Aprilia RS50?

[E55Power]

Anyone familiar with this bike?

I've been thinking about getting a starter-bike. I looked at the RS50, and Ninja 250 --- They're both low on price, and from what I hear, easy to ride.

 

[emad]

Be sure it's 500cc or less (seems like you already have the right idea).

Knowing Aprilia, I'd imagine that it'll have significantly better handling. Whether that makes it difficult to drive or not, I wouldn't know. Their bikes aren't all that common out here.

Be sure to check the Suzuki GS500 as well. Low cost and with 500cc of engine, you won't outgrow it quickly.

 

[Joey D]

If its a starter bike, buy something cheap and used because you will crash it more then once. If you say that you won't you are an idiot. Also if you are short and if you aren't pretty strong don't even bother with a bike, it will end up hurting you eventually.

Aprillas are more of a racing bike, you should look for low end hondas and yamahas, I personally don't like suzukis, kawasakis, or even buell.

Hell I actually would recommend learning on a 75-125cc dirt bike. You get the feel without all the torque and power. I have a YZF-125 and its more then enough for me.

But aren't you pretty young? If you are under 25 don't even think about a bike either. The insurence on it is rediculiously high. I was looking at a Yamaha R6 for a while, I called the insurence company and it was something like 250 bucks a month for basic insurence. I couldn't justify that since my truck is only 75 a month.

 

[PS]

Some insurance companies won't even look at you if you have a bike that requires leaning forward on. Some only insure choppers and touring bikes.

 

[retsmah]

Can you even get an RS50 in the states? The Ninja 250R is nice, that's what I would have gotten for my first bike if I had any money.

I'm not big (5'6", 125lbs) and I got 450lb Honda CX500 and have no problems riding it. You don't have to be big or strong to ride a motorcycle.

Insurance isn't bad if you get a reasonable motorcycle. A Ninja 250R shouldn't be expensive assuming you don't want full coverage. I got a quote on one for $40 a month, and you could probably get less than that if you looked around. I only ended up paying $15/month for mine, and I'm 21.

I'd go check out a 250R, they're really cool little bikes. They're light, 300lbs, and have a nice low seat. The riding position isn't nearly as hunched over as the modern sportbikes (The 250R hasn't been seriously redesigned since it came out in the 80s). The only problem I could see with them is that they probably aren't the greatest freeway bikes, you'll have to rev the crap out of it to get up to 65mph.

 

[Joey D]

I'm not big (5'6", 125lbs) and I got 450lb Honda CX500 and have no problems riding it. You don't have to be big or strong to ride a motorcycle.

No you don't have to be big and strong, but you can't be weak. I mean you have to have some strength to stay on the bike, and you have to buy a bike that fits you. If you are too short its not going to work.

Insurance isn't bad if you get a reasonable motorcycle. A Ninja 250R shouldn't be expensive assuming you don't want full coverage. I got a quote on one for $40 a month, and you could probably get less than that if you looked around. I only ended up paying $15/month for mine, and I'm 21.

I don't really buy that, I'm 20 and I was quoted $250 for a 2005 Yamaha R6. Yes $3000 a year, and my record isn't bad at all. No at fault accidents and no tickets that went on my record.

 

[emad]

I don't really buy that, I'm 20 and I was quoted $250 for a 2005 Yamaha R6. Yes $3000 a year, and my record isn't bad at all. No at fault accidents and no tickets that went on my record.

The R6 has a 600cc engine which is more than the maximum reccomended for most beginners. The 250r only has 250cc's which is just just a bit less than half the size. It's got a much weaker engine which means slower acceleration and a lower top speed which boils down to it being a much lower risk for them to insure.

The R6 is also a mid to high range sport bike and is more likely to be stolen than the dated 250r. Let's also not forget that typically insurance companies charge a bit more if the vehicle is new (at least they do here)

 

[Slick6]

I don't really buy that, I'm 20 and I was quoted $250 for a 2005 Yamaha R6. Yes $3000 a year, and my record isn't bad at all. No at fault accidents and no tickets that went on my record.

But can you really ride in winter? Full coverage in riding months and liability in winter months makes sense to me.

 

[Joey D]

The R6 has a 600cc engine which is more than the maximum reccomended for most beginners. The 250r only has 250cc's which is just just a bit less than half the size. It's got a much weaker engine which means slower acceleration and a lower top speed which boils down to it being a much lower risk for them to insure.

The R6 is also a mid to high range sport bike and is more likely to be stolen than the dated 250r. Let's also not forget that typically insurance companies charge a bit more if the vehicle is new (at least they do here)

Still $15 seems a bit low for a bike and your age, if you told me 60-75 then that would seem a bit better.

But can you really ride in winter? Full coverage in riding months and liability in winter months makes sense to me.

If I had a bike I would ride it as long as there wasn't snow on the ground. All you need is a heated suit.

 

[emad]

Still $15 seems a bit low for a bike and your age, if you told me 60-75 then that would seem a bit better.



If I had a bike I would ride it as long as there wasn't snow on the ground. All you need is a heated suit.

👍 to both points

 

[retsmah]

I don't really buy that, I'm 20 and I was quoted $250 for a 2005 Yamaha R6. Yes $3000 a year, and my record isn't bad at all. No at fault accidents and no tickets that went on my record.

Note that I said a reasonable bike, not something that can do 0-60 faster than you can say 'zero to sixty' I checked with progressive for both a Ninja 250R and ZX-6R, the 250R was $40 while the ZX-6R was around what you got for an R6.

I checked my bill, the insurance is $190 for a year, so that is over $15 a month. Although I get discounted from Farmers because I have a car as my primary transport. Obviously insurance costs are going to vary from place to place and bike to bike, but the point is a motorcycle will be cheaper than an equivilant car.

 

[retsmah]

...the Ninja 500R and Suzuki SV650 are also recommended a lot as beginner bikes. They've got bigger engines, which is good for freeway use, but they should still be docile enough for a beginner.

Honda has the Rebel 250 and Suzuki has the GZ250 (what I learned to ride on), but those are pretty boring compaired to the Ninja 250R

edit: One more thing, sign up for a rider training course. It's a good way to start motorcycling, you'll learn a lot and it gives you a chance to get an idea of whether or not you will like riding without putting down the money for a bike and riding gear. Plus once you are done you may be able to go to the DMV and get your license without having to take any tests, at least that's the way it is in Oregon.

 

[KurtisGSXR]

I'm amazed how much you have to pay to insure your bikes in the US. I'll never complain again. I've got a new Daytona 600 and it's £450 per year which is about $750. I'm 25 and been riding a while though.

I'm not sure how the names of bikes changes from the US to the UK. I have no idea what a Ninja 250R is, is it a ZZ-R 250? or a GPZ/X250? If it's the ZZR type, avoid it, I rode one and it's horrible.

One I can say is brilliant is a basic Honda CB500. It's not much to look at, but it's got a decent amount of poke and is genuinely fun to ride. For what it is the handling is great. You can get your knee on the deck on it, but it invloves a lot of hanging off to stop the pegs burrowing into the tarmac.

For a first bike, avoid anything with a fairing as you'll wreck it when you crash and they're a fortune to fix or replace, get a naked and if you bin it, it's only usually bar ends, indicators, and pegs. If it's a big one you'll hurt your tank and radiator. Any bigger, and it doesn't matter what it is, it's minced.

Either way, good luck and have fun.