What's a Good Entry Level Street Bike?

[JAXCOBRA99]

Just curious what you folks would suggest as a decent entry level Street Bike?

I haven't been on a bike in about 15yrs. Back when I did ride it was my only transportation at the time. I started thinking lately that it might be cool to get back into one but with all the different makes and models I'm a little lost.. Not sure what sorta power levels, features I should be looking at, what years to stay away from.. Buying used vs New..

I'm thinking I don't really require any sort of Race Bike.. It would be for just pleasure riding, communiting to and from work, etc.

So if you have some suggestions on bikes I should look into please let me know.

Thanks
Brian.

 

[Steeltwo]

gold wing

 

[DaleM]

Road King

 

[kneedragger]

might want to read this:
Lust for Bike.

Not a day goes by at the dealership without someone coming up and asking me if it’s ok to get an R1 as a first bike. Along with the appropriate “What are you high?” look that I give them, it also causes me to wonder why they would think this in the first place?

In my illustrious biking career, I have fallen prey to this mindset occasionally, but have been able to snap myself back to reality easily. This is seemingly harder to do with today’s new rider. With today’s liter bikes outperforming GP bikes of my era, this is a dangerous equation. So why the rush to go big?

I can only think of three reasons, image, lack of education and one I will get to later.

As for the image part, 1000cc+ bikes are featured prominently in today’s media. A literbike is on the front cover of almost every motorcycle rag produced every month. The most attractive bike in a lineup is usually the biggest one. We see ads from Honda touting the connection that a CBR1000RR has to the RCV that Nicky races in MotoGP. We see Suzuki GSXR1000s owning the racetrack and if you don’t win, it’s your fault. Yamaha R1s apparently put you into action movies with beautiful girls kicking each others asses. This is the same issue with cars. We see the sleek Corvettes or Ferraris on magazine covers and top speed tests of a Ford GT vs. a Dodge Viper.

There is one difference, price. Most people can’t afford a Ford GT or a Viper. Most people CAN afford a GSXR1000, they’re well within reach and financing makes them more so. We put the pinnacle of performance in our sport into the hands of the masses. Now this is very cool also, but in some respects, leads to irresponsible behavior. If you were 16 and a Ferrari cost 10Gs, you’d work a summer job eating glass to get one.

Lack of education is an easy one to hit. Americans aren’t the smartest group of people. We have an education system that regularly turns people out on the streets without basic skills. We are notoriously poor financial managers and we don’t do anything we aren’t forced to do when it comes to rider education. If it wasn’t required to make a U-Turn in a licensing test, we would never do that. Often I see kids led into the sport by people who have never had any formal training and give new riders the wrong advice. When a new rider comes into the dealership with a friend, I often find myself arguing with the friend about the merits of going small to start out with. If I piss them off, then fine. I know that I’m right in this situation and I’m only looking out for the guy or girl’s best interests. I’m perfectly happy letting a customer walk if they insist on a GSXR1000 as a first bike. Not because I don’t want to help them out, it because I want them to have a better chance of survival.

There is no formal program for training a rider that’s compulsory, or even well advertised. I’ve often found that people don’t even know that the MSF even exists. I’m not talking new riders, veterans who’ve been riding for years.

The last issue is, of course, peer pressure. I’ve seen too many people come in and tell me how their mentors believe that education or moderation isn’t necessary. Today’s literbike has identical performance to a superbike of fairly recent vintage. I remember reading a test of Scott Russell’s ZX7R that was raced in the AMA and being amazed by its sub 10 sec quarter miles and reading about it’s wicked power hit. A GSXR1000 or ZX10R will equal these numbers and, in some cases, exceed them and you don’t need a racing resume to get one. Yet, we don’t treat them with the reverence or respect we should.

People who’ve never heard of the term high-side are perfectly happy to buy, and then subsequently destroy the pinnacle of street motorcycle performance. Sitting on a literbike and looking tough on the corner of whatever gas station becomes your hangout is not hard. I have sat on an R1 for approximately 1 ½ hours at a dealership. My ass was a little numb, but I still had the scowl going in full force. Giving them a ticket to the gun show doesn’t hurt either. Anyway, enough manliness. The bullshit ideal that we, as motorcyclists, have to be tough outlaws is ridiculous and yet many people are so concerned about their image, that they are willing to put their life in danger.

