Choosing my FIRST motorcycle!

[09javcar]

Ok ok so I'm 17 years old and commute daily to college. It's 20-30 min drive everyday depending on the traffic. I've decided to get a bike because of all the cost and stuff. I spend like $50 a week on gas which for a college student is A LOT! I've been looking around and still can't decide on what bike I should get. I'm not looking for an overly aggressive bike. I just want one to get me to and from school and have some fun doing so. My top choices are: FZ6R, Ninja 650 or 250 (500 looks weird). Which one would be coolest. Also I'm second guessing the 250 because it sounds weak.  I might buy cash or get in financed with my dad as a co-singer. So let me know on your thoughts.

My stats:

5'9''-5'10''
About 190 lbs

Yup.

[TRaGiK]

IMO, a first bike should be 1) CHEAP, and 2) PAID FOR. Financing a first bike is stupid for several different reasons.

Mainly, 'cause you're likely to (at minimum) drop it and scratch it all to hell. On a pretty, new bike, you'll hate yourself for it.

[ksann]

I agree with tragic on this one.


Cheap, and not all plastic clad. Once you have 5k+ miles on it, move up to what you want. By then you will have a better idea of the type of riding that you like.




ken

[Snapping Twig]

Buy used, pay cash and don't go for a powerful uber bike for a first ride.

I've heard nothing but positive things about the Ninja 250. You can buy one cheap and when you want to turn it over, get what you paid for it.

I'm riding an older bike most wouldn't look at twice and after upgrading the suspension (cheap enough to do), it's a sleeper in the twisties, dependable and inexpensive to operate.

[09javcar]

I plan on going to Mexico and getting my biking experience there. My dad has a bike in Mexico and is going to let me ride it. And when I meant buy myself a new bike. I didn't literally mean NEW NEW I mean buying a used new bike. LOL But yeah..

[Echo3Niner]

Ninja 250 is really powerful enough for you first bike; it is what I'm starting my daughter on.  Also, take an MSF beginners course, you'll learn a lot, and be a MUCH better and safer rider.

[UHOH]

welcome

"...and not all plastic clad."
yes, without the plastic fairing you'll learn to work on the bike easier,
which is fun and confidence building for those future out-of-town rides that will crop up.

I plan on going to Mexico and getting my biking experience there.
My dad has a bike in Mexico and is going to let me ride it.

100% rely on you and your Dad's discussions on bike choice.
and congrats on having a Dad who supports your riding.

$.02 - avoid bikes with 4 cylinder inline motors, for the first bike or two.
They seem to get new riders in trouble (bad crashes) more than twins

[phoenix]

where do you live? Could you really ride 12 months out of the year?

Regarding it being cheaper than a car -
well, in most cases, not necessarily. Tires do not wear as well as car tires, and they are not as inexpensive as you would think. Insurance won't be cheap, although I don't know how it would be if you are a dependant.

Whatever you decide, good luck and stay in school!  

[Zerosum]

where do you live? Could you really ride 12 months out of the year?

Regarding it being cheaper than a car -
well, in most cases, not necessarily. Tires do not wear as well as car tires, and they are not as inexpensive as you would think. Insurance won't be cheap, although I don't know how it would be if you are a dependant.

Whatever you decide, good luck and stay in school!  

   +1.  By the time you take all of the incedentals into account, you're not coming out far ahead at all.  Tires ain't cheap.  And for your age, insurance won't be either.  To make it work, you need to get crazy good milage.  So, get a Ninja 250.  You can pick up a clean one for around $1500.  The bike barely changed between 1989 and 2007.  Tell the ladies it's a crotch rocket, they won't know the difference.  

Also, get a luggage rack for whatever bike you get.  If you're commuting to school on it, you'll be glad to have it.  It's safer and less hassle than trying to secure things to the rear seat.

