It's not ego. It's same as not being able to stay out of the boost, or take corners fast. Performance is addictive.

Stan

 

Try his sometime: Find a safe place, a nice open road with no traffic. Get moving about 30-40 mph and carefully take your left hand off the bars : push with your right hand - the bike will turn right; pull with your right hand - the bike will turn left.

 

cool dont know if it will work on my dirtbike since angles arent as extreme

funny side note...i failed my DMV M permit when i was 19...riding on dirt since 5 lol...so now that im 21 i think i can just do the ride test and take over my dads street legal 2005 KTM 400 !

 

I wouldn't get a brand new bike as your first bike. The 08 ninja 250's look a lot nicer than the older generations, but it's still essentially the same bike. The most sensible thing to do would probably be to get a used 250, ride the snot out of it for about a year, and then sell it for pretty much what you paid.

For something you won't grow out of right away, the SV650 or Ninja 500/650 are a good way to go. They have more usable low end torque compared to the I4 600s which makes low speed maneuvers and getting around town much easier. You also don't have expensive fairings to worry about when learning. A low speed crash with a faired supersport can easily do a thousand or two dollars worth of damage. Some insurance companies will total a bike just because the cost to replace the fairings would be worth more than the bike.

Make sure to budget for some decent protective gear and insurance. As a new rider, your rates are going to be really high. Make sure to get some quotes before you lay down the money for the bike. You don't want to pay $4000 for a bike and then find out it's going to cost you $2000 to insure it.

 

As has been said before get what ever bike you feel comfortable with. I was orginally going to get a ninja 250 but then I got a used 02 F4i completely stock with only 1200 miles on it for $3500. I couldn't pass up that deal. Although the new ninja looks pretty sexy but I'm thinking of getting a scooter for putting around town.

Take the MSF course and then make sure you ride with your head up and always be aware of the cars around you and avoid taxi drivers in SF they are f-ing crazy!

Oh for insurance I would try searching BARF. Many people recommend State Farm. I have State Farm and for full coverage it's $25/month. Although I'm 26 so that might have something to do with it.

 

msf

 

Take MSF for sure. They will teach you things that you hadn't considered about riding and the stuff you learn is extremely helpful. And don't buy a brand new bike as your first. Insurance will be more expensive, it will be worse if you lay down something brand new, and what happens if you decide riding isn't for you?

+1 for State Farm. I insure 2 bikes with them for about $75 a month. Thats a 00 Bandit 600 and an 06 ZX-6R.

And get gear, good gear. Make sure you factor that into your budget. It will save you skin, literally. I went down really hard on the freeway. I suffered a broken arm, but nothing else thanks to my leathers. It was a case of not being seen by a carpool cheater when he decided he was done cheating. But i digress. At the very least, get a leather jacket, leather gloves, moto boots that go above the ankle, and a full face helmet. And please don't be one of those tools who rides around only wearing a back protector.

 

Very well put.

Even one of the 600cc supersports are way too fast for a beginner (ie. R6, GSXR600, CBR 600, ZX6R) It takes an expert to ride these bikes to thier potential even on a track. 130 hp, 350 lbs. 16,000rpms and 160 mph is way too fast for a noob. I've seen my fair share of accidents by noobs riding bikes way beyond thier means, I don't care how responsible they say they are. Check out a suzuki sv 650, it's a great beginner sportbike. V-twin with half the power of the supersport bikes.

 

0-60 in 3 seconds without windows, doors or airbags is a totally different story, besides name one 10 thousand dollar car that will run a 10 second quarter mile, stock.

 

was this a while ago? man havent seen you in a while, hope youre all good now

yeah, id ride either in the fast or slow lane shoulder line...if youre in the middle lane theres always someone passing on the opposite side that cant see you.

 

I think it's kinda funny seeing the guys on the liter bikes riding around wearing a wifebeater shirt. Sad, but funny.

 

It was in the beginning of June. I'm back to normal now, riding and driving again, except I have a plate and screws in my left arm

 

I like to call those guys idiots

 

I dunno what's worse, no shirt to show off your abs to all the other idiots who don't immedietly judge you as a moron, or a wifebeater shirt.

FWIW, I saw a guy when I was in Honalulu riding shirtless, without a helmet (no law in Hi.) while drifting around a corner downtown in the rain.

 

What I was saying is it would be impossible for me to ride a 600cc superbike without getting on it, it is designed for high performance. I am saying the same thing you are, superbikes for beginners are not safe.

Stan