Is the Triple to huge for a noob?

[tbone16]

I am not to familar with the Trip, and have been looking for a bonneville, which fits me a little better. Here latly, I have taken a liking to the Trip, however it looks a little big for a beginer like me. My only motrcycle expierance is on dirtbikes and the MSF 250 motorcycles. Any input greatly apreciated, thanks for dealing with a noob!

[Captain_Rat]

TBone16,

You are going to get a different answer form everybody here. Your question is asked about once every month or two. Do some searches in the forum and you will find all of the opinions.

In the end, nobody can answer the question but you. It all depends upon how much self-restraint you have and your commitment to learn how to properly ride a bike like this.

My $0.02.

Capt..

[kuhlka]

My girlfriend is learning on the SV1000, but then again, she's VERY aware of her own mortality and doesn't push ith with the throttle. I would say the S3 would be an awesome bike to learn on, but you are going to need some SERIOUS self restraint to keep the front wheel on the ground, go the speed limit, and learn proper throttle control.

If you get the S3;

-Make sure the ride height enables you to firmly plant your feet on the ground, not just the balls of your feet. Lowering a bike decreases ground clearance and thereby your maximum lean angle when in turns. Get it done by a professional if you need to lower the bike for your height. If you're 6', you'll have no problems. I'm 5'8 and the 05 puts me up onto my toes, unlike my 03.

-Take the MSF new rider course. It can give a discount to insurance if you've got the right company and they'll teach you just about everything you'll need to know to survive on the road when starting out and you'll even get your endorsement for completing the course.

-Ride your ass off. Find a large, generally empty, parking lot and ride the lines, do tight circles until you can touch the handlebars to the tank or steering locks, and practice slower riding in the rain. This bike handles really well in the rain and every good rider should know how handling and traction change when the sky starts pissing on your day.


Good choice looking at the S3 as your first bike. It is one of the most maneuverable 900+cc bikes out there and is comfortable to boot (at least from my POV). If you keep your wits and don't try to be a hooligan stunt rider from the get-go, you should stay alive on the road. Practice, practice, practice is the best advice I can give you. Take as many instruction courses as you can find. That, and learn at least some basic motorcycle mechanics (if you're not a mech already) work so if anything should ever go wrong with your bike, you'll at least know what and not get taken at the dealer for maintenance/repair work.

The S3 will go 0-60 in 3 secs. That kind of power can easily kill you if MANY different kinds of situations. Hell, most 600cc bikes are still dangerous and we had 2 guys here in Toledo get themselves killed after only riding a few days because they wanted to go fast and ride like jackasses. Keep your head, stay relaxed but watchful, and respect your fellow drivers on the road and you'll have an AWESOME time riding this bike.

[Lono]

The S3 is a very serious machine and definitly not a beginner bike... here's what I tell all the folks I meet that are interested in riding on the street....

Take the MSF, then take 1000.00ish bucks and buy a late 70's, early 80's street bike, ala yamaha xs400, honda 650 nighthawk, yamaha SR500, etc. and ride that for 6 months to a year before you even think about buying any kind of new bike. Why so old you ask? 'Cause you're going to drop it, and maybe crash it, and it won't sting so bad on an old bike. I just dropped almost 13k on my new S3 and I'd hate to think of laying the abuse on it that I layed on my 1980 xs400 back in 1993. Check craigslist.org for your city for food deals on older bikes. Best to get all your screw-ups due to inexperience out of the way on an old bike before you invest serious coin...

[Diego]

If the Bonneville physically fits you better, then a bike as tall as the Speed Triple is not a good one to learn on.

It's not huge by my standards...I also ride a Tiger...but until you are thoroughly at home on two wheels (and by this, I mean considerably more than a few thousand miles) then it's just not smart to own a bike which poses any kind of physical challenge for you.

Why? Just to look at one very basic example: as a beginner you're going to be tempted to put your foot down for support in awkward low-speed situations. You shouldn't, but it will happen instinctively for quite some time. If you don't get adequate footing when you do, because of the bike being too tall, you and it will go down.

This brings me to my second point, which applies to a beginner buying any brand-new bike, not just the S3: it's best to figure you ARE going to drop it at some point before you learn all the things not to do. Do you want to drop a brand new $10,000 bike, or something considerably less expensive?

Third, one word: insurance. Underwriters will (rightly) charge a beginner a LOT more for a performance bike than a standard.

A good argument can often be made for not having a high performance machine as your first bike anyway, but if you're sensible and have a very strong self-preservation urge helping you to resist temptation, I don't have as many qualms about the S3 as I would some others. Yes, it can get you into trouble very fast if you play the fool with it, but it's an extraordinarily well mannered motorcycle. It won't go too fast unless <u>you</u> tell it to; and even though the steering is very nimble, it's not as touchy as one might expect from appearances. I can think of far worse first bikes from the performance standpoint...but it's still going to cost you for insurance in any case.