[09javcar]

I live in Kansas so riding season is from about March to October. I'll be heading off to Mexico in the winter holidays and Will get experience there. My dad said he say bikes in Mexico for 1/2 the price one would find them here. So IDK. I believe him. LOL But yeah. Commute is pretty harsh in my area. I'll be wearing a book-bag and stuff. Hopefully everything goes as planned. Mexico is crazy, so I'll be forced to become a good driver fast. TRUST ME! lol  

[Marcster]

I'd also recommend not financing a first bike.  There's just so many things that can go wrong...  And you can lay it down so easily, it just takes a split-second.

I'd also echo others who have said that a bike is not necessarily cheaper than a car.  Others have mentioned tires, but good gear isn't cheap, unless you can have some of your Dad's hand-me-down gear.  For commuting you'll want armored riding pants big enough to wear over jeans to get you to campus, an armored riding jacket, gloves, helmet, Summer and Winter riding gloves, etc.  It adds up real quick.

As far as a bike...  A Ninja 250 would be a great first bike -- some people never move beyond it.  Used for commuting, they can get terrific gas mileage (70 mpg is certainly doable).

I'd also like to suggest a 250cc or 400cc dual-sport, even an older Suzuki DR350 dual-sport.  The plastics on a dual-sport are definitely cheaper than on the Ninja, and if you do drop it, it just "adds to the character" in a way that it does not on a Ninja.  Insurance tends to be cheaper, and there is plenty of "streat cred" in a smaller engine dual-sport since they tend to be better off-road than the 650+cc dual-sports.  

Dual-sports are regarded as being very easy to wrench yourself (the engine design is very simple, and with air cooling, and one cylinder, there's just fewer things to go wrong).  They also handle well in the twisties.



Just another option...

[njd]

Why the fz6r and not the fz6?

[Marcster]

I'll be wearing a book-bag and stuff.

A lockable hard plastic topcase would be a better option.  The cheaper ones are in the $100 range.  They're waterproof.

Ideally, you'd use it to hold your books while you ride to campus and then put your helmet and jacket in it while you are at class.  At the end of the day, switch back...  

Wearing a "book-bag" creates another distraction (and you'd literally have to shoulder the weight of your books ALL the way to school AND all the way back).  There is also the potential that you could be injured by whatever you were carrying in an accident (that empty metal thermos of soup from lunch, for instance, would concentrate a fall on your back to a very centralized location of your jacket's armor instead of allowing the complete piece of armor to help dissipate the impact).

Sport-Touring.net member Zerosum recommends Bestem's T-Box 929 topcase (a bargain at $70):



His comments: http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,42899.msg983084.html#msg983084

Buy it here: http://www.bestemtopbox.com/product_info.php?products_id=1&osCsid=tlodl3almiafq4pgcvpjbb4bp2

[bogfro]

How many miles of car driving experience do you have, and in what kinds of conditions and locations?  I hesitate to recommend any motorcycle at all to someone who's only 17.  Have you read "Proficient Motorcycling" yet?

And yeah I'll echo the next post about the money thing.  Motorcycles are more expensive than cars, and less useful.......so if you're trying to save money, it's probably not the right thing to do.

[njd]

I'd also like to throw in my personal experience. I am 20 years old, and also go to college. Though I have a motorcycle (with a topcase too, now), I choose to commute to school in my car. Drivers around campus are morons. I see accidents and fender benders on my way to school and work (on campus) every day. Also, I can keep more textbooks/notebooks in my car than in my bike. While I love riding, it isn't as much fun when you're doing it as a commute. I like to have my car for commuting and getting stuck in traffic, and my bike for twisty, hilly mountain roads on the weekend.

Also consider that owning a motorcycle is expensive. The amount you save on gas is complete eclipsed by the $ you'll have to spend on gear, accessories, luggage, parts, labor, tools, storage, and a shit load of other things I can't think of. And if you get rear ended by some bimbo in her dad's land rover who decided yield signs are SOOO last year, you'll have to pay your deductible of $500 or whatever it is.

And lastly, if you DO decide to commute by bike, it shouldn't be until AFTER you've gained experience riding.

