So for some dumb reason I always find myself on high traffic web sites giving advice to 16-year-olds (physical or mental age) about why a brand new ZX10 / CBR1000 / R6 / GSX isn't a good idea for a very first bike. I'm not sure if it's becuase I'm worried about their well-being or my insurance rates. In either event I wrote a really extensive "standard response" to the most standard question, "What is best 600cc bike for a new rider?". Thank god we dont have many of those people on NESR.
all that being so, I'd like to get some feedback on this "little" thing I wrote. If you get bored, take a look at it and make some suggestions. be warned, it's LOOOONG. see below.
-chris sedition
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One of the most common questions new sport bike riders have is, “What kind of sport bike should I get?” This question raises it’s head so often that I have created a standardized response to it. Please keep in mind that these are the views and opinions of one person (albeit countless other also hold them). With that said, on we go…
Getting ANY modern 600cc sport bike for a first ride is a bad idea (far, far, far worse is a 1000cc bike for a first ride.) In fact, it may be nothing more than an expensive form of suicide. Here are a few reasons why.
1. Knowledge of Subject Matter
When anyone starts something new they find themselves at the most base point of the beginner’s period. They are at the very start of the learning curve. This is to say that they are not even aware of what it is that they don't know. A personal example of this is when I began Shotokan Karate. The first day of class I had no idea what an “inside-block” was, let alone how to do it with correct form, power, and consistency. After some time, and a lot of practice, I could only then realize how bad my form really was. Then, and only then, was I able to begin the process of improving it. I had to become knowledgeable that inside-blocks even existed before I was aware that I couldn’t do them correctly. This is to say that it takes knowledge OF something to be able to understand how that something works, functions, performs, etc. Now lets return to the world of motorcycles. A beginner has NO motorcycle experience. They are not even aware of the power, mistakes, handling, shifting, turning dynamics etc. of any bike, let alone a high performance sport bike. As one moves through the learning curve they begin to amass new information…they also make mistakes. A ton of them.
2. The Learning Curve
When you learn to do something, you make mistakes. Without mistakes the learning process is impossible. A mistake on a sport bike can be fatal. The thing new riders need to learn above anything else is smooth throttle control, proper speed, and how lean going into turns. A 600cc bike can hit over 60mph in about 4 to 6 seconds. A simple beginners mishap with that much power and torque can cost you your life before you even knew what happened. Grab a handful of throttle going into a turn you may end up crossing that little yellow line on the road into on-coming traffic…**shudder**. Bikes that are more forgiving of mistakes are far safer (not to mention more fun) to learn on. Examples of these bikes are Kawasaki’s Ninja 250cc / 500cc, Suzuki’s SV650, GS500F, early 1990’s Katana 600cc, early 1990's Honda F2, F3, F4, early 1990’s Yamaha YZF600R, and early 1990’s Kawasaki ZX-6E, ZZR600. Anyone of these would make a good choice for a first bike.
Ask yourself this question; in which manner would you rather learn to walk on tightropes A) with a 4x4 board that is 2 feet off the ground B) with a wire that is 20 feet off the ground? Most sensible people would choose “A”. The reason why is obvious. Unfortunately safety concerns with a first motorcycle aren’t as apparent as they are in the example above. However, the wrong choice of what equipment to learn on can be just as deadly…regardless of how safe, careful, and level-headed you are, or intend to be.
3. “But I will be safe, responsible, and level-headed while learning".
Sorry, but this line of reasoning doesn’t cut it. To be safe you also need SKILL (throttle control, speed, leaning, etc). Skill comes ONLY with experience. To gain experience you must ride in real traffic, with real cars, and real dangers. Before that experience is developed, you are best suited with a bike that won’t severely punish you for minor mistakes. A cutting edge race bike is not one of these bikes.
Imagine someone saying, "I want to learn to juggle, but I’m going to start by learning with chainsaws. But don’t worry, I’ll go slow, be careful, stay level-headed, and respect the power of the chainsaws while I’m learning". Like the tightrope example above, the proper route here isn’t hard to see. Be “careful” all you want, go as “slow” as you want, be as “cautious” as you want, be as “respectful” as you want…your still juggling chainsaws! Without a foundation in place of HOW to juggle there is only a small level of safety you can aspire towards. Plain and simple, it’s just better to learn juggling with tennis balls than it with chainsaws. The same holds true for learning to ride a motorcycle. Start with a solid foundation in the basics, and then move up.
4. “I Don’t Want A Bike I’ll Outgrow”
Please. Did your Momma put you in size 9 shoes at age 2? Get with the program. It is far better to maximize the performance of your current motorcycle and get "bored" with it than it is to fuck-up your really fast bike (not mention fucking yourself up) and not be able to ride at all. Power is nothing without control.
5. “I don’t want to waste money on a bike I’ll only have for a short period of time” (i.e. cost)
Smaller, used bikes have and retain good resale value. This is because other sane people will want them as learner bikes. You’ll prolly be able to sell a used learner bike for as much as you paid for it. If you can't afford to upgrade in a year or 2 you definitely can't afford to wreck the bike your dreaming about.
Most new riders drop bikes going under 20MPH, when the bike is at its most unstable periods. If you drop your brand new bike, fresh off the showroom floor, while your learning (and you will), you've just broken a directional, perhaps a brake or clutch lever, cracked / scrapped the fairings ($300.00 each to replace), fucked-up the engine casing, fucked-up the bar ends, etc. It's better and cheaper to drop a shit bike that you don’t care about than one you just spent $8,000 grand on.
