Quentin

1. Your month payments are? Paid in full like a boss
2. What type of insurance do you have on it? Full but I might drop to just liablity/comp
3. How much is it? (insurance) $700/yr
4. What kind of bike do you have? Ninja 650
5. How do you like it/what others did you try? I enjoy it, it's not a super sport and I'm fine with that.
6. Did you start off small (250) or start medium(600)? Is either way better (in your opinion)
Started off with a Ninja 500 for 2 years. Had the 650 for a year now. Some would say even the 650 is a starter bike
7. Any other info you have to share you think might be useful
A 675 is probly not a good first bike, if it is ur first bike. I've heard how the 675 is like a pure race bike, horrible for commuting. Take the MSF. Buy good gear. Ride your own ride. Don't get caught up trying to "act" cool. If you can afford it, do track days. Also realize there is a wide range of bikes out there. Don't think you have to buy a Ninja, or R6, or gixxer. SV's, bandits, super-motards, sport-tourers, honda 599, etc. Explore all options. Not just whats popular. I get funny looks all the time b/c most people never even heard of a 650. And those that do, automatically assume it's faster than normal 600. (b/c you know 650 > 600) Lulz. Ignorance is bliss.

RandomTask

$118 for full coverage for a year? I'm calling BS.

burnoutboy

Put money on it and I'll put a copy of my bill down... You saw what year bike I'm riding right? 10 years no at fault accidents. It was 323 twoyears ago and 234 last year. Plus I have my auto and homeowners through them as well. Progressive is a hell of an insurance company IMO.

Kep in mind total loss coverage isn't available ona bike this old. I have Liability/Comprehensive/ and Collision with a 2K allowance for accesories and no roadside protection.

BlackEX

1. Your month payments are? Was just under $200 before paying it off.
2. What type of insurance do you have on it? Full through State Farm
3. How much is it? (insurance) $46 per month
4. What kind of bike do you have? 2007 GSXR 600
5. How do you like it/what others did you try? Love it. Prior to this, the only other street bike I had ridden was a Ninja 600 (1997 I think). Since then I have ridden the following bikes, all of them are fun to ride so I won't re-type that for all of them. Keep in mind this all opinion based:

06 Busa - Surprised how comfortable it was and also surprised how easy it was to ride. Definitely not the bike for someone who is "ham fisted" or doesn't have throttle control. Insane acceleration, but I just feel like all that power was for the most part wasted on the street.
08 GSXR 1000 - Not gonna lie, it felt faster than the Busa. Not as forgiving due to lighter weight if you get a little too aggressive on the throttle. No doubt in my mind I don't have anywhere near the riding skills needed to even get close to sniffing this bike's potential.
08 ZX-6R - This bike felt very smooth in it's acceleration, smoother than my GSXR. Also felt like I sat higher in the saddle then I do on mine. One thing I recall was that it was a very sunny day when I was on this bike and I kept having to squint or move my head to the side to read the gauges. Almost as if the layout or materials produced a very bad glare. Other than that, no complaints.
08 CBR 600 - Bike felt very light and narrow. Very easy to change directions in the twisties. Felt very well put together, almost as if fit and finish was a step above other bikes I had been on. Only complaint, seat felt like it was made of plywood. Didn't take long to get sore butt. Shifting also seemed "clunky", but I've been told this is somewhat normal with Honda bikes.
06 CBR600F4i - This is my wife's bike. If you built a bike using bubble gum and duct tape to hold it together instead of welds and bolts I imagine this is what it would feel like. Braking is squeeze hard and pray. Shifts gears about as smoothly as my dad's 1981 Jeep Scrambler with blown syncros. With that said it's a different kind of fun. Like that old saying about driving a slow car fast... I swear you take this bike in the twisties not even going fast and you feel like you're skirting the ragged edge of disaster.
09 Yamaha R6 - Bike felt very tight and well put together but I just couldn't seem to get comfortable on it. No complaints about the bike itself.
04 Honda VTX 1300 - My dad's bike. It's a cruiser. It's comfortable.

6. Did you start off small (250) or start medium(600)? Is either way better (in your opinion) 600. If you get a 250 you'll just want to get rid of it in a few months. A 500 is not a bad option for a first bike though.
7. Any other info you have to share you think might be useful - Don't be stupid. Leave your pride/ego at home. Don't lock your elbows. Don't white knuckle the grips. Wear your gear. Don't take advice from parking lot hero's and kickstand racers. Don't ride around with your toes pointing down you look like an idiot. Take a MSF course. If you can't afford full coverage you can't afford a bike.

secretnoforn

very good info all around, thanks again guys. It's reassuring to hear that a 600 is a good starting point (and for me ending point) since I doubt I will ever want/need anything larger. I'll try to hand out some raeps to those that posted good information or insight.

secretnoforn

handed out all the rape I could; believe I got everyone, but one of you, so I'll make sure to do it when I have more to hand out.

