First Bike - discuss...
Discussion
Hi all..
I'll be doing my Direct Access this summer, and quite like the look of the GSR600 as a potential first bike..
thing is, it has a mediocre review from MCN, but a few other reviews I've read seem very positive, praising things like ease of use, comfort & handling.. which all seem like good things to have on a first bike...
Anybody here got one? or have experience/opinions/info etc on them?
Other consideration is the '07 Hornet, but these are still quite expensive.. being ~£1000 more than an early GSR.
All input greatfully recieved!
thanks
Piers.
I'll be doing my Direct Access this summer, and quite like the look of the GSR600 as a potential first bike..
thing is, it has a mediocre review from MCN, but a few other reviews I've read seem very positive, praising things like ease of use, comfort & handling.. which all seem like good things to have on a first bike...
Anybody here got one? or have experience/opinions/info etc on them?
Other consideration is the '07 Hornet, but these are still quite expensive.. being ~£1000 more than an early GSR.
All input greatfully recieved!
thanks
Piers.
jon- said:
SV650 is also regarded as an excellent first bike.
I took my das on an SV650, and if I hadnt wanted a Ducati Monster it would have probably been my next choice, unfaired of course ..The SV was easy enough to take the test on but enough poke to be fun after.. It also had much better lock than my M695
. He's had to resort to a £200 riser kit to alleviate the problem. He commutes on it so does a fair mileage fwiw. Just for info etc.
And I've got an '03 Hornet as my first bike (passed my test a couple of weeks ago).
Brilliant bike, with plenty of power but very friendly and confidence inspiring. I don't think you'd go wrong with one and being a Honda, it'll last and last - plus be worth something when you come to part with it.
S
Brilliant bike, with plenty of power but very friendly and confidence inspiring. I don't think you'd go wrong with one and being a Honda, it'll last and last - plus be worth something when you come to part with it.
S
I was going to get a GSR600 when I passed my DAS in 06. But as they where only just out it was new or nothing. in the end I bought a fazer FZS 600 01 reg for less than half the new price of the GSr.
in the end I would try a few of the nornal first bikes and see what you feel comfortable on
in the end I would try a few of the nornal first bikes and see what you feel comfortable on
I'm in the same position, probably leaning toward a new ER6-F, great finance offers cheap to buy good allround bike to learn on and can have ABS to minimise rookie mistakes...
But i think the best advice has to be try before you buy which is no fun as we cant right now!!! And i know i will certainly be tempted to buy the first bike i sit on!!!
But i think the best advice has to be try before you buy which is no fun as we cant right now!!! And i know i will certainly be tempted to buy the first bike i sit on!!!
SV650s are utterly fantastic as 1st bike. I'm still getting to grips with it.
Get crash bungs if you have lowers fitted though. Some fantastic examples over at www.sv650.org, check the forums.
The pointy (new shape) can be quite wrist heavy, but I've done laaaaaaaarge mileages in a day and not had any problems.
Get crash bungs if you have lowers fitted though. Some fantastic examples over at www.sv650.org, check the forums.
The pointy (new shape) can be quite wrist heavy, but I've done laaaaaaaarge mileages in a day and not had any problems.
that's all very well.. and I'm sure the experienced riders on here may get a bit tired of the 'what bike' questions, but sensible as that thread is, it doesn't actually say anything about any bikes...
some of the comments above however have been really useful (riser kits, the ER6 which I hadn't even thought of, the SV etc etc)....
thanks to everybody above, and don't be afraid to keep 'em coming.. they're much appreciated!
some of the comments above however have been really useful (riser kits, the ER6 which I hadn't even thought of, the SV etc etc)....
thanks to everybody above, and don't be afraid to keep 'em coming.. they're much appreciated!
My advice is get what ever bike you want.
I bought a thundercat after I passed my test as I kept reading how much of a good all rounder it was etc. etc.
Spent a load on it before realising it wasn't quite the ticket and bought a new R6. Should've just bought what I wanted in the first place.
If you fancy a gixer thou, get one (insurance permitting of course) It'll only go as fast as you tell it to.
One of the first rides after passing my test was on a 2000 Hayabusa, I was s
tting it but soon realised its only a machine that will do exactly what you tell it.
I bought a thundercat after I passed my test as I kept reading how much of a good all rounder it was etc. etc.
