hi i'm new around these parts and i figured i'd shoot this question out: would i be able to MASTER the art of riding on the r6? by master i mean when sh!t hits the fan i won't hesitate to evade the danger. i'm really not interested in buyin a 250 or 500. what do you guys/girls think?
first bike recommended?
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If you have absolutely no riding experience, you might not want to throw 8 large on an R6. You might want to get a little experience on a friend's dirtbike, if that isn't possible, then buy some clunker bike to learn on. There are a lot of bikes that you can get for pretty cheap, that you can get some time on, and then if you wreck it, or dump it, you won't be out much. When you think you are ready, then throw the money on a good bike.
The R6 is an excellent bike in that an average person can make it do extraordinary things.
The R6 is an excellent bike in that an average person can make it do extraordinary things.
I recommend the MSF course... ya know, the motorcycle safety course, where they give you the bike to use and stuff. It helps on insurance, and gives you your license if you don't have it already. And you get some really good pointers. I jumped from that course to my R6 and was fine. Scared the first time (on the R6), but I was still fine. I only laid mine down, b/c I was dicking around and showing off, thankfully, it was in the grass and didn't hurt anything.
-Solace
-Solace
I recommend the MSF course... ya know, the motorcycle safety course, where they give you the bike to use and stuff. It helps on insurance, and gives you your license if you don't have it already. And you get some really good pointers. I jumped from that course to my R6 and was fine. Scared the first time (on the R6), but I was still fine. I only laid mine down, b/c I was dicking around and showing off, thankfully, it was in the grass and didn't hurt anything.
-Solace
-Solace
Ya, buy like an old used street bike thats got screwed up plastics (but where everything else is fine) and build a "naked bike" so you don't spend the money on new plastics. Plus it'll be cheap and like everyone else says, if you drop it, who cares, plus some of the naked bikes out there are pretty nice if you decide to keep it and fix it up nice. I had a '90 Katana I sold for $500 to a kid who is doing just this as his first bike. He spent like $250 to get it running and for $750, he's got his first street bike that if something happens to it, then no big deal. Like miraclegrau said, the last thing you want to do is spend all that cashish only to dump it right away....
yeah seems to be the comon answer and i guess for a good reason. as far as riding, i consider myself to have NO experiance. i mean, i've ridden dirt bikes and mopeds when i was younger, but nothing with the type of flick-of-the-wrist insanity like the r6. but maybe i will just get something to put around town on for a summer. another question: is anyone here from the austin area? i'm thinkin of movin back there in about a year and a half maybe 2 and was wondering if i'd be able to ride *safely* all year round. i lived in houston for all of my highschool career, but high school was just that and my memory deceives me of those years.
If you have self control and can spot your limits, the R6 is by far the best bike to learn on.
As long as you take it slow and have a good rider to teach you how to keep it vertical, I suggest buying like a 99 or 2000 R6 as your first bike.
If you are smart about how you learn you will be ok
Don't worry about finding one that is in pristine condition because ...
IT WILL GO DOWN
I dont mean it might go down...
IT WILL GO DOWN
By the way, if you think you might be tempted to hop right on and take on ramps at 120, ride 80mph standies or otherwise surpass your limits, dont buy an R6,
Buy yourself an 84 Toyota Carolla and drive it off a bridge because you are stupid.
As long as you take it slow and have a good rider to teach you how to keep it vertical, I suggest buying like a 99 or 2000 R6 as your first bike.
If you are smart about how you learn you will be ok
Don't worry about finding one that is in pristine condition because ...
IT WILL GO DOWN
I dont mean it might go down...
IT WILL GO DOWN
By the way, if you think you might be tempted to hop right on and take on ramps at 120, ride 80mph standies or otherwise surpass your limits, dont buy an R6,
Buy yourself an 84 Toyota Carolla and drive it off a bridge because you are stupid.
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308 Posts
Word Jasamb!
Sure the "best" way is to start on smaller cc bikes, but it is not impossible to learn on an R6. I started in the MSF course and it wasn't too bad, we only went 20mph. I didn't have good practice with working the clutch so that took some practice. The first thing i've notice when i went home and hopped on my dad's suzuki gs500 from the 250cc bike in the MSF was that it was harder to manuver (probably because it was heavier). of course i'm talking about low speeds, which is all you do in the MSF.
My dad sold the gs500 and got a 93 Honda VFR 750. There was a tremedous difference in handling, comfort and of course power. On the GS500 i had to work a lot harder accelerating and turning than on the VFR. The VFR handled a lot more smoothly and because it was so damn heavy it was hard to move around when parking and moving it around with the engine off, but on the freeway it didnt get blown around and it felt more stable and glued to the ground "like a fat guy that can move!" This thing felt like a spaceship compared to my R6. Another thing i did alot when i was learning was i lost my balance at times. I saved most of the falls but i did go down a couple time... No shame, it happens to everyone.
so then i finally get the R6. The gs500 to the r6 is like going from a old ass (plastic bumper) corolla to a 2003 cellica. the VFR, being a sport touring bike is like accord or camry because its more comfortable and handles "ok" whereas the R6 is the sport model and drives like a sport model does. The R6 has sensitive everything, throttle, handling, and braking. In my opinion a lot of people think an R6 is to sensitive for new rider so they should get a slower bike and build skill first before the bike will even let them go fast.
I say just be careful and take things slow and dont think your skill has improved, know if it has. A lot of people think they are better than they really are and thats probaly why they crash.
Sure the "best" way is to start on smaller cc bikes, but it is not impossible to learn on an R6. I started in the MSF course and it wasn't too bad, we only went 20mph. I didn't have good practice with working the clutch so that took some practice. The first thing i've notice when i went home and hopped on my dad's suzuki gs500 from the 250cc bike in the MSF was that it was harder to manuver (probably because it was heavier). of course i'm talking about low speeds, which is all you do in the MSF.
My dad sold the gs500 and got a 93 Honda VFR 750. There was a tremedous difference in handling, comfort and of course power. On the GS500 i had to work a lot harder accelerating and turning than on the VFR. The VFR handled a lot more smoothly and because it was so damn heavy it was hard to move around when parking and moving it around with the engine off, but on the freeway it didnt get blown around and it felt more stable and glued to the ground "like a fat guy that can move!" This thing felt like a spaceship compared to my R6. Another thing i did alot when i was learning was i lost my balance at times. I saved most of the falls but i did go down a couple time... No shame, it happens to everyone.
so then i finally get the R6. The gs500 to the r6 is like going from a old ass (plastic bumper) corolla to a 2003 cellica. the VFR, being a sport touring bike is like accord or camry because its more comfortable and handles "ok" whereas the R6 is the sport model and drives like a sport model does. The R6 has sensitive everything, throttle, handling, and braking. In my opinion a lot of people think an R6 is to sensitive for new rider so they should get a slower bike and build skill first before the bike will even let them go fast.
I say just be careful and take things slow and dont think your skill has improved, know if it has. A lot of people think they are better than they really are and thats probaly why they crash.
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