oh wow thanks guys. the bike has 6,000 miles on it. and i think i will get it, practice a little bit, and then take an MSF course. I am only 19, but i'm not stupid. i know how dangerous bikes can be, and i have no intention of being a show off. my dad was hit by a car on his BMW K1200LT when i was 12, and since then i've thought it was all about the defensive driving. any other tips would be greatly appreciated, as i won't be able to do the msf course for a while.

 

i was just turning 19 when i bought my f4i,, lol haven't laid it over or got a speeding ticket. im about to be 20 lol

 

One must do is go to a parking lot and practice emergency maneuvers...hard braking and swerving around objects. Learn how to control the bike. Every bike handles differently

 

Well, that was his last post on this site. Hope he didn't end up in the hospital.

 

I always hate that when people just disappear on bike forums. There was actually a guy on this forum that joined about the same time I did and I followed his bike build thread until he disappeared. About 2 months ago he showed up on another car forum I am on and said he trashed his bike right after he finished it.

 

That's why everyone should be very careful about what kind of advice they give new riders on web forums. I tend to play it a little conservative and hope they're safe with whatever they choose.

Those who can tell someone they've never met "yeah go out and get a sportbike with 120hp+ you'll be fine" should have trouble sleeping at night. I personally think they should be held partially responsible for any homicides that ensue...

 

A couple years ago, there was a guy who was asking about wheelies on this forum. Two hours later he was "gone".

 

here is my 2 cents.i say start with a 600 dont do the whole 250 and 500 thing. i started out on a 01 f4i 4 years ago i still have it and love it you have to be smart on it and not ride out of your skill level. ie dont be a dumbass... my buddy did it the other way he got a gs500 last spring he has ridden it for a year now and is ready to go up to the 600, but he still owes 3500 on a bike that isnt really worth that much. its in the same condition as when he got it but they dont hold thieir value like other bikes. so he kinda ****ed himself and will prolly have to keep it or take a huge loss to sell it

 

I'm going to be the lone dissenter and say that I wish I had gotten a 250 first. I think I would have been a better rider for it. Power tends to mask rider errors. Now I'm spending time (and money) going to track schools to learn to do it right.

 

I guess since we're still talking about this... show of hands... who's actually owned one of those weak glorified mopeds?

*raises hand*

Hi. I owned one. I still do- my Scrambler. In fact, it's even more of a moped, with all of 175cc and a whopping 20 HP. Do I miss my Ninja 250? You betcha. Does the Scrambler fill the hole? Certainly. I'm not going to extoll the virtues of the F4i, because we all own one and know what it's about. With the Scrambler (and my old Ninja 250), it's fun to ride something that I can throw around, whack the throttle wide open in any gear and at any time during a ride, and not have to worry about instant death if I do. It's fun to buzz up to 10,500 RPM in the first three gears and still be doing less than 45 MPH. It weighs about 250 lbs. and has a seat height somewhere around 26" when all 170 lbs. of me is on it, and just feels playful. It's much easier to ride than the F4i in the sense that you can horse it around a bit without worrying about it squirting out from under you or putting you in a situation that needs way more skill than you have. And because it's a sort of dual sport, it's fun to go bomb up some dirt road.

Any bike is a good bike to learn on if you're willing to accept that it'll take longer to learn on a bigger bike. The smaller bikes are better to learn on, flat out bar none. Also, they're a good refresher to get back on once in a while. After a six year break from riding, I hopped on my F4i last year and fell in love with bikes again. I got the Scrambler this past winter because it was so cheap and because it'll save the 2CT's when I commute. Turns out, in the week or so I rode it and then got out the F4i, it made me a better rider. Not much better, but a little better. Why? Because I got used to riding closer to the edge of the envelope and began to develop the muscle memory required for the quick, subtle changes needed to ride faster.