Always give yourself an out, I assume they are gonna always pull out. The most nerve wrecking is when their left blinker is on and they are only looking right.

 

This 96 900RR that I just bought is my first street legal bike and I stick by my decision.

I have ridden dirt pretty much all my life so thats a big factor. But I know if I had started on something smaller I would be looking to go bigger within three months.

 

You know, it's not that I don't believe you, but how can you really feel you would have had to go bigger in three months if you didn'tactually do it? I hear the same line from guys all the time. The thing is, I never actually hear it from guys that actually did upgrade that fast, only from someone like you who is really just speculating. You never know. You might have liked a 600.

Actually, you're better off with your '96 900 rr than some of these guys that pick up a new 600rr. Believe it or not, your bike is more forgiving thanpretty much allnew 600's (from what I hear).

 

I posted in the "myspace kid" thread but what the hell, I'll write something here too. I do not feel that displacement has anything to do with people being safe or not. Don't take this out of context, but I think a new rider needs to ride whatever they are comfortable on. If some kid has never ridden but wants his friends to think he's cool so he wants the big dog RR, that does not mean that he is going to die or be injured or anything else. If he rides it like an idiot, then he will be hurt. That said, under what circumstance would he be better off on a smaller bike? If he's going to ride unsafely and does not have the skills to avoid a collision, what difference does it make in the kind of bike that he's riding? They all go fast. For crying out loud a 250 will go a hundred miles an hour.

So let's say our beginner gets one of those ninja 500 starter bikes, or even a verago 250 or whatever it's called. He's driving down the road and needs to avoid a car pulling out in front of him. How is he safer on those bikes than a liter? I cannot see how it can be SOOOOO much easier to ride a little bike. Best I can tell, there is no training wheel option unless you get a Harley. (Burn) I don't know how these myths started, but it is not any harder to get a hayabusa to make an avoidance maneuver than a scooter. I took my test on an R1 and passed the first time. Did I drive fast when I had it, Yes. Would I have driven fast on a ninja 500, Yes.

I personally think there is a point to be made for the extra weight helping to stabilize a new rider and make him feel more comfortable. A Hayabusa, for example, is super balanced for normal riding and has a nice smooth powerband and a "big" feeling to the bike that can comfort a rider. It's up to the rider whether they want to push the bike or not. The same way that a good rider will beat you no matter what bike he's on, a bad rider will crash no matter what bike he's on. I like Dram's example about the rear brake. It's a good example of how there is no bike in the world that would have stopped with it's rear brake only and that the kid messed up on his own without the help of big displacement.

I'm sure I'm gonna get it for this post, but don't make it out to be more than what it is. All I am trying to say is that very few, if any, collisions or wrecks could be avoided by swapping out the bike for something else.

You can blame the bike, but I blame the rider.

 

I have only been on sport bikes for 5 months now i think ? But i have almost 25,000miles under me in a very short time, all on a 929rr. Close calls are rare, no tickets, no drops, no scratches, no accidents... yadda yadda preach on guys with 10 years and 1000miles.

Its the rider, the end.

I hate to come off like jerk, but its the truth. Some people can handle it, some can't. Some people drop their bike 3 times in the first week, some drop it after a few years.. Some get tickes all the time, some never get a ticket. Some people can ride wheelies after a short amount of time, some people ride their whole life and never learn. I could go on all day, its all about who on the bike, not what bike it is.

 

The rider who did not know any better or refused to listen. You can beat the odds, but are you willing to gamble with your life?

 

You obviously have not ridden an older or slower bike. Get on my bike and the throttle resonse is there, but its not as aggressive. I ride my bike hard, and I mean hard. When we were tearing up the twisties this weekend and I was riding with new liter bikes and what not, my bike would get there, it just takes a little more to get it there. So don't be foolish and compare a 250 to a 600rr, because there is a difference.

 

That's my point. If they don't want to listen, there's nothing we can do about it. It's not gambling if I have nothing to lose. I could care less if you strap a rocket to your bike and try to fly. Just don't hit me trying to take off. LOL.

Gambling with their life sounds like they are somehow safer on a smaller bike. That's my question, how is someone safer on a smaller bike? If a noob panics and is going to hit something but you could magically put them on any bike in the world right when they are about to lose it, which bike would keep them from hitting things? Or are they just screwed because they put themselves in a situation that they could not handle regardless of the bike?

I should have checked the "myspace" thread before I posted that last one. Fishfryer had some good things to say along the lines of what we are discussing here.

 

Im of the opinion that if someone think they should start on a 600cc replica bike, then they should. If they think they should start on an old 250cc ninja then they probably should. Everyone is different, which once again is why it's the rider, not the bike.

There definately IS a difference is turning, braking, accelerating, and every other aspect of riding when you talk about different bikes. Just like people, they are different and you have to be willing to learn how to properly use the equipment.

If a rider is ignorant and doesn't know how to control themselves they will die on any bike.

 

I'm not comparing them, I'm trying to make the point that a noob with limited skill has just as much ability to kill himself on a 250 as on a 600.

You say that you have to try really hard to keep up, but that you can. So who is more likely to crash, you or the liter that's next to you?