55mph. The new guy (we'll call him Joe), started at the dotted center line at the beginning of the turn. Through the turn, he was leaning, but inexperience kept him from really being comfortable enough to lean properly and he started to slowly drift to the outside. At the very end of the turn, he finally went off the road.

Now, he did the right thing... He stood the bike up straight and went very easy on the brakes. Problem was, he went off the road just before the last street sign marking the corner... And hit it almost head on taking it down the right side of the bike with the point of initial impact being his right handgrip. The impact induced an end over end spin. Joe flipped about 6 times and stayed on the bike through the entire spin before the bike slid sideways and finally came to a halt.

As I said, I was right behind Joe and I saw the whole thing. My initial reaction was that a wreck like that and he had to be dead. I stopped and started running toward him and to my relief he was crawling from out underneath the bike. He said to call 911 because his leg was broken. So, I'm thinking "Ok, no big deal. This dudes gonna be fine." WRONG.

Joe got out from underneath the bike and flipped over... And then his right pant leg went flat. When he took that sign down the right side, it had pinned his leg between the sign and the bike. And severed it completely just below the knee.

To make a long story short, we were 15 minutes from the nearest town and it was almost an hour before they life-flighted him to the hospital. Myself and the other guys with Joe (and Joe himself) are all military and trained in First Aid and Combat Triage. If not for our training, Joe would have died right there on the spot.

Contributing factors???

1.) No Rider's Safety Course - I didn't take this course until I had already been riding a few years and believe me, it was still more than worth it. If you're new, TAKE IT!!!

2.) No experience - Sucks but the only way to get this is to get on a bike and go for it, but...

3.) Starting with a sport bike - You don't freakin' hand a 16-yr old kid the keys to a F1 race car and tell him to have a blast. THAT WHAT YOURE DOING BY STARTING ON A SPORT BIKE. These bikes were made for the track - the only difference is some street required safety gear, a toned down exhaust and some less expensive and heavier fairings.

That's the end of my rant... Unfortunately, it will probably take you crashing your own bike and/or possibly injuring or killing yourself to get the 20/20 hind-sight that I've earned over the last 10 years of riding.

For you quick learners... Cheers!

Anyway, EVERYONE I have ever know (myself included) that has started on any kind of sport bike, Katanas and ZZRs included, has been in a wreck (typically at fault) or dropped the bike somehow within the first six months.

MOST riders drop their bike in the first 6 months, it doesn't matter what they start on :rolleyes

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm very sorry to hear about your friends crash. I hope he is doing well.
Although I am starting with a sport bike - yes it's a not a beginners bike - I did take a MSF class and have been riding with the instructor ever since. I listen very carefully to experienced riders and I'm learning as much as I can from them.
I'm creeping up on my first 6 months of riding - fingers crossed.
No matter what anyone says.... it's still the most exciting thing I've ever had between my legs!!! hehehehehehehehehehehe

ScaryHelmet: Congratulations on the purchase, but your friends weren't even on the right track with a Katana. lol Be careful on that thing. They can be a handful for a begineer. I've been riding on the street for 6 years and still think 600cc bikes are amazing. I've yet to get bored with their power. Take it slow and be cautious...

redthundr: Great post and I wish more people would head the advice of experienced riders. New riders don't understand what they're getting themselves into. I've got many friends with piles of bikes from accidents due to lack of experience on a machine made for seasoned riders. All we can do is keep preaching...

Katana's are no slouches and even those are too much bike for a beginner. My first bike was a Katana and as they say, hind-sight is 20/20... I shouldn't have started on ANY kind of sport bike. Period. It's too much power and they're too nimble which makes them somewhat quirky in the hands of a beginner.

Anyway, EVERYONE I have ever know (myself included) that has started on any kind of sport bike, Katanas and ZZRs included, has been in a wreck (typically at fault) or dropped the bike somehow within the first six months.

Case in point, I was out riding by myself about 3 months ago when a group of 4 bikes passed me going the other way. I decided to turn around and get in behind them. Turns out, the last rider had only had his bike for a week and hadn't even had a rider's safety course yet. So, his friend's decided it would be best to take him out in the country so he could get some time on the bike away from traffic.

When I fell in behind him, we all started going through a looooooong left sweeping turn at the posted speed limit of 55mph. The new guy (we'll call him Joe), started at the dotted center line at the beginning of the turn. Through the turn, he was leaning, but inexperience kept him from really being comfortable enough to lean properly and he started to slowly drift to the outside. At the very end of the turn, he finally went off the road.

