[quote]ORIGINAL: knightslugger


Better suspension? yes. brakes? Yes. handling? Yes. FAR stronger in every category. take a moment to think that bolded text through. STRONGER, not better. Stronger springs, MUCH stronger brakes and a extreemly strong steering. MEANING, do anything wrong with any of the above, and you'll get tossed like a rag doll. Upset the suspension by changing gear mid corner? Suspension gets upset and will buck you off if you don't know how to recover (and you wont know how). Someone cuts in front of you and you need to apply the brakes fast? being that you have very little brake control to speak of you will grab a fst ful of brakes, and the next thing you'll faintly recall is your head being driven into the pavement at 40MPH by a 430lbs motorcycle because the front suspension didn't compress and you Endoed (front wheel lock up stop combined with radial rotation). Take a corner a little hot, hit the brakes and turn at the same time? Whammo! you just set yourself up for a tank slapper.

On a motorcycle that DOESN'T have strong components, or extreme steering geometry (The 03-06 CBR600RR has a 24* Rake angle and doesn't come with a steering damper while the 2007 is a sub 24* rake angle and DOES come with one, because it's nessesary for even the smallest steering imputs) your chances of making it do any f the above becomes dramatically less. I know of no EX500 that ever went into a tank slapper (EX500 has a 27* rake), the front suspension compresses quickly, and the brakes are sigle disk double piston with a longer throw than most others making a stop like the one above much more controllable from a new rider stance.

What?

This is true. it's the same with ANY motorcycle on the planet.

You started on the wrong foot there. It is not a great first bike and never will be. everything else though holds true.

Red responses are mine:
[quote]When learning, here are some very easy rules, to get familiar first.

Never ride alone, find a friend to come along with you (on a separate bike of course)so someone can laugh at you when you crash
No passengerswerd
Stay out of trafficimpossible
Do not ride after darkwerd
When someone ask do you want to race, SAY NOwerd
Find some back roads, and get familiar with the bike.Back roads are often mis-maintained and have wildlife hazards so choose it carefully and never bomb any road without doing a recon of it prior. roads can change overnight.
And absolutely never ride after drinking or having a bad day, heading out angry might cost you dearly.werd

I do not want to sound like your father, just pointing out dumb mistakes people make.

And if you are in the Dallas area, come ride with our group, and we will make sure you get home without scratches on you or your bike.


My first Street bik

 

It depends on what kind of rider you want to be. If you just want to fart around town and commute, a 600RR wouldn't be the best choice but you'll probably get by.

If you want to be an accomplished rider who can handle any situation or if you want to be a kneedragger hitting the corners, then a 600RR (or any 600 sportbike) would the second worst choice for a first bike (second only to a liter bike). Anybody who tells you otherwise, doesn't understand aggressive riding.

Yes, many have had a 600 sportbike as a first bike. And many of them will tell you its fine to start on. But what many of them have really done isn't learn to ride but rather have learned to suvive the small number of scenarios that they've ridden.

A 600 cc sportbike is not forgiving. Lack of precision throttle or braking control will get you in a world of hurt in a huge hurry. Could precision throttle and braking be learned on a 600?? Yes. But it would take a much longer time to do such than ifyou were to start on a smaller, more forgiving bike (e.g. 250 or 500).

Cosmetics, style, bling, etc. shouldn't even be on your priority list right now. If you're getting a bike for the "cool factor", chances are your ego won't be kept in check. That can have painful consequences.

Something to keep in mind....this is your first bike, not your lastbike. There's no need to rush a set of skills that will take years to lean and hone.

 

Id have to side with both tapntxand whitedealershiprice. The bike doesnt control the throttle, the brakes, or anything else. The rider does. In my opinion. if you can touch the ground at a stop light relatively flat footed, and the weight feels good between your legs,youre good to go on whatever you chose to ride first. Buy as much bike as you want, and can afford, then ride responsibily and grow into it. If youre like most, you'll be wishing and wanting to move up to a bigger ride sooner rather than later. Whatever you do, ride smart and have fun.

 

Amen, I see all those crappy lil kawis on Craigslist after a few months of owning them. And the owners taking like a 2k loss after just a few months. And recommending a bike that has no power, and weighs more than a current 600 with less braking power is crazy.

The new 07 CBR handles so well and is so confidence inspiring you will be on your way quickly. I have not ridden any of the other models (600)
but the thing it not going to get away from you unless you tell it too with your right hand. Now a liter bike can be another story.

It is easier to control the throttle with your hand than your car with your foot. And I am sure he does not run into cars at every stop light.

And yes I forgot to mention gear, "Dress for the Crash not the Ride" And it is better to sweat than bleed.

Todd

 

I started on a 1989 Ninja 600. It had 80 hp. A brake freindly nose dive instead of endo. Point I have is this ride smart. Touching your brake when cornering can kill you. Unless you are skilled enough to know when to use it. Don't go into corners hot! Don't try to get wheelie's. My mistakes when I started was I dropped it once from not putting my kickstand forward all of the way. My second mistake was I washed it and the grass was wet and yes I dropped it again. POINT THAT I HAVE IS get something older for one reason! You'll drop it or scratch it before you learn how to ride it! Thats what everyone told me when I was going to get a new one. My first bike was 650 dollars ans if I screwed it up I wasn't out$$$$$$$$$$.

 

oooo god, shut all your potholes, 600rr is a fine starter bike, its what i did, as long as your not an unintelligent idiot.

 

+1

 

It's not the "best" choice you can make as a first bike......

There are FAR better bikes out there for you to feel comfortable on and learn how to ride on correctly, but the 600RR is not entirely impossible as a first bike. You have to take it slow and respect the enormous amount of power this thing has with the simple flick of the wrist.

I'll put it this way.........when you take the MSF course, and you blaze through it like you were a natural born rider, then yes, you'll be fine on a 600RR. If you find yourself struggling through the MSF course and "just making it" to get your endorsement, then no, a 600RR will not be a good choice as a first bike.

 

Crawler is a little excited for this. I do agree with blue fox

 

Great first bike!!!! It's light, so it's easy to handle at slow speeds. It has enough power and performance so that when you get used to it, you wouln't want totrade it in for a bigger bike. This is my first street bike....I absolutely LOVE it.