Help on First Motorcycle purchase.

[ringthree]

Do not get a new bike. Period. Your first bike should always be a beater. You don't know how to take care of the bike yet. Everyone always lays down their first ride. It's inevitable. Don't skimp on helmets. If you buy a shitty 50 dollar helmet from Kmart expect shitty protection and very little comfort. As to bike size, meh, it is what it is. My wife's first bike was a 650. It's all in what you're comfortable with. Search the forums for some of the other bike threads we've had recently. There's a wealth of knowledge in them.

I can't emphasize this enough.

You WILL lay it down. You are not special. Everyone lays down a bike when they first start and many times after that.

You need to stop looking at bikes, and start looking at equipment first.

[Nemesio]

I would say equipment is far more important than the CC of the bike. I personally started out on a R1, and I respect it. Is it capable of easily shooting past 150? Of course. Do I do it? Hell no.

Equipment can make or break an accident. Lowsiding at 60mph without equipment can be fatal, but with it, you can walk up and ride home. Pants, gloves, jacket, helmet. These are all essential.

[seppuku-gb]

Buying new/used is a function of how much money you are willing to blow. Even original front + 1 side fairing replacement on a new bike is a minimum of like $450 bikes for newer bikes, with racing fairings being maybe $300ish. I'm assuming that you'll want to compromise between looks/money though since you're taking a loan.

If I were you, I would buy a ninja 250. They're easy to sell, great to learn how to do basic maintenance and are dependable. Chances are that you'll quit riding motorcycles within a year so even if it costs you a little bit more I would be conscious of how easy it will be to get rid of without going in the red too much.

Safety gear should also be a top priority. Buy gloves with outside seams, over-the ankle shoes with steel toes, and a solid leather jacket. Also, when shopping for helmets ask for how well they insulate sound. Riding on the freeway is noisy as hell - your ears will thank you later.

[Dmitry]

If you're getting a smaller bike to start out with, I would suggest a used one. Some people will start small and then upgrade later, so be careful about any that have been dropped. For a first bike though, I would honestly go used until you're really comfortable. A new one isn't as big of an investment as a car most times, but it's still more for essentially the same thing.

[Devia]

Take it from a chick who rides, you need a 4 stroke engine and low center of gravity more than anything else. Definitely buy used.

[Vandole]

Don't be afraid to start on a scooter, either. I learned on a cbr250 and hated the feel of a crotch rocket then bought a suzuki bergman 600. it's pretty big, study as fuck, and quite fast. I've layed it down before simply by accident within 6 months of owning it. It's going to happen.

[#686578]

Buy used but take someone with you who knows what the fuck. Ask to see it in person, ask that they DO NOT start it before showing it to you. You want to do a cold start to see how it runs, a warm start means nothing.

You WILL drop your bike. Now or later, the chances are greater when you have less experience. Always wear your gear, full gear.

Also you probably shouldnt get concerned over the hype of CCs and power and what not. Starting out with a 250 is great, I started on a Ninja 250 and kept it for about a year before I bought a 2013 Ninja 300 (which I'm currently loving). It's more power then you'll ever need and you probably dont need to go over the 110 miles I push it to (flat land). It also gets the 60-70mpg as advertised (my daily commute is 50%hwy/50%city).

The course you're about to take should cover the basics but it doesnt hurt to drill it into you. Be careful. There's a saying that goes to the effect of "Dead Right" which I never paid attention to until I started riding a motorcycle. It means you can be right all day long, the other person made the mistake, doesnt change the fact you're dead; just because you're right wont change anything.

By far the most important thing I've learned to do (other than paying attention and being aware) is to always stay out of people's blind spots. I like to stay in the left lane so I'll often times ride on the right side of the lane so people can see me better; I'll then as I'm driving stay behind a car so that if they decide they want to get over suddenly I dont have to break or swerve I'm simply not in the way. After room infront of me has cleared enough infront of me I'll pass the car so I'm only in their blind spot for as short a time as possible.

As far as purchasing goes you're purchasing at a good time, it's still cold in Florida so people arent in the motorcycle HYPE HYPE like they were when I first bought a bit after bike week (poor timing). I'd suggest looking on craigslist for a new bike and just stick it out over the course of a week. Those ads you see for bikes that you'll see every day for those two weeks? There's a good reason for that, they're asking too much or there's something wrong with the bike. But that'll help you get a feel for what people are asking for what kind of bikes so you know what's fair in used. KBB is helpful but remember to take a good portion off that price. If someone hassles you saying "that's the fair price" you tell them that's retail in good condition and you're buying a used bike. Of course if it's actually IN that condition that's a different story (none of the ones I ever saw were worth their kbb price).

Same goes for gear too. I didnt really care about if my gear matched or even matched my motorcycle color. I waited for good sales and bought my gear piece meal. I bought a jacket with armor at shoulders/elbows/back, a helmet that's both snell/dot approved, REAL motorcycle boots that go half way up your thigh etc not just extra work boots, gauntlets with joint armor, etc. It was actually really cheap for what I got because I only bought shit on sale.

[nayaminfenrir]

My first bike was a CBR 600F3, loved that thing. If you're careful, and have the proper equipment as was recommended earlier in the thread, its a great bike to learn on. Truthfully, its not hard to learn on a 1000 either, it really comes down to how mature you are with the bike. A 600 can kill you just as easily as a 1000 if you try to show off with it and treat every red light as a Christmas tree.

[Mizango]

Get a mask that covers the entirety of your face and you'll be good.

[Brill Weave]

Get a mask that covers the entirety of your face and you'll be good.

[Awoir]

If you really want a motorcycle you need to start on a Boss Hoss or Big Dog.

