Need some advice with 20 year old son and bike

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

My son, 20 yoa, is in college and still lives at home.  He's at a comm college and will likely transfer to a 4 year school in Southern Va in the fall.  He is dying for his own bike now which doesn't bother me although the wife is not happy.  He's a good kid and gets good grades.  He works and makes decent money and feels he can handle the payments.  We would need to co sign though.  When he transfer he thinks getting a job will be easy due to his experience in the restaurant field.  He might indeed get a job but I can't imagine he'll make the tips there as compared to here.  In the DC area there is money where as in the college community he wants to attend he'll mostly be serving other students.
He is pining for a Kawi R6 (599cc I believe).  He is looking at an 09 with very good interest rates right now.  I'm pissed at the dealer for trying to sell this to a kid with NO street bike experience.  He's ridden dirt bikes only.  I'd like to see him get something but am not sure what to recommend.  I need something sporty but obviously not one where the power will get him into a boatload of trouble or worse kill him.  
Any thoughts on what you would recommend if this were your kid?

[Capirex]

Yamaha R6?
Not really a beginner bike but he's got dirt experience and sounds like a responsible kid...
No need to buy new though - especially for a first bike.  Plenty of good deals out there in the used market.

[Tony T]

Something he dosen't need to make payments on for starters. (At least not until he has a job for a while.)

How about a used SV650, they're affordable and sporty.  



Edit for grammar.  

[mugwump58]

Remember yourself at 20... Good luck. If I had listened to my father

[Mookie]

1st bike brand new, supersport and on loan?  That's three bad ideas.

[naustin]

SV650 would be a good - any 600 - 800 cc sport twin really. Won't impress his buddies on 600 inlines, but hopefully impressing people isn't his goal - in that case, a supersport would be a REALLY bad idea.

How about a used Buell XB9?

[phoenix]

Remember yourself at 20... Good luck. If I had listened to my father

+1 definitely

the rates might be good, but the insurance will be KILLER!

now, you hang out here enough, you know what most people are already going to say. What are you fishing for exactly?

Me, I say the usual...SV650S, FZ6, Bandit 650, etc.

[Rabidsnipe]

Assuming the following:
1. You can establish any rules regarding this purchase (he is an adult after all)
2. He'll actually listen to what you say

Just make him pay cash for his first bike.  Don't try and convince him to buy something he doesn't want.  If he pays cash, however, it will assure a couple of things (presumably):
1. It won't matter when he drops it
2. It's less likely to be stolen from his dorm/apartment/rent house
3. He'll take better care of it
4. He will be less likely to get into trouble due to power/speed/etc. because it will probably be smaller displacement.

[Marcster]

If he wants something sporty, I'd recommend the SV650 or SV650s...  The "s" version has clip-ons and the sportier riding position to go with it -- I can't imagine sitting like that personally, but he's younger than us.

Also, and you may have covered this already, but you need to lay down the law regarding drinking/riding.   We were all 20 once and it's a very stupid age.

[DNA]

1st bike brand new, supersport and on loan?  That's three bad ideas.

I agree.

When I was 20 I lived in  fraternity at school.  Parking was a problem so everyone had sport bikes.

After about a year the drops and minor crashes started.  Some were really expensive. Tickets were common.

Then my roommate got hit by a drunk and died. Most of the bikes got sold soon after - for big losses I might add.

My advice - get something inexpensive, used and low on power until he can afford the insurance and the rate hikes that go with the supersports.

I have a used Sprint in the DC area.  It ain't that sexy any more but it can haul a bunch of stuff back and forth, but the laundry runs home will be limited somewhat.

As a cop and rider, you know the tickets will be there even for us old and seemingly responsible riders.

[UHOH]

How about a used SV650, their affordable and sporty.  

agree, everybody loves those bikes and they don't break.
prior to 2008 they also sold an unfaired / naked version with slightly more upright seating position.

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

Thanks all.  I believe he's starting to crack a little and listen to me regarding the type of bike.  I'll forward these responses to him as well.  And I do remember being 20 so I'm trying to be sympathetic to him. Mom on the other hand.  

[Kootenanny]

Remember yourself at 20... Good luck. If I had listened to my father

If I had listened to my parents, I would never have gotten that first bike or learned to ride.

