if you never rode anything before, then yes, get something small, but if you have ridden a quad, dirtbike, etc, then a 600 would be a perfect start. I started on a 600 and i felt it wasn't enough power wise. Handling is a different story, a 600 can handle just as good, if not better than those 1000cc out now. I had many years of experience on the whole kick shift, hand clutch this is why i chose a 600, if I have never rode anything before, def would have started on a 250

 

honda all the way!! or kawasaki

gsxr's are only good for speed and their handling is a piece of shyt...

best out there right now is honda and kawi...

plus everyone and their mothers have suzukis... be diff. but most of all be safe.

and if your a begginer go for a 600

 

I don't like 400 and below just because they don't have enough power to take advantage of being a motorcycle in traffic. You'll trade it away too soon. That SV650 is a great choice and you can live with it indefinitely. I wouldn't recommend any leading-edge supersport of any displacement for a first bike. The controls are too finely tuned (e.g. killer brakes that you'll be unable to modulate with low skills).

 

SV650 still does a quarter in 11.8-12.2 depending on how good of a rider you are.

I prefer the non s model for ease of seating position

 

Ask yourself if you would try to find out about a getting an S2000 on a bike forum. The suggestions above are generally good but bike specific forum's are where you really need to lurk for a while.

www.sportbike.com
http://forum.motorcycle-usa.com/

There's lots more.

The suggestions for an older cheaper bike are good for a number of reasons. One of the best is that what niche of riding you end up in is most likely WAAAAYYYY over your head right now. You just aren't going to know that without some time riding. You may not even be aware there are niches.

Bikes are very specialized these days: sport, cruiser, dirt, standard, dual sport, touring, sport touring. No bike does everything well. And the better it does ONE thing, the worse it does everything else.

Bike forums are filled with posts about "What if you could just have two bikes, or three bikes or four bikes. Your belief that you might just go out and buy the bike you'll want to be married to for ever and ever is about like finding a soulmate wife on your very first date.

You have to look at bikes as a process. You ride and you learn. Your skills improve but so does your concept of what's fun. You start to specialize your thinking. Or maybe you find out that bikes just aren't your thing. At the early stage, there's just not much point in having a lot of bucks tied up in it (except for the gear - GET the gear).

The SV650 is an outstanding introduction bike. The 600 sportbikes have more power and more risk and more cost. You get to a point of diminishing returns because you're only using about 15% of the bikes's potential and you're approaching an area called street credibility. This is where you begin to think more about what peopel think of you and your bike, than you do about your barely noticable skills and personal mortality.

New riders find it hard to appreciate how fast bikes can go - and have little concept yet of the damage you can get from simple things in and near the roadway: cars, trucks, guard rails, sign posts, guy wires, raised curbs, power poles, dogs, wet leaves, antifreeze, oil...... Nor do new riders really appreciate the permanance of many injuries.

Take your time.

 

Agreed!

The SV650 is a great bike, but I felt it was too strong and fast for me when I decided to get back on two wheels. I humbled myself and purchased a Buell Blast to re-learn all that I had forgotten in 12 years. The Blast is a great learners bike that is cheap (purchase price/maintenance/insurance), very tough (yes, I dropped mine), has good handling, good resale, and can allow you to explore your own abilities safely. I kept the Blast for one year before upgraded and I purchased my new bike. The Blast was very valuable for the time I owned it.

Mike

 

FWIW the 4 cyl 600s of today are much more powerful than the 1000s were when I started riding. I started on a 2 stroke 250 enduro then a 550 4cyl street bike. If I started on the 550 I probably would have hurt myself-I was 19 then-a little more sensible now. I strongly believe that a dual sport is the best starter bike-the 600ish twins are good too if you think a DS is not for you. The 4's just have too much power for you to really develop your skills properly.

 

why get an older bike? the new the bike the lighter they weight.. great for a beginner .. besides 3 of my co works never rode before and all got 07 honda cbr 600rr .. all learned to ride on it.. in less than a day or two they are riding with little problems as far as a beginner goes

 

3 months ago I got a 06 r6 without knowing how to ride period and learned on the way home. I havent dropped mine yet *knocks on wood* My friends went the next week and tried to do the same by riding home w/out knowing and almost flew into a ditch. They have dropped theirs 5 times or more since.. I really think it depends on the person. How confident are you? I was really confident when I rode for the first time.

 

Another horrible and uneducated post. GSX-R's are awesome machines, I had a GSX-R600 and LOVED it. They handle EXCELLENTLY as well as being fast. Mr. Laguna obviously speaks from NO experience. Having ridden my roommate's 600RR, I liked the GSX-R600 better.

HAVING SAID THAT, I currently own an RC-51. If you can trust yourself with speed, I would see no reason not to start on a 600cc, although I agree that an SV650 is a nice bike also. If you get a 250 or 500, you may get tired of it quickly, depending on how much you ride. Honestly, If I had the money, I'd have the RC-51 and a 600cc machine as well, because I miss being able to wind out the 4 cylinder without fear, whereas the RC-51 is pretty untamed, and the front wheel will come up, often without trying.

Bottom line - take your time learning. You will be happy with pretty much any of the 600cc's performance wise, so get what you like the looks and feel of. Honda's have a VERY uncomfortable ride as compared to GSX-R's though, primarily because of the seat!

Be Safe, let us know what you decide!

-Stefan