This is not limited to sport riders. Witness the Harley resurgence and the complimentary rise in 1200cc+ crash rates, although these crashes tend to happen at lower speeds than ours do. The one thing the cruisers guys have all over is that they wear chaps, and let’s face it, chaps are the shit!

Who is to blame? I don’t blame the manufacturers because they do fund safety programs and do also explicitly say that these bikes are for experienced riders. If you’re too ignorant to get the meaning of that statement, no amount of warning stickers in the world will convince you otherwise.

I don’t blame the dealers. It’s perfectly legal to purchase a bike no matter what the size, as long as you are of age.

I do blame the riders who encourage it. Regardless of what most of the opinions I’ve heard from these people have been, they all have one thing in common. They are all woefully uneducated. They all advance the same incorrect theories. The weight of the rider versus engine size, the helmet snapping the neck, the “I learned on a 1000” crap. It’s not about you at this point. What works for you is not what works for someone else. Chances are it hasn’t worked for you either.

What’s the solution?

I think that a tiered licensing system is what we need, similar to the one in Europe, but with a few changes. Age initially should be a factor that restricts motorcycle size. There should be a cooling off period when a 250cc bike is what a young kid rides. We can all twist the loud handle, when younger; we twist a little more often. I know there will be kids that’ll say how mature they are, but the insurance industry has your number for a reason.

Additionally, I think years of experience should come into play, but a rider should not be allowed to retain his license indefinitely without retesting. The rider should retest or perform some compulsory training every 5 years or so.

Returning riders will come back after not having ridden in 20+ years and purchase the biggest bike because they used to ride a 900 back in the 80s. Well, the current crop of 600cc bikes is just as fast as any 900cc was in the 80s and as fast as many of the racing Superbikes were back then. The fact that they haven’t ridden in 20 years has also dulled their bike smarts. The muscle memory that’s involved with riding well is no longer there along with the lack of knowing the limitations of what they are riding.

Motorcycling used to fly under the radar when death rates were dropping. Not anymore. The news media has been all over the story as President Bush is set to sign a bill authorizing a new study of motorcycle accidents. This has been prompted by a large rise in fatalities over the past 5 or so years, which conflicts with the overall drop in highway fatalities experienced by car drivers. The largest cc class represented is 1000cc plus machines, showing the highest increase in fatalities amongst the respective size classes. Returning riders have contributed a fair amount to this rise also.

My biggest fear is that sportbikes will take the brunt of the new report’s findings. This would be a black eye on our sport and result in bikes that are limited, or even an outright ban. We talk often of rights when we talk about helmet laws and gear, but we don’t talk about the right to actually ride a motorcycle itself. Let’s face it, it’s not a right, it’s a privilege. If you’re operating under the ideal that it cannot be taken away, you’re wrong.

Many riders act like 5 year olds in the sense that they think what’s good for them, is ok for their friend who may be the same age. A 5 year old will buy you a toy for your birthday, because they can’t reason that something they want is not what you’d want. I have seen many riders come in with friends to purchase a first bike and had their friend express that the power of a GSXR1000 is not too much to handle as a first bike.

It is too much and it’s your job as a rider to make that clear. If we don’t do it soon, then we may not be able to ride a sportbike in the future. You may think it’s preposterous, but it can and will happen if we continue down this road. Remember, it’s not the size of the bike that matters; its how you use it.

author- some asshole.

PS, stay small, even if you're a returning rider. Statistically, you're the highest group to crash with a severe injury.

 

[kneedragger]

Honda 599
Suzuki SV650
Suzuki GS500E
Yamaha FZ6
Ducati Monster 620
All of these would be good ones.

 

[DaleM]

Honda 599
Suzuki SV650
Suzuki GS500E
Yamaha FZ6
Ducati Monster 620
All of these would be good ones.

