I would love to own a sport bike one of these days, i don't live too far off from work, so a bike would be nice. Get a some fresh-air on the way to work or home. Also i would love to cruise around on one. But there is two small problems, with this.

1) I have NEVER ridden a motorized 2 wheeled vehicle before.

2) I am only 5'5" or so, what kind of Nice sport bike could i own that i could touch the ground on haha.

I guess first off, what can i get to practice on. I have the general principle of how to ride one but like i said i havent actually ever done it so... I really like the GSXr's and what have you..so my ultimate goal would be to work my way up to one of those. ANy help is appreciated.

 

Best bet would be to find a cheap dirtbike if you want to practice i guess. But most learn by just borrowing a friends bike or buying a 600 and going from there.Around here they offer an instructional course but it really doesn't teach you anything

 

I was gonna go down the same route and most of the guys on a big sport big forum recommend a 500 Ninja. Its pretty slow, only runs liek mid to low 12s and they are DIRT cheap and REAL forgiving so they are great to learn on plus if you lay it down who gives a damn its a 500 and its CHEAP.

 

I found a few used ones for right over 1000. I wanted to get one and ride it for a few months until I was real familar with it then swap to a 600.

 

the 08 ninja 250 is badass

take MSF to figure out if you even like riding

i wasnt sure if i really wanted a bike so i took MSF early. even in the parking lot i really enjoyed riding so im getting a bike next week

 

I took the MSF course too and I've been riding dirtbikes for a couple years before it, the course helped out a lil bit with bike control sorta, I would say get on a 600 shouldnt be too bad, but do take the course

 

Buy a GSXR and do a 3 - 4 drop you'll love it. I did it on my bike and my brother had no problem riding it. He's 5'5 as well. Also I loved the it handled afterwards. Try and post a few pics. Whatever you get let know if you wanna do the drop I can take care of it for you.

 

by the way, this is the new ninja 250



has the badass looks of a bigger bike but won't get out of control as easy and costs less than 4K brand new (i believe)

and insurance shouldn't be too bad

 

When my brother was looking into getting a bike everyone was saying a 600cc since it was going to be his first bike.

I never got the pm from you on the price for the cam and tune package?

 

Thats not the new 250 thats a 07 zx10.

 

Yeah thats not the 250r but very similar looks. Msrp on the 250r is 3500. I might have to get the 250r for my first bike when i turn 17.

 

Go with at least 750 or bigger. Trust me he doesnt wanna be the guy at the back of the pack wishing he had a bigger bike to keep up. Look at it this way. You can start off learning how the race driving a Z06 or Viper, or you could start with a Civic or Sentra. At the end of the day you want something faster. I've owned a 750 and ridin a 1000. Even with the 1000 I wanna go faster

 

do NOT listen to him^^^^^



google gave me the zx10 pictures and i couldn't really tell a difference

this should be it for real, straight from kawasaki

 

yea the 08 looks good for a 250, if only they refreshed the 500 too

 

Definately go small cc's for now. The 500's and 250's are great starter bikes. That new ninja 250 is sexy as hell. Or even an SV650 (way less powerful then the production race 600's), they are very light, comfortable and fun aswell. I have one and I usually put more miles on it then my gsxr, especially in the mountains.

Dont worry to much about buying one of these and then losing money when you are ready to go bigger, they usually hold thier value great and if you look for a slightly used one for a good deal you may even make a little on it. I have on more than one occasion.

Remember, learning to ride the bike is the easy part. Learning how to act, react, ride safe, and what to watch out for is what you will have to contrate on. These guys you see that jump right on any production race bike (gsxr, zx-r, cbr-rr, R6) are greatly reducing thier chances of continued riding (even though every one of them will argue with you about this until they are blue in the face, they all think they are somehow "special" and dont fall into the statistics). Thats not to say that it isnt possible, but will deffinately slow down the learning curve. You'll always hear stories of the hard-headed guy that jumps right on a Busa, and actually does fine for awhile, but all that shows is that he beat the odds and has been very lucky. Truth is, when you start out on a powerful, larger bike, you'll spend your time learning how to control the bike more than what is needed like proper scanning, using peripheral vision, not focusing on objects, braking, late braking, low traction issues, etc.. It will take you considerably longer to reach the same skill level on the race bike, as it would the starter bike

There is a lot more to skilled, safe riding than most realize. But if you are smart about it, you'll enjoy every minute of it. Nothing wrong with a little playing around and getting an adrenaline rush, but time and place is what matters here, and never riding out of your limits.

Sorry for the long rant, it seems you are already heading in the right direction. But take it from someone that started out the wrong way, and is extremely lucky to still be here. I've been riding sportbikes for 15 years, and I still learn new things to this day. Its nice to see riders that are being smart about it and don't have the usual "it wont happen to me" attitude that give sportbikers the bad name we have.

 

sportbikes handle way worse when dropped, even if done "right". Any experienced rider will tell you that. How many racers have you seen that lowered thier bikes? none, and I even know a racer that is 5'2" and can only put one foot down. Ever wonder why your bike feels unstable in a sharp turn, or why one of the tires wants to drift out sometimes? Thats why.

To the OP, If you need to lower the bike for your height then do so only sparingly and what you need to ride it comfortably. Being able to flat foot it is recommended. But if you want to do more than go straight, I would suggest finding a bike that fits you better or even a custom seat before dropping it. Especially more than 1"-2".

 

1) Do not listen to anyone telling you to borrow a buddies bike, as that is the worst thing possible you could do.

2) Do go to an MSF course. They have loaner bikes there you can crash and dont have to pay for.

3) If the course goes well, start looking for a 600. Punch anyone in the face that says "just get a 1000".

4) Once you get familiar with the bike and are ready for advanced instruction, give me a PM. One or two of my friends that are AMA superbike/supersport racers give lessons at instructional trackdays all around texas.

If you have any more questions, lemme know.

 

Best post in here! I started small, on a free 1983 Honda Nighthawk 550. No regrets here!

Arron

 

take the msf course first thing, you will learn a lot, most people wont admit it, or think they know everything, but that course is helpful, even more so for beginner riders, there is no better place to get your first riding experience, you get experience on very easy to ride machines, thats too good of an oppurtunity to pass up for people looking to get into riding

 

1. MSF course.
2. SV6650 / Ninja 500
3. Have fun and BE CAREFUL!