Sir
I have had the sorrow of losing friends here in California because of them all trying to rid a bike to small for the interstate. There idea was to get a bike they can learn to ride, Just so happened that they were killed by being Ran over trying to get out of the way of fast moving traffic. you see when you started driving your dad did not put you in a go cart so you could learn to drive his Buick. I Built and driven bikes since i was 14 years of age started with a 305 super Hawk in 1968 i'm Now in my 50's.I dont Know where you guys live But a blanket statement to induce one to buy a small Bike should have some consideration to where he live and where he will be commuting. Learn to ride yes but don't Build a false sense of " I've riden this small bike and now that i know how to ride It's Time for the BUSA or 1400 Kaw.the small bike built in a lot of lies that will not be true for a heavier and more powerful bike.Learn to ride what you will have as a Daily rider.

Mr Cee'S  

Sorry to hear about your loss Mr Cee's but there is a happy medium between telling a newbie to buy a moped and buying a Busa.  Now I'm not saying that someone should not take in to thought where they will be riding and at what pace, but to take someone who has never ridden a bike and throw them on a bike that has 100+ HP is a far cry from the 28.5 hp  that your 305 superhawk had in 68!  Now I give you the fact that you had to deal with the flexi flier frame if you can call what that bike did handling back then but what it did do to quote Mitch Bohem of Motorcyclist magazine "Today's motorcycles handle so well they will deal with just about any wonky input that the rider does right up to the point where the rider's skill or the laws of physics runs out."  So where's your old bike would let you know "HEY STUPID YOUR RUNNING IN OVER YOUR HEAD BACK OFF!"  Today's middleweights will just say "OK you asked for this! Here's your sign."

We all know that cagers don't see us, so we have to be careful out there and watch out for each other and for ourselves.  Now me personally, I wouldn't let my friends who are just learning to ride to ride their bikes on the interstate no matter what kind of bike they had.  I don't think they are ready until they can handle a bike with fear, because regardless of what kind of bike you have it can bite you if you don't have the proper respect for it.  And in learning that respect you have to respect the acceleration properties of the bike you are riding (as you are well aware some bikes the ZX10 being one of them will loop on you if you pin the throttle in a low gear at low speed while sitting bolt upright on it which is how a lot of new riders ride), what's the top speed does it strain to get there?  Or does it motor right up to it with no problem?  If you don't know your bike you don't know how it will react in that moment cause you don't know what you will do if you can't get away.  That's what I learned in my time with my little 500 cc Honda.  I learned that since I don't have the power to run away I never need to put myself in the position that I have to run away.  I learned to watch everything and be aware of what was going on around me.  

But here's the real reason I started this post and I had a really good post the first time I wrote this and when I went to preview it it erased it!

It was the first time on the sight and I read a post from a newbie.  He was green, I'm mean Jolly Green Giant green!  To quote him.
1. I'm new to the sportbike sene and have never ridden a bike before.
2. What size helmet should I get?
3. Do anyone make a plastic suit that will protect me if I should fall off my bike at high speed that will allow me to slid across the ground and not get hurt.
4. Do they make gloves out of the same to protect my hands?
5. What bike do you think I should get?

OK now after I got done laughing about the plastic suit in which he could sled in across the ground with out getting hurt.  I read the replies to his post.

One of which stood out in my mind and made me say something.  One guy said for this newbie to get at least a 600 a GSXR 600 or a R6 to start out with, if you think you can handle it start out with a 750 GSXR or GSXR 1000 or R1.
I about crapped myself!  To think that anyone would tell someone who has never ridden a bike let alone a moped to go out and start with no less than a GSXR 600 or R6 with the R1 being a bike that would even be mentioned in the same breath as a new rider is asking them to pay for their own funeral.  Well after I read and wanted to reply the new be wrote back that he was getting the R6 in two weeks and that was about 2 weeks before I read the post. Now I hope he surived the ride out of the parking lot and hasn't found his bike in the waste bin yet but with no skill (admitted by the rider not me mind you)I really think that he's going to find himself in way over his head as he and some other new riders were asking what's the top speed of their bikes and how to do wheelies.  Does this sound like someone who is going to take the time to learn how to swerve and stop?  To learn how to get around a corner with proper lines or skill?

I don't think so and after looking at these guys race past in between cars 8 deep I really have to wonder why are we trying to kill new riders by getting them to buy something that they are not ready for.

