new bike

[Stallmaster]

hi all,

i recently bought a 2006 gs500f and have been riding it all summer long. i feel as though i need something with a bit more "muscle" if you know what im saying....any suggestions??

ps i was thinking something like a yamaha r1 or gsxr1000

[dohabee]

That is quite a jump in performance from the 500, have you ever ridden anything like that?

[BaltimoreGS]

I would say something in the 600cc range would be a more logical next step.  Even an old Katana 600 has double the horsepower of a GS500.  You need to really master throttle control before setting out on a 1000cc super sport, hit a bump and twist the throttle by accident and it will stand up on you   

-Jessie

[mister]

Hmmm.... GS500 to R1 after having only started riding in May? Sure, why not, if you want to be road kill.

I know a girl who's BF wanted a bike. But no GS500 was going to be good enough. Didn't have the right "image". What would people think of him? What would his mates think of him? No, the lowly GS was not Powerful or Impressive enough to Other People. So he bought a BMW S1000rr. Like you, he was new to riding, and while riding it one day his lack of experience saw him come into a corner way too hot and all out of shape and he ended up crashing very badly. I saw the photos and the bike was not recognizable. He shattered his spine and had massive head trauma to the point there was zero brain activity and only life support keeping his body alive. Six weeks later life support was turned off.

Yes, granted, you can say "but I'll ride it sedately". But let's be honest, you will NOT ride it sedately. Without riding maturity (which you will claim to have, but you really won't though will happily delude yourself you do have - wanting an R1 after only a few months of total riding shows you lack riding maturity), you will twist that throttle and you will come unstuck cause you don't know how to handle it.

In MY opinion, you should NOT upgrade your bike until you have 12,500 miles (20,000km) of riding experience under your belt...

Statistically, you are more likely to crash in the first 6 months - or - 8,000km (5,000 miles) riding a New To You bike, regardless of the number of years riding. As it takes this long to muscle learn all the nuances of that particular bike and experience the majority of different circumstances on that bike. Each time you acquire a new-to-you bike you reset the crash-likelihood clock.

When you throw in bikes that have a twitchy throttle and will bite you as quick as look at you, your crash likelihood has greatly increased. This is how quick such a bike can bite the inexperienced http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjLosJe_VM

As Baltimore said, you need to master Throttle Control first. A liter supersport is not the place to learn that. The 600 range is far more your friend, such as...

SV650
Gladius
GSX650
ER6
FZ6
600 Hornet

And an even friendlier bike to mast throttle control on is the GS500 

Michael

[spc]

hi all,

i recently bought a 2006 gs500f and have been riding it all summer long. i feel as though i need something with a bit more "muscle" if you know what im saying....any suggestions??

ps i was thinking something like a yamaha r1 or gsxr1000

I know of a D16RR for sale, that should satisfy your need for 'muscle'

[Twisted]

hi all,

i recently bought a 2006 gs500f and have been riding it all summer long. i feel as though i need something with a bit more "muscle" if you know what im saying....any suggestions??

ps i was thinking something like a yamaha r1 or gsxr1000

I know of a D16RR for sale, that should satisfy your need for 'muscle'

Put me down for two - and put it on my tab 


And to the OP - Stick with the GS for at least another season. That lil bike will teach you so much but you need time to learn it. More power is not gonna make you a better rider. Bum in seat on a bike that you don't have to fight to keep it at the speed limit will.

[Stallmaster]

wow okay thanks..guess ill wait a bit more before moving up to those kinds of bike. how long is it going to take me realistically to learn throttle control?
i did post this topic now, but i wasnt going to buy a new bike until 2-3 years from now anyways because i know that i am NOT experienced enough to even be riding a 500.

[redhawkdancing]

Triumph Speed Triple or Honda CB1000r!  Nicer riding position than your typical sport bike. When you get tired of flying from corner to corner, they can also do some decent touring! 

[mister]

Triumph Speed Triple or Honda CB1000r!  Nicer riding position than your typical sport bike. When you get tired of flying from corner to corner, they can also do some decent touring!

*I* found the Street Triple to be way more comfy than the Speed Triple.