Now, he did the right thing... He stood the bike up straight and went very easy on the brakes. Problem was, he went off the road just before the last street sign marking the corner... And hit it almost head on taking it down the right side of the bike with the point of initial impact being his right handgrip. The impact induced an end over end spin. Joe flipped about 6 times and stayed on the bike through the entire spin before the bike slid sideways and finally came to a halt.

As I said, I was right behind Joe and I saw the whole thing. My initial reaction was that a wreck like that and he had to be dead. I stopped and started running toward him and to my relief he was crawling from out underneath the bike. He said to call 911 because his leg was broken. So, I'm thinking "Ok, no big deal. This dudes gonna be fine." WRONG.

Joe got out from underneath the bike and flipped over... And then his right pant leg went flat. When he took that sign down the right side, it had pinned his leg between the sign and the bike. And severed it completely just below the knee.

To make a long story short, we were 15 minutes from the nearest town and it was almost an hour before they life-flighted him to the hospital. Myself and the other guys with Joe (and Joe himself) are all military and trained in First Aid and Combat Triage. If not for our training, Joe would have died right there on the spot.

Contributing factors???

1.) No Rider's Safety Course - I didn't take this course until I had already been riding a few years and believe me, it was still more than worth it. If you're new, TAKE IT!!!

2.) No experience - Sucks but the only way to get this is to get on a bike and go for it, but...

3.) Starting with a sport bike - You don't freakin' hand a 16-yr old kid the keys to a F1 race car and tell him to have a blast. THAT WHAT YOURE DOING BY STARTING ON A SPORT BIKE. These bikes were made for the track - the only difference is some street required safety gear, a toned down exhaust and some less expensive and heavier fairings.

That's the end of my rant... Unfortunately, it will probably take you crashing your own bike and/or possibly injuring or killing yourself to get the 20/20 hind-sight that I've earned over the last 10 years of riding.

For you quick learners... Cheers!

Now the only problem with this story and reason 3 is that it would have happened on a Ninja 250, LS 650 Savage, Honda Rebel 250 as well. It was not the bike that cause the wreck. But yes #1 is the main reason. Now not sure if the other riders in front left him and he was leading or could he see them?

But if he did have someone in front controlling his speed to help him then this was going to happen sooner or later. Now the MSF may have helped, but I don't know since this was his first time in corners at speed, then I don't know if the MSF would have helped his fear of leaning the bike.

well i say congrats on the bike! i love the 06 600! well if that guys story isn't enough to freak any first time rider out!!! i took the saftey course and my first bike is a 600 also. good luck to you!!!!! :cheers

I said NO WAY! I want that Gixxer. So what if it's my first bike. I knew what I wanted. Plus, a Katana is about 100 lbs. heavier. (yuk) I'm glad I got my Gixxer. It's by far the most exciting thing I've had between my legs in a long time!!!!! hahaha:D

forget about what your friend said!
I remember having the first bike katana bike, it was the heaviest and scariest bike I have ever owned!!! I kept dropping this bike all the time and this bitch it's so heavy I'm having hard time to pick it back up!. Until one day i got into an accident, bike totaled. Because its had a hardtime on a sharp turn and I landed into a car almost kill somone:hammer I'm the one got hurt, everyone else was fine.:)

Well all i can say now gixxer is the best! it's light, fast acceleration, and fast cornering!

:cheers To you!

good choice. i don't think anyone should buy a katana...first bike or not! [sorry i don't mean to offend some of you that may have purchased one]. however, smart choice going with the 600. i know wayyyy too many people who bought 1ks and crashed in the first 3 months of riding. dumb i think. i started with an R6...and i miss the lil guy too. but i def love the power of my gsxr.

sweet choice with the gixxer...it keeps those honda's in line ;) .

ride safe!

MOST riders drop their bike in the first 6 months, it doesn't matter what they start on :rolleyes


the difference is the gixxer is the most expensive of the zook line up to repair cosmetically.

scary helmet: quite frankly, sweety, you sound young and stupid. be careful. learning the fundamentals of motorcycling doesn't mean hopping on the prettiest, newest and fastest thing out there.

food for thought: the new gixxer 600's are more powerful than the original liter bikes. they're only about 20hp down on the 01 gsxr 1000's.

just make sure you learn the right way. do your best to not get in over your head, and listen to older, more experienced riders (though it seems like nagging). we all have to make our own decisions, just make sure you're making them for the right, and reasonable reasons.