Matt D

iTrader: (49)

Yeah, I meant they are either called a Katana or a GSX

AncientRgn

iTrader: (6)

My advice would be to stay away from any bike that has an "R" in it. Those are not beginner bikes. The Suzuki GSX600 (Katana) is a good starter bike if you just have to have a 600cc. I would actually recommend a Suzuki GS500E or a Kawashitty Ninja 500. Those are awesome bikes and when you grow out of it, you can either sell it (they sell like hotcakes) or, keep it for a track bike. They are higly flickable and very easy to manuver.

First and most important, Take a motorcycle safety course. I cannot begin to tell you how many times it saved me from pain and a few times, my life. Good luck with whatever you decide.

b00sted

iTrader: (7)

****...First rocket I ever rode was a Gixxer 1100...Cause it was lowered so it was easier for me to touch the ground and balance it.

I really don't think I can go through that corse either. I would get bored with it and do stupid **** and get in trouble. Like trying to get one of those little 250cc bikes to wheelie and dumb stuff like that.

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

If you take the motorcylce course you get a break on insurance too.

LiquidFire350

iTrader: (8)

i was gonna say, mine is a Katana 600, and the label on the frame says GSX600F. so i just figured the Katana and GSX were the same

fxforhairWS6

hey guys!I've been riding for about 4 years now and wouldn't trade it for the world! but monday afternoon my club suffered our first and hopefully last loss. He was on a new cbr1000rr. He complained for a week about a problem with the back end of his bike and out on galena rd by cat in mossville he lost control and went off the road. he was gone on impact it looks like. We know he loved to ride and would never want people to stop riding because of his accident. but it made us realize the value of preventative maintenance and inspection prior to riding. his funeral is this weekend and Evolution will be riding escort to the funeral procession to show our last respects. sorry to babble I just needed to tell other people about our loss of a great rider and freind.

HAUS1

Yea, Thanks for the info about your bros bike. I am not looking to geting anything for a while, possibly this fall EARLY winter.
As far as Katana and GSXR... I thought the Katana weighed a boat load compared to the GSXR... I would imagine a lighter bike would be easier to learn on...
Jon

HAUS1

Also alot of the weights given on spec sheets is dry...what is average fluid weight for a bike, not including gas?

LiquidFire350

iTrader: (8)

not GSX-R, just GSX. and my Katana hasn't seemed hard to learn on, but my friend has a 500 Ninja and says my Katana feels alot more top heavy then his bike

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

Most bikes have tanks that range from 4-5 gallons depending on the make. A gallon of gas weighs 6 lbs. So about 24-30lbs on top of the dry weight.

HAUS1

and I am guessing oil and everything else is really light?

HAUS1

and I am leaning towards a new Ninja 250... Lets say I want to finance most of it. Say I put 500 down, finance the rest, it'll be like 70-80 a month. LOL, for some thats a cell phone bill. I would assume this 250 would be alot more fun than some of the cell phones I had.

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

Yeah, I forget how many quarts of oil, but I would say oil, brake fluid, etc with a full tank of gas would be about an extra 40lbs.

mzoomora

iTrader: (36)

Why not a 500 ninja? Or even a 600? There is also the SV650 which is a great bike and would take a litle longer to outgrow.

HAUS1

Maybe a 500.
A buddy and I are going to be taking that class Sept 29-Oct 1st. After that I will see what I want to hop on for a first bike. I figure might as well learn from a pro, get used to a bike for a few days, and get my licnense all for 20 bucks and a weekend of fun.

mzoomora

iTrader: (36)

The EX500 is a very smoothe bike and has decent pick up. Unlike a lot of the smaller bikes it also has a 6 speed. I had a Vulcan 500 ltd which is a detuned versoin of that motor. It was my first bike and I outgrew it fast, but the Ninja version is slightly faster. A SV650 is a very easy to drive bike though, so are a lot of the non race oriented bikes like the ZZR600 and Ninja 600r. Other brands have similar bikes also.

noblesramair

iTrader: (17)

i own a 04 GSXR 1000 and let me tell you that bike is CRAZY fast! Ive laid it down once but it was my own damn fault (went into grass so didnt really do any damage) If you dont do stupid **** then you dont really have to worry as much about dumping the bike but sometimes its hard not to ! You just have to really pay attention to other people on the road and make sure they see you. I Just jumped on a 1000 without any prior riding experience which isnt the best thing to do but i didnt want to get a 600 and within a few months want something faster. I can ride the bike fine now and the 1000 is plenty of power sometimes excessive!

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

A 1000 is a lot of bike for a beginner. 600cc bikes run mid 10s stock. That is plenty of fast for Illinois' shitty roads. There are no decent roads here that you can use the full power of a 1000, unless it is on a track.

z-ya

iTrader: (1)

I've been rideing since 1966,I now ride a ktm 640 lc4 for fast dirt work,a 2001 hayabusa for touring,a nitrous 1985 gs1500 sleeper for making money,a 1983 eddie lawson replica for ***** and grins,a 1974 kawasaki 750 h2 dragbike old school.

slmdLS1

iTrader: (8)

i started on a used 01 GSXR-600, rode it for 4 or 5 months, then traded it in for an 01 GSXR-1000. a few weeks later, freshman came into town for the first week of school and the idiots dont know how to drive in this town. girl slammed on brakes at a green light b/c she didnt know where she was goin....it dipped on its left side and slid about 40 feet(along with me) across the intersection onto the curb. got lucky with minor rash and a leaky stator. not too long ago i spilled it at night in a patch of sand...soft dump, didnt hurt anything. a few guys around here have been killed since i've been riding though, but they were being idiots and speeding through traffic.