[freshxcoast]

Everyone tells me to start off on the 250, but I feel like I'll be fine picking up a 600, practice with it this summer and I'll be good to go by September. Does anyone else agree, or am I not thinking straight?

 

[estek]

yeah man for sure. i too dreaded starting on a 250, things are tiny. i started on a (detuned) sfv650 which i customised to shit and turned it into a sex little thing (sfv's are pretty retarded looking imo)

i was of the same opinion of the er6n until i saw one with little pointy bar-end mirrors and flat dirtbars

looked a treat

but yeah 250's are shit. grab a detuned 650 and once you feel confident, de-chip it to full power and you'll be laughing

 

[BlackHaru]

yeah man for sure. i too dreaded starting on a 250, things are tiny. i started on a (detuned) sfv650 which i customised to shit and turned it into a sex little thing (sfv's are pretty retarded looking imo)

i was of the same opinion of the er6n until i saw one with little pointy bar-end mirrors and flat dirtbars

looked a treat

but yeah 250's are shit. grab a detuned 650 and once you feel confident, de-chip it to full power and you'll be laughing

while I cannot pass judgment (I started on a 650r) I will tell you:

250s are NOT shit, they are excellent machines and I have yet to see someone post about buying one and not liking it. trust me, you will have plenty of fun on a 250.

as to re-tuning a 650, I don't know about other brands, but the er6-n and the 650r will never have the same grunt as the super-sport 600's. don't even try. you can gain a good 20% out of the if your lucky, but thats about it.


buy a 250, learn, sell and get a bigger bike. there is no price too high for your life.


also, take the MSF before you do anything, and remember ATGATT

 

[Opus]

You honestly have nothing to lose by buying a 250 as your first bike. First of all, they retain their resale value like none other. You can buy a used one and ride it for a year or two and sell it and get 90% of your money back. Another thing you should consider is insurance. Here in Washington at least, the disparity between 600 rates and 250 rates is ridiculous. You'll save a LOT of money getting a 250 first. Lastly, and most importantly, 250's are so much more forgiving than 600+'s. It would be wise of you to learn the fundamentals on the 250 and work your way up. 250s have enough power and get-up-and-go for the average squid.

But that's just my two cents.

 

[boomhouer90]

i started on a 250 and loved it for about a month lol. now i wouldnt get on a 250 UNLESS it was stunted out and could pull a wheelie lol. i could only get mine about 2ft off the ground. id say get a sport 600 and buy a tiny sprocket for rear and adjust chain to fit. all in all itll prolly run you about 150-200 tops at a shop for this. this is similar to what estek is saying. it would save you the hassle in future with selling/buying and all that. BUT word of advise, buy a used bike. pay it off. no loan. get liability unless your rich you aint affordin the loan and full coverage.

 

[prs]

:facepalm: To the OP, you don't yet know what you don't know. Think about that. You start off on a 600 and do not properly learn how to ride it, it will probably result in one of several things;

1) You quickly get to a point of stagnation as far as your learning, especially if you are concerned with wheelies and looking cool for chicks at bike night. This is greatly influenced by the people with whom you choose to ride. Choose wisely.

2) You make a mistake and the power you thought you were ready for throws you for a loop and you end up hurting yourself.

3) You quickly master it, start a racing career and end up in MotoGP with the big boys. Obviously, not a likely scenario.

A 250 will allow you to learn not only the general basics of motorcycles (take the MSF course) but also proper technique, proper response in emergency situations, etc and it is a forgiving ride when you make a mistake. It's a lot easier to learn throttle control/smoothness on a bike that won't throw you off should you accidentally whack it........and you will.

People telling you "yea man, get a 600, 250s suck" don't know WTF they are talking about and people like that will get you hurt. Just my $.02.

Good luck.

 

[Silvertwister]

I started on 600s and they're a blast for sure, but I just bought my wife a 250 to learn on, and find myself wishing that's where I started. If its too slow for you to "enjoy" then you already have a dangerous mindset for anything bigger.

