crotch rocket newbie

[gitrdonechevy25]

hey guys im lookin to buy a rocket for summer. Either a gsxr 600 or cbr 600. I have rode wheelers my whole life. Are rockets hard to ride. Should i buy a dirtbike first and practice for a rocket or just buy a rocket and take it easy for a while till i am comfortable on it thanks.

[250rsforlife]

ive never had a bike but my brother did and it was a 600 something his first bke and he told me get something bigger than a 600 cuz ull want the faster bike later on in life

[honda400ex2003]

i really like my 600 f4. great bike for sure and easy to ride. some are def easier to ride than others just like an atv or anything else. it is really a preference thing but some bikes are smoother than others and handle better depending on the suspension setup and rake of the front end.

100 hp or so will be plenty for you for a long time, theres no need to have anything bigger really except to be able to be the tough guy with a 1000. if you can ride a 600 well theres no problem keeping up to a 1000. the power of a 1000 is only really useful on a straight stretch but theres a speed limit anyway.

150+ is plenty fast on a 600, theres no reason to even be going that fast.

steve

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

Just my .02, If it's your first street bike do not get a 600. Just because you've been riding dirt your whole life means absolutely nothing. Street bikes are a completely different machines. If it's your first street bike I say go with a CBR250 or Ninja250. Ride that for a summer then next season buy a 600. Whoever says a 600 for a first bike is to small is not the wisest of people IMO. If 180+ is to slow for you, you're going to die anyway so it doesn't really mater.

[ZBlaster]

Originally posted by 250rsforlife
ive never had a bike but my brother did and it was a 600 something his first bke and he told me get something bigger than a 600 cuz ull want the faster bike later on in life

Your brother is trying to get you killed.


If you have never owned a bike of any sorts I WOULD NOT recommend on starting out a newer 600 sport bike. The new bikes make SOOO much power and can get to be a handful for even an experienced rider in some situations. Not really beginner friendly or easy to ride.

I recommend something more like a Ninja 500, SV650 (My personal choice), GS500, or maybe even an older F4i Honda. All good bikes, can handle as well as any beginner will ever need, and have plenty of power to have fun on. The SV650 can also hold it's on at track days with a good rider, smooth easy to ride power that doesn't mind lugging around in traffic. Still a sharp looking bike as well.

[ATVMX33]

im just starting out as well...i know i would hurt myself on a 600 so im getting a 250 or 500 to learn cornering and get the basics down. if i do everything right there will be plenty of time to get a 600 next year

[Regular_Joe]

Don't try to dumb this down. In the end it will cost you your life. These bikes are no joke.

Saying a 600 is too small is ignorant and retarded. Most 600cc SS bikes top out at 65mph at red line in 1st gear. Most 1000cc SS bikes top out at 100mph at red line in 1st gear.

Where the "problems" come in are in 2 places; down low torque and top end speed. Compared to a 1000cc SS the 600cc bike doesn't have as much down low torque. This really isn't a lack of down low torque as much as the tall gearing. The 600cc bike is designed to go fast, so anything below 30mph is a clutch workout, and by 50 its just getting happy. Likewise when trying to keep up with a 1000cc bike on straight aways you can get left in the dust, but generally only at speeds above 100mph. Realistically this is somewhere you shouldn't be anyway.

Also, saying you have driving experience on quads means nothing other than you know where the controls are and what they do on a bike. It does nothing to teach you about the common hazards on a bike, common control do's and don'ts, etc.

First off take the MSF course. You will pick up a lot in it. Its not all "talk". They give you bikes to ride and do a ton of exercises. There is one exercise on obstacle avoidance where they actually have you get up to speed and run over a 4x4 in the middle of a lane. They explain what to do, the physics behind it, and then have you go do it for real. Likewise they cover things like lane markers. Do you know that most pain markers are WAY more slippery than pavement. Take a corner with too much lean and cross some paint means your going down. For most people this kind of training could mean the difference of life an death.

