summer's here...sport's bike?

[poker1O1]

Lookin into gettin a bike this summer, ~600 cc, thoughts (on the bike itself, not the colors).

[jakhamma]

I ride an '05 gsxr and I love it. Everytime I throw a leg over it, I have more fun then the last.

[poker1O1]

any advice on best places to buy one? Ebay? (no dealership within 3 hours)

[guids]

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any advice on best places to buy one? Ebay? (no dealership within 3 hours)

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I assume you are getting a used one? If so, craigslist.

[Seadood228]

If you are going with a pre-06 model, I'd suggest the Ninja with the 636cc engine. It's got the best powerband, and probably the best deal of the bunch.

The 06 Gixxer is very nice too.

And I'd avoid Ebay for a sport bike. There are just too many late models that have been abused. I'd also check with your insurer before you take the plunge, sport bikes can be very expensive to insure.

[Spellmen]

I'd get something cheap if this is your first bike. It sucks dropping a new first bike doing something pretty simple

[Parlay Slow]

If this is your first bike, I would strongly recommend against any modern 600cc or more powerful.

That is if your plan is to learn how to ride properly instead of just look tight.

[Seadood228]

Oh yeah, if this is your first bike I'd seriously suggest getting a sport bike. Their power band is set up so that you have to really wind them to get any power, and this can easily get away from you. I'm not sure if the look is what you are going for, but just think about how crappy a sport bike looks with rash and broken parts all over it.

For someone starting out, I'd suggest buying some sort of a twin, preferably as inexpensive as possible. They have good pull down low, and a much flatter power curve, which is definitely a plus for someone starting out. Insurance is also going to kill you on a sport bike. To give you an idea, my old SV650 cost 300/yr to insure, and my insurance company wanted 1800/yr to insure an 06 GSX-R600. This is for a 32 year old that has never had a ticket. I have a colleague who pays over 3k/yr to insure his CBR600RR, which is f-ing ridiculous.

If this is your first street bike, I would suggest any 500CC or lower faired sport bike, an SV650, or Ninja 650. The 500CC bikes are great for beginners, but they aren't the most stylish bikes. The SV and Ninja650 are not only great starter bikes, but they don't look half bad imo. Plus they are easy unload when you're ready to upgrade.