[garfey]

Hi, I've just done a 5 day intensive bike course here in the UK on a nice Suzuki GS 500 and passed my test on the 2nd attempt - My '98 Gixxer 600 is sat in the garage waiting for her first ride, to be honest the only reason I got it was price, my friend has gone to Afghanistan and sold it to me for about 1/3 of what it should cost - I appreciate it's a fast / dangerous bike, and am going to be taking it slowly, my first official ride is to a Testing Centre to get it road legal tomorrow morning (in UK law you can only ride an untested vehicle to a prebooked test - I just hope this includes about 30 mins of getting used to it before I take it down there!).

This thread has both helped and scared the hell out of me - so I will be taking it very easy tomorrow in my full gear!

Well worth the read either way!

 

[GSXR1118]

just as true today as it was when this was written 7 years ago

 

[mspt]

hi there! my first bike was a 92 GSX R 750, one month ago... still learning ... but i love it!

a bit too hard to get around corners yet... but time will come! my bmw going faster than this bike... hahah

 

[eagling0716]

I def. feel as tho this is an excellent thread. I have owned my first bike for a year now. I purchased a 01 gsxr 750 and I have to admit, it really is alot of bike for a beginner. Most of my friends that are intrested in purchasing now all get the same quote. "Get a 600".

you just wanna have the fastest bike outta your friends :nono haha im jk, i started on a 750 too and its a little much:chucks

 

[LandRokkit]

my 750 is my first road bike. i havent had really any problems with power, but im not saying everyone else wont either. the part where i see the problem as a first bike is theyre not as forgiving as say a ninja 250 or a gs500. if you are inexperienced and make a mistake it will be a lot harder to catch yourself on a race bike. i say that if someone truly honestly is going to take it very easy on the bike for the first 1000 miles, then maybe a 600 would be alright but something more mellow would be a little better still.

 

[Chavagnatze]

I was 14 years old when my cousin let me ride his Hyabusa around. I have never ridden a "small bike"

 

[Vitamin E]

Just want to let the OP know, I completely agree. My first bike was a 93 FZR 600. Second bike years later was a better commuter bike, 07 GS500F.

When I think back at what I would've learned if my first bike was the GS500 instead of the Gixxer, I just feel sad. I mean after 10 years of riding, I feel I'm a good rider. I just feel like the Gixxer is no starter bike.

 

[08Rebel]

:cheers Gsxr all the way!!!!! my 1st bike was a gsxr 600 2nd gsxr 750 now gsxr 1000. GSXR for life and 2010 1000 handles better than the gsxr 750!!!!!!!

 

[jZampage]

:facepalm

 

[08Rebel]

:facepalm

:lol

 

[NukleoN]

I started on a 50cc scooter at 15! Then I had:

150cc Scooter (Elite 150 Deluxe), 99 Ninja 250, 2000 SV650, 2002 SV650S, 2005 R1, 2007 GSX-R 600 and now a 2009 GSX-R 750. In the mix I tested a bunch of other bikes too such as the Ninja 650, the R6, CBR600RR, Kawi 636, etc.

Starting small is best, but some people have the right personality type to start bigger and be responsible about it. Some will crash on almost any bike if they don't respect the machine or their own skill level. Really depends on who you are. The potential and penalty for crashing seems greater on a bigger bike...but I am also of the mind that people should get what they want and apply common sense to learning. I would rather make most or all of my mistakes on cheaper, more inexpensive bikes (which I have) and fewer mistakes on the bigger bikes.

 

[Piranha600]

iv only riden dirt bikes

but iv got the reminence of a 600 crash in the form of the engine

and by the fact there is huge gouges in the clutch cover means all the plastics were torn off and the exhaust mainifold was trashed so they must have flipped it a few times slid into somthing very hard and very fast

u can still do plenty of damage on a small bike

in the buggy racing club there are mostly bike engine powered buggys

the fact is u can put 400 to 600 kg around the engine put it in deep sand and the accelaration is still mind blowing

 

[AxleSlider]

First bike should be an offroad bike. Everybody should learn how to stay on a bike over boulders and slick tree roots. The black top feels so much nicer after that.

 

[design-engine]

I always tell people to ride a dirt bike for 20 hrs before getting on the street. It's easier to dodge trees that don't move than cars that move.

 

[Last Week]

This thread is like decade old :lol

 

[spydigtconv149]

 

[alexfleury]

Body work is expensive. nuff said

 

[Bob_Kelso]

My first bike was a 2001 ZX-6R, which I bought a couple of months before I could actually ride it. When I could ride it I found it slightly intimidating, but I was always told to remember that it would only go as fast as I wanted it to! Then, six weeks after I passed my test I did a trackday on it (with a full set of second hand race plastics I bought off eBay). I learnt SO much about my riding and the bike in that one day. I also learnt how to crash it! BUT it was all good experience, and my road riding improved imeasurably as a result.

I probably wouldn't recommend a litre bike as a first bike, but a 600 or even 750 I don't see why not. Just remember, you ride the bike, the bike doesn't ride you!

 

[Spook155]

:facepalm

You crash your bike on your first trackday and then say a 600 is a GOOD starting bike?

 

[Ironhead401]

My first bike was a 2001 ZX-6R, which I bought a couple of months before I could actually ride it. When I could ride it I found it slightly intimidating, but I was always told to remember that it would only go as fast as I wanted it to! Then, six weeks after I passed my test I did a trackday on it (with a full set of second hand race plastics I bought off eBay). I learnt SO much about my riding and the bike in that one day. I also learnt how to crash it! BUT it was all good experience, and my road riding improved imeasurably as a result.

I probably wouldn't recommend a litre bike as a first bike, but a 600 or even 750 I don't see why not. Just remember, you ride the bike, the bike doesn't ride you!

Great advice from someone with 6 weeks of riding experience. :bitchslap