Just an FYI, over the years I have had cruisers, to SS bikes, to standards. By far my favorite is a std SV650. It is the only bike I have kept in the stable the whole time. Looking at torque curves it has the same power as a 600cc SS at 8k rpm across its entire rev range. While overall it isn't as fast, the constant torque makes it far more enjoyable to drive, and under 85mph is should keep up with a 600 SS no problem. Power and torque is on tap anywhere, anytime. And even being a "lesser" bike .... it will still do 50mph in 1st gear at red line ....

[LTR450_#67]

Be careful SS bikes are a different animal.....and get good quality protective wear like a helmet, jacket and boots/shoes. I didn't let the GF on my bike till she bought at least a helmet and jacket.

I have to agree that saying a 600 is too small is ignorant.... It may lack in accelleration compared to a 1000 or even a 750, but....... 100mph is the same whether you are on a 600 or 1000.

[kfx400rider03]

i just bought a street bike over the winter(04 gsxr600) and never rode any kind of street bike in my life. and i can not ride a dirt bike to save my life. street bikes are easy to ride as long as you have good throttle control. and 600 are all top end the have little power till like 7k rpm then they fly. i couldnt imagine the power of a 1000.

and as for a 600 being to small how fast can you possibly wanna go on the street? going 130 in a couple seconds is fast enough for me. but buy a good helmet and jacket at the very least.

[Quad18star]

Like someone said... I'd probably start with a CBR125 or like a Ninja 250 so you can get the feel of how things will react. Im sure it's easier on a ligth bike compared to a heavier 600.

But that's just me ... I've never ridden a bike before. Twist throttles just screw me up. If streetbike or dirt bikes had thumb throttles I'd be all over them . haha

[DnB_racing]

about the only advantage to size is the extra weight on the high way, if your going to be around town you want it to be light but if your highway driving all the time you have better stability on a heavy bike, so i would say that a lot depends on were your driving the most,

even though you will quickly out grow a smaller bike, its better then not ever growing again!

on any bike you can go way to fast real quick! and get into trouble,
going 60 and crashing into a pole on a small bike feels the same as crashing at 60 on a big bike,

so in that respect size doesnt matter if your not responsible, some people I know started on a 1000 and had no problems, and some have started on a 400 and crashed, its all in your hands!!and never think the car sees you always assume the driver doesnt see you

I have a friend that was a cop that had a 250 just to get around town, one day someone cut him off and he literally tore his leg off, after sliding under the car, his leg stayed under and he flew over the car!

[CJM]

I havent ridden a bike in awhile, when i did I preferred something about 500-800cc, anything more and I felt it was to heavy and bulky handling.

[elementryder]

i would not suggest getting a 250, if you know the basic skills to riding you could start out on anybike, my friend has a ninja 250, and it is wicked...SLOW, it feels like im riding a pitbike, i have a cb 750, its what ive started on. if you ride responsibly you could start out on a 1000, but i personaly love the cbr600rr's they are so nice

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

I don't care who you are, a supersport and riding responsibly does not belong in the same sentence period. Any street bike forum will tell you the same.

[Regular_Joe]

Saying a Ninja 250 is slow is relative.

Is it slow compared to most bikes, yes. Is it slow compared to most cars, no.

Does it lack in top speed compared to most bikes, yes. Does is lack in top speed compared to most cars, no.

It still has a top speed of 110mph and will do the 1/4 mile in about 15 seconds. Realistically other than a modern day Corvette or Mustang, it should best any car on the road, ESPECIALLY at legal speeds .....

http://www.0-60cartimes.com/

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by YFZ-FoFiddy-TC
I don't care who you are, a supersport and riding responsibly does not belong in the same sentence period. Any street bike forum will tell you the same.

I agree...

I've owned multiple cbr600rrs with my current being a 09 phoenix edition...

