Triumphrat

Reece Man · 08-18-2009, 06:20 PM

I did a quick search before even signing up but couldn't find anything so I made an account. I'm eighteen years old and I'm thinking about getting a bike. I've spoken with many different people who have ridden and owned different bikes and asked their opinions and I'm getting very mixed views. Some seem to think (including the dealership I visited) that I need to start out on a 250 and others think I would get bored with that after a week and want something bigger.

My question to you guys who have ridden this particular bike is what do you think of it as a first bike? I haven't done much motorcycle riding but I ride ATV's and I am a downhill skateboarder so I know about riding with traffic at 50+ miles an hour while being hardly visible.

I am responsible and know not to push myself beyond my limits and I know where my limits are but I really don't know anything about riding motorcycles so I'm coming to the experts. The reason I chose this bike is because I figure the weight and narrow frame will allow me to handle and maneuver better which would be a benefit for learning. I also remember reading that some people can get up to eighty miles per gallon on them which would be welcome to take some stress off of my wallet from the sixteen mile per gallon truck.

I plan on taking my MSF class very shortly and riding my roommates 250 around for a month or so before the weather gets rainy and stays that way until spring (Portland, OR) and I would be getting the bike then. If you have any input I would appreciate if you would share it. I know I can restrain myself from going too fast but I don't know if the bike itself is just too much or too technical for me to handle. Thanks a lot

Reece

P.S. Don't tell my mom I'm getting a bike :P

Catenaccio · 08-18-2009, 09:10 PM

A little personal bike history then the punch line...

Road Bikes

Honda Trail 90
Honda XL175 Motosport
Honda CL350 Scrambler
Honda Silverwing

Kids

Triumph Speed Triple
Triumph Speed Four
Piaggio MP3
Honda CBR1100XX

Take the MSF basic course first. Start small and work up.

TripleThreat · 08-18-2009, 09:10 PM

Reece,

Do not purchase a Daytona 675, or any other 600 cc Supersport for that matter, for your first bike. These things are razor sharp race replica bikes that are not forgiving at all. The horsepower will bite you and so will the handling.

You need to start on a 250 and learn to ride it well. Keep it for at least a year and do some track days on it in addition to taking the MSF course. You'll be able to purchase a used 250, ride it for a year, drop it a few times while learning (it will happen) and still sell it for basically what you paid for it.

The bikes are purpose built track weapons, not a learner bike.

Assuming you are actually 18, and not a troll trying to get a rise out of the membership here, I hope you take and follow this advice in the spirit it is intended.

Having ridden motorcycles since the age of 8, that's 35 years, I've seen countless young kids purchase a bike that is too powerful and end up getting scared, hurt or even killed because they were not able to handle the horsepower and/or restrain themselves from showing off in front of their friends.

I certainly hope that you end up with a 675, they are wonderful bikes, but I hope that you wait until you have mastered a 250 on the street and on the track before you even consider purchasing one.

TripleThreat

Reece Man · 08-18-2009, 09:16 PM

I'm certainly not a troll and I didn't know this was such a touchy subject that a troll would bother with it. Thanks for the advice though, I will deeply consider it.

Coroja · 08-18-2009, 09:46 PM

Reece Man,

I started riding a little younger than you are on a Yamaha 100 twin and it took me years to work my way up to a big bike (Norton Commando). I think starting out smaller is generally a safer way to go, but a 250 may be too small to really provide transportation in a major city like Portland. There are entry-level 500cc and 600cc bikes (e.g. Suzuki's SV650, Yamaha's FZ6, etc.) that are not as track-focused as the 600's that get all the pages in the magazines. I would look around for a decently-maintained, but not necessarily cosmetically perfect, used bike in that category and plan to ride it for at least a year. You may find that in Portland (like London) it makes sense to have a "beater" bike for those days that you don't want to expose your "good" bike to rain, salt, mud, etc.

However regardless of the size bike you eventually get, the only thing that will keep you relatively safe is your own ability to stay within your limits. That can be hard at any age, but harder when you are young because you haven't attended the number of friend's funerals that I have.

Just my $0.02, good luck!

TripleThreat · 08-18-2009, 09:46 PM

Reece,

A supersport bike is one of the quickest types of motor vehicles available. Climbing on one should not be done without a lot of experience.

New motorcycle riders will have accidents. It's not a matter of if, simply a matter of when. Why buy a $10,000 bike that you will inevitably lay on the ground during the learning process. Even a used one at $5000 or $6000 is not a wise investment as a learning tool.

Given the fact that you are new to motorcycles and new to motorcycling forums, you wouldn't be familiar with the massive quantities of questions that exist about buying a supersport class bike as the first bike by new riders. That is the reason for the question about whether or not you are a troll. Countless forums get this type of question and the response from seasoned riders is always the same - Don't do it...

It has turned into a game of baiting by some to elicit the passionate responses that this type of question usually generates.

You will find, however, that TriumphRAT.net members are typically a more civilized group and usually don't take any pleasure in "bashing" noobs who ask this question.

Please don't take any of this as a personal attack on you, it certainly isn't intended that way at all. I genuinely hope that you do end up with a 675 at some point down the road, after you have acquired some riding skills on a more forgiving bike.

I'd hate to see a perfectly good 675 get wadded up for no reason and I'd certainly hate it even worse if you got yourself hurt.

TripleThreat

BRich · 08-18-2009, 10:29 PM

Reece,

I am 21 yrs old and bought a Street Triple 675 as a first bike. I would say you should reach certain criteria before you decide, do A) have somewhat good balance? B) Are you strong enough to lift a 400 lb bike fairly easily? C) are you tall enough to be flat footed on the bike?

You must have good balance because you skateboard, and I can't drop into a half pipe for the life of me. You will have to decide for the other two. I believe the Street Triple is a little harder to ride compared to the daytona, but I've only ridden the Tona once. The Street has more low end grunt and a jerky throttle and will stand straight up if you take off too fast.

If you have common sense and the patience to take it easy I think you will do just fine.

That's the $0.02 of a person who was once in your shoes.

Reece Man · 08-19-2009, 03:22 AM

Thanks a lot for the information guys. Sorry to ask a question that is asked a lot, I only did a quick search. I'm a regular on a couple longboarding forums and the noobies get bashed pretty hard for asking the same questions so often so thanks for taking it easy. This is all going into my consideration. I'm hoping that a couple of people will let me test ride different types of bikes in zero to low traffic areas so I can get a feel for what I can handle. And if all goes as planned I'll be on a bike by next spring! Which one I'll be on is all up in the air though haha. I do appreciate the advice and if anyone else has anything else to kick in I'll add that to my stock of information.

Brooksie · 08-19-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reece Man

I did a quick search before even signing up but couldn't find anything so I made an account. I'm eighteen years old and I'm thinking about getting a bike. I've spoken with many different people who have ridden and owned different bikes and asked their opinions and I'm getting very mixed views. Some seem to think (including the dealership I visited) that I need to start out on a 250 and others think I would get bored with that after a week and want something bigger.

My question to you guys who have ridden this particular bike is what do you think of it as a first bike? I haven't done much motorcycle riding but I ride ATV's and I am a downhill skateboarder so I know about riding with traffic at 50+ miles an hour while being hardly visible.

I am responsible and know not to push myself beyond my limits and I know where my limits are but I really don't know anything about riding motorcycles so I'm coming to the experts. The reason I chose this bike is because I figure the weight and narrow frame will allow me to handle and maneuver better which would be a benefit for learning. I also remember reading that some people can get up to eighty miles per gallon on them which would be welcome to take some stress off of my wallet from the sixteen mile per gallon truck.

I plan on taking my MSF class very shortly and riding my roommates 250 around for a month or so before the weather gets rainy and stays that way until spring (Portland, OR) and I would be getting the bike then. If you have any input I would appreciate if you would share it. I know I can restrain myself from going too fast but I don't know if the bike itself is just too much or too technical for me to handle. Thanks a lot

Reece

P.S. Don't tell my mom I'm getting a bike :P

Good advise here from the members. Unfortunately, here in the US there are precious few bikes imported that I would consider if I were in your shoes. In other parts of the world, motorcycle license requirements are based largely on experience, training and engine size. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, there are also growing restrictions against motorcyles in general that the US hasn't been a part of yet. You will want a bike that is not an underpowered cruiser clone or you would not be considering a sport bike. There are three bikes I would suggest to you: Suzuki SV650, Ninja 250 or Triumph Bonneville. Buy one that is a few years old and ride it for 10,000 miles. Then look to power up to the +100 hp range. The more powerful bikes do not forgive a split second of poor decision making or execution. Get a bike, by all means, but don't be another squid-tistic.

jklnhd · 08-19-2009, 02:25 PM

You see, everyone is responsible. What varies is your level of responsibility, and what you're responsible for.
Long story short, you can hurt and/or kill yourself on a bicycle.

In an ideal world, you'd be able to pick up an RS125 or something similar. Here in the real world, a steaming pile of self-righteous would-be do-gooders cruising around in a parade of Suburbans and private jets decided the smokers pollute too much and you can't buy them in the U.S. anymore. Meanwhile Mercury outboards builds a 2-stroke that RUNS CLEANER than competing 4-strokes, but thats off topic.
So my suggestion; GS500. The EX250 is a good bike, whatever. The GS feels like a full size bike and theres less risk of being "too big for this ride," particularly if you ever have a passenger (learn to ride solo first, seriously). Aesthetically, they're about even, same goes for reliability.
If you want to spend more, the SV is a good choice, but you can still get in over your head real easy (I could write a novel just on that). The 250R (new style) looks the business, feels bigger, but I don't advise spending $4k on something you're not sure you'll keep for a few years.

Pointers for a GS or EX250: REMOVE THE CENTER STAND!!!!!!!!!!! Unlike dragging pegs, these things don't move. Don't mess with the carbs, or the pipes, and NO cone filters. When your talking about a $1500 bike, maybe even a $500 bike with an older model thats just like newer ones, why would you want to spend over $600 in parts to make it run like crap and still be slow?

EDIT: Just a thought, but where does the term "forgiving bike" come from? The Daytona's precision will pull off things and correct things that the SV would've folded on.