How many of you guys have bikes?

[jbuhrman]

I rode everyday in san diego to and from work.

I started on a 01 SV650 which I think is a great learner bike as it is tourqy but anything faster then about 70MPH and it was a turd LOL. And it is a favorite of alot of track riders.

I was able to switch over to a 2012 GSXR750 last year and it was alittle new to re-learn a sport bike vs the V-twin of the SV.

Best advice is to sit on a few bikes and see what is combfy for you. Last thing you want is a bike that pinches the man hood against the tank or something. And do the MSF courses.

[FeaRpb]

Here is my bike

[IPD]

$5 if you post a video of you doing a fire-hydrant decade on it, steven.

[FeaRpb]

LOLOL. That would be SOOOOOOOOOOO badass on that thing. Talk about flat land stylin

[Patryn]

I'm sure you will enjoy motorcycles. I got an Suzuki Katana 600cc for the wife one summer, and got myself a Yamaha R6 on a whim. Turns out we really enjoyed riding motorcycles, plus on good days it is a great gas saver when traveling to work or around town. About a month or so after getting the R6 I got myself a Yamaha R1, moved the wife up to the R6. Anyways, got to meet a lot of new people into riding motorcycles as well from doing weekend rides, some bike nights (one place you get free pizza if you show your motorcycle keys), and now into a little racing on oval tracks. Anyways, what was done on a whim turned out to be fun and enjoyable.

I think someone had mentioned earlier about a Suzuki Katana being a great bike for starters. It is heavy, but the thing about them is they have so many parts you can interchange. I think a 750cc engine will drop right in place of the 600cc with little modification, and I've read a few threads where a 1000cc was dropped in place with some modification. Anyways, its a good bike for the price, parts are readily available, and you can always up the power on them if you like it well enough. The 600cc we had was a decent little bike. Had enough power to get around and hang with traffic. Also, it is much more forgiving than the liter bikes.

[lawdogg]

My thoughts -

I learned on a Kawasaki Ninja 500r (which I'm currently trying to get rid of if you feel like travelling to MI). Good choice, IMO. Pretty light bike, never had to do any major maintenance (just tires).

I learned on a 500R too and +1 to everything else!

[j2k4]

ive been racing dirt-bikes for almost 15 years and would love to have a street bike, but ill never feel safe on them and to be honest i get bored on them. every day i see people texting while driving and generally not paying attention to the road or others around them. on the highway im scared to death of the drunk driver, the texting teen girl, and the guy whose falling asleep behind the wheel. a lot of my friends say they avoid highways but i dont feel any safer on back roads since theres a lot of deer around here.

so i stick to the dirt and i can honestly say i have a lot more fun ripping through the woods and racing GNCC's/enduros than trusting my life to other drivers on the street. if your only looking for a hobby to keep you occupied i would find a friend with a dirt bike and go riding with them once. who knows you might like the dirt better. its amazing how much fun you can have when you dont have to worry other drivers on the street taking you out, plus off-road theres no speed limits, cops or rules in general. hell i cant even do a small power-wheelie on my buddies R6 without worrying that a cop may have seen my 'reckless' act. to me, riding a sport bike on the street is like driving an F1 car and being told not to take it above 65mph... ever.

thats just my $0.02 though and im not trying to bash on street bike riders. i just personally dont feel like the 'fun/risk' ratio of street riding is high enough for me to enjoy it.

that being said theres a lot of good info in this thread. good gear is a must. riding with a bunch of people can help make the ride more enjoyable and also a little safer. you can start on any bike you want as long as your responsible, but i feel like people who start on smaller bikes generally become better riders than those who jump straight to the liter bikes and scare themselves.

whatever you do with bikes just remember to be safe and have fun!!!

I spent lots of time in the dirt before I went to a street bike, and I would recommend a good dose of it before hitting the pavement - you will learn the basics of throwing a bike around in less-than-optimum conditions, traction-wise, and, as someone already mentioned, you WILL dump it - this isn't a bad thing - hopefully you will learn about high-siding, sliding, tank-slappers and all the other good stuff before you put your life in the hands of other drivers.

There are a ton of bikes that will do double-duty and give you the flavor of both dirt and pavement if you wish, and you might just find out you like that - but bottom line, I recommend learning how to ride off-road.

[wingnut]

ditto on the dirt...but understood if not possible, cause it kinda takes over your life

[j2k4]

I spent lots of time in the dirt before I went to a street bike, and I would recommend a good dose of it before hitting the pavement - you will learn the basics of throwing a bike around in less-than-optimum conditions, traction-wise, and, as someone already mentioned, you WILL dump it - this isn't a bad thing - hopefully you will learn about high-siding, sliding, tank-slappers and all the other good stuff before you put your life in the hands of other drivers.

There are a ton of bikes that will do double-duty and give you the flavor of both dirt and pavement if you wish, and you might just find out you like that - but bottom line, I recommend learning how to ride off-road.

ditto on the dirt...but understood if not possible, cause it kinda takes over your life

Yeah...sorry, didn't stop to think maybe it's not convenient where you are.