Think about that 8 guys on sport bikes down between not just 2 cars but a whole row of cars?  If one fell down or a old lady had a heart attack it would be over for at least 7 of them.  Now I love a good run but come on, you can have all the skill in the world but you can't control the other guy in the cage.  I just feel that if newbies don't have the power that seasoned riders do they will not have the pressure to keep up, or do ALL the stupid stuff their friends do.  Now I'm no saint but I know what I know, and that is when I get with my friends every once in awhile...... things get on the other side of 10k.  We laugh and have a good time but no one in that group is a newbie and when one comes around we tone it down or add a sweeper to make sure he doesn't feel like he's got to keep up or get called wuss.

Well my first one was better but this will have to do!

Keep the shiny side up out there!

And as always

Peace Love and Afro Grease!

Stay up Stay Black and Stay Strong

Sheerkhan  

I TOTALLY disagree with you and to a certain extent, it's YOUR fault that you're friend is dead b/c had you been teaching him how to ride instead of racing, he might still be here. Another thing is it all depends on the maturity of the one behind the throttle. Before i took the MSF class in Sept. i've never rode a motorcycle before in my life, much less a sportbike. A month later i went and purchased a brand new 2007 GSXR 750 and 4000 miles later, i'm just fine. I had someone to follow me and teach me about when and how to turn and i've also read numerous books and watched a few DVD's on riding.  Once you apply all your newfound knowledge SLOWLY on the street, everything will go just smooth. Teach knowledge and skill....not speed. You can die on a 250 just as well as you can a 1000!!!  

I agree with you guys but it all comes with responcibility you buy a sport bike cause you want the power and handling not comfort. i researched for about 2 months before buying a bike i took the class and realized its all about the rider why waste hard earned money on a bike ur just gonna sell it doesnt make a diffrence a 250 does not compare to a 600 at all it is all about knowing ur limits. i baught a Gixer 750 brand new for my first bike and i dont race around like a maniac u have to respect the machine. accidents happen accept that and be aware.... to this day when me and my buddies go riding im in the back of the pack cause it has only been 6 months of riding for me im not ready to race around yeah they give me *** but i can accept that be safe and do what you feel is right be safe and dont get cocky  

Good on you mate.

You learn way more skills on smaller bikes anyway. On a big bike you can get away with being in the wrong gear etc with sheer grunt, a small bike will teach you how too use what the machine has to offer. Learning on a small bike will pay dividends in the future.

Nick  

You all have good points some of us have loss some friends over the years. back in the day I used to ride like a mad man  but then something hit me in the head the pavement. lol I can laugh about it now! but I was scard to get on a bike for a long time but I fixed my bike up then sold it. I took five years off of rideing & missed it like crazy & just last year I got another one & still to this day i remind young katz dont be stupid you only have one life to live hope to see you  around    

jim brown  

I think guys should get married and endure that for a minimum of 5 yrs...if you can handle that, you can certainly survive out there riding your bike with your buddies and still get back home and have your cake...lol!  

I totally agree.. ive been riding dirt bikes my whole life. when i wanted to get on the street i started small.. I bought a 250 ninja that was black and purple and had been laid down.. alot of people laughed at me but i dont give a *** what people think i was doing what youre explaining here learning small.. Now i've been riding my 03 gixxer 600 for 2 years and love it.. i only weigh 150 lbs so i honestly dont think i ever need anything bigger i can keep up with my buddies on their 1000's all day long i have an advantage i guess like a jockey on a horse..  anyways if someones reading this whos starting out its some of the best advice ive ever seen.. i speak from the same experience  

Hello everyone, this post caught my eye because I'm a newb. I have been riding for about a year and I own a GIXXER 750. When I finally decided to purchase a bike I read countless articles and looked up as much info as I could before my purchase. I was told by many people including people who had been riding for a while that i should get a 1000 or the Busa because of my size. I'm only 6' but I'm a slim 260 lbs. I told everyone that you should not purchase a bike because of what you weigh. Bottom line is I got what I wanted  and what I felt was within reason. My bike is a daily rider and for 6500 miles I have managed to keep the rubber down. I've always known people with bikes and had riddin a couple, but never far and not enough to consider myself anything but a newb. Honest opinion not everyone can or should start out on large bikes. Am I a special newb? No but I do have a class A CDL and just as many people have cut me off while I was hauling equipment or just driving a dump truck as have cut me off on my bike. It's never what or how others see the road when you ride it's how you see the road and the drivers or riders around you.  