[Judai]

I am having a difficult time imagining you on a motorcycle, lol.

As everyone said, get a used one first and upgrade when you have a good feel for riding. Also, always assume nobody else on the road sees you, ever.

[shaddix]

the main reasons I am going into this is for fuel efficiency and cheaper in the long run. So, it's not something I am doing to be flashy or showy with. Again, even though I'd love a shiny 250 or 300, I mostly want the gas mileage and to be safe.

Bikes aren't usually cheaper than a used car in the long run, where do you live? An older civic or similar is going to be much less expensive overall. Tires will kill you unless you want to ride on shinkos and even then you're replacing the rear every 4-8k miles as opposed to the 40k you can get out of car tires. Add to this fact that the machine simply isn't going to last as long as a honda/nissan/toyota.






I rode on this for a year


Now I am picking up this bike tomorrow if all goes well :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...t/IMG_6125.jpg
If I never post here again you'll know what happened

[Airenn]

To answer some belated questions:

I live in San Diego. Fairly warm weather year round, some hotter months, some colder months. Not much rain. And to all the people who live in FL and complain about old people drivers and people driving slowly: Fuck off. You've got nothing on Lower California. People drive retarded slow all day, every day and if it's drizzling, they do 55 ont he freeway.

It's nuts. I've driven on freeways all across the US and not once has it been this bad. Either people suck at driving or all stoned and paranoid about doing 2 mph over 65 and getting pulled over. It's a fucking headache trying to get anywhere. I'm pretty sure Google Maps driving times are actually underestimating for getting anywhere out here.

As for equipment, that's all being looked at, too. Been to Cycle Gear, dealership, online. Recently looked into helmets. I really like the Shoei GT Air models, expensive, but nice -- Has a sunglasses visor but also the padding works nicely with glasses (which I wear.) It's Dot approved but not Snell. Most Shoei are, so I wonder why that one isn't. (If anyone happens to know.)

Looked into jackets -- Preferably one with a liner. Gloves, too.

I will probably buy used. Cheaper and realistically I'm gonna drop the damn thing. So yea.

[shaddix]

Well never mind my comment about the expense, since you can split lanes legally, it will probably work out in your favor as time=money.

Snell helmets are actually not what you want in a bike helmet. They get the snell rating when they can take more than one hit on the same spot. Is is for autos with roll cages and the helmet gets banged into it multiple times during a crash. On a bike you almost never have more than one hit in the same place, so you want the foam to compress completely the first time it takes a hit, transmitting the minimal number of Gs to your skull.

I personally will only buy helmets that have the ece 22.something certification(along with dot). If it has snell I will avoid it.

Look up those UK sharp helmet ratings. You can get some of the same models in the US and for pretty cheap. The nitro aikido is about 120 on amazon and has better test results than any arai helmet.

[Vannis]

Bumping this thread in hopes of getting some information on a good beginner dirt bike for my girlfriend. I'm seeing a lot of stuff on craigslist in the 1k range but a lot of them are 2 stroke and I figure that would be a lot for her to begin on. Does anyone have any good suggestions? Not interested in getting her on street, just dirt for now. She's 5'8 and 140ish.

[shaddix]

Xr100?

[Boyiee]

There's nothing wrong with 2 strokes. You're probably better off learning on a 2 stroke as it is, and she's big enough to handle a 125.

[Dowzer]

My friend rides a KTM EXC 300 2-stroke and bought a 125 4-stroke for his girlfriend. It's tiny, goes anywhere his bike goes, aside from the really huge and steep hill climbs.


I ride a KX125 2-stroke and wouldn't recommend it for a first time rider. I learned how to ride on an XR 250 4-stroke and this 125 is absolutely mental compared to the 250.

My 125 sits higher than my friends 300, my other friends CRF 250X and even his cousins 450. The nice thing for a learner is it's way lighter than all of those, that's all.

It has a really weak low end, meaning there's not much power until the motor really winds out. That could be a little unpredictable for a new rider, even on logging roads (or open flats) where she would have to learn how it works. Once you hit the top end, it's a different bike, 2-strokes are insane for that.

I recommend a 4-stroke for a new rider because the power is distributed all across, not just the mental top end.

I just can't recommend a bike like that for a beginner. Hit a good bump and if she accidentally cracks the throttle, she's goin for a ride off the trail or road and into the bush. I've suicide throttled mine a few times and I'm not a beginner.

[Acevalefor]

My friend rides a KTM EXC 300 2-stroke and bought a 125 4-stroke for his girlfriend. It's tiny, goes anywhere his bike goes, aside from the really huge and steep hill climbs.


I ride a KX125 2-stroke and wouldn't recommend it for a first time rider. I learned how to ride on an XR 250 4-stroke and this 125 is absolutely mental compared to the 250.

My 125 sits higher than my friends 300, my other friends CRF 250X and even his cousins 450. The nice thing for a learner is it's way lighter than all of those, that's all.

It has a really weak low end, meaning there's not much power until the motor really winds out. That could be a little unpredictable for a new rider, even on logging roads (or open flats) where she would have to learn how it works. Once you hit the top end, it's a different bike, 2-strokes are insane for that.

I recommend a 4-stroke for a new rider because the power is distributed all across, not just the mental top end.

I just can't recommend a bike like that for a beginner. Hit a good bump and if she accidentally cracks the throttle, she's goin for a ride off the trail or road and into the bush. I've suicide throttled mine a few times and I'm not a beginner.

I have to echo the 4-stroke sentiment. My first time on a dirt bike was on a KX125. I came out of a high speed turn and hit the throttle at the same time that I hit a hole in the track and ended up on my ass wondering where the bike was. I found it about 100 feet away behind a pile of sawdust. Too much for a beginner.