Spent a load on it before realising it wasn't quite the ticket and bought a new R6. Should've just bought what I wanted in the first place.
If you fancy a gixer thou, get one (insurance permitting of course) It'll only go as fast as you tell it to.
One of the first rides after passing my test was on a 2000 Hayabusa, I was s
tting it but soon realised its only a machine that will do exactly what you tell it.f1nn said:
One of the first rides after passing my test was on a 2000 Hayabusa, I was stting it but soon realised its only a machine that will do exactly what you tell it.
Very true, but there are many dead bikers who told machines to do more than they themselves where capable of. If you have the self restraint to learn as you go buy any bike you want, if you are likely to push it to the limit i'd suggest something that is not likely to highside you because you get in the wrong gear too much lean and too much wrist.. but at the end of the day it is your choice. FWIW i'd agree that the SV650 or the Hornet are great starter bikes. Whatever you choose just repsect the power and be safe. tting it but soon realised its only a machine that will do exactly what you tell it.
Thats the point I was trying to make, as long as you respect the bike and ride within YOUR capabilities, the sky's the limit as far a bike choice is concerned.
If you were to start off with something like a bandit now, then get into it and decide you want a gixer 600 in a years time, then a 750 in another 6 months, then you get cocky and want a thou a year later, you'll probably end up losing a fair chunk of cash in a relitively short space of time.
Exagerated example I know, but just trying to give a different viewpoint.
If you were to start off with something like a bandit now, then get into it and decide you want a gixer 600 in a years time, then a 750 in another 6 months, then you get cocky and want a thou a year later, you'll probably end up losing a fair chunk of cash in a relitively short space of time.
Exagerated example I know, but just trying to give a different viewpoint.
All good points...
I'm less bothered about the power, more about general usability for a noob.
Is it progressive in it's handling, smooth in it's fueling, easy to push around the garage, confidence inspiring riding position, that kind of thing..
For example I've heard R6's might not be a good idea as a first bike, as they're more likely to bite.. like the bike equivalent of a Clio V6 - great in experienced hands, but tricky and somewhat unforgiving in inexperienced hands..
I'm less bothered about the power, more about general usability for a noob.
Is it progressive in it's handling, smooth in it's fueling, easy to push around the garage, confidence inspiring riding position, that kind of thing..
For example I've heard R6's might not be a good idea as a first bike, as they're more likely to bite.. like the bike equivalent of a Clio V6 - great in experienced hands, but tricky and somewhat unforgiving in inexperienced hands..
I fully understand that, as a new biker, you are a little tentative as to which bike to buy. While the vast majority of advice on here is very good (better than a lot of other forums) there is one very key point that you have to consider. We’re all different! (…. And can the ‘Life of Brian’ fans like myself please not respond to that with ‘I’m not’!)
Magazine tests are good to read but should always be taken with a ‘pinch of salt’. The testers get given free new bikes every month to thrash around on expense accounts. Their not really interested in what a bike is like to live with and they know that more magazines sell if reports cover how fast/quick the bike is rather than how good it is to ride to work and then collect some shopping on the way home, yet that is how most bike miles are clocked up. Magazines also have to get advertising business from the manufacturers and it doesn’t take much for the manufacturer to say ‘if you want us to continue to purchase those pages of advertising each month then you’ll give our bikes a good review’!
While it’s good to know things like someone’s requirement for bar risers on and SV650S, it is likely to be an issue specific to them as very few SV650’s are fitted with bar risers so either most riders just live with excruciating pain or it’s not a general problem! What is ‘light and easy’ to move around for some people can be heavy and cumbersome for others. Do Gold Wing owners never have to wheel their bikes around the garage/car park or is it that they find the extra weight/size of the bike is not so bad?
It really is difficult these days to buy a ‘bad bike’. Very few bikes are so single purpose that they need to be avoided unless you want that specific purpose. Many beginners have started directly on some seriously big/quick/large capacity bikes and loved them and yet other will say that you should always start small and work up. You need to get out and try as many different bikes as you can. Try lots of different styles, makes, engine configurations, engine capacities etc. and find what works for you.
Magazine tests are good to read but should always be taken with a ‘pinch of salt’. The testers get given free new bikes every month to thrash around on expense accounts. Their not really interested in what a bike is like to live with and they know that more magazines sell if reports cover how fast/quick the bike is rather than how good it is to ride to work and then collect some shopping on the way home, yet that is how most bike miles are clocked up. Magazines also have to get advertising business from the manufacturers and it doesn’t take much for the manufacturer to say ‘if you want us to continue to purchase those pages of advertising each month then you’ll give our bikes a good review’!
