Beginner bike recommendations

Yeah, i know there's a ton of these threads.... but winter is approaching, and i have what may seem like a silly demand when it comes to what i want.

Here's the list of current potential candidates:

Honda Hawk GT
Yamaha SRX
Honda CB599
Honda CB919 (if i suddenly get rich and want to kill myself)
Buell XB9

Fill in the blanks with more options, keeping in mind what i'm looking for, which is... anything like what you see above. Let's stay $3k or under, and i really don't care about reliability or cost of parts unless it's PARTICULARLY bad. This will be for a toy, the world won't end if it's down for 2 weeks while i track down a rare part.

Looking for something that won't kill me immediately, but yet something that i won't grow out of in a season or two. Good aftermarket is a plus, but not a necessity.

Less than half of those really sound like what I'd think of as a great first bike - my general rule of thumb for a good first bike is low enough you can flatfoot it (probably OK unless you're short), light enough you can pick it up if it falls over (nothing on your list should be a problem), and no more than about 50 hp (several of these are WAY past that). Your first bike should be one that's easy to learn on, since you'll learn a lot faster if you don't have to "respect the power" of the bike and feel free to push things.

The Hawk GT and SRX are on the right track. Other great first bikes would include the Ninja 250 or 500, Yamaha Seca II, or the one I've got, a Suzuki GS500.

I dig the naked GS500, thanks for the idea! I'm trying to stay with the "naked streetfighter" look for no real good reason other than i like the way it looks, and that's important for me in a toy.

The Seca II looks decent, too.

I'm assuming your main power problem lies with the Honda CBs? I'm not going to get a 919 as a first bike, i think it was more of an example of the "kind" of bike i'm looking for.

Honda CB500s (the 90s/00s one, not the hideous 70s one) are pretty good learner bikes, too.

If you're not feeling too wobbly, you might consider a dual sport - they're usually not that powerful and they tend to crash well.

Seca II. I had one and it was decent. After riding it for a good while I moved up the the YZF600.

Surprised no one has yet said Miat-er SV 650.

Yeah, the 919 is way overpowered, and the 599 is still a lot of power when you're just learning. A CB500, CB1, or even the CB750 Nighthawk wouldn't be an unreasonable choice.

SV650. hands down.

I started riding this past year and used a 250cc for the MSF class.Said screw that, way too small. The CB200 at home that i got for free was smaller and had no balls.

Bought a 1999 SV650. Its comfy, its fast, it may just be the best beginner bike.

And for a 20 year old insurance is only $300 a year.

Im thrilled with it

My SV650 is also my first bike. It is quite forgiving, both to throttle input and drops. Best yet, it can easily be upgraded as you grow more comfortable with it. Suspensions from the 600cc supersports are commonly swapped with the stock bits. Respect its acceleration and you should be fine. Their prices are coming down and they seem to be quite reliable with an abundant parts source. My five-year old SV650 probably cost less than a 20 year-old Hawk GT in the same shape.

SV650. It gets knocked for being a beginner or commuter bike by squids, but the damn thing does a 3.7 0-60. The King Squidmobile, the GSXR-600 doesn't do much better. Past that, of course...

"Past that" is where the squids become sashimi.

I'll throw in another vote for the SV650. I just sold mine for $2000 and there are other deals like that out there. Reliable, fun, fast, easy to handle, and it looks sweet.

Why not, I'm a total novice (3 weeks and counting?) and I'm loving the hell out of my SV650. Very easy to learn on, plenty of oomph to make it fun, lightweight, looks and sounds good, inexpensive, lots of aftermarket. What's not to like?

Osterkraut wrote: SV650. It gets knocked for being a beginner or commuter bike by squids, but the damn thing does a 3.7 0-60. The King Squidmobile, the GSXR-600 doesn't do much better. Past that, of course...

What a lot of people (including the squids) tend to forget is that even very mundane bikes have a power to weight ratio that is close to supercar territory. Well, of course it depends on who's sitting on them but you get my jist.

My slightly tuned BMW R100RS weighs something like 230-240kgs without me on it and kicks out 80bhp (conservatively). That's about 3kgs/bhp, call it 4kg/bhp with me on it. And that's pretty much an old man's bike...

You should buy my Kat Just slightly over budget....

BoxheadTim wrote: What a lot of people (including the squids) tend to forget is that even very mundane bikes have a power to weight ratio that is close to supercar territory. Well, of course it depends on who's sitting on them but you get my jist. My slightly tuned BMW R100RS weighs something like 230-240kgs without me on it and kicks out 80bhp (conservatively). That's about 3kgs/bhp, call it 4kg/bhp with me on it. And that's pretty much an old man's bike...

No kidding. I used to have a C4 Corvette. My GS500F is considered a decent first bike, but guess which one has a faster 0-60 time.

This has come up a lot and I always answer pretty much the same way.

Here's the answer:

UJM

Used Japanese Motorcycle.

Picture this: Your nice shiney SV650, Hawk or Buell sitting all pretty gleaming in the morning sun. Walk over and boot it right in the logo! It falls to the side all cut and bruised and wondering what it did.

If you're looking for recommendations as a beginning rider, get something that this can happen to and you won't mind. Spend under $1000, ride it for a year and sell it for $1000.

As a Newbie you'll forget to put the stand down, hit the driveway with too much front brake or just forget to put yourt foot down at a stop.

Sorry, it happens.

Dan

That's why I bought my shiny new SV650 not so shiny or new. And naked, so that "minor damage" is actually possible.

914Driver wrote:

I hate you - for once again posting a picture of my old bike that I wish I still had or could afford right now.

Then, I immediately start remembering the GS1000s fairing I mounted on it and wish even worse things upon you.

UJM's are highly recommended as a first bike - they cost less, are much faster than anyone thinks and a creative GRM'r can make them far better than imagined.

I bought one of these for Mrs. 914, hers had a bikini fairing.

Nice all around bike.

Ninja 250, SV650 or an older 600 are my recommendations...

I just so happen to be selling my '03 SV650S for $2900. 6600 miles!

Boo.. so my 2001 ZRX1200R for $2900 isn't a good option?

Go Cheapish UJM. You want to pay enough that it's not beat with bad forks, and scary brakes, but not so much that you won't mind watching it skid down the road.

How about a Suzuki DRZ400SM? I have heard they are awesome bikes to learn on and to keep after you get used to riding.

Edit: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/mcy/1966438755.html

Oh my.

After the Escort is done i'm going to start shopping in earnest. I'm kindof stuck on a Hawk GT. I've been drooling over all kinds of cool modifications for the last couple days.

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/2192433409.html

There's a nice-looking one.