I'm going to try and get a bike before the warm weather gets here so i can learn how to ride before the season comes. So i'm looking. What are some good suggestion for a first bike?

After looking around, I think i have fallen in love with the R6, i believe in the 04 range. What do ya'll think? I won't go any bigger than a 750, since it will be my first time on a bike.

Thanks for the help, and I'm sure this has been posted on here a few times, but I didn't see any threads on it.

 

Get something used. My first sportbike was new. I outgrew it in 3 months, and was ready for a 750. DON'T buy a Katana! A used R6 isn't a bad idea. Maybe something like a CBR600F4.

 

Whats wring with a katana.. usually you can get them cheap.

what better then to get something cheap that if you do mess it up its no big deal.

 

Im trying to get a Ninja 500 in a month or two. Ive read thats a good bike any one have comments? Also might consider a Bandit 600 and a Yeca... I want something uder $2k.

 

My first bike was a 99 gsxr 600. It was previously dropped and needed a little work done to it. I got it to learn on and didn't care about the looks.

 

get what you like, my first bike was a new 03 r6, loved it, now i have a 05 zx6r 636, just get what you like, thats all that matters. the r6 is a great bike, the 03 is pretty much the same bike, just try to find the best deal

 

whats the cheapest bike i can get to learn on that isnt all mangled up?

 

from experience working at many shops, i'd say something along the lines of a cbr600 f2/f3/f4. they're all over the place, easy to get parts for, and they're bulletproof bikes. they'll also keep you entertained after you get the hang of it. f2/f3's are really easy to get, and they're cheap.

don't knock katana's, those are almost the EXACT same motor that was in 86-92 gsxr's. i personally got 110 hp out of katana without spending a lot of money.

bandit600's use the same motor.

on a side note, all the oil cooled suzuki's (86-92 gsxr750's-1100's, bandit 600's-1200's, katana 600's-750's-1100's, and a few others)use the same motor mounts, so if you wanted more power out of say, a 600, you could stuff in a gsxr1100 or bandit1200 motor, they bolt right in. my old bike (some of the guy's here would remember it) was an '86 gsxr750 frame (lightest of all the gsxr's, of any year) with a bandit1200 motor in it, with gsxr cams and carbs. that bike RIPPED.

 

whats the difference between and f2, f3, and f4. i jsut did a really quick search on cycle trader and saw an f4 and i really like that. almost as much as the R6.

also, what are some good sites to look for bikes for sale?

 

www.craigslist.com
www.cycletrader.com
right here

get something thats 600cc
250cc you'll get bored of after a week, however they are REALLY cheap.
500cc is about the same, they dont look as nice (IMO) as most 600s and are slower, so if you want to do any sort of group ride you'll have a somewhat hard time keeping up, unless you want to sell it and get something bigger in a couple months.
I personally got a downed (scratched but not crashed) 1996 Kawasaki ZX6e for $2k for my first bike, and OMG i fucked that thing up, i dropped it probly like 10 times fuckin around with it, then findly sold it for $1k, 7 months later, wit 6k more miles, cracked into pieces fairings, and leaking oil. However, i did gain a hell of a lot of experience from it, and was DEFINITELY worth the $1k i spent in trashing it.


oh, and the only real difference between f2, f3, and f4, is the years that they were made.
F2 is the oldest before 93 i believe, f3 is 94-98? and f4 is 99 and up (i believe) or at least its somewhat close to those years.