[Closed] Show us your sportsbike 🙄

I don't ride bikes, but isn't an R6 one of things that experienced riders use to smear themselves all over things ?

R6 as a first bike? Not so much controversial as stupidly dangerous.

I had a student once when I was a motorcycle instructor who was adamant that he wanted a Ducati 748 when he passed his test. I advised him it wasn't a good idea and should start out on an old CBR600 at most. He came back two weeks later to show off his 748, and about a month after that to show off his broken arm and smashed faring.

Another student wanted a CBR1100XX on passing his test. I thought he'd be fine on it and he was for the next year while our paths still crossed, no idea after that.

I also remember a chap buying an R1 and his ego stopping him from heeding the warnings we offered about the new tyres. About 10m off the forecourt, the back wheel when past the front one.

It's basically a respect thing. The question is, will you have enough respect for an R6? Is it possible to respect a machine like that without the experience of machines like that?

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Don't forget to fill out your organ donors card before you pick it up. So your stupidity can at least benefit society

One of my mates, who was known as something of a tool, wanted to play out with the big boys on motorbikes, so did one of those crash courses (ironic eh?), passed his test and bought a ZX6. On the first ride out with him (we were all on 600/750's but had worked our way up via the more traditional, and sensible 125 - 400 - 600 route), we all speculated on how many more days he'd be alive for.

I think he managed a couple of weeks before the inevitable. He did actually live, but his legs are now mostly made out of metal

R6 will be fine. Just be a little careful with the throttle!

It's not a prerequisite for everyone who buys a bike to die quickly.

I don't see the problem with an R6 if its what you fancy. Mostly what I have seen get people hurt is inexperience leading to making the wrong choices in a panic or getting competitive in a group. Take it easy and you should be fine on whatever you choose.

I'd personally recommend a KTM RC390 though if you want a Sportsbike that wouldn't kill you quickly.

I wonder if the little KTMs are of more interest to experienced riders looking for something different (think fatbike, single speed, etc) than new riders.

Certainly is to me yes, although admittedly mine is the Duke390 as the RC390 was too uncomfortable a seat for me 🙂

I prefer my sportsbikes with flat bars and less plastic (my Beemer and a mate's 'prilla):

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An R6 is hardly an ideal first bike, but that said like all super sports 600s they have bugger all power below 10,000rpm, so if you keep the revs down while you're learning the bike / how to ride properly you'd probably be ok.

Aprilia RS125-

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Any fool can go fast in a straight line- learn to ride a small bike fast and flow and you'll be able to ride anything, pretty much 😀

And remember, the throttle works both ways!

edit- I'm a great believer in 'serving your time' on smaller CC bikes. Learn to ride and look ahead, keep some momentum going rather than jumping straight on a 600cc+ bike and scaring yourself sh!tless the first few times out.

edit- I should probably add that I've had (and crashed!) bigger bikes and the 125 is the bike I've had the most fun on, to the point I sold all my bigger bikes and now only have the 125, although I don't ride on the road any more.

Fast bikes can go slow. But modern race reps tend not to be particularily good at it- it's not a bad analogy to think of them as being a bit like an XC race bike, brilliant at going fast but less than brilliant at noodling around the park. Engines tuned for power not breadth, ergonomics set up for squishing behind the screen. Oh and importantly for a first bike, mindboggling expensive to drop!

I wouldn't say don't buy one, but I would say, it's almost certainly not the best idea. But these things, maybe they're not all about the best ideas.

Here's mine. Not really a sports bike, but fast enough on the road, nice handling, very tractable power, light, excellently durable (I threw it down the back straight at knockhill at about 90mph, it cost me £35 to fix), massively moddable... And, er...

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It's an old one, but bought in the same vein as mentioned above, i.e. not quite so much death on wheels as it could be:

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Bro in law passed his test and went straight into looking at brand new GSXR 600s. I persuaded him he'd be dropping it at every set of traffic lights and to look at something a bit older (and tamer). It's still unfathomably quick, even at 15 years old and with 40-odd thousand miles on it. Christ knows what a modern sportsbike must feel like.

somebody nicked it, Northwind ??

My not very sporty spirtsbike
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Fast bikes are horrible to ride slowly. My red not very sportsbike only starts to get comfy over 100. The yellow one is fun at low speeds and agonising over 80.

I had a red firestorm too great bikes, got my brother to send me some yoshimura cans over from the states, made a lovely noise. I don't recall it being anymore uncomfortable than the vfrs I was riding at work at the time, and certainly not as bad as 'blade which I borrowed from work one day and was in agony riding it home.