Fortunately, most of these types of accidents do not result in serious physical injury. It’s usually just a big dent in your pride and…
6. EGO
Worried about looking like chump on a smaller bike? Well, your gonna look like the biggest idiot ever on your brand new, but fucked-up, 2005 bike after you’ve dropped it a few times. You’ll also look really dumb with a badass race bike that you stall 15 times a red light before you can get into gear. Or even better, how about a nice 2005 R6 that you can’t ride more than 15mph around a turn because you don’t know how to counter-steer correctly? Yeah, your gonna be really fucking cool with that bike, huh?
Any real rider would give you props for going about learning to ride the *correct* way (i.e. on a learner bike). If you’re stressed about impressing someone with a “cool” bike, or embarrassed about being on small bike, then your not mature enough to handle the responsibility of ANY motorcycle. Try a bicycle. After you've grown up revisit the idea of a motorcycle.
7. "Don’t ask advice if you don't want to hear the answers".
A common pattern:
1) “Dick” asks for advice on a 1st bike
(Dick wants to hear certain answers)
2) Experienced rider’s advice Dick against a 600cc bike for a first ride
(This is not what Dick wanted to hear).
3) Dick says and thinks, "Others fuck up while learning, but that wont happen to me"
(As if Dick is some how invincible, holds superpowers, never makes mistakes, has a ‘level head’, or for some reason has a skill set that exceeds the majority of the world, etc).
4) Experienced riders explain why a ‘level head’ isn’t enough. You also need SKILL, which can ONLY be gained via experience.
5) Dick makes up excuses as to why veterans riders, “Don’t understand why I’d be able to handle a 600cc bike while others could not”.
(See point #3)
6) Dick, as a total newbie with no knowledge about motorcycles, totally disregards all the advice he asked for in the first place.
(Which brings us right back to the VERY FIRST point I made about “knowledge of subject matter”).
7) Dick goes out and buys a R6, CBR, GSX, 6R, etc
(Dick is scared shitless of the power. Being scared of your bike is the LAST thing you want. Dick gets turned-off to motorcycles, because of fear, and never gets to really experience all the fun that they truly can be. Or worse, “Dick” gets in serious accident. Don’t be a Dick.
I’m not trying to be harsh. I’m being real. Look all over the net. You’ll see veteran after veteran telling new riders NOT to get a 600cc bike for a first ride. Why? Because we hate new riders? Because we don't want others to have cool bikes? Because we want to smash your dreams? Nothing could be further from the truth. The more riders the better (assuming there not squids)! The reason people like me and countless others spend so much time trying to dissuade new riders from 600cc bikes is because we actually care about you. We don't want to see people get hurt. We don't want to see more people die in senseless accidents that could have been totally avoided with a little logic and patients. We want the “sport” to grow in a safe, healthy, and sane way. We WANT you to be around to ride that R6, CBR600RR, GSX-1000, Habayasu, etc that you desire so badly. However, we just want you to be able to ride it in a safe manner that isn’t going to be a threat to yourself or others.
A side note, you may see people on the net and elsewhere saying “600cc bike are OK to start with”. Look a bit deeper when you see this. The vast majority of people making these statements are new riders themselves. If you follow their advice you’ve entered into a situation of the blind leading the blind. This is not something you want to do with motorcycles.
8. HELP IS ON THE WAY!!!
Speaking of help, this is a great time to plug the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course. The MSF course is an AMAZING learning opportunity for new riders. The courses are offered all over the USA. A link for their web cite is listed at the bottom of this post (or do a Goggle search and check you local RMV web page.). The MSF course assumes no prior knowledge of motorcycles and teaches the basics of how to ride a bike with out killing yourself (and NO, just because you passed the MSF course it dose NOT mean your ready for an R6, GSX, CBR, etc). They provide motorcycles and helmets for the course. It is by far THE BEST way to start your life-long relationship with motorcycles. In some areas if you pass the course your motorcycle license will then be directly mailed to you. This means that you DON’T HAVE TO GOTO THE RMV!!!). That alone should be enough reason to take the course. Also, in some states you will get a discount on your insurance after you’ve taken the course. But wait, there is more! Some manufactures (Honda, Yamaha, etc) offer rebates if you take the course and then buy one of their bikes. Check their web sites / local dealers for details. I can’t plug the MSF course enough. It the best deal going for new riders. Period.
By the way, the short answer to the question, “What should I get for a first bike?” is as follows;
1. First choice, a used bike that is 500cc or under.
2. A new 500cc bike is good, but it would suck if you dropped it. Plus, it will depreciate in value the second you drive off the dealers parking lot.
3. Any used OLDER 600cc sport bike (like 1980’s, early 1990’s). Refer to the list of bikes I mentioned in the “Learning Curve” section above.
Also, a GREAT book to check out is “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycles, 2nd edition. It coves everything from picking out a first bike, simple repair, anatomy of an engine, how to buy a used bike, riding gear, tips for surviving on the road, racing, etc. You can check this book out almost any major bookstore,
www.amazon.com, or
www.idiotsguides.com My advice for anyone looking to get into motorcycles would be to buy this book and read it cover to cover about 2 or 3 times. After you have done that, THEN take the MSF course. You’ll go into the course with some great information that will greatly enrich and hasten your learning experience. It will also give you a HUGE advantage on the written test at the conclusion of the MSF course. Trust me on this one, buy the book. At the very least, go hang out at Barnes & Nobel for an afternoon and read as much of the book as you can (or until they kick you out).
Oh! I haven’t even mentioned riding gear. Get it. Wear it. People who wear tank tops, flip-flops, and shorts while riding don’t look so cool when it comes time for a skin-graft (or when a bee goes up their shorts).
Dress for the crash, not the ride.
-chr|s sedition
Boston, MA
www.msf-usa.org (web site for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation)
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