First street bike questions

[Fredvs24]

Hey fellow boarders,

I'm new to the boards here, so this is my first post. Here's my (long) story.

When I was much younger, like 16, me and my brothers got a 125cc dirt bike for $400 that we learned to ride on. My dad taught us, since he had his own bike back in the day. After a summer of riding around our large lawn and driveway (they have about 10 acres and a 600-foot driveway) one of my brothers crashed the bike, and we sold it off with bent forks.

My dad had a 1978 Kawasaki 400cc combination dirt/street bike. It was in bad shape, and when I was 19 we took it in to try to have some work done on it. We got it back into a running state, and I rode that around the property a bit for the summer. I was still learning to ride, but my parents didn't want me to take it on the road since they felt it was too dangerous. Bored with riding circles around the lawns and woods of my parents property, I stopped using the bike and (AFAIK) it eventually stopped working again.

Skip ahead 10 years. I'm 29 years old, and I'm a PhD candidate at Cornell University in physiology. For those that know Ithaca NY, you should know it is very hilly - think San Francisco. I have several friends with bikes, and two friends who have big bikes: my friend Jan, who just bought a 2007 Ducati Monster 1000 for his first ever bike, and my friend Josh, who has a 1984 Kawasaki GTZ 900. Both of these guys never before had a bike and this is what they decided to learn on.

While Jan took a motorcycle course an is trying to be safe, Josh spins stories about how his bike will do every bit of the 150MPH on the speedometer! Jan covets his bike, while Josh... well, the thing about Josh's bike is that it looks like it's had a few accidents. In fact, it doesn't even run anymore. In fact I never did see it run, since he got it before I met him.

But I like the GTZ. It's actually defined as a sports tourer, but I'm well aware that it started the superbike trend in the 80's. While comfortable, it is heavy - like 560lbs; heavier than anything I've ever sat on or imagined. But Josh is a mechanic by trade and I wanted to see if we could get the thing running again for the summer. While looking for parts online, I came across someone not 100 miles away selling a used 900 GPZ in excellent condition.

I am debating buying the bike myself. However I have some reservations. As my friend Brian (who also rides) pointed out (and my dad, and my landlord), motorcycles are very unforgiving, and a larger bike would probably kill us a lot faster than a smaller bike. They all advocate something smaller than this bike as a 'first' bike. Something around 400cc-500cc. I've read posts that say a beginner should not buy a 600cc+ bike to learn on as well.

My foundation to riding is not on the street, and while I have learned some basics to riding (shifting, safely applying brakes, dealing with potholes, countersteering) I am still very much a novice. I have never ridden on a road with traffic, and don't even have a motorcycle license. However, I would like to buy a street bike, and this GPZ fits my budget and seems like a good deal. I want something that has the power to deal with the hills in Ithaca, and take my girlfriend on as a passenger. I don't want something that will kill me because the margin for forgiveness is too small for someone to learn on.

So my questions are,
1) is this 900 GPZ a good bike to own, or a pain in the ass. What I mean is, is it reliable, easy to work on, are parts available and not too expensive, etc.

2) I have a 95 BMW M3, and I do all my own work on my car. I appreciate understanding the mechanics of what happens under the hood and being able to keep my car in top running condition. Is a motorcycle as easy or easier to work on than a car? Where would be a good place to learn about bike maintenance, etc.

3) How can I determine for myself if I will be capable of continuing learning on such a bike? I can't use Josh's bike since it won't run, and Jan wouldn't let me ride his. Is stepping up from my dad's old 400cc combo bike to a 900cc street rocket a stretch?

Are there any exceptions to the 'no 600cc bikes for beginners' rule.

[Motorcycle Forum]

[intimid8er]

Fredy there is no steadfast hard rule to this question. People will debate it to the end of time with some logic similar to. "My buddy bought a 1000cc SuperSport and he lived through the experience."
While that may or may not be true, what is not known is how good of a rider that "buddy" is. What's his skill set.

What is known is this. If you start out on a smaller or less powerful bike that is newb friendly, your margins for error are significantly higher, your confidence in yours and the machines ability are significantly higher, and the fun factor is significantly higher.

It is easier to hone the necessary skills for survival and enjoyment on lesser bikes, then move up to a bike that meets your needs or wants later in your riding career. There are plenty of bikes that fit the bill for less than three K in your local Cycle Trader publication, that are far newer than what you are looking at. To name a few...Ninja 250, Ninja 500, GS500, , SV650's etc. These are all great starter bikes, and again, not a steadfast rule.