A R6? 120+ bhp and sub 4 sec 0-60 as a first bike? I wouldn't call it controversial, I'd call it ill advised.

Have you your licence yet? Can you actually ride a bike yet? The two aren't necessarily compatible.

Walk into most bike showrooms and there'll be a couple of brand new looking 'fast' bikes that have only a couple hundred miles on the clock. What happens is somebody get their licence buys a fast bike and heads out on to the open road and ends up overcooking a bend and shitting themselves so much they never ride it again. That's if they're lucky.

Go for something half as much brake and slower. It'll keep your first years insurance down and if it's a few years old you won't cry when you drop it (everybody does, usually during low speed manoeuvring). It's more fun riding a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. Learn how to ride (factor in 5000+ miles) properly. Taking corners at any kind of speed takes practice and for you to know how far it leans, when you can apply the gas and is best tried slow then building up.

It's also better to learn how to overtake properly, not just twist and go.

I started off on a DL650 (66 bhp) which was fast enough to be scary but not scary fast, nice handling, comfortable and balanced. Cheap enough to buy, insure and run. And knocking on a range of 250 miles even with a lead right wrist. Not as cool as a R6 mind. An ER6 or Gladius/SV might be closer?

I'll not post a photo of my bike (as it's a DL1000...)

Just my tuppence worth.

I started on a ZXR400, it was a superb little machine 🙂

weeksy - little revvy bastard 400's are a right old laugh! I've had a couple. An FZR 400 EXUP being the best. Bloody great fun! Wringing the neck out of one of those things you'll get away with. An R6? possibly not.

I had a red firestorm too great bikes, got my brother to send me some yoshimura cans over from the states, made a lovely noise. I don't recall it being anymore uncomfortable than the vfrs I was riding at work at the time, and certainly not as bad as 'blade which I borrowed from work one day and was in agony riding it home.

Thing is, even a 20-odd year old 400 will do the thick end of 120mph! I have a [i]penchant[/i] for FZR400s 😳

Here is mine. Second fastest production bike in the world when it was new
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Must admit smaller bikes are fun. I passed having ridden for 5 days, bought a VFR750, learned to ride then traded 'up'. Currently riding a Blackbird though every six months or so I 'buy' a Fireblade/R1/GSXR1000/S1000 and then change my mind.

I had a couple of NC750's as courtesy bikes last year and they were ace. You could actually get the throttle on the stop frequently without jail/death which is not so straightforward on the bigger bikes. I had a 1200 Aprilia trailee thing last week which was lot's of fun though I needed a step ladder to get on it and I'm 6'! Won't be buying one of those though it was fun - they told me it was a 750 and I thought 'blimey this goes well....'.

I envy those that have served their time as they're no doubt much better riders than I. However, if you have some maturity and self control, there's no reason why you couldn't buy a bigger bike and be successful. Not sure a sports 600 fits the bill but I wouldn't be in the market for one of those regardles.

I did a DAS course and bought a brand new ZX6R as it when the new model was launched, and they knocked 2 grand off the the old one. I had it 6 years, did several track days and other than dropping it on the drive pushing it into the garage, it was fine. Was does a lot, does a little if you are responsible

As has already been said you will drop it at some point, probably on the drive or in the garage and at the worst possible time, when everyone is watching! When that happens you will die a little inside but it's a right of passage!

I have gone back to smaller bikes, currently have a 26 year old nc30, I don't have the self control for a big bike and need my licence, and I can have lots of fun on that without getting into too much trouble. With brakes and suspension sorted it's a brilliant handling fun bike. The thought that things seem to be hearding towards smaller lighter sports bikes again is a very positive alternative to the 600/1000 only sports bike choice.

If you have the self control then go for it, they are nice bikes and I have friends who got straight onto 600's and have had no problems at all. However you do need to be honest with yourself and if you do not have the control to take it easy and improve your skills on it then there are better alternatives, I would be looking at the KTM 390's.

Passed 2 years ago and bought an R6 as my first bike, i've not crashed it yet. I've had to sit it up in a corner twice and ride it into a bush, but the alternative was learning it in to a pebble covered road and sliding into the bush anyway.

In hindsight I would have probably progressed much quicker on a smaller bike as the r6 really is a pig at low rev's, but I got this for such a bargin I couldn't resist.

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I've not really gone down the sportsbike routes so this is the sportiest I've got so far. It's quick enough for me and I've done a few trackdays on it.

I wouldn't have jumped straight to a sportsbike after direckt access myself - I went with a Honda Deauville as my first big bike.

