600 cc bike or 500 cc bike

marlot

A mate passed his test on a 125 (just before the new DAS rules came in), and went out and bought a 916. He scared himself so much he ended up giving up biking.

I'd seriously recommend going for something moderately sensible and learning to ride the whatsits off it before upgrading. Most bikers (including me) are limited by their skill, not by the bike.

GSXRCarlos

any 'older' sports 6 would probably do you, or the 'commuter' bikes like fazers, hornets etc

speaking of which, i need to rebuild that bloody fazer in my garage - lol - anyone got a spare engine, the last 2 are in pieces

lisyloo

Hi Shuaibf,

How old are you.
There are m any factors that go into choosing your first "big bike".
Personally I would get something cheap because you are likely to "drop" it at some point, everyone does this.
I bought a GPZ500 for £1400 as my first bike and I'm glad I did because I dropped it 3 times (over a period of 4 years). They were all different type of accidents (as you only do it once).
First was where I don't think side stand was down properly (or it rolled off).
Second was slow manouvering (trying to turn 90 degrees at slow speed).
Third was manouvering on kerb (high up) and couldn't get my foot down quick enough on road.

I then transferred the bike to my husband and guess what !!
He dropped it three times too.
Again the first was a side stand incident.

So I was really glad we started on somethign cheap.

I now have a Ducati monster 696 which I absolutely love, but I'm a medium size lady and it fits me perfectly, but I know it wouldn't suit everyone.

Without knowing your age, experience, type of riding it's difficult to say, but I woudl say theSV650 is a very good choice and I would go for less then £5K. Maybe half that for your first one.
You probably won't want to stick with it after the summer and I would expect you to drop it a couple of times.
If you buy something older then a few scratches does not depreciate it too much.
You just live with any scratches/dents and they are expected.
On a brand new bike, you'd spend thousands fixiing those kind of things or it woudl depreicate the bike a lot. Simply not worth it until you get more experience.

oldtoolie

Kawasaki ER6? There are lots of choices out there really.

But if you really want to enjoy motorcycling -- don't invest all your money in hardware.

Spend some on the software -- yourself. Take £1000 of that £5000 and sign up for a day or two with California Superbike School or something like it. Follow that with a few trackdays. Get some roadcraft training with a private instructor, the IAM or ROSPA.

If you do that, you will be a quicker and safer rider no matter what bike you buy. And that is more fun.

shuaibf

yeh i think i agree that i should get a older bike .. i will probally drop it i think i should get a a kawaski ninja 250 cc to start with then ill probs move to a cbr after a few years depends on how i get on lol

lisyloo

Agree with oldtoolie, that you need to invest in the rider and probably more so than the bike.
I have done both IAM and ROSPA and they are really good and excellent value for money (as they are charities).
Other options are Bikesafe or RidetoArrive events organised by the council/police, sometimes these are even free (bike safe is free in wiltshire).
Your council might also offer something. The west of England offer free advanced training with a retired copprt and Somerset road safety partnership do loads subsidised or free events.
In know these aren't in your area but it gives you an idea of what to look for.

If you want commercial training then Rapid Training come highly recommended.
Most of them are ex-coppers and they are very highly recommended and don't charge and arm and a leg.
Track day is worthwhile and helps you learn the limits of your bike in a safe environment. California super bike school are als highly recommended but expensive at about £400 for a day and that doesn't include the bike.

I would definitely urge you to consider this.
Not just for safety reasons but to get a great deal more enjoyment out of your riding.
You might be suprised that something like IAM makes you faster and not slower.
I expected it to be boring and slow but it was very enjoyable and really transformed my riding.

I volunteer for a local IAM group and thoroughly believe in what they do (as well as ROSPA), but I'm not partisan about what you do, but I would thoroughly recommend you consider investing in yourself and your skills.
Not only to keep yourself alive and in one piecec but also for the enjoyment you will get from being a better rider.