So, you really should base your decision on [1] whether the machine fits you well physically (I can't stress this enough for a first bike--you need as few physical distractions as possible while learning); and [2] how you will feel if/when you drop it; and [3] whether you are comfortable with the insurance premiums.

The Triple is likely to be around for a very long time, so it'll be ready and waiting if you still want one after getting to feel thoroughly at home on two wheels.

[TRISPEED]

Think with your head and go easy and smooth with the wrist and you will be ok.

[joeygloor]

I put payment on my 2003 speed triple before I had ever ridden any bike, including the S3. I took the MSF course, got my license, and my first time on a bike above 250 cc's was when I put the first mile on my newly delivered S3. I thought it was SO easy to ride, totally comfortable. I wasn't worried, I figured "even a lamborghini can go slow and controlled as long as you're light on the throttle" Take it easy on the right hand and you'll be fine.

[crudmop]

This is always a tough question, as it is completely subjective to the rider.

**EDIT** Diego, well put! Couldn't have said it better myself **

I think this is where the U.S. licensing system fails us - that anyone with any skill level can purchase and ride a very high HP motorcycle without having any experience whatsoever.

To get the ugly part out of the way:
Is it a good idea for you to buy a $10k+ 1000cc motorcycle as your first bike? Absolutely not. Where the s3 isn't geared and tuned like an i4 counterpart, it's still a rediculously powerful bike that can bite you in the ass very quickly if you aren't prepared for it. Would you suggest purchasing a zx9 as a first bike? Probably not - yet, a stock zx9 came in at a similar hp level. With the low-end torque of this bike, even slightly overstepping your bounds with the throttle in a corner could find the back tire breaking a bit - and this is when a novice rider can make a ton of mistakes (ones that wouldn't be made on a lower-power bike) that could end up ending a good day in a bad way. It takes time to learn the reactions and skills necessary to sucessfully pilot a motorycle. MSF course to start off, regardless of the bike, is a good idea. I would certainly not suggest making a jump like this without building up some of the necessary skills on a less powerful bike. I know that's not what you want to hear, but the question comes down to your safety - do you want to take that much of a risk, rather than waiting out a few seasons? Wouldn't you want to do things the right way? Pick up an old Hawk, or, sv650 (though an sv is still a powerful ride for a newb) - get your feet wet on something that can help you learn how to ride proficiently without the necessart throttle control skill you won't have for a while.

Now, the less uglies - first off, the s3 is non-fared, which is good - less plastic to replace. It turns very easily, is very easy to maneuver and is a lot of fun to ride. If you decide to get one, make sure you pick of some sliders - you'll drop the bike - we all have at one time or another, and it's better to spend the 80 bucks and be able to pick the bike up and keep going, rather than having to spend $$ on a new rearset and controls the first few times you have a slow speed getoff or stationary fall.

Could you pick up a new s3 and be ok? Yes, you COULD. Is it the smartest idea? No.

[ This message was edited by: crudmop on 2005-05-19 12:14 ]

[Zee]

Some useful advice above...

I passed my bike test last October, ordered my new S3 in November, hired an SV650 for two weeks in December and picked up the new bike March 31st. Went for two weeks holiday which was torture! (couldn't wait to get back...). Now have 1000 miles on it, first service was last week and I'm loving it. I have a looonnng way to go to becoming in any way proficient and plan on taking plenty of new rider courses very soon.

Yep, I did drop it once in an off-camber incident (outside my house!) and have a couple of minor scratches as a result. I think mostly because I'm 5'10" and my feet aren't quite flat on the floor. I found it not at all hard to pickup once I'd stopped cursing at the sky and laughing at myself (it's a law of the universe, new riders WILL drop bikes but I tried HARD not to).

Personally I think it's up to the individual (obviously). If you think you're responsible enough to handle the power, go for it. If it worries you, don't...

[jbt56]

My opinion is to not start on a Triple. I started on a Yamaha XS400, which lasted about 2 months :-D , during which I took the MSF beginner course. I felt very comfortable, and the Yam didn't run well, so I bought a new Thruxton. That bike lasted 6 months/3500 miles, at which point I made the mistake of riding the (yet to be mine) Triple. At that point. of course, I HAD to have the Trip, so out went the (unscratched) Thrux :-D :razz: :-D ! So far, over 1000 or so miles, I've floated the front tire once. With, as noted above, a LOT of self-control, the S3 is a very docile bike, but if you forget, it can and will bite back hard. BTW, if you've spent years on bicycles, I wouldn't worry excessively about dropping the bike at road speeds, but be very careful in parking lots, etc.! Motorcycles are very 'sluggish' at low speeds.
I hope my rambling helps.

[ This message was edited by: jbt56 on 2005-05-19 13:16 ]