[Kool shades]

TAKE THE COURSE!! TAKE THE COURSE!! TAKE THE COURSE!!
Get something used, without a lot of plastic, BECAUSE YOU WILL DROP IT!!!! Even if its just in the driveway, you WILL drop it. Everybodies done it, at one point or another...

Dont write off the small bikes, ask around, they are a TON of fun to ride.

There, I'm done now...

Oh yeah, Welcome...

[UHOH]

I'd also like to throw in my personal experience. I am 20 years old, and also go to college. ...
And lastly, if you DO decide to commute by bike, it shouldn't be until AFTER you've gained experience riding.

well, original poster didn't where he lives / rides.   That would make a difference.
I respect your personal input njd, but,  well, I guess I fundamentally disagree, beyond being able to operate the bike.  

from an 18 year old's perspective it'll work.   and the original poster has both brains and a dad to talk to.  He'll do OK
did for me.

commuting, why not?:  I bought a 65 cc thing to commute back and forth to summer job
and took darn thing down into NYC 'cuz I was independent and wanted to.
 it wasn't up to the NYC job, so I didn't repeat, but at least I did it.   what the h*ll.
I also did a 3 day weekend 'tour', sleeping bag and all, also something I did once.      
 (met a pretty girl, got a free dinner, got a memorable place to stay out the storm, if you're a student/traveler on a bike you'll do OK)
and sold it following yr for original cost less $60.

Anything equal/smaller than an SV650 (but not 600 inline 4 sport bikes) gets good tire mileage
and insurance costs vary a lot state by state ... and isn't even req'd here in WA state, for one.


final $.02

[Bender]

Here you go....http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,45062.0.html

[bassjones]

Why the fz6r and not the fz6?

The fz6r is a beginner friendly motorcycle along the lines of the 650R, even though it is an in-line four - it is a very mild one.  The fz6 is a MUCH more powerful motorcycle and not one I would recommend for a new rider.  I really wouldn't recommend the 6R either given newbies' propensity to drop bikes... but power wise, riding position wise, brakes wise, it's a much better choice than the naked fz6.

[goonanc]

LEARN TO RIDE FIRST!!! MSF OR OTHER. you WILL come into a situation on a motorcycle that is VERY different from in a car. mitigate the risk as best you can. once that is achieved and understood the bikes become much of a muchness. be safe, assume that no matter what you get "THEY" cant see you

[Orson]

A lockable hard plastic topcase would be a better option.

top boxes are for soccer moms  

sport tourers use tank bags. Tank bags are closer to the bike's center of gravity, whereas top boxes place weight up high and behind the rear axle, exactly where it's not needed  

[K Rider]

top boxes are for soccer moms  

sport tourers use tank bags. Tank bags are closer to the bike's center of gravity, whereas top boxes place weight up high and behind the rear axle, exactly where it's not needed  

Might be hard pressed fitting several note books and text books in a tank bag.

John B.

[Marcster]

Might be hard pressed fitting several note books and text books in a tank bag.

John B.

If you have the right bag it can be done:



http://www.motopakluggage.com/gt35.html

I won't say that riding would be enjoyable though... 
Nor can I say that you could read your gauges...  

[steve.m]

would you consider a suzuki sv650?  a bit bigger but if you don't get too aggressive to quickly it'll reward you in the end.  the 250 is a great little commuter, but if you're anything like me, you'll likely want a bit more power after the first few weeks.  

another consideration...naked bikes are usually far less expensive.

Not sure if you'd consider harley, but the 883 sporster's can be had relatively cheap and ladies love harleys    most guys on here will tell you HD is crap, junk, tractors, blah blah blah.  sporties are actually a LOT of fun to ride, the stock tires are composed for mileage more than grip and get about 60mpg.  dirt cheap insurance too.

[Marcster]

I'm thinking that we scared off the OP:

[steve.m]

busy in classes, no time for the bored at work crowd