Bike for noob

Hi Guys,
Long time reader, first time poster.
I am a complete noob when it comes to motorcycles.
I will be taking a course with @Lonestar later this spring (he does not know about it yet, as I haven't registered, but that's the plan )
Contrary to a popular opinion of starting on a used 250cc, I would like to buy a new bike.
I was seriously considering Ninja 300, as, from what I have seen and read, it has been THE beginners bike.
My dilemma is, I am 5'11, 185lbs, 41 y.o. father of 2. Ninja 300 seems to be geared more to the smaller and younger crowd.
I do LOVE the way it looks. I will also be doing about 80-90 kms on a highway daily.
Recently I went to Laval Moto to check the bike out (and buy the tickets to the Moto show). The salesguys suggested that 300 will be very under-powered for the use and recommended to go with 650.
To tell the truth, I feel a bit intimidated starting on 650, but it does make more practical sense.
I am also considering CBR500R.
All bike 2014 with ABS.
With the Moto show, many dealers a having specials.
So, should I bite the bullet and go for 1 of them now and save some $, or should I wait 'till I am through the course?
Sorry for the long story, but it has been driving me nuts all winter
Thanks
stanbuyan

I would buy a a shitty bike for 1000$ for the practice period just incase you drop it. Everything seems fine now saying you want to do 80kms a day on a bike but the reality is quite different for some people after they actually get one

First wait to do the classes, you might not even like the ridding position of any and change your mind towards a completely different style. For highway riding I would forget the 250 or 300. Lack of power. I would get a 500 for the fun factor but overall a 650 is enough for a lifetime.

As others said. wait and try them out. But a 300cc is not enough for highway use and even street use its so so.

Here's my progression over the last 3 summers

2003 Suzuki SV650S - first bike, loved the V-Twin, lots of fun in the city
2002 Honda VFR800 - Simply amazing, considered sport touring at the SAAQ and has a nice kick when needed. (would consider this bike again in the futur)
2003 Yamaha XV1600 - Wanted to try a cruiser. Very comfortable but got tired of it quick. Did not like the seating position. Lots of torque but wayyyyyy to heavy and getting hit with the wind in the chest all day long slowed down my trips to 90km/h on average on the highway. Look wise it was a beast.
End of last summer and summer coming up 2003 Honda CBR954RR - Shit is crazy. Love love love it. Nothing else to ad.

After this last honda I will look into getting maybe something newer/new depending on budget (aka wife's approval :dark2: )

Good luck on your courses and enjoy riding.

Fait 2 ans que j'ai un 200cc de 16hp pis je me suis pas encore tanné, ça dépend de ton tempérament et quoi tu veux faire avec.

those of you saying the ninja 300 is underpowered, have you riden one? if you jump on one from an SS then yeah youll think its too slow but i started on and still own my 300 and its MORE than enough for your average joe commute. my intentions when i bought this bike in spring of last year was to sell for an SS this upcomming summer. but i have way too much fun on it and in the twisties i am able to (decently) hold my own against my SS friends

its not SS performance, but its more than enough for daily

0:30

if its your first bike .. go for a early 2000 bike around 2k and have fun, build experience and sell it for the same price next year.

suzuki sv / gs500
buell blast

My advice is , go trough the process, get your liscence. Try out as much bikes as you can. Find out what prefer and go from there. I tought a cruiser was pretty boring until I tried one ( a savage) and liked it on the streets but not on the highway. I'm sure you'd keep a 500r or a 650 longer than a 300. Also after your classes you might be less afraid of bigger cc bikes


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Buy what you want, people will always come up with fucked up affirmations to change your mind.

A 250 handles highways fine.
Bigger doesn't always mean better, look at the performances of the cbr500...

Thanks everybody for your input.
Merci tous les monde.
As most of you suggested, I will wait and get the licence before buying.
It make the most sense.

Je me suis acheté un Ninja 400 comme 1er bike pour me faire la main et ensuite je l'ai changé un an plus tard pour un SV 650 lorsque je me suis senti plus à l'aise à conduire.

Est-ce que je referais le même move ? Oui à 100%. À moins que tu saches à 100% le type de bike que tu aimes, attends peut-être justement de faire tes cours : tu vas pouvoir en essayer plusieurs types.