While it’s good to know things like someone’s requirement for bar risers on and SV650S, it is likely to be an issue specific to them as very few SV650’s are fitted with bar risers so either most riders just live with excruciating pain or it’s not a general problem! What is ‘light and easy’ to move around for some people can be heavy and cumbersome for others. Do Gold Wing owners never have to wheel their bikes around the garage/car park or is it that they find the extra weight/size of the bike is not so bad?
It really is difficult these days to buy a ‘bad bike’. Very few bikes are so single purpose that they need to be avoided unless you want that specific purpose. Many beginners have started directly on some seriously big/quick/large capacity bikes and loved them and yet other will say that you should always start small and work up. You need to get out and try as many different bikes as you can. Try lots of different styles, makes, engine configurations, engine capacities etc. and find what works for you.
One of the guys who writes for RiDE I think it is used to post on one of our forums, he absolutely loved the demo GSR600 he got.
Kawasaki ER6n is also an incredibly awesome bike, I think they race them.
Why not try a 500? The ER-5 I rode on my DAS was great fun! Crap handling, but that's part of the fun!
I rode an SV for about 30 odd miles, and it hurt like hell, the engine felt a bit peaky and crap for a twin as well. Fantastic handling, but it's a commuter bike pretending to be a sports bike. IMO, they're really overrated.
FZ6n is nice, fantastic riding position, retuned R6 engine, I bet that's a right hoot
If you like the GSR, get the GSR, there's not many about and they look the part.
T
Kawasaki ER6n is also an incredibly awesome bike, I think they race them.
Why not try a 500? The ER-5 I rode on my DAS was great fun! Crap handling, but that's part of the fun!
I rode an SV for about 30 odd miles, and it hurt like hell, the engine felt a bit peaky and crap for a twin as well. Fantastic handling, but it's a commuter bike pretending to be a sports bike. IMO, they're really overrated.
FZ6n is nice, fantastic riding position, retuned R6 engine, I bet that's a right hoot
If you like the GSR, get the GSR, there's not many about and they look the part.
T
Edited by camgear on Wednesday 25th June 13:54
I had a SV650S Fully faired for my first bike and kept it for a year and 6 months, it was a brilliant bike and great for learning on and evening damn good on the track. I recommend you get one as its such a fun bike and an easy to use one at that. They are more than quick enough for a first time rider and will still get you to 130mph and 60 in under 4 seconds.
An SS600 is a completely different kettle of fish and devastatingly quick in the right rev range, much much less user friendly and much much less forgiving.
Getting an easy to ride bike like an sv will get you quick in corners as a new rider as is fun using all the gears and really ragging it.
Getting an SS600 as a first bike will more than likely scare the st out of you the first time you rev it to 16000rpm, as a learner you will probably go way to fast into a corner panic, break and hit a car head on when the bike stands up, or you will be lucky and loose a cats life....which will st you up to the point you become a straight line hero who does 150+ on the straights and goes snails pace around the corners.
Get a bike like the SV to learn the basics on before jumping on an SS bike, once you know the traits of a bike and your running rings around the straight line heros on SS600's and SS1000's in corners then its time to get something else.
All my own opinion through personal experience and seeing other peoples/friends mistake including two that are sadly no longer with us.
An SS600 is a completely different kettle of fish and devastatingly quick in the right rev range, much much less user friendly and much much less forgiving.
Getting an easy to ride bike like an sv will get you quick in corners as a new rider as is fun using all the gears and really ragging it.
Getting an SS600 as a first bike will more than likely scare the s
t out of you the first time you rev it to 16000rpm, as a learner you will probably go way to fast into a corner panic, break and hit a car head on when the bike stands up, or you will be lucky and loose a cats life....which will st you up to the point you become a straight line hero who does 150+ on the straights and goes snails pace around the corners.Get a bike like the SV to learn the basics on before jumping on an SS bike, once you know the traits of a bike and your running rings around the straight line heros on SS600's and SS1000's in corners then its time to get something else.
All my own opinion through personal experience and seeing other peoples/friends mistake including two that are sadly no longer with us.
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