Go to BARF or bayarearidersforum.com. It's the i-club of rider enthusiasts, (All japanese, rarely any harley kinda people on there). Kinda like more Subaru's here than Mustangs. (yes that more significant) and they are an active bunch, and there are bikes on sale on that forum all the time.

If you are getting a bike, get a used one first, the 250s range around 2500, and they sit about there, so the resale isn't bad either. Great bike to learn stuff on, there are 500s and the popular 600s too. Most of the sellers are legit (as comparison to most here) and are bike enthusiasts, so their bikes are usually taken care of. They answer a lot of questions.

The biggest differences here compared to there... is that if you wreck, the usual blame is yourself, and they will flame you for stupid wrecks and accidents. Especially when you the rider at ALL times should be riding defensive. There will always be douchebags in cars, but that's why you gotta be be ready for them to merge into your lane without seeing you, etc. So be prepared if you post up anything about wrecking a ride, they will flame you for sure. It's the forum culture there.

Over here it's all about "Oh nice, now you can get a new car from the insurance company" over there it's "You're lucky to be alive, and you're screwin' over our insurances, stop wrecking retard"

 

Thats what PCP told me lol! They said start off with small engine bikes.. Wow.. I did not know the difference between the big bikes and little ones until now! holy shat! I will most likely get a 600cc now.

 

Thanx for the advise man. I'm actually not a complete noob to bikes, about 5 years ago I worked for SecondLook, a sportbike outfitter shop located off greenback/auburn and got to ride some bikes a little bit. Its just been so long that I've pretty much forgotten everything, hell who knows: maybe once I start riding again it will all come back to me.
Thanx for the heads up.

 

If you wreck in a car, you are usually okay,
if you wreck on a bike, chances are you will get f'ed up.... thats a pretty big dif. too.

word of advice, it's only cool to wear a t-shirt and shorts on a bike until you go down...

trust us...when we say wear leathers even on a hot day!

 

lol...I hope you are joking Also insurance will be much cheaper on a 600. To be honest you will enjoy a 600 a lot more then a 1300cc bike being your first bike. Also there is a very good chance you will drop your first bike So pick up something used to learn on.

 

I'd say the MSF course is cheap insurance. You'll get a lot of good information that will help keep you safe.

And remember, all that shiny plastic is very expensive to replace.

 

Also, if you bring your MSF certificate to a Cycle Gear location they will give a discount on your first gear purchase. Remember to budget in the price of gear when you buy your bike. At the very least you will need: helmet, jacket (leather is best), gloves (leather), and boots that cover you ankles. A good pair of over-pants are a good idea or some leather pants that can attach to your jacket.

 

Even the 600s are crazy fast. Most of the 600 super-sports will do a quarter mile in the 10.2s range and 0-60 in < 2.7s.

Another thing to bear in mind is that naked bikes (no fairing) are less likely to get damaged by parking lot drops than fully faired sports bikes.

The usual list is:

Ninja 250
Ninja 500 ( EX-500 )
SV-650
SV-650S
Ninja 650R

Usually the recommended path is to buy a used, naked bike to learn on. Then, once you are more confident, move onto a newer/faster/whatever bike.

The worst thing to do is go out and buy a new, expensive litre+ bike. You will be terrified about dropping it because of the cost. And if you do drop it, you are going to be out lots of $$.


As everyone else says, the MSF course is great value - do it if you can.

 

Yes, a 600 is even a big step, you'll still hurt yourself and you WILL know when you make a mistake. I took the MSF, great place to learn, and you'll know a boat load more than just tryin' to ride on your own. Helmet, gloves, Over ankle shoes (boots, high ankle shoes), jacket and jeans. Don't ever do the shirt/shorts, cuz you will scrub/drop your first bike for sure and you'll get pissed when its something new. So start off easy.

 

This is America!! Get your license, or hell just ride without it. Then when you go to buy a bike, go find a nice used two or three year old Hayabusa with a turbo kit on it and just friggin wing it, you'll be okay. Plus if you do crash on a Hayabusa, you'll likely be going so fast that you'll part the molecules of whatever you hit and just go through it without a scratch.

 

I've got a gorgeous 99 Ducati 996 for sale, bigger pistons, lightened flywheel, balanced, knife edged crank, titanium valves, more carbon than on the new F22 Raptor, and guaranteed to kill you in four and a half seconds flat. Well let me know if you're interested.

 

Why is your insurance so high for the bike? I pay $27 a month for a new Yamaha R6. I've only been riding for a year to.

In my opinion, you probably shouldn't get a Hayabusa. Too big of a bike, and it's also the fastest bike out there. Will do 200+mph easy. It's also pretty pricey, and that might be why your insurance is high to.

You should get a 600 for a first bike. R6 is a great bike to learn on. I've had 4 of them

 

+1 for going on BARF. That's the spot to find good bikes and gain some valuable knowledge. Don't get a Busa as your first bike. You will hurt yourself.
There are some good deals on some 600's right now with riding season coming up. If you don't feel comfortable on a 600 then a ninja 250 is a cheap way to learn, but I had no problem learning on an 04 R6.

Seriously, you probably won't need anything bigger than a 600 unless you're a big guy.
A 600 can do 150+mph and will get you there in the blink of an eye. Plus you can always tune to.

Example: I have an 07 Yamaha R6r. It has an exhaust system and a dyno tune and smog plates. It puts 120hp to the rear wheel. 0-60 is under 3 second. 0=100 is probably less than 5 seconds. First gear goes to 70mph, second to 100, 3rd to 120, then I still have 3 more gears! I top out at 170mph...and I go through the gears fast.

Do you really want to see what 1300cc is gonna do when my 600cc does this ^?

 

did u happen to "find" a 'busa with the vin scratched off?

 

On a bench at college? Or so I've been told....