Roxtar

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RickyManassas

Made me lol. Awesome thread though.

FairladyZTT

1. Your month payments are? Paid in full $2000
2. What type of insurance do you have on it? Liability from Progressive but I have a garage and homeowners insurance... so if somebody breaks into my garage... its covered. Its also covered in my storage unit. But like others have stated... they will be stolen outside
3. How much is it? (insurance) $120 /year
4. What kind of bike do you have? 2004 Yamaha YZF-R6
5. How do you like it/what others did you try? I am extremely bias on the R6. I am a HUGE fan of my bike. I love the R6... It is extremely comfortable, rides smooth, great in the corners, feels solid, has plenty of power and applies it well on the street. The bike has plushy seats, the mirrors are out far enough to see around yourself. The rider position is a light mix between being bent over and sitting up, much like the busa. You can actually put a little seat time on the R6 before getting sore. Take into consideration that this does not apply to the 06+ R6r models only the 03-05 R6 or the 06-09 R6s.


06 Yamaha R6 - The bike rides great and handles well. It is a solid bike... though the power is all up in the high rpms and feels like you have to beat the crap out of the bike to get anything from it. It has NO lower end power. The rider position isn't as comfortable as mine year R6. Very strong and responsive brakes

05 Kawasaki 636 - road fine... the suspension was a little rough. The bike feels VERY HEAVY, but it felt VERY front heavy and feels kinda like it might want to wash out the front tire in a hard corner. I didn't like the read out of the guage cluster with the digital tach. The shift light sucked and the power was pretty moderate. I didnt like how the exhaust is routed under the seat. I burnt myself on it grabbing the tail and forgetting the exhaust went right under the seat. I can only imagine a passenger's ass would get hot. Brakes felt like they needed to be bigger or something. Although they were responsive. It felt like you couldn't apply them hard without locking up the tire.

04 Kawasaki 636 - Much more comfortable than the 05. It feels MUCH lighter and rides smoother to me. I think it is more on par to the 03 R6. Not excited about the gauge cluster still, and the swing arm styling it not all that attractive. Seat is a little more plush but not great and the bike itself feels ... breakable for lack of a better word. Decent braking power

06 Busa - Very comfortable, much like a R6 as it is a sport touring bike. The throttle is pretty touchy but a little more managable than a 1000. The bike rides well for its size but is nothing like handling a smaller bike. I would not recomend it to a novice as it is a heavy bike and will fall over easily. Good brakes and pretty easy to control

03 Honda CBR600rr - Felt VERY light, the seat was like leather wrapped cardboard. The guage cluster was pretty useful (I liked that it has a fuel guage... lol mine doesn't). It felt like it was lacking power but it rode really well. Though I didn't try it... it felt like it would do well in the corners. The rider position was nothing to write home about sitting high over the bike and hunched over. Decent braking power

05 Suzuki GSXR600 - Felt VERY front heavy, Felt like the bike was bigger than it needed to be for a 600, I felt like I was laying on the tank. Guage read out was decent. Power felt good but again with the front tire feeling like it was overloaded and would be likely to wash out when heavy into a corner. Brakes felt a little soft

07 Suzuki GSXr600 - Power was good... bike felt much better and lighter than its earlier models. Though I was still not excited about the seat position or the comfort level. I did feel like I sat a little higher, having more control of the bike and even though it was lighter... it still felt heavy on the front tire. Moderate braking power

09 Yamaha YZF-R1 - Very light for its size. VERY powerful and was QUICK to come on the power esspecially in "A" mode. I would not recommend this bike to a novice or the faint at heart. It will put you in trouble or on your ass QUICK! The bike feels solid and great in corners. From 0 - 190 feels like it has plenty of power. The seat was not all that great but the rider position wasn't horrid. I could probably ride for a while but nothing like my 04 R6. Brakes were really touchy.

06 Yamaha YZF-R1 - Bike felt good and cluster was user friendly. Felt to be lacking power for a 1000 on the bottom side but was really stout in the higher rpms. The seat sucked but was a recover on the bike I was on. The aftermarket levers on the bike blew and really ruined the bike I was on... You would be surprised as what something small can do for your riding experience. The rider position was pretty high and over the bike. The bike felt pretty light in the corners and well planted. Very touchy brakes

08 Yamaha YZF-R1 - Seat position and cluster was much like the 06. The seat itself was a little softer. The power was applied more like a 1000 and felt strong. It was a fun ride and great in the corners. The throttle was touchy though and I would not recommend it to a novice rider. Very firm braking.

