I agree with the above posts, get a good used ninja 250 or 500. Great starter bikes to learn the fundamentals on and very forgiving unlike supersports.

Remember there are two types of riders, those who have crashed and those who are gona' crash.

also budget for gear and take the MSF curers.

 

If you like the crappy resale value of the Buell, sure. Pick up a used one and plan on keeping it for a while. Whereas, with say a 2004 Ninja 250 you could turn around and sell it in a year for pretty much what you bought it for.

When it comes to sportbikes, imports are where it's at.

 

Here ya go, here's a perfect starter bike in your area...

http://memphis.craigslist.org/mcy/523802086.html

 

Those little 250's are fun to toss around on a track too.

 

haha, the sad thing is i know the guy, and i will definitely pass on that bike.

 

I guess that leaves out getting one like mine.

 

I'm going to second the SV650. I'll tell you why I think this is a great beginner bike.

1. Just because it's 650cc vs 600cc like a GSX-R600, it has far less power due to it being a v-twin vs the I4 of a Gixxer. More important though is how it delivers it's power. Where the gixxer,R6,ZX6R,600RR all are very peaky and explosive, the SV650 gives the power out as a gruntier broad powerband. This is good for beginners as you don't have to focus on being in a particular gear to have some power...so your not bogging down and such or suprising yourself by a sudden rush of power. It's about useable power. Also this is good for riding around the street. On the racetrack you want your power explosive and the close ratios of the transmissions on a gixxer keep you in the explosive power. What does all this mean? The SV, while having less power, has power that is easier for a beginner to tap into and use without finding themselves over their head.
2. The SV is a nice lightweight bike. A couple of mods to it and it'll be handling like a dream. A decent rider on an SV can whip a 600cc supersport through the twisties. Remember, any average joe can pick up a 1K sport bike or hyabusa and twist the throttle and be fast from stoplight to stoplight. Being fast through the twisty portions of the road is what separates the good riders from the posers. The SV will teach you to be fast where it matters.
3. Often times the words "Beginners Bike" are synonimous with weak, boring bikes with no aftermarket. Because of the aforementioned useable power, and fantastic handling, if you go to your local amature racing circuit you will find gobs and gobs of sv650's out there. Racers and track guys love them. (I'll be selling my gixxer for an SV650 soon) Because of this there is a HUGE aftermarket for them. You can pick up all kinds of bits for these bikes. Try doing that with a Katana or a Kawi 250.
4. Also, sometimes a beginner bike is something that's good for you when you are starting out, but you soon grow out of it. Sure you might wind up wanting more power out of your SV, but most riders truely will not grow out of it. You will be riding for a long long time before you can outride a properly setup SV. The SV is a great bike that will grow with you and allow you to grow as well.
5. You can pick up used SV's DIRT CHEAP! This is another important factor. As has already been said, it's not if you'll mess up the bike, it's when. It'll either be sliding off the road, looping a wheelie, or just dropping the darn thing in the parking lot. The SV is mostly naked, depending on which version you get, and that's a good thing. Drop a fully faired sportbike in a parking lot and you just did a minimum of $400 damage because that's how much a new side fairing is going to cost you if you want to keep it looking clean. Pick up an SV and you don't have to worry about that. And if you do crash big, well, the bike was cheap to start with.
6. I don't know how old you are, but have you priced insurance yet? If your young and trying to buy a full on sportbike you've got some suprises coming. My first sportbike was a katana...not even a full on sportbike. I was 24 and my insurance payment was slightly more than my loan payment. That was the lowest rate I could find. Heck, the bike was $5k and one company quoted me at $4K PER YEAR! The SV will be a softer hit to your insurance than will a 600cc supersport. I've been riding some years now and am a lot older and have seen my insurance go down dramatically. However, your age, riding experience and what bike you choose will determine how much your going to get hit in this area.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I don't know squat about truck stuff, but I'm pretty good with the bikes.

 

 

I took a different road, my first bike was a Suzuki TL1000R. Any CC bike will kill you, it all depends on how you ride. Just because it goes 170MPH and 0-60 in a blink doesn’t mean you have to drive that way. I would suggest not getting a 500cc or less, you’ll out ride it after a few months and want a bigger one anyway. I do suggest taking a riding class, stick to side roads as you learn and be smart.

 

Sorry, but just because you did it and didn't die doesn't mean every new rider should. This is quite possibly the worst advice ever.

 

A Suzuki Marauder 800,a Honda Shadow ACE or Spirit,a Yamaha V-Star 650 or 800 or Vulcan 800 would be great starters...and they are cheap when they are a couple years old.

 

ninja ex500. great gas mileage, light bike, decent power, FUN.

 

I've looked into this quite a bit... Ninja 250's and 500's are fairly good.

However, the ultimate starter bike IMO is the Suzuki GS500F. Same idea as the Ninja 500 but it actually looks like it was made in this decade and is better overall.

 

Buy a used cheap dirt bike...why has no one else suggested this is beyond me. If you have never ridden, and you buy a 600 rocket...send me an address, so that I can send flowers.

Get this...



...before you do this...



Please, no comments about riding the dog...I know there are some sickos out there. OBTW, Duke does blind retrieves, and is my pride and joy.

 

Your Goldwing would run a Harley into the ground. Sweet Bike ANyone says other wise...dont know ***** from shineola!