first bike?

[Lee0113]

Hi i dont want to start a war but im looking at getting my first bike very soon and im torn between a 2002 zx6r and 2002 gsxr both 600's which is more newbie friendly i have been told the gixer are abit more unforgiving but want more than 1 opinion

thanks

[Ariel Badger]

Do you live in the UK and do you have the licence entitlement to ride them?
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[Lee0113]

[pinkyfloyd]

I'd say none are newbie friendly as they are outright sports bikes but thats just me and what do I know?

That said, out of the 2 I would chose the GSXR. I've heard they are easier to ride and forgiving.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Ariel Badger]

Neither bike will be that forgiving and as a new rider you will make mistakes. Why not choose a plodder like a 500 Honda twin and use it for a few months before moving on?
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[-Matt-]

Do you have any previous riding experience?

If your first bike is going to be one of these unrestricted its going to be a very steep unforgiving learning curve - its possible by all means, but it may be quite un-nerving and if you do make a mistake its likely to be expensive/painful or both

[sidewinder]

If you want a 600 sports.i have heard the cbr's are good choice for a newbie

[covent.gardens]

OP translates to "I want a fast bike but I know I don't have the skills to handle it, but I have devised a cunning plan to kid myself that I'm not a lunatic. I have selected two completely unsuitable bikes and will pick the one that is least likely to kill me. Seems responsible."

I can't see how it could go wrong!

If you really want a 600cc then I'd go with your heart after reading lots of reviews/maybe test rides, not a lot of point buying the most user friendly when there's not a lot in it and you don't really care about that anyway.

[smegballs]

Not on the list but ZZR 600?

Reasonably tame if you keep the revs below 7k. My sister went straight to one after 2 years on her 125 and she's still alive.

[Kierran]

Having ridden an er6f for two years since passing my test as well as doing a couple of long runs on a gsxr750 and a zzr600 i can honestly say that had i chose a sports bike first i either wouldnt be here or id spend my time pootling around below 5000 revs as it would have scared the shit out of me on day one. The zzr600 was rather old with a few of the horses having escaped, that said when poked with a stick and taken to the top of its rev range it came alive in a managable way. The 750 when poked with a stick would lift its front wheel.

If you have no previous experience id get something a bit older and tamer to drop, crash, slide in your first year then make the jump.
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Im not driving too fast, Im flying too low!
Current Bike - GSXR 750 K5
Current Car - BMW 318i

[Az]

Brother rode a cbr125 for about 3months before jumping on a GSXR 600 and he's still alive all these years later.

I suppose it's down to self control and not riding outside of your ability.

[thomp1983]

If you want a 600 superbike as your first bike then do it life's too short for what if's but go into it with your eyes open and be honest. All superbikes are unforgiving they do speed and cornering very well and aslong as your smooth and controlled with the inputs at all times your unlikely to come to any harm. It goes wrong when at high speed you either misjudge a bend or there's something in the road or you deck the pegs or your boot and you panic and make the wrong input to the bike, in that moment your superbike will dump you without the slightest indication and you'll never really know what happened. Experience on more forgiving bikes is generally what stops that panicking in a situation along with being able to do something wrong and feeling the bikes reaction to you doing it wrong.

the other issue is how are you going to cope with knowing you'll never master the bike, a superbike will always have more ability than you have talent, are you just going to buy a litre bike as the 600 doesn't have the straight line buzz anymore? Or do you just ride the 600 more and more wrecklessly trying to prove your boss?

Alot of the answer depends on what your honestly wanting if it's the latest shiny toy for a few weekend blasts and not much else it'll be fine if you want to become a decent fast rider then there are better places to start and you'd probably end up being a quicker rider sooner

[Lee0113]

Thanks for all the replies I have previous experience on a 125 and also I ride crossers a lot.

I'm not going to lie I like going fast like most people but there's a time and a place and think that even with a 600 sports bike it will only go as fast as I want it to and I have a healthy level of respect for the bikes as I know as said it is far more capable than I am.

I'm slightly leaning towards the GSXR 600 from what I've been reading on the Internet but I suppose I will wait until I've passed and test them both

Again thanks for the replies

[Matt B]

If you want something noob friendly then why don't you look at an SV650 S or similar?
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[Rogerborg]

[Clanger]

Throttle goes both ways.

If the OP wants to choose between the two, then he/she should go out and test ride both and back a decision based on their own opinion. Not one of us could tell you which you would prefer, which would feel best under your bum.

This is going to be your purchase, your choice of ride...you make the decision based on your opinions...not a bunch of strangers on the internet!
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[Sparkss]

Faster bikes are slow bikes and fast bikes built into one if you instructor has told you how to use the twist grip
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R1

[TomReilly]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[LessIsMore]

[Lee0113]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[clancy]

Go and try both bike so possible and see which you prefer personally I'd rather have the gsxr, just not a fan of zxr

The bike does what you tell it too, if you take it easy you'll be fine and you'll get used to it very quickly. Most of the people on here will tell you to buy an sv650, then make comments about how slow and mind numbingly boring they are. Just get the bike you prefer out of the two you like nearly everyone I grew up with went straight to sports 600s and no one had a problem
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KLX 300r

[Wonko The Sane]

might be worth doing a bit of advanced training with your bike school once you've got your new bike

some bike schools do this fairly cheap as you're on your own bike, your own insurance and your own kit so it's just their time / fuel for an hour or so to help you learn to be relaxed on the bike

I got straight off a 125 onto a restricted ZZR600 and it was ok, but very different
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[pinkyfloyd]

About the "I love going fast" comment. My bike is not a race bike, in fact its not even a sportsbike but it will still go faster than the roads permit and will take me into licence losing territory with relative ease.

I ride an XJ6N and considered by a few on here to be dull or boring workhorses.

Thing is though, riding fast is easy. Any idiot can do it, just look at some of these fair weather folk out and about now the suns coming out. Riding well is another matter. Get your test done and buy yourself a GSXR600 and I bet you I can keep up every bit as well in the twisties or even catch up with you in the twisties.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.