What the hell do you know? Besides everything, know it all! oke:

 

[Slow04Cobra]

Great post kneedragger! I am thinking of getting a bike, but wasn't realy sure of a good starter. I went to a local Suzuki place and posed this question. The guy says quote "Well, you might as well get a gsxr 1000 or a Busa to keep you from having to upgrade in the future. Just take it easy for a while". I would more than likely kill myself on a Busa.

 

[dks]

Ninja 250, or Ninja 500 are good choices for beginners too.

 

[pan7eraboyca]

Old 250 Ninja or Interceptor. Ride it, drop it, then when your ready to move up sell it for more than you paid for it (Seems to work that way up here)

 

[kneedragger]

Great post kneedragger! I am thinking of getting a bike, but wasn't realy sure of a good starter. I went to a local Suzuki place and posed this question. The guy says quote "Well, you might as well get a gsxr 1000 or a Busa to keep you from having to upgrade in the future. Just take it easy for a while". I would more than likely kill myself on a Busa.

First off, that's my new article for Sportbikes.net. You got a free preview

Secondly, if that guy is a salesman, then he's an ass.

Just be safe.

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

Thanks guys for all the replies and a special thanks to kneedragger for that very informative post.. I would agree with everything said.

I'd like to think of myself as a very responsible rider, when I rode 15yrs ago I would say I was extremely safe & defensive and often tell others that it takes a certain kind of person to ride a bike.. I of course realize that even having those traits won't protect you from half the idiots driving on the roads .

What really got me wanting a bike again was that my Mom recently remarried and her new husband has a Harley Cruiser, they often go on cruises, up to Daytona for Bike week, etc., She said I should consider getting another bike again so I could ride down with them when they go places, it would definitely be something cool that I could do to spend more time with my mom. Plus lots of people at work ride bikes and they get together for special "ride to work days", etc. .. It reminds me of how much I enjoyed mine back in the day, the open road, etc.

So, exactly how hard is it to get one these days? Is it as easy to get financed as a car or do banks and lenders typically scrutinize you even more so because a bike is looked at more like a toy and not a neccesity? Are bike payments/Insurance typically high? Are lending terms, interest rates out of the norm compared to cars?

Sorry for having so many questions but you guys are really helping out a lot with my research here.

Thanks
B.

 

[Jordan_J]

First off, that's my new article for Sportbikes.net. You got a free preview

Secondly, if that guy is a salesman, then he's an ass.

Just be safe.

Great post, and what is your name on sportbikes.net? I get on there occasionally and read around.

As for the thread starter, you might consider signing up for an MSF course too, just to brush back up on your skills. I was signed up for one but they cancelled it like a week before it started :fm: bastards!

 

[JAXCOBRA99]

Great post, and what is your name on sportbikes.net? I get on there occasionally and read around.

As for the thread starter, you might consider signing up for an MSF course too, just to brush back up on your skills. I was signed up for one but they cancelled it like a week before it started :fm: bastards!

Most definitely!. :thumbsup:

 

[sharkbite]

Ducati makes some nice entry level bikes. Look great, but won't overpower you like a Hayabusa or other such stuff.

 

[f_rice]

Very nice article Kneedragger; well written and very convincing.

You deserve recognition for your efforts to save people from themselves and trying to help the image of motorcycling
:beer:

 

[sixt5]

hayabusa

 

[TurboASR]

There is a lot of dealers that will work with you if they really want the sale.
-Viet

 

[shadyninja2]

well with gas prices as they are I think Ill be riding my ninja less and look for somthing like a ol honda 175
little bikes are really good on gas

 

[kneedragger]

Great post, and what is your name on sportbikes.net? I get on there occasionally and read around.

As for the thread starter, you might consider signing up for an MSF course too, just to brush back up on your skills. I was signed up for one but they cancelled it like a week before it started :fm: bastards!

Fargin_Bastige is what I write under. Good idea on the MSF course too. Go on standby and they most likely will get you in.

 

[kneedragger]

Very nice article Kneedragger; well written and very convincing.

You deserve recognition for your efforts to save people from themselves and trying to help the image of motorcycling
:beer:

Actually, most of the guys over there think I am a humorless safety-crat. They kinda don't get it.