06 Hond CBR1000rr - Hard seat, and hunched over the tank. The power comes on really strong and quickly. The bike feels pretty light. Although I have not tried it in the corners. It feels pretty solid. I did not like how the plastics were put together. EVERYTHING is held together with plastic push clips. The cluster is user friendly and easy to read. Moderate braking power

02 Yamaha R6 - much like the 03-04 R6 yet the power doesn't come on and quick and hard as the 03 model. Everything else is really simular. soft brakes

91 Yamaha FZR600 - It was a great starter bike. It was fun enough to play with everybody else. It wasn't over powered... The rider position was comfortable, yet the bike feels VERY narrow. The brakes were a little squishy though.

I will stop here as I have ridden alot more but I think its enough.



6. Did you start off small (250) or start medium(600)? Is either way better (in your opinion) I think that if you are not retarded and think you are a professional. You can easily manage to learn on a 600. As most people do and can acheive a good learning curve. You will not out grown a modern 600cc sport bike unless you are looking for a straight line rocket. The 250 is more forgiving... but lacks the fun that can be had on a 600 after you get comfortable on the bike. Though you can still play in the corners on the 250 and the 500... They are more forgiving and fun. But if you ride with guys on 600's you will be tired of being left behind when they take off.

7. Any other info you have to share you think might be useful - Put in some seat time on the bike before doing dumb shit. I wouldn't recommend anything in your first season or riding. Don't listen to idiots at BP and other bike meets as most of them talk out of their ass. Find somebody that knows what they are talking about and stick with them. If anybody tells you that you will outgrow your 600. Walk away as they dont know shit about bikes and want a straight line rocket and odds are they can't handle what they have. Don't be out to impress anybody. You can trust that if you over do it and go down... you will look alot dumber (if you survive) than if you didn't try it at all.

Ride at your own comfort level. If you feel iffy about doing something... just wait till you are more experienced. If your friends won't slow down and wait for you... they are NOT your friends. It is kinda like having a friend that would let you look down the barrel of a gun to see if it is loaded. Don't put yourself in a position that can get you killed, if you dont understand what can happen.

ChaserAero

1. Your month payments are?
No payments, straight cash.

2. What type of insurance do you have on it?
Liability I think. If something happens to another person they are covered.

3. How much is it? (insurance)
Super cheap. Honestly I get a good grades/MSF discount and Mom covers it for me still. Yes, I am young.

4. What kind of bike do you have?
Just sold my 250r and now have a 07 Cbr 600rr

5. How do you like it/what others did you try?
So far I love it. Rode it home with a crooked front end and survived so I give the bike brownie points already. Needs a tune up, but it is like nothing I've owned before. The 250r was amazing. The mileage was fantastic and I could ride it for hours straight with no issues. Only thing I eventually hated was I still rode in December and the 250's don't like to start when it's cold out. I am rebuilding it now because I bought it wrecked, but you cannot...not be in love with the way these handle, growl and overall look. Plus bitches love 'em. Even though the girl in the mall who saw me was a little meaty she was flirtin' haha.

6. Did you start off small (250) or start medium(600)? Is either way better (in your opinion)
Bought a Ruckus first because I live at home and it took me two years to coax my mom into letting me own one. I figured if I can ride the Ruckus maybe she will start to give in a little. The Ruckus has absolutely no comparison to a motorcycle, but you get the idea. After that I picked up a barely broken in 09 250r from a local guy and rode it every day. It topped out at around 95 with me on it, 135 pounds, but was still awesome in the corners. The lack of power and rpm range always kept me lusting for more on the highway and straights. It runs at like 10k when you are doing 70-80 mph, which isn't fun on your way to Ocean City. If I wasn't broke when I sold it I probably would have kept that bike. Loved every second of it and it definitely saved me numerous times. If you are still learning how to ride, which I am, the 250 was awesome because it did allow me to make some mistakes and not cost me. I ride like a grandma for the most part, but will continue to take classes and learn from fellow riders before I push myself on the 600.

7. Any other info you have to share you think might be useful:
A bunch of my friends ride 1000s and 954s and they poked fun at me constantly, but they all crashed before in multiple vehicles from being stupid in my opinion. If you can't respect someone on a 250 you shouldn't be riding. I have met many riders and talked with many who say someone on a 250 could easily keep up in the turns. It doesn't matter how big your bike is or your balls. Always remember to wear gear, which I need some more $$$ for some better stuff, and keep your head on a swivel, but don't ride scared. If you think you are going to crash than you probably will.