[test-reg]

Got a buddy who's just getting into riding and he's fallen in love with the RC51, but I'm not that sure that this is the right bike for a squid. Thoughts?

 

[Lyte-]

has he ridden anything before?

taken the MSF class?

some people are better off starting on smaller and less powerfull bikes like the 250's and some people can just jump on a 600 and be fine.

my first bike was a GSXR 750 and other then a mishap in the garage (boyfriend changed the oil in the car and left some spilled on the ground i didn't see when backing the bike out and stepped in it then couldn't get a solid footing...down it went)

 

[Honda2003]

Yeah i would suggest starting out with a 600, I road a 600 for 2years before i went to the RC51. I dont think that bike would be a good starter, it has so much torque that if he's not use to the bike power there's a good chance bad crap can happen!

 

[Lyte-]

yes the V Twins are very torquey and can catch a new rider off guard.

 

[b.miller123]

I say get something smaller and cheaper, because most people drop their first bike at some point in time, somehow, even if it's just a parking lot incident, it's still bad.

The first time he drops his cheap cbr 600 or whatever, he will really happy he didn't do it to a nicer bike that cost him much more money. The side fairings on the the red RC's are about $500 each and the front is about $350 (don't quote me it's pretty close) the tail is about $250, so one tip over can cost you well over $1000 especially if you get the tank (about $550). Add about $100 to each of those prices for the dealership's prices too. Oh, and the black fairings are about 15% cheaper for some reason.

Tell him to go out and get a kawasaki ninja 250, they are only about $3000 brand new, and they just redesigned them, so nobody will want the older body style, you could probably get one that's a few years old for under $2000 easy. Then he can learn on that, ride it for a year or whatever, and turn around and sell it without loosing too much money, if any. (He can pretty much do the same with any used 600 too, but it'll be a little more money, and closer in weight and power to the RC or any other bike bike)

 

[RawRR]

+1 on the Kawi 250. If hes not used to bikes in general, I'd advise steering clear of ANY heavier bike. I know a few people who dropped their bikes standing still, just because they werent prepared to catch it if it started to tip. Now imagine how much it gets amplified when youre MOVING!

250's are nothing to be ashamed of. Theyre a good bike to learn on, and theyre a blast to ride!

and btw i love how you assume that your buddy is going to be a squid lol. what are friends for, right?

 

[CBXJOHN]

I like 600's or 650's myself, I bought a used Honda Hawk GT for my wife, light, 413 lbs, plenty of power and torque for easy starts, AN IDEAL FIRST BIKE! If this can't be found, the Suzuki SV 650, the same deal, in a newer package.

John

 

[420sx]

An SV650 is a perfect starter to work up to an RC. Ninja 250's are pansy bikes, even for women or beginners. Theyre great for the first 6 months, but who wants to buy a bike only to sell it 6 months later? My first bike was an SV650. I had it for a year and two months before I got my RC, and its a good thing i did. It was a perfect starter bike.

 

[BLACKTHUNDER51]

The SV 650 S would be a great machine. It would familiarize you with v-twin power. Use it as a tool to learn on, plus you will be able to sell it fast when your ready to move up to the rc. The resale is excellent on sv's:However you may decide to keep it, as your skill level increases there are mad performance parts for the sv.and dont forget you can enjoy that sweet v twin sound the whole time!

 

[PiasanoRacer]

As much as I would like to think my blood runs Honda Red, I've got ad my two cents for the SV650. GREAT BIKE. After getting one chances are very good you'll keep it...

 

[jams002]

i don't have an new bike for now,



___________________
Great thing to know about busby seo test.

 

[SubSailor]

I say get something smaller and cheaper, because most people drop their first bike at some point in time, somehow, even if it's just a parking lot incident, it's still bad.

The first time he drops his cheap cbr 600 or whatever, he will really happy he didn't do it to a nicer bike that cost him much more money. The side fairings on the the red RC's are about $500 each and the front is about $350 (don't quote me it's pretty close) the tail is about $250, so one tip over can cost you well over $1000 especially if you get the tank (about $550). Add about $100 to each of those prices for the dealership's prices too. Oh, and the black fairings are about 15% cheaper for some reason.

Pretty close. The lower cowls are $463 each, the rear cowl is $354, and upper cowl is $365, the tank is $654.
I had to buy all but the tank and it was quite a bill, more if you include misc fasteners.
So a tip over can ruin your day.

Better to learn on something light, nimble, and less powerful and then ratchet up as your skill level increases.
I'm sure everyone's seen where some kid buys a GSXR-1000 as his first bike and promptly trashes it (and himself) out in a week. They're all over the Internet.

Too much power, too little brain.

 

[PiasanoRacer]

I already mentioned this in a previous post, but it bears repeating. A good friend of mine who rides track days with me owns an '07 CBR1000 that had 38 (not a typo...38) miles on it when he bought it with a salvage title. Some dumb kid tried to impress his friends (Redneck famous last words: "Hey, watch this!") and wipe out good. The bike has been repaired, refitted and is now an exceptional track bike, but that's not the point...Some folks just don't need to own what are essentially de-tuned racing bikes.

 

[SubSailor]

Yeah it makes me wonder who buys these bikes for these kids.
Especially the liter-bikes.

Must be daddy's money 'cause I've had to buy every bike (and car) I've ever owned. And they haven't gotten any cheaper or easier to pay for.

Whether the bike runs or not, those payments still arrive every month.
I simply can't afford to trash my bikes out.