My point being...if he wants it, he'll probably get it (especially once he's out of the house).  I think that if you show some encouragement, he'll be less inclined to ignore you completely, and might actually take your advice.  You might run this past your wife, too...if she's at least somewhat on board, too, that'll help you make the case that he won't be alienating his parents with his bike purchase, and he may well be willing to buy something more along the lines of what you want rather than just what he wants.

Making him pay cash for it...well, when I was that age, I certainly wasn't gonna get any help from my parents, so yeah, I was forced to buy used and small.  I think a lot of us were.  It sucked at the time, but looking back now I think it was the best thing that could have happened...I was forced to learn on small, used bikes, and I think that helped my learning curve greatly.

BTW, I worked part time as a motorcycle instructor when I was attending college.  It was weekend work, I enjoyed it, and it improved my riding more than any other single thing (met a few young women through the job, too).  Plus, I learned how to teach--which led to other things down the road.  I dunno what MSF instructors are paid, but it might be something for him to look at.

And the bike?  Oh, like everyone else...SV650 (I like the pre-2003 ones with the swoopy bodywork and tubular frames), or the traditional campus ride, the dual-sport (hey, he's a dirt biker already, right?)

[Scratch33]

I'd recommend the Zook SV650, Bandit 650 or GSX650F; the Yammy FZ6; or the Honda 599.

[BluegrassPicker]

+ 1 on SV650s. My son is 22 and this is a great 1st bike.  Looks cool, fun to ride, well built. We picked it up last fall and he has been out practicing and will take the MSF course in 3 weeks.

[photomd]

IMHO, this is a great opportunity for him to learn to buy and run his own vehicle: save money, pay in full, and have him pay for the insurance. Help him by getting a service manual and do maintenance together. Older bikes are very reliable and cheap. All the bikes people have mentioned will do 99% of what he wants.

The reason I think it's good for him to do it alone is that it tests his commitent. If he truely wants it, he'll find away and IMHO, he's more likely to take care of the bike and hopefully himself. Good luck. If I had listened to my father as a teenager, I would have never bought a bike.  

[Snapping Twig]

Something older will be cheaper and less powerful.

Lots of good ideas so far. Ownership instills pride, gifts don't, so let him buy it 100% - no financing, no or very little assistance. Buy within his means.

Something I haven't yet heard - ATGATT. Insist on a full set of gear #1 BEFORE the bike and wear all of it all the time. Something textile with good boots, gloves and FF helmet. Gift him with one of those lime green vests from Icon.

[scottzilla]

My son, 20 yoa, is in college and still lives at home.  He's at a comm college and will likely transfer to a 4 year school in Southern Va in the fall.  He is dying for his own bike now which doesn't bother me although the wife is not happy.  He's a good kid and gets good grades.  He works and makes decent money and feels he can handle the payments.  We would need to co sign though.  When he transfer he thinks getting a job will be easy due to his experience in the restaurant field.  He might indeed get a job but I can't imagine he'll make the tips there as compared to here.  In the DC area there is money where as in the college community he wants to attend he'll mostly be serving other students.
He is pining for a Kawi R6 (599cc I believe).  He is looking at an 09 with very good interest rates right now.  I'm pissed at the dealer for trying to sell this to a kid with NO street bike experience.  He's ridden dirt bikes only.  I'd like to see him get something but am not sure what to recommend.  I need something sporty but obviously not one where the power will get him into a boatload of trouble or worse kill him.  
Any thoughts on what you would recommend if this were your kid?

How many 600cc squids have you shoveled off the pavement in your career?
You're in a tough spot.  Good luck.

[Skee]

Remember yourself at 20... Good luck. If I had listened to my father

A used bike is best for starters.  You will drop it, at least in a parking lot somewhere, no matter how much dirt experience you have, maybe in spite of his dirt experience, because hey, it's no big deal in the dirt.

Now If I had listened to Dad, I'd be riding in a minivan today...

Remember yourself at 20.

And don't let him do that either.!;-)  You see how that worked out

[DogBoy]

As mentioned, insurance can be equal to, or more than, the amount of the monthly payment on a new 600cc sportbike for a 20 year-old. Add me to chorus recommending an older, less powerful bike. I don't see any budget for gear in the original post. I'd recommend he buy safety gear first and spend whatever is left over on the bike.

Don't cosign for anything. You are giving the other name on the account permission to use the card (if using OEM financing) for anything, at any time and there is no obligation or mechanism to notify you when the account is used.