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| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/25/2007 12:33:03 AM
Posts: 5, Visits: 5 |
| | I have a question for all the experienced riders out there?I hear everyone saying to start off on a 500 or smaller,but if someone was to get a 750 and rode it safe within speed limits etc.. then why not get it? Especially if your body is built more to the 750 then 500 and below. I mean I can see someone getting it as a first bike doing crazy things that are stupid and crash,but if you are mateur and just want to have fun riding starting out within your limits then progressing as you feel more comfortable and skills improve then i would think to get it. Especially if you've taken a riders course.Please let me know your thoughts? |
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2 days ago @ 4:23:37 PM
Posts: 315, Visits: 310 |
| you don't have to do crazy, stupid thing to crash a GSXR-750. all you have to do is make one small mistake with the throttle, brakes or steering, and the unforgiving nature of a bike designed for racing will take over.
I applaud the fact that you have taken the course and intend to ride intelligently, but this is still too much bike for a new or inexperienced rider. even a GSXR-600 is too much. The race replica bikes (GSXR, ZX, CBR, R6) are designed to have extremely tight tolerances and extremely quick response to input. a new rider will give a bike the wrong input frequently, and needs a bike that is less responsive, so these mistakes can be forgiven. Don't take this as a hit to the ego, or as an insult, but to ride safely and not become one of those people who falsely believes that every rider has to crash at some point in their learning, a new rider needs a bike that will coddle them a little bit by forgiving those mistakes and being comfortable and fairly neutral to sit on.
Don't get me wrong, I hope that eventually you get enough experience to safely ride a GSXR-750. It is an awesome bike, probably the best overall sportbike in the world, and the more people who buy them, the more likely Suzuki is to keep making and improving them...BUT...they are absolutely too much to safely handle for someone with less than 4-5000 miles riding experience on a less aggressive bike.
Like I said, I want people to buy and enjoy these high level sportbikes, and I do myself, but I also want people to crash less, get hurt less, get scared away from riding less, make non-riders be concerned about motorcycle safety less, force the insurance industry to raise rates less, and stop spreading the myth, the self fulfilling prophecy that everyone crashes. Not everyone does, not everyone has to. People who start out on bikes like a GSXR are more likely to be the ones who do, and then perpetuate that myth.
Have a 2 bike plan, start with a smart fun, still sporty 200 or 500 starter bike, ride for a few thousand miles, then get the 750 when you're ready for it.
Welcome to the club and good luck.
K$ |
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| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 10/3/2007 8:38:36 AM
Posts: 4, Visits: 7 |
| Everybody that is interested in sportbikes goes through this. "If I just ride sensibly, why can't I get that GSXR/R/ZX/CBR 600,750 or 1000 now?
The simple truth is this - no matter how mature, smart, sensible, rational, etc you are, a Gixxer is WAY too much bike for a newbie. In fact, a Gixxer probably has more potential than about 99% of all riders can handle. The techniques they teach in an MSF course frankly aren't geared towards handling a high performance race bike - which is exactly what a Gixxer is out of the box. Case in point, you hit a bump wrong in first gear and don't know how to compensate the weight you have on your wrists, the throttle cracks open and then next thing you know the front wheel is up or you've just launched yourself into an intersection. Check out EBAY and see how many sportbikes there are with late model years, very low mileage and cracked or damaged fairings for sale.
Believe me, I know the rush to get a sportbike. My brother talked me out of it after I completed my MSF. Same question - "but if I just ride it slowly..." Any way, I got a 600 cc sport standard. Dumped it 4 months later in a twisty section with a massive case of object fixation. I was glad not to have to pay for fairings.
I ride a modified '07 FZ-1 now on the street - an R1 without the back pain. In addition, I've started track days and did two day race schools. I ride the FZ pretty hard on the street and the sheer power and capability of the Gixxer 600 on a track still scared the sh*t out of me.
Ultimately, this is your decision. But you did MSF, so you're going about it the right way. But the MSF card doesn't allow you to skip a step. By something now that will be fun (and it will be) and get some experience. The Gixxer will be there in a year or two.
Hope this helps. |
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| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/27/2008 9:14:33 PM
Posts: 2, Visits: 8 |
| I can understand the advice to start slowly as a raw beginner, but I have a question about returning riders. In my case, I hadn't ridden in 33 years. After getting the riding bug again, I took the MSF beginning rider course. A couple of months later I bought a 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 900. While I love this particular bike, I'm curious about riding a sport bike. How much of a difference is there between the cruiser and the sport bike? Is the learning curve the same as being a complete beginner?
Thanks for any help. |
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2 days ago @ 4:23:37 PM
Posts: 315, Visits: 310 |
| enormous difference, but not necessarily in a bad way. If you use the vulcan as your practice bike preparing for something like the Gixxer, you'll probably be OK, but try to get a good 4-5000 miles in on it first. When you switch, like I said, not all the differences will be bad. The Gixxer will feel much lighter and easier to handle, which is good, but you need to be ready for it. The acceleration will be quicker, but not necessarily too much if you try to accelerate aggressively on the Vulcan, (once you're ready to), and very NON-aggressively on the Gix when you start. The biggest difference may be the brakes. Stopping the GSXR compared to the Vulcan will feel like trying to pull back the leash on a kitten compared to a golden retiever. In other words, you won't want to be as heavy handed with any of the controls on the Gixxer as you would with the Vulcan, because it will respond to much smaller inputs of steering, throttle and especially brakes. One of the good things about the lighter weight is that you will feel much more stable at low speeds and when pushing the bike in the garage or driveway. All in all, a transition from the Vulcan to the Gixxer should be OK as long as you take it easy, knowing that they are very different. I don't think you'd need to start from scratch and go to a smaller 500cc sport type bike first, but just be prepared to take it very slow after transitioning.
K$ |
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| | | Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 10/3/2007 8:38:36 AM
Posts: 4, Visits: 7 |
| My situation is similar to yours. I rode in the early 90's, although on Katana's, not cruisers. I was off the bike for over 10 years and started up again with the MSF and then a standard 600. Rode for a few years before trading up to a liter bike and then rode some more before getting the sport bike.
Sport bikes are an animal all their own and need to be respected. When they're on, they carve like scalpels, accelerate like nothing else and are extremely responsive. But they can throw you, buck you, slide you quicker than anything else as well.
I've read through this forum and have read comments (from Shop Owners, no less) that there is such a thing as beginner sport bikes - I agree if they are talking about the Ninja 250 or the GS500, but this particular idiot was talking about a 2007 CBR600RR (by the way, RR stands for Race Ready).
I had some bad experiences on bikes so intentionally took it slow before getting back onto sportbikes and on the track. When you do get the sport bike, it will be a world of difference from the Vulcan. Just be prepared for it. |
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