Now the argument that I'll outgrow or get bored with a smaller bike fast. Not necessarily true. It'll take years for your skills to overwhelm any one of the bikes I mentioned above. The good news is however, when you are ready to move on, those bikes hold their value, and it's not uncommon to sell it for what you paid for it, or sometimes....even a hair more.

Hope it helps!

[intimid8er]

Oh...and take a riding class...read books...and get educated about all things riding...it'll make you a superior rider..no doubt.

[KD57]

Take Intimid8er's advice.

[robertc729]

Take Intimid8er's advice.

and

[Clint]

Welcome, Fred. Good to have you.

Tim's advice is good. You clearly have your head on straight, so I think you'll do fine with whatever you choose. I'd just avoid a bike that's so old it will become a financial bag of worms. A 20 year-old bike often needs soft parts replaced as well as bearings, driveline components, etc. It may need fork oil, tires, hydraulic fluid flushes, and so on. You don't usually save much money buying a 1985 bike vs. a 1995 model, for example. Take that into consideration and we can help you with whatever comes.

Best of luck with the PhD.

[Davecm203]

I have to give a bump for Tim and Rowdy's advice.

[Rickster]

Just the fact that your asking the questions you asked tells me that your one of the one's that would be fine starting out on any size bike,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,as the intimid8er said, you will have a lot more fun, and be a lot more confident on one of the bikes he listed.

[MikeHump]

I'm probably the least experienced rider on this forum, so I'll have to agree with everyone else and say that you seem responsible enough to pick whichever bike you want, but Rowdy and Intimid8or have some excellent advice.

I'm currently learning on a 600cc sportbike (my first bike), however, and I started with zero experience other than the MSF class. As long as you're responsible and you're not pinning the throttle in every straight or trying to drag a knee in every turn, then you could learn on a 600cc bike. My bike is very light and nimble, and I found that it is an extremely easy bike to learn on due to these facts.

So, if someone as young, irresponsible, and inexperienced as myself can learn on a 600cc sportbike, I'm sure you could too if you wanted to.

[benroe]

Take a course, read some books, and get a late model ride. I have had some friends that transitioned from dirtbikes to 600 supersports and they did fine, but I don't recommend it.

[5th.horseman]

Every rider has his/her own comfort level. Don't go and buy the biggest baddest bike on the market, just because a friend has one. Learning to ride is the fun part, enjoy it. Get a smaller bike to learn on then trade up as your experience level goes up. Take a riding course to give you some extra advantages. Remember, cage drivers don't or won't see you. A big bike that you can't really ride is asking for trouble.

Ride Safe, Stay safe

-R

[kay]

Fred!!!!!

I am sure you can get all the information you want here.
And I hope you enjoy it!

[tallannie]

Welcome Fred...

600cc 'rule' is not so hard and fast.... I bought an 800 cc bike for my first one right out of MSF.... and it worked great as a learner bike.... and still performs great for my needs after a couple of years now. Mine is a Suzuki Boulevard C50...and you may not be after a cruiser... but one of the sportier cousins with the same engine I would say a PhD candidate could learn on safely after MSF. Just dont twist the throttle too far to early...

Tallannie

[Edocsil]

Similarly to MikeHump, I'm not all that experience either. However, in this case that allows me to give you a beginners experience. I took a motorcycle safety course w/ no intention of buying a bike anytime soon. Having never been on a motorcycle (except for one short ride w/ a cousin once) I didn't really even know if I'd like it. However, after finishing the course w/ little difficulty, and loving it, I began searching for a bike. I was pretty much in your shoes, except low on cash and I didn't know much about bike sizes, etc. I found a used 2002 Katana 600cc after a few days of searching Craigs List in my local area. Also, it was only 3000 dollars. So i took a look and ended up buying it. 6 months later I have had virtually no problems learning on it. If anything, it is a little bit heavy for my size (i usually am on my toes when stopped) so I've had trouble on occasions backing it into a spot. After I few drops trying to walk the bike on my toes, I have learned how to control it and haven't had problems.

Anyway, I guess my point is that you should definately take a training course, and personally I think a 600cc is fairly good starting size. but then again I'm sure smaller bikes (and some bigger bikes) would be just as great.
Good luck!

[SpinCycle]

A GPZ900 back 19yrs ago made about 100hp if I remember correctly. That was 19yrs ago. They had a pretty relaxed riding position and fork angle. That's not really what would be considered a high HP bike in modern terms. I think that if you could deal with the weight and you have more than 32" of inseam it would not be a terribly hard bike to learn on. When those bikes were new they were very reliable and simple to maintain, Kawasaki kept the basic engine layout for many years. It's a much better choice than a new 600 super sport which makes over a 100hp at very high rpm and weighs close to 150lbs less with a race tuck riding position..