Hi I am a 21 year old male. I live in northern california. I have spent about a year debating weather or not I wanted to start out rideing a street bike, or start with something smaller (like a dirtbike). After about a year of talking to people, doing some research, and thinking about it i decided yesterday that I was going to skip the dirtbike step.

My plan is to take the highway patroll safety course, and get some time in on a friends bike. I have allways been a huge fan of the Honda CBR, especially the RR. My big delima now is which RR do I buy. As a new rider I know my chances of laying the bike down are fairly high, so buying a brand new bike seems like it might be a bad idea. On the other hand the price difference from a brand new bike, and one thats two or three years old isnt enough to make me want to not buy a new bike.

I was hoping someone could steer me in the right direction. Do I go out and buy a brand new bike, or do i get a used one to start off with?

 

first bike def get used. I also recommend a smaller cc bike as a first bike too. Others will pipe in and say get wtf you want and f**k the naysayers. You will be a better rider if you start small (ninja 250 or sv650, etc) and work your way up to a 600 or god forbid larger cc bike.

 

Welcome to the forums, and yes new is very nice and often a two or three year old may not seem the huge saving you want but a four of five year old bike will be a lot cheaper ... and, as CBRs are so robust by looking for a good low miles one you should be fine .. I would also look for a decent F4i in the first instance, I feel it's more likely to have been ridden more carefully and is a better prospect as an older bike ... then move on to a new 600RR when ready :-)

All the above advice about smaller first is all good too, it's all down to self control if you buy a 600 off the bat, they do have very strong power higher up in the rev range and can take beginners by surprise ...


Jules

 

+1. If you've seriously never, ever ridden before- don't start new, and don't start big.

 

If i were you i would definitely get used, but as for smaller it just depends on how much self control you have and if you are going to respect that motor. just remember the rr is basically a race bike with blinkers and a headlight. i think i am going to go with the above post and say f4i all the way. it is a sweet bike, plus i own one ha ha. good luck on your decision.

 

I considered getting a smaller ninja at first. I talked to a friend of mine that did just that. He went out and bought a small ninja rode it for about six months. He "outgrew" the smaller cc bike very quickly and had to go spend more money to upgrade to the 600 he wanted in the first place.

Mabye im totally wrong here but it seems to me that the major differences in a small ninja and a cbr are just the acceleration and top speeds. (I realize they will handle differently and all that but for now lets focus on power output). Now there is no way in hell im planning on trying to reach the top speed on a cbr, or a ninja. As far as the acceleration, other than a little more torque at high rpms is it really going to be all that different.

The way I see it, and this is my reasoning for starting out with a 600. Im going to probably "outgrow" the smaller bike in a realatively short ammount of time. So why not take that money and buy the bike i want. Correct me if im wrong, but a fall at 65 miles an hour is a fall at 65 miles an hour weather it be off of a smaller ninja or a cbr. So as long as i can respect the power and capabilites of a larger bike wouldnt it make more sense to start with that?

I appreciate all the advice guys this is a big thing for me. I have wanted to start riding for a long time now, and I want to make sure when I do im doing it safely so i can continue to ride for another 30 or 40 years. So if im wrong and it still makes more sense to start with a smaller bike just let me know and ill go find myself a nice ninja to putt around on

Thanks

 

no one EVER out grows a bike. they simply want what they want without learning how to ride first.

the thing with sportbikes 600cc n up is yes they can be tame down low in the rpm range. As a new rider you can panic n twist the throttle to much or grab too much brake etc (list goes on n on) and boom you are on the ground busted up n have a busted up bike. With a smaller cc bike like the 250, its more forgiving, doesnt have a beast waiting to be unleashed over a certain rpm, doesnt have the braking power the larger bikes do. So you can concentrate on learning to ride 'properly' and not having to worry about babying the bike at the same time. make since? most ppl, guys n gals alike cant let the ego and pride go to learn how to ride 'properly' first and just go get the bike they want instead. Alot of ppl skip the start small and work their way up step and it takes them two to three times longer to learn to ride even semi properly. then they wonder why they blew a turn n grabbed too much front brake and went flying off the road. Or slammed on the rear brake n highsided, or, or, or...

I think you get my point. but in the end, its your decision!!

 

I say that you should without a doubt get a used one for your first bike. And if you take your time and have a little self control you should be able to handle a 600. My first bike was a f4i and its great. Took ( and still takin ) my time with it and haven't any problems after about 2000 miles. I would also recomend full coverage insurance as its the only positive side to god forbid totaling your bike. Just my 2 cents.

 

Does anyone know if i can find a used bike through a dealership? And yes I was planning on getting full coverage...I can get a 250 dollar deductable on everything from progressive for about 230 a month