Michael

[Ourea]

[POST HAS BEEN REMOVED BY USER]

[spc]

hi all,

i recently bought a 2006 gs500f and have been riding it all summer long. i feel as though i need something with a bit more "muscle" if you know what im saying....any suggestions??

ps i was thinking something like a yamaha r1 or gsxr1000

I know of a D16RR for sale, that should satisfy your need for 'muscle'

Put me down for two - and put it on my tab 


And to the OP - Stick with the GS for at least another season. That lil bike will teach you so much but you need time to learn it. More power is not gonna make you a better rider. Bum in seat on a bike that you don't have to fight to keep it at the speed limit will.

Sorry, just know of the one for sale and the guy is of the 'in god we trust, all others pay cash' mindset.  Maybe that's how he got into the nasty predicament of having 3 ducatis, a bentley and a Ferrari

[Twisted]

hi all,

i recently bought a 2006 gs500f and have been riding it all summer long. i feel as though i need something with a bit more "muscle" if you know what im saying....any suggestions??

ps i was thinking something like a yamaha r1 or gsxr1000

I know of a D16RR for sale, that should satisfy your need for 'muscle'

Put me down for two - and put it on my tab 


And to the OP - Stick with the GS for at least another season. That lil bike will teach you so much but you need time to learn it. More power is not gonna make you a better rider. Bum in seat on a bike that you don't have to fight to keep it at the speed limit will.

Sorry, just know of the one for sale and the guy is of the 'in god we trust, all others pay cash' mindset.  Maybe that's how he got into the nasty predicament of having 3 ducatis, a bentley and a Ferrari

Damn things are the sweetest sounding bikes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AInHpgxv7yg&feature=feedu

[cbrfxr67]

Just wanted to say 'good words' to Mister.  Very good advice and although I think it is possible to start out on a bigger bike, it isn't wise and likely to have a bad ending.  The guy who bought my F3 that I re-worked totaled it recently.  He had it two months.  Before that he had a 09 ninja 250.  From his words the power from a late 90's 600 was off the charts compared to the newer 250.  I don't know about that, but I know he broke his elbow and covered himself in road rash as he rolled down the freeway as the bike skidded & flipped & smashed itself into a zillion pieces.
My first bike was an 85 700 Honda.  And now, when I think about how I rode then, I don't know how I didn't end up roadkill.  Nowadays, I just putt around, with my (as Mister would put it) 'riding maturity.' 

[zkbuck]

i know form experience that jumping from a 500 to a 1000 before you really have the throttle control down is a bad idea. i was riding with a buddy that had a Z1000 and he let me try it on my 5th ride out  well i got on and pulled back on the throttle and picked the front wheel up in no time flat. i would have wrecked if it wasn't for my extensive background doing stupid Sheet on peddle bikes (might not seem the same but it sure does give you a leg up as a beginner), so anyways I also want something bigger just so i have more of a top end to get out of trouble on the freeway (GS500 doesn't have a lot of get up and go when your already going 70) but after riding another friends FZ6 for a week, a 600 is more then enough for what i would like.

anywho, the choice is yours but listen to the guys on this site, they really know what they are talking about 

[BaltimoreGS]

The old saying really is true:  "It is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow."

And there should be an addendum that says "Riding a fast bike fast is just stupid on the street."   

-Jessie

[PachmanP]

The old saying really is true:  "It is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow."

And there should be an addendum that says "Riding a fast bike fast is just stupid on the street."   

-Jessie

And this guy is an expert at riding slow bikes! 

I just replaced my dearly departed gs with a dl650. The 30ish hp bump is nice. I'm not feeling like I need anymore power, and I don't feel like I have to be terrified to open it up. When the time is right (probably not after 1 summer) try some power steps in the middle. Going from 40 hp to 140 hp is a bit of a bump.

That all said there's a lot to be said for wringing the snot out of the gs instead of just cracking the throttle on a 1k.

[SAFE-T]

Haha ~ a bit more muscle ? The R1 or GSXR1000 is like four or five GS500's bolted together...

To each his own, but slowing down is way harder than speeding up, which is why 80% of motorcycle crashes are single vehicle caused by rider error (primarily too fast going into a turn and not able to slow down enough to negotiate the corner given their skills and/or the bike's limits). I would get something that reaches hyperspeed a little less easily ~ the GS500 has just enough power to be capable...you will be amazed at how much nicer 80-100hp feels. 

[BaltimoreGS]

And this guy is an expert at riding slow bikes! 

I could go for a low blow dragon's tail joke but I don't want to sink to your level...   

Thinking of making a trip down to OC, MD to catch the end of bike week of you want to put some miles on that wee-strom   

-Jessie