My best friend has been wanting to get a bike and ive been trying to find him something that suits him but everything i show him he says is "ugly" "looks too old" or is "stupid" because its not a sport bike. He wants to get a 1000cc sport bike for his first bike and im trying to talk him out of it but everything i show him that isnt a liter bike he says is dumb.
I say something that suits him because 1)hes a big kid about 6'-6'1 and around 260 lbs. Theres plenty of big dudes out there on sport bikes and a 1000 would obviously fit him better than a 600 but i dont want him to get a 1000 because 2) its his first bike and i dont want him to kill himself. Hes ridden my f4i plenty of times and knows how to ride in the most basic sense of the word and is just all about ripping it in a straight line and thinks twisties and trackdays are stupid too...probably cuz hes used to drag racing but thats besides the point. Ive tried explaining countersteering and all that stuff to help him out when hes on my bike buuut its only helped so much.
I bust his ***** for wanting a sport bike cuz of his size but im also kind of serious cuz hes uncomfortable on my f4i and i dont get why hed want something with an even more aggressive riding position. Ive tried talking him into getting a ducati monster, honda hawk, suzuki sv, honda vfr, a vrod, any sport tourer/streetfighter style bike you can think of thats more comfy than a sport bike but still kind of sporty.
Its getting exhausting and im about to just tell him to get the damn 1000 and let him figure it out on his own but im still kind of nervous. He just wont accept the damn fact that he might not be particularly suited for a sport bike. Right now some kid wants to trade him a real nice 01 929 with a bunch of mods plus $1000 for his sprayed 87 fox and he wants to do it but im trying to talk him out of it. Do i say screw it or keep trying to persuade his ignorant ***?

 

this.

 

You can't fix stupid

 

Let him figure it out ... then try to get him to realize the importance of gear because he will most likely go down imo

 

Ive been working on that too but...........hes worried about looking cool. I tell him his big *** looks like a clown on a little bicycle anyway

 

yea let him figure out on his own. let him find something that is not stupid for him to ride.

 

well hes got this mint condition 929 with full exhaust, pcIII, asv levers, gpr stabilizer, etc. that hes thinking about trading for. I dont want him to ruin himself or such a clean 929. But oh well ive tried.

 

yep, it is his bike and his decision. Beyond your control, nick

 

Not much you can do, bro. His mind is made up. If he is OK on your 600, maybe, although, very slightly, he may be ok with the liter bike. I can't say it's stupid to get a big bike as your first, my first bike was a 96 900RR, that I got last year, . I know my limits and don't really ride above my skill level. Actually, I ride below my skill level, sometimes, lol

But you said he has a tendency to , so, maybe he doesn't realize what he is getting into with a liter bike.

Ultimately, it is his decision, and if he is set on something, you can't change that. I didn't want a big bike at first, kinda scared me, but it was such a great deal, I couldn't pass it up.

Only thing you really can do, is just keep stressing the importance of the right gear though. Show him some pictures, videos and hope that sinks in enough to at least get some decent gear.

 

^ yeah ive seen people do it and dont blame him for wanting one since hes a big guy its just his mentality and that makes me say this is a bad idea but yeah ive already showed him the degloving pics and stuff. But that can happen on any bike and i want him to get one so i can have someone to ride with. haha he almost bought a busa a few months ago but i think that scared him too much . Im just tryin to stop him from getting in over his head with a more powerful bike than he can handle. Plus ill also have to deal with him bi*ching and complaining about being uncomfortable on long rides and this and that. But i guess ill stop tryin to fight it and tell him to go get the damn thing and hope he realizes he wants something else before he wrecks it or himself.