What used sportbike would you recommend a newb.?

[mikeesik]

Hello.
I do love to drive.
I've been looking for cars that fit my budget.-not much!
Going through an eight year divorce, custody issues and a really awful carcrash has put a damper on a type of vehicle I would like to purchase.
I thought by now while the house all paid off and sold and there is a business in question, that all monies that are in the Law Societies Trust Account I would be driving almost anything I wished for.
Uhm no...damn.
Divorce can be a life altering experience.
Anyway. I love Machinery and I am intuative with most of it. I am a manual Machinist and play the machines like Mozart on a piano.
I am this way driving as well.
I have always admired the two wheeled machines.
I've thought and thought about this for over a year... I want t make the Macho jump to a Motorcycle.
I used to be scared of getting killed but I'm not so afraid now.
Ive had a couple of bikes as a nose picker. That is all my experience.
I can afford a bike but all I know is to not get over my head.
Lots of bikes with scratches and some have been dropped. It doesnt bother me in the least with the scar marks.
Anyway, what should a novice like myself look for?
AND IM AM SORRY FOR THE MISSPELLINGS AND SCREWED UP SENTENCES.
I am using a tablet and I abhore it.
My lap is down...possibly forever.

[dlockhart]

A Suzuki SV650 can take you from newbie street rider to expert club racer and do it cheaply.

[cstreit]

Something you dont mind when you drop it. 500-600 cc Jap bike.

Other than that, get what you want, you could use the diversion.

[Rick Lee]

Just got a BMW K1200R yesterday. It's not a beginner's bike. Sheesh, I need to calm down on this thing.

[Bill Douglas]

A Honda 125 is an excellent bike.

Those other bikes are just ordinary old dangerous unless you have done your time on lesser bikes.

[porsche4life]

Just got a BMW K1200R yesterday. It's not a beginner's bike. Sheesh, I need to calm down on this thing.

Post pics!!!!! And did you sell your other bimmer?

[winders]

I would start out on a Kawasaki EX-500.......

Scott

[Steve Carlton]

My best advice is try not to start at all. Second best advice is also the SV650. An older one, more upright without the full fairing if your ego can deal with the lack of racer looks.

[diverdan]

Beginner, racer wanna be, useable anywhere.......SV650. Great for learning all the way up to very hot laps on the tracks. You'll learn more with this smaller bike than with anything its size or bigger. Not just for girls, but works well them and even smaller than average riders up to oversized. Oh, buy Keith Code's books.

Diverdan

[sc_rufctr]

Nothing over 250cc!

[fintstone]

Like others said...start with an older, smaller, bike (not a sports bike). I learned on a Kawasaki 440. It was big enough that it didn't beat you to death on the highway, but small enough to horse around a bit until you get good with balancing something heavy. If you can wrench a little, you can get one in this range cheap and you will not go broke when you trade up.

[matt711]

250 Ninja

[froggert]

sv650, small ninja or, while not a sportbike, a motard.

[BReif61]

While I agree with the SV650 suggestions, I will add to it with my own experience.

After I took the MSF course, I bought a Honda CBR600 F4i. It is a step down from the squidtastic 600RR. Plenty of tractable power but not so much that you get in trouble. Comfortable and stable.

My thought on the 250cc vs larger bike argument: IMO, it is better to have the power at your disposal when you need it as opposed to wheezing out 65mph on the highway. Just how much power you have is always right there in your wrist. The bike will only go as fast as YOU let it.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Post pics!!!!! And did you sell your other bimmer?

Yes, traded in the GS. Total hooligan bike, this thing.

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by matt711

250 Ninja

+1

Ninja 250 is great on gas, looks like a larger bike and is easy to ride. Weight of the bike and seat height are important to a newbie. Larger bikes can be top heavy and if you are not comfortable, over you go. Seat height on a 250 Ninja (or the 300) is also a plus if you are under 5'10. The Ninja 300 is around just under five bills new.

Once you get used to riding then switch up to a larger bike if you like.

Take a safety course also.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

My best advice is try not to start at all.

This. Considering everything going on, hopping on a sport bike isn't a very good idea imho. Buy a mountain bike instead and go pedal in the hills.

[andyt11]

I'd have to say don't as well. Too easy to get killed as a beginner. But it is fun, and as with everything in life you have to weigh the pros with the cons.

I'd shoot for something more tourer than sporty. Any 400 or 500cc bike will offer crazy performance in comparison to a car. Certainly enough to have some fun. A more upright seating position will help you stay sensible.

[Don Ro]

"Ive had a couple of bikes as a nose picker."
~~~~~~~~~~~
No idea what this means.
.
No matter what bike you buy:
.
1. Enroll in a safety course.
.
2. Learn to stop...vital! That is, find an empty parking lot on a Sunday, and work your way up in speed...(finally hitting at least 40 mph) then hit the front brake as if your life depended on it. You'll know when you got the knack at speed when your rear wheel lifts off the surface.
.
Good luck and ride wisely.

[manbridge 74]

Two kinds of riders... those who've been down and those who're going down.

So get a dirt bike to learn limits easier. For example, what it feels like to lock the front wheel momentarily or weighting the outside peg in a slippery corner so bike slides with you, not out from underneath you. Also easier to learn counter steering, balance, smoothness and countless other things.

Your chances of survival depend a lot upon anticipation of what happens next because there probably won't be a next time.