new riders(long)

[stephan]

Ahhh yes the insurance factor is very nice on the GS!  

I hate to think about that kid when he goes to get insurance on his Busa and it costs him more than the bike!!!  :lol:

[AndyMC]

dont need insurance in washington

[Greg Gabis]

dont need insurance in washington

"Need" and "required by law" are not necessaarily the same thing.

Just sayin'.  

[AndyMC]

sorry insurance is not required by law in washington state

[jake42]

I"m a fan of the horsepower restriction and stringent licensing used in alot of other countries.  I know that makes me pretty unpopular,  but  I started on a 180cc and then moved to the GS.  Where do you go when you buy a busa for your first bike?...jay leno's jet bike?  a pine box?

whatever
jake

[panik]

The bile license laws just changed here, the largest bike I can get for the first year and a half is 660cc, and the GS500 is one of the biggest street bikes that are learner legal.

Before September you could only get up to a 250.

I think it's a good idea, because everyone learns to ride a smaller bike first.

[JohnNS]

I admittedly lusted after a 600 supersport bike at first. I was convinced I HAD to have a CBR or R6. Fortunately, a friend with quite a few years' riding under her belt (who owns a CBR600 herself) advised me otherwise, and suggested that something like a GS 500 would be a much better choice.

Fortunately, common sense won the wrestling match against ego on that one, and I'm glad it did.  

[chimivee]

It's a shame that's there's this notion of "beginner bikes."  Yeah, maybe if your goal is 200mph, then yes a 40hp bike is a "beginner."  But that's not necessarily everyone's plan, and there's certainly lots of folks that are content w/ a 500 until they die.  Of course, certain bikes are easier to learn on, but it's too bad that they're so often stigmatized as nothing more.  Or maybe we should start calling the Honda Civic  a beginner car... I'm all for it.

[Adam R]

It's too bad that there are no 250cc or 400cc supersport bikes sold in the US like there are in other places in the world.  I think around 65hp in a light chassis would be a great mix.  I find it ridiculous that people buy bikes that are way too powerful for them.  Even more ridiculous is the attitude that I sometimes got when I worked as a courier with a CBR 600.  "What kind of bike is that?"  "Oh, it's just a 600?"  

Obviously people have different objectives when buying bikes.  

Unfortunately the vast majority of prospective sport bike owners were not at Willow Springs last weekend watching (AMA pro) Tony Meiring put on an awesome display of riding in order to bring his ZX6 home 3rd in the 1000cc Formula 1 WSMC class, despite starting mid pack and being down some 50 hp to the two GSXR 1000s that finished ahead of him.

Adam

[mrslush50]

Had a guy (a kid really) come into the shop and test ride a 250 Ninja.  It was good to see a brand new rider (he had just finished his MSF course) look at the smaller bikes rather than one of the five 636's out in the showroom.  Something tells me this kid will have a long and successful riding career.  Not like the guy I met in my Philosophy class who crashed his second bike (a CBR929rr) while doing a stand up wheelie and now refuses to get on another motorcycle.  (His first bike was a 600)

[Sportbilly]

I convinced the wife she needed something smaller by letting her try my ZR-7 in a parking lot.  It only took a few scratches on the bike for her to see the light...  Too high, too heavy.

She rides a Vulcan 500 now  

I'll always enjoy a GS.  I still own one, just not in the US, which bothers me.  I'm still looking for one here with a price tag that the wifey finds acceptable.  

The sheer small size of the bike makes it fun, sadly most folks here I know don't subscribe to the smaller-bikes-can-be-fun magazine (then again, this IS kansas, not too many corners here...)

[alerbaugh]

To be honest; I learned to ride on a TT-R90.  After I learned the basics, I rode my dads TW200.  For my 16th B-Day I got a Kawasaki dual purpose250.  Now I've had the GS since june and am now looking for a 4cylinder.  Preferibly a YZF600R.  Not a race bike but is faster and has more power.  I know my limits and this may sound strange, but personally I don't think I'll evergot any thing bigger than a 600.  I dont want 150+hp ever!

[Rich500]

I know a kid who bought a CBR600 at the same time I bought my GS. What happened to him? 3 hours after picking it up, wrote it off, and nearly killed himself. What a fool. Im glad I rode my GS for a few seasons, because now Im ready to start riding the ZX9R! Yah, that will be fun. I have a taken out a freiends RC51 tons, and have learned to andle the power. Personally Id like to get a 150+hp bike, just not quite yet. The ZX9R has something like 126 hp. Thats way more than enough.

[vtlion]

take a look at all of the engineering and technology in bikes these days... throttle response, suspensions, braking, etc... all fantastic.

so where's the weakest link in the chain?  Its right behind the handlebars.

If you put an inexperienced rider on a racer-replica all the engineering in the world ain't worth jack.  It's (almost) all about the rider.  I'm famous among my friends and coworkers for being overly-cautious (even this can be a liability sometimes), so I felt comfortable bumping up to a 600 after one season... but i kept the GS, and which bike do you think I'll be riding more?  

what I love about the GS is that its forgiving in the thorttle department, but relatively unforgiving in all the others, so you can refine your technique.  with the top-of-the-line engineering on the 600's, your technical shortcomings aren't gonna come out as well... and one day you're gonna pay for it.

[Rema1000]

The first bike I wanted after MSF was a '72 CB100.     I went "all the way up to 500cc" with the GS because of the added comfort on the superslab.
Never really wanted anything larger (except maybe the F650GS, or the Marine-issue KLR650 diesel).

[70 Cam Guy]

Its really quite universal.

Some people can learn from others' experience and advice.  They are genuinely asking for advice.  Others only ask because they already have their mind made up and need someone to reinforce their decision.  They only hear what they want to hear and not what is told



The people on this board, which category do you think we fit in?  

[RandiBBB]

Of the female riders in my MSF class (several people already ride and just didn't want to take the DMV course test) I have my GS, another woman bought the VMax, and the third is still shopping.  

On the day I gassed up for the first time, I managed to drop Xena when I was dismounting - and that heffa is as heavy as a dead man when her tank is full! (I know it's all relative 'cause I'm female but I'm no featherweight!  :guns: )

Someone once told me not to buy a bike you can't pick up or push.

[JohNLA]

Hey Randi, do you have a boyfreind who rides?
I met a cat riding a sportbike back in September. Going from stoplight to stoplight, he told me his girl rides a GS and thought it was a great bike. He also got scared when he realised I was riding without mirrors.

[pizzleboy]

A lot of people are fairly co-ordinated, and MIGHT be able to not be stupid on a bigger bike.

however, if you freak out on a little bike, you can still recover.  If you freak out on a bigger bike, you greatly increase the risk of wreaking either the bike, yourself or both.

I'm a big beleiver of HP restrictions.

[RandiBBB]

Hey Randi, do you have a boyfreind who rides?
I met a cat riding a sportbike back in September. Going from stoplight to stoplight, he told me his girl rides a GS and thought it was a great bike. He also got scared when he realised I was riding without mirrors.

Nope, I have a husband who's looking into life insurance policies.