Our neighbours lad had a 50cc runaround, then passed his test. He then went out and bought himself a z750cc kawasaki. Hardly used it and then left it to rot on the drive as he was to scared to use it. I wouldn't do it

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I had a kawasaki kr1s 250. Went on a trackday and the only bike to pass me was a very good rider on a 900 fireblade. Was horrible bike on the road though. You dont need a big bike to go fast 0r crash I did 3 times so i sold it and never rode a motorbike again as i thought my son would like his dad around a bit longer.
This was around 20 years ago.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-bike-thread-engine-again-orange-again

Bit of info on my new KTM 390. Its a brilliant thing, really is!

I have a Piaggio MP3 500 LT which I commute to work in London. That's scary enough for me!

Hardly used it and then left it to rot on the drive as he was to scared to use it

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Back right: 748 track bike
Back centre: 1098s road bike (will be going on track soon)
Front: Gas Gas EC 300 - proper enduro bike!

Awesome bikes there guys! Yeah, I understand what many of you say about going straight to a sports bike as a first bike, but I think I have a reasonably sensible head on my shoulders in terms of self-restraint... I have been learning the basics on my friends CBR600RR at the airport where I work, and really like it...
Saying that, part of me really likes naked bikes, and the new FZ09 appeals to me also. It's a different beast to the R6 of course, but it sure is purty!
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I went 200/250/600 after passing my test but then bought these beasties

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Mate of mine passed his bike test when he was about 20, couple of years back(approaching 40) decided to get back into bikes and proceeds to buy a R1.
Gorgeous bike promptly written off 2weeks later whilst riding round the peaks trying to keep up with more experienced riders.
Basically his skill set wasn't a match for his ego and thought he was up to it.

And to top it off he only had 3rd party insurance to keep his premium down, he still decided to get a replacement bike I suggested he get something cheaper and less powerful to build his skills up on but no he goes and buys another R1, last time I saw him it was gathering dust in his garage.

Hmm - I'd rather drop this at 10mph than an R1 at 110mph...

(was still bloody heavy to pick up, mind)

Rachel

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I'm not a curtain twitching killjoy and I hate telling people what to do so I won't BUT...

At my first job I worked with someone who was taking bike lessons. He passed on a Saturday morning and went out to put a deposit on a bike (Yamaha R6). On the next Friday he had all his gear with him including his shiny new helmet and when we finished early he went straight to collect the bike. On Monday morning I heard that he'd died in a crash on Friday night. He lasted about 4 hours before he drifted wide on a slip road and entered the A1 into the side of a lorry.

I have another mate with less cash who bought a cheap bike just after passing his test. An old CBR600. He entered a left hander too fast trying to keep up with his new biker mates. He drifted into oncoming traffic and sat up to turn right but there was nowhere to go but off the road. He went airborne over the kerb with his leg flailing out which hit a lamp post and snapped in half. Only his leathers were holding his leg on and the blood and screaming made the first lad on the scene vomit. He was off his feet for 2 years.

I've got nothing against bikes and I want one myself eventually. I just can't fathom the appeal of sportsbikes. They're one trick ponies and if you're not thrashing them all the time you'd be much better off on something else. All bikes are fast enough to make progress. Consider something upright and comfortable and just have fun.

I want one of these beauties!
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As a very old biker told me when I was starting off.

"It's no the speed that kills ya son,it's lack o respect fir the speed that'll get ya.

Its completely down to you and your ego, if you are sensible enough it will be no problem at all. If you think your Rossi then it might be.

An R6 makes a lot of its power up the rev range so to be honest if you don't cane it then it wont be that fast. You have to "try" to go fast on a modern 600. It does however have superb brakes and handling so its just as likely to get you out of trouble as into it.

I had one of the 99 R6's when it came out, it was a cracking bike. I can only think the newer ones are better.

I ride a Tuono APRC on the road now and love the more comfortable position and the fact its still as quick as I would be happy going on the road. I also have a Daytona 675 track bike which is great for track but I am crippled after riding it for 20mins 🙂

Do any of the motorbike people on here keep their bike outside? I've always wanted to learn (sitting in queues of traffic in the car is frustrating when I could be on the road bike, but sometimes I'm too knackered to cycle in!) but we're currently in a flat with no protected parking or garage. Because the flat's rented I wouldn't be able to attach a ground anchor anywhere either.

But now we're looking at buying our own place, we've found somewhere good, except there's no garage or rear access to the back garden. If (big if) I had a motorbike it would have to live out the front of the house, not on the road, but still not locked inside a garage. Anyone do this with a ground anchor and disk lock/alarm setup?