I just wanted to say kudos for you khan! I think it's absolutely nuts how guys rag newbies about buying small bikes- whether they say we'll get tired of them shortly, doesn't have enough power, those are "girl bikes," and so on. So basically they're gonna laugh at us when we wreck a big bike or when we buy a small one- so get over it and buy whatever makes you comfortable and screw everyone else.

I get ragged all the time because : a) I'm a newbie, b) I'm a girl, c)I have a little bike (08 Ninja250) but mostly because I'm a newbie girl on a little bike. But you've just got to learn to say screw the world basically. Safety should be first in all aspects of riding cause it is dangerous and is something that will get you killed in a heartbeat as we all know people who have been.

I love my bike: I love how nimble and light it is, I love how everytime I twist it there's not the fear of ending up ass down on the pavement, and how I can ride it without the intimidation factor of the big ones. And plus it was cheap, and they'll always be a market for it (you wouldn't believe the lengths I had to go through to get it which tells you that it's a great commodity) when you get ready to move up in the world. And now that the smaller bikes, like the Ninjas, are getting redone they're often just as sexy as their bigger counterparts- which hopefully will lure in more newbie riders (like it did me).

But anyways, thanks for the post.  

Tue words of wisdom that get left behind once there behind gets on that bike BUZZER and they go crazy casue they aren't ready to do any thing except weaht they want. Some will listen but most won't.
Been riding since 64. raced from 77 to 91. Work exacts time to get to your goals.
It's been my displeasure to see youg'ns tear them selves up and kill others attitudes about bikes. That includes me too.
With allthe training I have done for racing guys it seams to me that the young'ns are just like the drunk driver that hit me in my van in 99. There going to have ther fun no matter what the conciquences are or how it affects cause they never thought of that?
Once some one falls off first time they rarly get back on again. Racing is the same way.
The key hear is to realize, or listen closly now, you have to train your head before you engage the loud handle boys. A graduated licensing system ALA Japn would be great. start small. prove that you know what your are doing in a crunch and you get to go forward and get a bigger bike like a 90 CC bike. Then go onto a 125 CC bike all the while training your brain to learn the prper reactions to different situations. That way you don't win up parapalegic of something wrose, kill some one esle.
Like that drunk driver earlier, your action in this country aren't taken into consideration until AFTER    you've messed up and usually badly/ Ya that's what guys go through.
If your sdhort of friends that you want to brag too I kniow lot'sa grave sitres........    take there head stone off cause when the crazies get done it's a lot like heaven, quiet so I don't have to hear howw you are sooooo good.
I like live friends and my feinds like live friends to talk to too.
Please head what is said here. I take my hat off to you all for stating your valuable opinion in this matter.
J ( sorry I can't spell, add, talk too good or walk more than 300 feet.)  

wow those are some long posts!

in brief, i always recommend an old beater to start on...a $500 Rebel or old 70 HP FZR or something.
not only will you learn all the silly mistakes (hot parking lot, kickstand) but you'll appreciate a proper bike when you eventually get one.
a 70 HP nighthawk 750 will still waste most cars on the road, so performance for a new rider will still be there, just not the glam of a new GSXR!  

I agree 100%.  I bought my first bike last July and it is a 250 ninja.  I had never been on a crotch rocket before and figured a 600cc or 1000cc would be to much for me.  Even though the 600cc or 1000cc fit me better (i'm 6'4)it was better to learn to ride the bike the right way and survive than to impress my friends and not have any respect for the raw power these bikes make and end up dead or messed up.  To you new riders:  be honest about your rideing ability (at least for your family's sake).  You are not Roger Lee Hayden and that Hayabusa will still be there when your skills, confidence and judgement have been tested and experienced.  And when they are please be a good role model and bike counselor to others who are interested in the sport of bike riding so you encourage them to kill themselves because of pride.  

first off let me say that i agree with Sheerkhan 100% i myself am a new rider have only been riding for about a year now and my first bike was a Honda CBR600RR, a lot of my friends thought that it was a little slow but for my first bike i thin that it was a good choice.  I think that a lot of new rideers should take the MSF classes, but also find someone to ride with, someone who they trust to teach then not some show off who like the thrill of going fast only, my riding partner rides a cruiser and he teaches me everytime we go riding, and is quick to correct me when i do something wrong but because of him i am a much better rider...so to all those guys out there who are just learning get a bike that is comfortable for you not what your friends think you need and find a good riding partner and dont be afraid of what people think everyoone was new at one time even your friends.  

your 100% right too many people that have no experiance are buying bike they cant handle