 

[Opus]

:facepalm: To the OP, you don't yet know what you don't know. Think about that. You start off on a 600 and do not properly learn how to ride it, it will probably result in one of several things;

1) You quickly get to a point of stagnation as far as your learning, especially if you are concerned with wheelies and looking cool for chicks at bike night. This is greatly influenced by the people with whom you choose to ride. Choose wisely.

2) You make a mistake and the power you thought you were ready for throws you for a loop and you end up hurting yourself.

3) You quickly master it, start a racing career and end up in MotoGP with the big boys. Obviously, not a likely scenario.

A 250 will allow you to learn not only the general basics of motorcycles (take the MSF course) but also proper technique, proper response in emergency situations, etc and it is a forgiving ride when you make a mistake. It's a lot easier to learn throttle control/smoothness on a bike that won't throw you off should you accidentally whack it........and you will.

People telling you "yea man, get a 600, 250s suck" don't know WTF they are talking about and people like that will get you hurt. Just my $.02.

Good luck.

Quoted for goddamn truth!

 

[RacinJason44]

I am an experienced rider and still have a hoot on a 250. Start on a 250, you will learn quicker and be a better rider because of it.

 

[glock_19]

People telling you "yea man, get a 600, 250s suck" don't know WTF they are talking about and people like that will get you hurt. Just my $.02.

One of my good buddies gave me the same line. "Get a GSXR 600 like mine, you'll be bored with that p*ssy bike in no time." All it really took to end that conversation was reminding him that he's laid his bike down 3 times in the last year.

Seriously, sometimes I think that I should have bought a 600 because I want the power. But when I hit a huge pothole here in DC and crack the throttle and keep her shiny side up I'm reminded why the 250 was a good choice to start with.

 

[Loudviking]

You know what, buy what you want. I am usually the mild type of person
when I answer a question on the forum, but this has been gone over way to much!
As far as I'm concerned ,you asked this question with your mind made up, and we are
supposed to talk you out of it.This forum is FULL of caring people who want you to enjoy the fun of motorcycling in a safe, learning environment. But I don't feel it is our responsibilities to be your guidance councilor. A 250 is wear you
should start at, as said over and over, if you chose something of a larger cc
then I wish you good luck, and hopefully I don't read something bad about
you in the news.

 

[HULK]

I started on a 600 but I often see/hear people promoting the 250 as a good starter. It's really your choice. But as eluded to earlier in the thread, you may want to seriously consider your aspirations as a rider. And take a look at those who you intend to ride with then make the decision. For me, mine was greatly influenced by the fact that the group I ride with has decades of experience and always offers constructive criticism while urging me to ride my own ride. I'm always studying how people ride and reading/watching what I can that will help me improve. I've made a nice progression over the past year. I got into motorcycling for the fun of the ride and the personal challenge. Everything else that comes with it, good or bad, is just an after thought.

If that sounds like you as a rider, I say consider the 600... If on the other hand you are thinking about whoolies, stoppies, ballin' with the fellas and impressing chicks. I'd say the 250 is for you. Otherwise your playing the odds and their likely not in your favor. Either way, be careful out there and have fun.

 

[estek]

what I meant was a detuned gladius or er6n, which are chipped down to 33bhp, which is a great power to learn with. still a bit of go from the mark but loses power pretty quickly, which suits a learner well as it is a good sized bike. when you are comfortable get the ecu replaced or like $150 or whatever up to full power 66bhp.

i didn't mean a full power 600 as a first bike, that is pretty quick and i wouldnt recommend at all for a learner

 

[cms9690]

Well, it's your money.. get what you want. But don't let the squids obsessed with 70mph wheelies influence your decision and your safety.

Just remember this:

No half-wit looks cool getting dusted in corners due to lack of experience, even if they're on their Super Sport 600cc.