Ninja650

C'est une super machine pour débuter et encore plus. Ma blonde a acheté le sien neuf (2014) et a payé en bas de $7000. Il est plus puissant que les Honda 500cc (qui sont une coche trop petits).

Je l'ai conduit et j'ai été agréablement surpris. C'est vraiment pas trop puissant pour un nouveau rider.

J'adore ma Ninja 250R. La puissance est adéquate. C'est léger et facile à manœuvrer.

C'est également vraiment par cher.

Achète usagé et upgrade plus tard. De toute façon tu ne pourra pas rouler autant que tu voudras durant la première année. (Accompagnateurs)

Le 650 est une tres bonne machine pour débuté et être confortable sur l'autoroute.

La 300 est superbe si le budget est plus restreint et serait idéale pour voir si tu aime la moto.

la 300 a l'avantage d'etre un bike relativement rechercher, peu fréquente dans le used et les plaque moins cher (donc facile a revendre)....ce qui en fait un choix tres sensé comme premiere moto.

apres 1-2ans a rider la 300, tu va avoir eu la chance d'aller a des test ride et essayer qlq autre moto ...et la te faire une meilleur idée de ce que tu aime vraiment.

trop de gens commence avec le supposé "best bike pour eux" mentionné par un ami pour finalement se retrouver avec un bike totalement différent apres 1-2ans.

It depend also on your driver type, if in the last 25 years, you were only a daily driver and have only experience driving a car, you will find a 300 cc extremely quick and powerful. However, if you were a car maniac and drove powerful cars or have other driving experiences (gokart, snowmobile, ATV etc), you might find it a little underpower. This is my case and I have a 650 cc, I am keeping it for the first 2 years to learn and get more comfortable with driving a bike, but I will change it soon after to get more power.

whoever says the 300 is not good for highway has just never driven one...

I am riding one since last may and it's a blast! goes to 140 quickly, good highway passing power too.

This comming from a guy that started with a f4 and went gsx-r 1000 2004 and raced in the parts canada circuit for 3 years.


Bike is just awsome in the corners! more than enough power to ride! even with a passenger, I barely notice a difference. the only problem a 300 has is braking power, it's just not really good... but otherwise, it's the perfect bike, not just for beginners.

I went through this exact same dilemma as you a year ago.

Here is what I have learned.

1) Don't buy new. You will drop it. I didn't think I'd drop mine, but I did.. It happens to almost everyone.
2) It's really hard to know what bike to get when you start. Why ? Because you are new! It's hard to know what you like about a bike, what you don't like until you have ridden for a while. So why buy a brand new bike when you aren't really sure it's the bike you want..
3) Power is overrated. I have a Bandit 600 and I've ridden 125's and 250's and 300's on the highway and honestly, they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Don't get too hung up about power. What you should be looking at is weight and how easy it is to handle. My Bandit 600 is a heavy and I curse it every time I have to park it on the side of the street.. Or if I don't stop correctly and it starts to tilt in one direction that I'm not ready for and I have to muscle it back up. And when I dropped it ? Ya, it took everything I had to get that sucker upright. For someone with lots of experience these aren't huge issues for them.. But you are a new rider. And as a new rider, you have a whole new set of sh*t to deal with. Don't make it harder on you then it has to be..
4) As everyone else has said, take the classes, get your learner's then decide. Lonestar has all kinds of bikes for you to try and you'll get a really good idea of their differences. (p.s make sure you try the Zephyr )

Have fun! Lonestar is a fantastic teacher. He'll teach you well.

J

MohammedRex said:

if its your first bike .. go for a early 2000 bike around 2k and have fun, build experience and sell it for the same price next year.

buell blast

Click to expand...

Buell XB12S sa dit quoi comme bike? c'est tu trop gros comme premier bike?

Buel blast: Worst POS ever!

Un 12 c'est quand meme pas mal de bike pour débuter.

Jai dropper 1 fois en bike dans mes cours , ensuite jai acheter un vieux Ninja zx600e , ensuite un zx7r pis l'annee passee je me suis gater ...







Aucun bike a le meme feeling.

J'hesitais entre le monster 1200 ou un streetfighter 848 qui est tres aggressif mais bon jregrette pas mon choix du monster , c'est tres civilisé et sa du torque en massse pour s'amuser


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