Everytime I get on the bike I say I'll be smart and not mess around but thats not reality. They are addicting and turn into a game. What can I do today to push it a little more. That or just running out 2 gears is above 100 MPH. These bikes handle so well and have so much power that it is crazy.

Not only that but your nothing but a target for every person that wants to prove their car/bike/ etc is fast. I cant count how many times I've had people in mustangs camaros corvettes etc want to race or the little kids on the side of the road wanting you to pop a wheelie. It actually gets annoying after awhile.

My bike is currently up for sale. There is nothing good that comes from these things on the street. All they are is a accident or fine waiting to happen. I started riding them in 2006 and I have no idea how I haven't gone done or got a ticket.

If you get one try to be smart, they can put you in a coffin in the blink of an eye

[Tommy 17]

Here is a picture of my garage. As you can see I love SS bikes, but they really are not practical to have...

[miller821]

I'd recommend a 600 to most responsible people starting out. It's all about your throttle control, and your discipline when riding. Any bike is going to be fun, but can also kill you in a heartbeat.

If you haven't yet, take the MSF course, and you will learn a lot about how to ride safely. Also, if you've already taken it but are still nervous go up to either the intermediate or expert level.

Also, as far as getting a dirtbike to practice on, i've found that a dirtbike and streetbike require a completely different style of riding. How you ride on a dirtbike is nowhere near how you ride on the street. (IMO)

[suck my pipe]

Buy the bike that you want. They are not hard to ride around on at all. If you do not know all ready learn what counter steering is before you ride. Remember the front break has almost all of your stopping power. Good tires are your first modification. Once you have a couple hundred miles on it then go ahead and start too see what it can do.

[muddy400EX]

ive wanted a sporty ever since i was little. never rode a street bike of any kind.

what are you guys paying for insurance on sporty's?

[HondaRacing83]

Ill pass on what my dad and his friends has told me as i enjoy telling it. When my dad first starts riding sport bikes he got a Suzuki RF600. He loved it, thought it was the fastest thing ever, his buddy that he rode with had a cruiser and the other one had a gixxer 600 i think. Well than my dad and his buddy that had the gixxer went out and bought Suzuki TL1000's. While the other one still had a cruiser. The one with a cruiser went out and bought a BEAUTIFUL R6. And smoked there asses. Dad went and bought a 2002 R1(Very pretty bike to) and the other one got a gixxer 1000.(POS) and they rode with those forever, till they got outta bikes and sold them. Yes they rode with other people that had CBR600's, CBR1000's , Ninja's, ETC. They did some crazy *** ****. The one with the gixxer 1000 blew out his fork seals at least once a weak doing stand ups and slamming it down. It was fun to watch them ride but it just made me crinch at the same time. Theres a guy around here that used to be a family friend and he was just cruising around the country roads on his gixxer and huge *** truck came outta nowhere and plowed his ***. The dudes a vegatable now. Its pretty sad, he literally is mental now.

[miller821]

Originally posted by muddy400EX
ive wanted a sporty ever since i was little. never rode a street bike of any kind.

what are you guys paying for insurance on sporty's?

Roughly $420 a year for me...

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

I paid $196 a year for my '08 CBR600RR.

[ZBlaster]

$28 a month for my R1. I've had an MSF class and a Motorcycle endorsement for 5 years though.

[450rJam]

if you have medical insurance through your work you can omit that part which drops costs alot

no matter what you get make sure to not only get protective gear but wear it

and the most important thing is to watch out for other drivers, you have to pretend your driving with a target on your back and they are all out to get you

anything you can do to be seen helps like H.I.D. lights, bright leathers, and a loud horn (you can get air horns for $50)

you will be good as long as you respect the power

[muddy400EX]

Originally posted by 450rJam


and the most important thing is to watch out for other drivers, you have to pretend your driving with a target on your back and they are all out to get you


thats exactly what my dad tells me. he always had a bike before he had us kids. said to act like every car is gonna pull out in front of you,lol