Ok, i had a CBR 600 for my VERY first bike. Yes, i'm one of those kids who think he can handle a sport bike initially. Needless to say, my learning curve+S turn+sand=disaster for me and ESPECIALLY my bike. So the bikes totalled and now i'm a little sketched out about riding a 100hp bike again. This phrase i saw once on a guy's signature keeps ringing in my head everytime i go to look at sport bikes: It's better to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow. I rode my CBR really slow... that could have been why i crashed, i wasn't aggresive enough. Anyways, i'm not some kind of stupid, so i'm looking for a bike that's forgiving and will give me that first MSF course feel on a motorcyle: fun!

So here's the problem. I THINK i can ride a sport bike (obviously i did for a little while) but i'm not sure i'm up to that level, at all. I want something i feel comfortable on but can go fast with. This has left with, it seems, 2 choices, the FZR600 and the GS500. Anyone know if a FZR is a good first bike? It seems the GS is a good first bike, but after riding a CBR600, it seems a little primitive and slow. Any help would be great guys, i'm really conflicted about this and i'd like to keep my chances for dying down to a minimum.

jon

Get the GS.  Ride the piss out of it.  Once you can ride it without making errors, move up and get a bigger bike.  There's no sense in getting a FZR600 as a learner bike.  Those things are just as apt to kill you as your CBR was.  Come to think of it....the GS is capable of triple digit speeds....the GS can kill you too, but it's more forgiving of your errors.

Yeah the FZR is still a 600cc 90ish HP bike. If anything it will be MORE dangerous than the CBR because its older tech suspension and heavier weight still have to deal with pretty much the same power.

The GS is alot of fun to ride, very light and nimble. I have a YZF and still like to ride my wife's GS when I can "borrow" it from her. You have to work to get it to hussle, but once you get it up there, its more than willing to play.
It will teach you things about corner speed and throttle/gear management that you could only learn on a race track with a 600.

Also I'm sure the GS is MUCH cheaper than the Fizzer, and parts and upgrade bits are also much cheaper.  You could use the money you save by buying good gear and maybe investing in track school/time that will sharpen your skills so you can avoid accidents in the future.

Which ever you choose, good luck!

THe bike is easy to ride and learn on- as you get bored there's alot you can do to soop it up.  Don't have to worry about power wheelies, or too much throttle out of corners...

Economically, you can't beat the GS.   1) Insurance.  Let's see,  you just totalled a sport bike- so I'm sure your insurance co. is super happy with you...   I pay 500 a year for full coverage on an '01-  clean driving record.  2)  There's no plastic- so if you drop it who the hell cares.  A full fairing kit can cost as much as a used GS... 3) great gas milage, lots of cheap used parts.

besides all that you have access to the coolest and closest bike board on the planet.

Thanks for the quick replies guys! HOnestly, i started out wanting a honda hawk gt650, but they were really expensive for a 15 year old bike! So then i got the CBR because it was relatively cheap ('93) and REALLY clean. My eye has never strayed much from the naked bikes. It's funny, i never really wanted to go ride a bike as fast as hell, i like the independence more than the speed (the speed makes me shaZam! my pants!) but i hate harleys with A PASSION. Besides, it's hard to get a girl to say no to a date with you when you are rolling up on a bike  

I like the GS but i want to know if i can lower the riding position to a more "sport bike look." I saw some handlebars that looked like they did, but don't know if they really did or not. Also, i hate the mirrors on the GS, is there any aftermarket replacement that are better???

Can Anyone point me in a direction of a cheap used GS in the SF bay, CA area or San Diego, ca?

jon

It's better to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow.
I love this saying.  95% of the people will never have the balls or the skill to use whatever bike they have to it's full potential.  I have a V-Strom 650 and it has more horsepower than the GS.  The GS is much more fun to ride.   It's a blast to ride.  You have to make it work to do the things that a more powerful bike can do but that's the fun of it.  I love the GS and will never sell it.  The DL650 is my sedan and the GS is my convertible sports car.  

I have a set of dirt bike bars on my gs, and I've also raised the back end about an inch and a half.  this gives it a more 'sport bike' like riding position, but it is still deffinatly a 'standard' looking motorcycle.  But there are ways to give the gs a true sportbike seating position.  clip-ons off of an '89 model, suburban machinery bars, srinaths custom made bars ect...  it can be done, and really isn't all that hard.

Srinath is gonna be making a set of bars for the GS that will give it a nice agressive stance. PM him ... Cant go wrong for $50 shipped  

Or you can go to full, honest to god, under the top clamp, make your back scream for mercy, clipons.

The GS makes a very good snarly little cafe bike.

