I'm sporting the notion to get a sport bike as an alternative to my car ... just incase it doesn't run one day and to get around town and for fun. For somebody that doesn't know squat about bikes besides how to barely ride one, anyone want give me some suggestions on where I should look first... I want to find a decent used one. Something like a R6... maybe? or should I start lower?

 

I would say to buy mine. 01 GSXR 1000. But you beeing a noobie, a racy 600 would be the tops I'd suggest. Try a lesser and cheaper used 600 than a sport bike.

 

ducati 999

 

I have a 03 Honda 600RR and for the money it is a great bike. Lots of fun, fast, looks awesome and corners like none other. I just wish it had the low torque of a bigger bike.
It depends on how much you want to spend. If it's your first bike buy something cheap that you won't care if you drop. You will probably want a bigger bike in the long run so if you have riding experience then I would get a liter bike.

Just my 2 cents...

 

My first bike was an R6. I thought it rode a lot better than the GSXR. The R6 felt lighter in the front and easier to control.

The first thing you need to do is register for the Florida Motorcycle Safety course. You will learn a lot and be a much better rider.

 

The 600's have come a long way in the last 3 years. They rival the liter bikes in cutting edge technology.

 

I own a CBR 1000RR(street) and it would be way too much for a newbie. Liter bike + Newbie = Bad Idea I also have a 600RR(track only) and it is much more suitable for the street. It's inputs are easier to modulate and control. Everthing about a Liter bike has to be more deliberate. Lean into the turn harder, get off the bike further, be more careful with the throttle, etc. With that being said the R6 is probably the easiest of all the 600's to ride followed closely by the Kawasaki 636. Get either of those and you will be fine. As far as torque goes.....who cares. On the street it really doesn't matter. I find myself lugging around my 1000RR at 2-3k rpms in typical traffic because that's all it needs. The only time I really like the torque of 1000 is when I'm on the track because I'm always shuffling gears on the 600 to stay in the sweet spot. Get the R6 and you'll be happy. Don't worry about the mileage because these things are bulletproof. When I did the rebuild on the 600 it had 5k hard track miles on it and you couldn't even tell. This was 5k miles of 9-16k rpms. I plan on keeping my 1000RR for the next 5-10 years. It's plenty of bike! Hope I helped.

 

I like the Huffy special edition. You can get your girlfriend on the handle bars and everything. If you really wanna go high performance the Schwinn is a no brainer w/ the baseball card in the spoke to make noise. They will hear you comming down the street for at least a 1/2 a block.

 

Thanks guys, yeah I'm not looking to spend much, its pretty much to get me to and from school and just for play. I'm going to take a course soon, but I got to play with my friends r6 a few days ago, and yeah, it was fun. I think its more practical for me to get a bike instead of a beater econo-type car just to drive around... cheaper and more fun too...

 

Practical is not the word I would use but economical, yes. Go on the R6 forums and look for the cheapest one. Makes sure you get a carfax report to see if it's been in an accident/laid down/rebuild etc.

 

Yes, I would go with an R6 or even an older Honda 600F4i. Those are great bikes too and a bit more comfortable than the R6, not quite as sporty or fast but still extremely reliable and tons of fun.

Do get the bike over a beater car because you will get much better gas mileage and less maintenance.

 

I'm biased toward Suzukis and would recommend you check out www.gsxrpaddock.com and www.gixxer.com for info.

I'd also really recommend a non-sport bike, such as a Suzuki GS500, or a Bandit, or any non-race replica bike from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha. They don't get stolen as much either.

Also, take the MSF course, get some gear, and always wear your gear, especially a helmet.

 

you might want to consider a 250cc as your first bike - buy it used and sell it used after a few thousand miles of practice(that way your cost of ownership is real low, you might even make a profit). that way you will be able to enjoy your 600cc+ bike with the basic experience of riding a motorcycle.

 

Highly recommend a Motorcycle safety course first, followed by a motorcycle endorsement, then you can get some basic knowledge and test ride as many as you like

 

Yeah I'm still looking into taking the MSF course, I want to get the bike by the end of this month. And then its just a matter of looking for some freetime... to do all this other stuff... With my courseload and all the other crap I have to do, stupid car is stuck at the shop this whole past weekend just for a pumpkin swap alone. *sighs* I'm still surprised I can check the board this much And Yeah I think R6 is the way I'm going go, practical is 100% what I mean though I no longer have to feel the need to let people bum rides off me , and the only thing I'll ever carry is my backpack....