Looking for advice on beginner sport bike

[Goodman4]

An 18 year old friend of mine saw my MT10 this last weekend and we started talking about bikes. He has never ridden but is getting ready to take the MSF course and get a beginner sport bike. I'd personally like to convince him to get something less sporty, but he has been looking at MTs and thinks he needs a fast bike. I think I have him convinced he doesn't need a liter bike, but I think even the MT07 has so much torque, I'm not sure it is great to start on. Also, I don't think he's going to find a used FZ / MT07 for a decent price as they are hard to come by and priced high. What about a FZ6 or FZ6R? It doesn't have to be a Yamaha, but I start there. What might I steer him toward that is better for a beginner, dependable, and somewhat affordable that he might actually be able to find?

 

[SacramentoMike]

As small as he can get that will satisfy his ill-advised sport bike jones, like a 300 or 400 cc Honda or Ninja (when I started, we all got little 125-250 cc jobs), so he can pick it up when he drops it--and he will--and  a used one for the same reason.  And so he won't be guaranteed to kill himself in the first riding season, since he's a friend. 

I'd try to steer him toward a used dual sport that he can practice with on nice soft dirt and that's kind of made to drop.  My 2 cents.

 

[BigOgre]

I remember 'Pants documenting here his mentoring of a young rider awhile ago.  Good stuff.

I would imagine at his age image has A LOT to do with his choice so it might be a hard sell to have him look at something else.  I'd keep harping on the fact that, like everyone else he sees riding, rarely is anyone content with their first bike.  They need to ride it for a season or so, learn their likes and dislikes along with what other bikes offer and only then will they be able to make a somewhat informed decision.  High chances are he'll look to sell that first bike soon enough and move on to an upgrade.  Keep shoveling that and if you can get him to buy into such thinking than logic dictates he should look for something used/depreciated which he can then flip with little loss.  Here is where your experienced guidance can point him to an appropriate beginners bike . . . um . . . I mean a great deal.     Summary:  it's rare anyone is happy with their first bike, he WILL want something else, get something you don't have to put money into and can soon sell with little loss, and then go buy your first dream bike.

Good luck and let us know how things progress.

 

[Archer]

Mentor the young man to spend (budget) at least 1/5th of his money on the right protective riding gear. 

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

My riding buddy (he has an FJR identical to mine) just bought a brand new 400 Ninja for his wife.  She loves it.  He has ridden it, and says it rides and handles great.  Obviously, not too much torque, but he says it has plenty of power for a 400.  Plus, and this would be big to an 18 year old, it doesn't look like a beginner bike.  Hope your friend is smart, and I wish him much luck.

 

[rickysnickers]

An SV650 would make a good starter sport bike.

 

[saread]

+1

 

[Goodman4]

Thanks for the feedback. It's all advice I agree with totally. I'm going to look for the Pants thread. 

 

[Geezer]

My three daughters all used to ride 'sports' bikes. One had a Ninja 250, another had a Ninja 500, and the third had a SV650S. The 250 was ok, but not really capable of prolonged highway riding. Either of the other two bikes were fine. They look like sports bikes but are a lot easier to ride safely. The SV650S was very capable.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Don't overlook a Ninja 650 twin. Easy to handle, light enough and fun to ride.

~G

 

[user 213]

GSX250  or GW250  The GW is cheap, insurance is cheap and it will do freeway speeds fine.  Great beginner bike.  Light, fast enough and cheap.  A year on that and his awareness and skills will be far better suited to a 500 or 650.

 

[Bugnatr]

I remember 'Pants documenting here his mentoring of a young rider awhile ago.  Good stuff.

I would imagine at his age image has A LOT to do with his choice so it might be a hard sell to have him look at something else.  I'd keep harping on the fact that, like everyone else he sees riding, rarely is anyone content with their first bike.  They need to ride it for a season or so, learn their likes and dislikes along with what other bikes offer and only then will they be able to make a somewhat informed decision.  High chances are he'll look to sell that first bike soon enough and move on to an upgrade.  Keep shoveling that and if you can get him to buy into such thinking than logic dictates he should look for something used/depreciated which he can then flip with little loss.  Here is where your experienced guidance can point him to an appropriate beginners bike . . . um . . . I mean a great deal.     Summary:  it's rare anyone is happy with their first bike, he WILL want something else, get something you don't have to put money into and can soon sell with little loss, and then go buy your first dream bike.

Good luck and let us know how things progress.

+1 and show him pictures of what happens without the gear.

 

[Old Guy]

GSX250  or GW250  The GW is cheap, insurance is cheap and it will do freeway speeds fine.  Great beginner bike.  Light, fast enough and cheap.  A year on that and his awareness and skills will be far better suited to a 500 or 650.

That's always my advice, though it seldom gets taken.  A person could buy a 250-whatever to get used to shifting, braking, and dealing with traffic, then sell or trade it for almost what he's get in it after a few months.  I suspect many of us did that.  I started on a 160, then a 250, then a 305, then a 500, etc.  Nobody wants to do that, though.  

 

[user 213]

That's always my advice, though it seldom gets taken.  A person could buy a 250-whatever to get used to shifting, braking, and dealing with traffic, then sell or trade it for almost what he's get in it after a few months.  I suspect many of us did that.  I started on a 160, then a 250, then a 305, then a 500, etc.  Nobody wants to do that, though.  

So true.  People on sport bike forums post crap like "Is a Hayabusa a good starter bike?" only to be told to go for it by the masses of guys there that barely ride to begin with.

I started on a Honda 50, then 160 before putting a ton of miles on a CX500 before I ever tossed a leg over a liter plus size bike.

Optionally for larger beginners that want sport bikes, the Honda CB300 or Ninja 400s aren't bad.  More bike that a beginner needs, but 'sexy' enough perhaps to convince them to stay smaller displacement.  Not to mention insurance costs on bigger bikes for a kid.

Little bikes are chick magnets more than big bikes.  I ride a 150cc scooter now and a lot more people want to talk to me than when I was on the FJR.  No intimidation factor I guess.

 

[FJRay]

My daughter started on dirt bikes around our acreage and her first street bike was a 03 EX500 Kawi. great little bike that can be had pretty cheap these days and are very capable. She would still have it but she stopped making the payments and I wasn't going to. tough love.

 

[hppants]

Thanks for the feedback. It's all advice I agree with totally. I'm going to look for the Pants thread. 

In retrospect, it worked out PRECISELY how I hoped it would.  Jacob still rides today, an RC51 is his weapon of choice, and he also has a Rebel 250 that he putts around on and commutes to work.  He is a terrific rider and I'd go anywhere with him any day.  He's getting married early next year, and his fiance' seems to be on the "I wanna a baby" kick.  I'm going to try and arrange for a bachelor party trip this fall on the bikes.  I fear it might be my last chance for a while.

 

[blchandl2]

Another nod to the following:

FZ6

SV650

Ninja 650

Ninja 500

 

[wfooshee]

Finding one these days might be tough, but the Suze GS500 twin, late 90s early 2000s. Almost disposable, probably easy to sell when ready to move up, probably for at least as much as they paid for it. Might not be "sporty" enough in styling, but I don't think a better learning-to-ride bike exists.

 

[DiggerDr.]

All very good advice. I started with dirt bikes long before I had a street bike. Looking back, it taught me how to ride without losing skin. A new rider with no prior motorcycle experience needs a smaller, lighter and easy to handle first bike. The inevitable "OH ****" moment could be tough for an inexperienced rider with a lot more bike than he/she is ready for.