r1 as first big bike (rs125 to r1) - what do u lot think ?

[colin1]

I have ridden an rs125 for nearly a year so have got a feel for cornering and maintaining speed thru corners but i dont have much acceleration.

I hope to pass my test shortly and had thought of getting a practical sensible bike like the gpz500.

However I have recently found out about someone selling a 2002 r1 local to me. I think he may accept a cheeky low offer on it as he hardly uses it and may not know its true value. If he wants the true market value, I probably wont bother.

I think he might accept not much more than what my local dealer is asking for a 2nd hand gpz500.

reported fuel economy isnt too bad and insurance wd still be less than half what id pay to insure a ford fiesta.

I would not be riding like a nutter ( i might do 80 sometimes but 100 wd be very rare if ever). I think id like the extra stability at speed, and the extra power for safe overtaking.

Obviously id test ride it first and Im never gonna push the bike to its limits and id be very careful with the throttle.

I have heard that the 2004 r1 is a bit extreme but the 2002 r1 is fairly manageable.

It doesnt seem to be the model that was new in 2002 as it looks like the older model of 98.

I know its traditional to work up thru the engine sizes 125 to 400 to 600 to 1000 but is it really necessary ?

discuss.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Ric]

id be inclined to say it'll rip you appart, only because you have to show restraint in your riding. You will want to speed madly if u have an R1 im sure

(hard to do if you get cocky, or get involved)

gunning an RS is totally different from something with power

if your confident and not stupid fair enough, but all it'll want to do i rekon would be go down the road if you dont concentrate at least 110% at 1st

i power wheelied (i think) my zxr4 while changin lane in a inproptue race today and i could have easily dropped, thats my fault for underestimating it and ive ridden this bike for a year solid

if i had more power i dunno what would have happened

i know this is what you probably wanted to hear but...

didnt mean to get so personal jus sayin IMO

EDIT :: ive never ridden an R1, only a TL1000 i was scared lol

[Ant]

[Josh|RD125LC]

The R1 would hit the ton in second. Thats how powerful it is. If I were you, I would go for the baby brother the R6, still got plenty of power to kill yourself, but just a little more forgiving, although not much though. Your choice mate.
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[veeeffarr]

Its not how much speed you do, it's how fast you get there, and on a litre bike you can be from standstill to in a lot of trouble in just one crack of the wrist.

Personally I'd say a 600 would be a bit of a hardcore upgrade from a 125... I'd go for the GPZ myself.

[Wave2k]

i would say if u get the R1 for a cheap price, do it, and re-sell it.
its not up to me to tell you what not to ride, but i would personally keep my license.
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[Spiral]

I say buy it, then if you need a bit of experience do an advanced bike course.
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[priller]

Go with a 600, you say 100 will be rare but once you get used to a r1 you'll be doing over 100 easy, only takes 3-4 seconds to get to 100. Dont bother getting a gpz you'll only be dissapointed.

[suzi_bandit]

I'm fresh through my test myself (passed 8/8/05) and think you'd be a tad simple if you thought you could safely ride an R1.
I did my homework before buying my first bike and ended up getting a cheap bandit. It's a good all rounder and pretty cheap on insurance. I'm only days into riding but, for me, I have no doubts that I made the right choice.
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I want a big boys bike, preferably a Speed Triple. To date I have ?7:42p stashed away to put towards one. Need to get it in the bank & earning interest asap.

[priller]

He's not buying a first bike & 95% of the time he'd probably be fine on a r1. You just need to respect it.

[freestyler_onli]

I progressed from an RS125 to a GSXR600. I was debating an R1- red, black and white-lovely. I opted for the 600 to get used to it. Then i had an accident-if i wouldve been on an R1 i would be dead-so if you do get an R1-take it easy to start with.

[CoronaBoner]

[edd]

In my opinion i dont think you should get the r1 unless you are very very confident in your own abilities and self-restraint. In all likelyhood (presuming you havent test ridden the gpz) you will be absolutely blown away by the gpz's performance when compared to your rs 125 and it will certainly have enough power for safe overtaking. You could pick up a gpz on ebay much cheaper than from a dealer then upgrade to a bigger bike at a later date. Ultimately its your choice, but whatever you do dont put yourself on a bike you arent entirely comfortable with. Whatever you choose, good luck on your first big bike.
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[0ni]

I reckon with some sense and a bit of fortune you will see 30.

It won't make you a particularly skilled rider in a hurry though.
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Its a lovely day, just wait until some bastard spoils it.

[0ni]

If you are already 30 please disregard what I just said
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Its a lovely day, just wait until some bastard spoils it.

