motor

obdr · 03-19-2007, 12:06 AM

Hello all,

As the title of the thread states, I just graduated the Motorcycle Safety Foundations (MSF) basic rider course and Im looking for some general advice.

First, an aside: I have been trying to find a good Porsche 944 Turbo S for a LONG Time. I know that patience is the single most important thing when looking for any "dream" car but Im at the point of burning out looking at all these examples that fall short in the end. So I have also been interested in getting a motorcycle for a LONG time but only just recently got seriouos after thinking to myself:

1. Trying to find a good Porsche 944 Turbo S is hard work and may take alot longer then I intitially expected
2. Bikes are a hecka lot cheaper then cars and, assuming what I hear is true, can be a TON of fun.
3. Hmm, there is a basic rider course being offered near where I live.
4. Hmmm, its less then $200 and they provide the bikes.

So, long stroy short I did the course, fell in love with motorcycles, and now am looking at purchasing my first bike. I know there are alot of Jabbas members who are VERY experienced riders so I thought I'd post asking for any advice you may have for a begining rider like myself.

First off, Im looking for a good beginner bike. My instructor recommended to everyone that they get a nuetral bike and to avoid the BIG mistake of running out and getting a GSXR-1000 right away and ending up in the trees! I think I will take his advice hehe........MY plan at the moment is to start out with a basic 250cc bike that I can get more experience on and dont have to sorry about dropping so much. Then I would like to move up to a 600cc class sports bike when I feel comfortable. Perhaps a CBR 600 in about 6 months or so........Then after maybe 6 months to a year on that I would like to move up to the liter bikes. Perhaps a GSXR 1000 or an R-1.

Anyway, right now Im looking at maybe a Suzuki GZ 250 or a Nighthawk......something like that. But I dont know if there are better options for a beginer out there.

From the course I learned a few things I definately want in a bike:

1. Comfort. Nothing like spending 16 hours on a bike in a 3 day course (only 2 days of which were spent riding) to make you value comfort. JEEZ!!!!

2. Light weight. I got to ride a few of the bikes provided by the course which were of varying types and weights. I rode some dual purpose bikes and some cruisers. I also got to take a small taste of a YZF600 and a R-1 (not as part of the course but during my lunch break with some sport bike riders who were there and weree kind enough to let me try thier bikes for a few seconds). At slow speeds the sports bikes felt a bit awkward but Im attributing that to the increased weight, different riding position, and the fact that I didnt have any chance to get used to them....just got a taste. But I did learn to value light weight ,at least at slow to medium speeds. Not sure yet how that will pan out at higher speeds as I havnt been past 45 yet.

3. Low center of gravity. I found that I enjoyed the bikes with the lower center of gravity.....at least at the slow speeds I was going and being forced to do all these tight manuevers and drills. I hate to think how hard it would have been (for a beginer at least) on an YZF-600 to CRAWL through the parking lot doing U-turns at 5 mph heheheheh. That biked just seemed much more ready to tip over at low speeds. It was mutch harder, for me at least, to "right" at those speeds then the bikes with lower centers of gravity

4. Smoothness. Some of the bikes transmissions were a little ruff around the edges and I definately lucked out with my bike being noticiably smooth. I REALLY learned to appreciate a smooth clutch action and tranny after about a million upshifts and downshifts. Mine also had a smooth throttle. So thats of big importance to me. Relate to comfort of course but also safety!

So there you have it. Im looking for a good beginer bike that is smooth, light weight, and comfortable. Any ideas?