RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

well ill have too say that if your planning to get the rr as your first bike just get prepared to drop it a couple of times. Iv started to ride the beging of last year and yes the cbr was my first bike. its not your everyday starter bike , but if you know how to respect the bike you will get through with only couple of drops. overall i think if you have the respect for the bike and know your limits go for it . To this date iv only laid my bike twice , First time was when I started to bike , started to back out, pressed brakes, lost balance and dropped it. Second time waswhen it was on da rear stand, I was bringing it down from the stand and it tilted away from me, had to let it go. LUCK me non of them damage on the bike. JUST BE SAFE and just watch alot of videos on stunts gone bad , that will make you think twice before you do somthing stupid. :)

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

My first bike was a SV650s which was alot of fun but i love my RR alot more. It's a totally different ride. This is only my second bike and I wasn't riding the SV for very long. I think you will be fine as long as you are smart.

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

yeah, like the others said, if you've been around bikes before then you're probably ok with a 600. i rode dirtbikes and 4wheelers all through high school, so i didn't have much trouble getting my 600rr (it was my first streetbike). but just take your time and learn the bike first. maybe try going to an empty parking lot and just try accelerating, braking, turning, etc. don't go out in traffic until you're comfortable. good luck and ride safely!

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

i just bought an 04 rr for my first bike. i've never really ridden anything before. i'm just taking it easy and getting used to the bike. the clincher is that its so solid it almost makes a person feel to confident.

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

RR was my first bike and I think its a good choice for ME. START SMALL! and take da MSF course if you havn't already

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

I never sat on a bike up until 3 weeks ago, I bought an 05 f4i was very scared at first. after riding around the block for 2 hours got use to it...next day brought it out to some major streets...for about 3 hours of driving..loved it...4th day took it to the parkway..scared ****less still doing 70...a week goes by my buddies decide to take me to bear mountain in ny and i'm from jersey so that was hell of a trip..i actually learned a lot that day from them...i'm a very quick learner and i have great balance..i've been pretty sporty my whole life..so i guess that helped.

In short in a week and a half i'm keeping up with my friends who ride 90 mph normally and occasionally get to 110 and ride that out for a while...Now i'm selling the f4i to my brother and i'm moving up to a RR

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

I would go for an older f2/f3 as a recommendation as well.

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

"The advise I was given is the same I'll give you... If you haven't been around bikes, and you haven't ever really taken one out. Start on a 250. You can find them under 2000, and it'll be a god start. Yeah, you won't get the style or speed you may want, but it's a great thing to start off on, and if you put it down, you won't feel as bad about it. Remember, there are two kinds of riders. Ones that HAVE put their bike down, and ones that WILL put their bike down."

This person knows what they are talking about. 250's are fun as hell and very forgiving. Ive been riding for 10 years now and I would love to kick it on a 250 for a half day in the hills, dorky, but fun. There are only two "first bikes in the world". This is not my opinion, it is an age old fact. If you want to ride a cruiser, get a nighthawk 250. If you want to ride sportbikes, get an early 90's ninja 500 or 600. There are no other choices. Learn on them, thrash them, dont pay for repairs to the ugly plastic, sell them for the 1800 bucks you paid for it a year later. There is no other way....besides buying a nice, new, expensive bike and dropping it in the parking lot and shelling out a few hundered bucks. Even if you dont do that, like some beginners on this forum claim, you will be much more prepared to whip that new lighter bike around with sheer confidence after riding that old, slow, ugly, lug of a ninja for about a year and live to tell about it. The 600's of today are what the 900's of the mid 90's were when they were new but wayyyy lighter and much meaner. Save yourself and your money and try it, you wont regret it.
Lastly, TAKE THE MSF COURSE!! and dont ride like an idiot. Thanks for your time and good luck.

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

BUY AN F2!! i have one, and i love it, its been beatin on alot, but i still wanna keep it forever just cuz i learned on it and i love it, there more comfortable than almost every other bike i sat on, sportbikes that is, but stock, there fast no doubt, but its not crazy fast, after u pay 2g's for it, then just sprocket it, jet-kit, full exhaust, and u'll be runnin with every other 600 on the road, guaran****intee it, cuz thats what is done to mine, and i have never been lost by a 600 once i learned how to ride

RE: 600 for 1st bike?
 

I just realized people were still answering my post from 4 months ago.Just to let everyone know,I've been riding for about three months now(got an 02' f4i)and haven't had an accident yet.I'm starting to have an anxiety attack because of all the rain here in Florida and I want to ride.I have a full set of carbon fiber fairings on the way from oppracing.I'll post some pics in about 4 weeks as soon as I get them mounted.Thanks for all the advice