[colin1]

i am 30 in on 2nd november of this year. I hope to pass my test in mid september. If i only live for 1 and a half months after purchasing a big bike, my girlfriend for one will be a bit disappointed

I dont think I will be blown away by the GPZ500's performance as I have been having lessons on an ER5. I would describe it as adequate and all I would ever need. As big bikes depreciates so fast it might be sensible for me to get a thrill machine as I am fairly self controlled.
I prefer the stability of a rs125 over a cg125. I think it is more stable and better handling because it is designed to be able to go faster than i ride it. I think the stability of an r1 which is designed to go very fast would be even better.

I would be like one of the old farts that people laugh at who get overtaken by an rs125 even tho they are on an r1.

Ive recently had a look at costs of things like brake pads and that is putting me off a bit.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[no_shad]

How much do you think your insurance on a R1 will be?

[colin1]

having just looked at quarter mile times, i think if i was to get a litre bike, a mille would probably better for me as it wd have more power at the lower speeds id be using it at.

There was a 2000 mille that went for £2500 on ebay near me not long ago.

waves idea of buying and selling for profit is probably quite good for the r1
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[BenBray]

Personally I think it'd be a bad choice.

Not only is it easy to underestimate the power, but where will you go after an R1? Eventually you'll want to try other bikes - then you have things like cruisers or lesser powered bikes.

If you got a 600, got even better, and then got bored - you'd probably end up appreciating the R1 even more - and you wont get bored so quick.

But hey, what do I know?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Pretty much agree with Wave on buying it and selling it.

The R1 should do 80 in first. In top it would probably be doing 4000~5000rpm. They are not stable bikes and quite capable of biting, from cornering, braking or accleration. Really would not think one would make a good first big bike.

You may be learning on an ER5, but the GPZ is a touch more powerful (~15%more power) and I would also be surprised if you are revving out the ER while learning which will give you a load more go (the GPZ noticeably pics up at about 7000rpm, similar to a 2 stroke with a power valve).

Try sitting on a Mille. Not sure how tall you are, but I am 5'8" and really do not feel comfy on them. Just feels strange (not particularly too tall, just tall and not the right shape).

All the best

Keith
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[Dom_]

I have met you and you look the sensible type, my honest opinion is that you should get what you want, BUT, i dont think you'd kill yourself, but it wont do harm in getting an R6 instead, you've got the rest of your life to get an R1, dont make the jump now s you'll get bored and have nothing to progress up to when the time comes.

[colin1]

Im about 5ft9 and a mille at my local dealer felt fine to sit on.
A TDM 850 was a bit big for town use and a 600+ supermoto was way too big.
If I got a mille id probably have something smaller for in town.

The test for me is can i roll it backwards when sitting on it.

I am only gonna know what feels good to ride when i start doing test rides, which is at least a month away.

When i say stable i guess what i mean is agile with stability.

I dont really like stable without agility although it is comfortable.

insurance for me on an r1 is about £475 vs £800 for a fiesta

other quotes i have had
rs125 £78
rs125+ cg125 £129.41
rs125 +rs250 £169.84
rs250 £117.60
rs125 +rs250+yp250 £185.43
rs250 + yp250 £137.29
sv650 £96.60
r6 £187.9
r6 + yp250 £207.64
gsxr600 £172.20
gsxr750 £453.60
vfr800 £174.30
harley sportster 883 £103.95
pan european £134.40
valkyrie £174.30
gpz 750 £93.45
yam vmax £187.95
thundercat £172.20
GPZ500 £84
tdm 850 £112.35
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Jrod]

[Sheepy1209]

By the look of that list of insurance quotes you're about as focussed as I am on what kind of bike you want.

All I can say is that my (£1000) GPZ500 felt at first like it was pulling my arms off - I'm used to it now, but it's taught me to respect the thing - and there's plenty of power to deal with normal traffic.

The way I see it, I still don't know what kind of bike suits me - so by buying a cheaper mid-range bike I can sell it on later without losing too much money - there's no pressure to keep it 'x' years to pay off finance, either.

I know that's less of an issue with the R1 you're looking at as it's a good price, but there's plenty of bikes out there so why not get something a bit less extreme and run it for a few months?

Remember I'm talking from the point of view of a newbie who's more than satisfied with my 500 - I know nothing about sportsbikes, but I do know my GPZ is bloody good fun!

[Minky_monkey]

I friend of mine went from a GP100 to an RS250 to a R1.

All new bikes with the exception of the GP, he ran them all in properly so got used to the power gradually.

He's never had a problem.

I know the jump from a 250 to a thou is less than what you're talking about, but if you're sensible about it, you will probably be ok.

Personally, I'd take the 600 route.