I'm going to be starting to ride in the spring (I hope).. never ridden before, but like the look of the F4i, but I'm a little scared of a 600. Is it ok to start on? I was originally gonna go with the Kawi 250, but I hate the styling on it.

 

https://cbrforum.com/m_30202/tm.htm

read this thread

 

The main points I'm worried about is 1) 600 cc, everyone says not to start on one.. 2) Weight of the bike.. I'm 5'7" 145 lbs, will I be able to hold on to it ok? 3) Price (I have 2k saved up right now an am planning on getting around another 2k or so before I buy the bike.. is it possible to get an f3 or f4 + all my gear for 4k or so? Used obviously. 4) Color.. not a big deal, but do they come in blue? [8D]

 

No they dont come in blue. And you could get an f3 with all your basic gear for 4k, even an f4 if you get lucky and buy one from a guy who is selling all his gear with it, which happens all the time. Provided the gear fits you of course, I still have 2 very high quality and very expensive jackets from buying my f4i that dont fit me. I was a lil scared of the f4i before I got it and decided to start on a bandit 600s. Let me tell you that the f4i is far easier to ride, handles way better, and is more confidence inspiring. I had only 2000 miles of riding experience on my bandit prior to getting my f4i. Before the bandit I had zero motor bike experience, but countless hours of bmx experience. (I owned the streets on my Schwinn, lol) You'd be surprised how the same principals of riding a bicycle apply to motorcycle riding. Some guys on here will try to scare you away from the bike and make it sound like its some evil demon. The fact of the matter is that the f4i is the slowest supersport made past 2001. At first I was afraid to give it much throttle in first gear, and then I was afraid to shift hard into second. Now I can rip on it all day long, the thing is a ***** cat. Just respect it and yourself and dont be an idiot, its a simple concept. PLEASE don't get a kawi 250!!!!! It is a huge waste of time, my 5 year old brother could ride that bike. You have to get something with some power and *****, my newb brother just picked up a 88 kawi ninja750r, and he rides it with no problems. It handles like a pig so I wish he would have gotten something newer, but at least it has some power to teach him throttle control. After just 4 hours of riding his kawi he got on my f4i, and rode it around just fine.

 

My first bike was a 2001 CBR600F4i. I had never ridden on the street before and only had limited dirtbike experience from when I was a kid. I was 33 when I got my license and started to ride. The 600 was the perfect starter bike for me. I kept my head about me and respected what the bike could do. That was just this past April. In August, I moved up to a 954RR and love it. I think it bascially gets down to how responsible you are, and that you always always respect the bike. Both bikes I have had were capable of far more than I am. Goodluck and stay safe!

 

Well the bikes I'm thinking of are

Honda CBR600 F3/4
Suzuki GS500F
Suzuki SV650S (this one seems expensive though, not to mention $$ for the lower fairing kit)
Kawasaki Ninja 250R

 

Just remember the bike will only go as fast as you make it. Like said before respect the bike and you will be ok. Don't buy a 250. I had one before I bought my 600 and there is ungodly difference in power.

 

My first bike was the Ninja 250. Guys told me I rode that thing like a 6. My bike now is the F4i....I ride this just fine and I'm glad I moved up. Totally controlling that 250 made riding a bigger bike easier. Depending on your size, you should start with something small. Most men won't do the 250/500 b/c of the way they look, or not enough speed - but that's not what riding is about. People who say my bike is bigger, faster, better, etc. than yours are only in it to show off.....not in it for the sport. I got flack for the 250....but the funny thing is that when they got on my bike to ride it....they couldn't.

Do what your comfortable with. You can always upgrade. Downgrading makes you look sissy! LOL!

 

my first bike was a yahama v-star (a cruiser). then i moved to my f4i which was the first sportbike i ever rode. (not true i dumped my brother inlaws GSXR 750 once at low speeds, that was my first experiace on a sportbike) any way i could not be happier that i started on a f4i, great to learn on and it will only go as fast as you want it to go, u will see that after a month on her, she will become a part of you when you ride and u will get very comfortable on it. There is alot of mods you can do to it if you ever want to get in to road racing or track days, I'm is now a track bike and i could not be happier .

 

F4i is a good choice for a first bike. Don't worry about your size, it's exactly what these bikes were designed for. Just make sure you get all the right protective gear and that you wear it.