Get you a gs and join the club. the fzr is cool, but you are getting a full fairing bike again that could cost more money in the event of a spill.  btw: I think that is my sig you are reading. if its not this one its the one i have on sportbikes.ws hehe.  

based on your previous experience the fzr (and the sv650 for those that are curious) will be too much. The gs500 is a great bike to learn how to ride hard. YOu can progress to that level within a margin of safety not found on machines with 80+ hp.

"It's better to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow."

This is true. But also consider this...if you're on a small/slow bike then its all in your favor because if you're slow its the bike but if your fast its the rider.

Get the gs. Ride it for a year then move up to the fzr. I had my gs500 (my first bike) for about 18 months and 8700 miles of mostly canyons. Now I'm buying a cbr600rr.

See my site for lots of valuable info. Glad you learned from your mistake and that it wasnt more costly to your safety.

Welcome to our lil corner of the virtual world!  Good to see another (future) GSer in the Bay.
Look at Craigslist.org for used GS's.  I picked up a '92 for $900 in Jackson.  I've put some work into mine ot get it looking how I wanted, but I rode it from Jackson the day I bought it with no problems.  Moto Java in the city has had a few GS's over time and they may be able to help you out further.  Keep an eye on the For Sale section here...bikes are posted up all the time.
Good Luck...and if you get the chance a bunch of us are getting together at Infineon at the end of the month for the AFM races where one of our own (Bob B) will be tearing it up with a GS!!!  You should join us!

If you don't like the mirrors, consider replacing them with SV650 mirrors.  They look much nicer, bolt right on and are fairly easy to find on www.svrider.com or sometimes ebay.  Here's a pic:

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/alwaysbearedskin/detail?.dir=/9f14&.dnm=64e9.jpg

I would definitely recommend the GS as a great bike to get some good riding experience on too.  Good luck!

-Brian P. Miller

I have a friend who had a cbr600... his first bike... never got his motorcycle license, and ended up dropping insurance 'cause he couldn't afford both that and the payments.  

He had it almost a year, and lend it to a friend.

yup, you guessed it...  beat up bike, scraped up kid.  kid is lucky to get off with just scraches and a hefty ticket (riding w/ no endorsement, no insurance).

The best part, though:

Total estimated damage to the bike:  Fairings on the right side scraped up, gas tank dented to unusability, brake pedal bent, carbs out of adjustment (need to be synced, etc)

He still owed $3000 on the bike.  He sold it to someone for parts... $700.

I found out afterwords...   :x  :guns:

Yeah, somehow i can relate... hm. I dropped the bike in sand+light gravel in an S turn doing about 35 in a 15mph zone and i swung out wide into the gravel after changing lanes quick into the turn and then i hit the gravel, stood the bike up for the quick change of direction to hit the brakes, then banked it over to the left hard and BAM! i don't have the bike anymore and its skidding on the ground while i'm tumbling. Luckily, or unluckily-i'm not sure, the bike hits a curb, bends the forks flips it end over end a few times. Total damage??? Bent frame, subframe, clips on wrecked, all fairings wipped out, rear peg ripped off, shifter bent, instrument cluster destroyed, throttle gone, front stay bracket destroyed. But damn, that bike still started right up afterwards. My heart hurt more than anything else.  

The GS will go fast enough to get you arrested, why go faster?

The biggest weak point on the GS is the suspension and that can be fixed.

I plan to convert my GS into a full on cafe racer this summer. It's cheaper than any sporty bike I can buy and just as much fun.

I rode my girlfriend's Triumph TT600 today. Awesome bike. Good power. Excellent handling. Stop on a dime and pitch you over the bars brakes. I still prefer the GS as a streetbike!

Ok so i ran across this gal at the college dorms who rode a ninja500r. I kinda like the looks of these things. What's the difference b/w that and a GS? i know the ninja makes more power, but for me... given my past and taste, which bike would be better to get?

I remember reading reviews of the Ninja 500 vs GS500; they were my two choices.  I ended up buying the GS mostly because small bikes around here  were going like hotcakes in the want ads and I found one that wasn't bought!

 If I remember correctly, they were very similar.  It came down to a matter of personal taste  and that intangible "I like this one better."  In a shootout I don't believe there is any clear winner.

Price/parts might be a consideration.

The GS is lighter, handles better (if you can tell the difference), is air-cooled (a big plus in my book, as a mechanic) & is more crash-survivable (no water-pump to get sheared off, coolant pipes to get pulled out, fairing to be scratched), stiffer frame and you get to join us for the annual bay area GS ride.

When I was in the market for a new bike, my two choices were the GS and Ninja 500R. It came down to appearance. The GS was naked...in my opinion the best way for a bike to be. It looked raw, and I liked it.

The 500R and it's baby brother the 250R look like poseur sportbikes...they don't REALLY look like their 600cc and literbike counterparts, despite their best effots. They look like cheap plastic toys.

So I said to hell with it, and grabbed my GS...and I've loved it ever since.