Easiest 600cc to Ride?

[tyco]

I'll give a twist on the bike stuff. My first car was a 68 GTO with 4 speed 400 horsepower and no power steering. Oh forgot convertible. I was 16.5 when I got it. One time I side stepped the clutch at 4000 rpms the car went sideways and I couldn't get it back. (my dad was right it was wrong for me to buy that car). "Even if you can do it, it doesn't mean you should."



Over a small cliff into a parking lot. Didn't have a roll bar and the convertible top folded like cardboard. I can still see the windshield cracking. I lived to buy another GTO and was much more careful with that one. I had a Dodge Dart for everyday and did my learning with that.



A 600 sport bike is a lot worse than the GTO!!! Be careful mistakes happen fast and sometimes it is your last.



Joe

[Schoon]

+1

[rkrayton2000]

I agree with the readers on you should start with a bike like the ex500 it is a good begginer bike and sporty enough to when you become a better rider you can still explore the upper limits of riding. I own 2 bikes a cbr750 and a kawi ninja 500r and still enjoy the 500!!

[connolly_p]

+1



I had a naked one for three years - possibly the best first bike I could have bought. Easy to ride, will do 100mph, but I still made several mistakes that would have thrown me off a bigger ride.



Also +1 for all the Ninja 250/500 responses - if you fit on them that is - I don't.



Remember you have the rest of your life to go fast - don't make the rest of your life a very short period.

[NLJ]

Oh thought I should add I say the Hyosung over the Kawasaki Ninja 250, not to discount the Ninja 250, but because the Hyosung 250 is a physically larger bike. I'm 6'3" and fit comfortably on the Hyosung 250, not so with the Ninja 250

[Gritboy]

Damn, there are a ton of great older bikes to cut your teeth on, but I wouldn't recommend a modern 600+cc sportbike if you're new to it all -- there more than a handful, though brilliantly fun after a few years riding under their belt. Look for any 1990+ sport or standard (older than that may be hard to find parts/maintain, but still decent). Ignore the peer pressure and go for what feels (not looks) good when you start lookin'.

[Dangerousdave_2]

A good 600 will circulate a track just slightly slower than the race bikes of a decade or two ago. They are tuned razor sharp, and will not tolerate much in the way of mistakes. The reason most people 'graduate' to 1000's is, I suspect, they are a bit easier to ride quickly because you can haul ass out of a corner, even if you're in the wrong gear. For the street, both are way better than most of us will ever be. Do yourself a favor and get something like an SV-650 and learn how to ride it hard before you move on to something else. It might be several years before it's the bike that's holding you back. I've been riding 40 years, and my VFR is still faster than I am, and I can't remember the last time I got passed by some hotshot on a 1000. It's happened a time or two, but at stupidfast speeds. In the real world, any good bike with the slightest pretention to sporting capabilities is probably plenty. If you just gotta have a 600, look for one of the 'second tier' sport bikes, like the old Katana, it's not as sexy as the latest Suzooks, but it has the advantabe of being a bit more user friendly, and will force you to buy used. That's a good thing. You WILL drop it. Probably more than once, or you're just not trying.

[Dangerousdave_2]

Yup. The Triumph 675 is considered kind of a 'soft' 600; a bit easier to ride, etc. It'll only go about 165 though(: