I am a relatively new rider. I have been riding for a little over 2 years. I have a 2002 Ninja 250 but have been thinking about upgrading. I have ridden more powerful bikes before but never owned any other bike. What would you guys suggest? I will be mostly doing city/highway riding to and from work. I would like to get a relatively new bike and I have a budget of $6,000 and under.

 

I owned a Suzuki GS500F. It's a 500cc "sport bike", more like a fared standard, because of the riding position (little more upright than a crotch rocket). It still goes when you twist the throttle, but if you make a mistake, you won't get thrown off (say as if you throttled a liter bike).

Since you have some experience I would even suggest maybe a used (couple years old) CBR, Ninja, or GSXR (600cc). Check your local craigslist.com listings, but make sure to have a local mechanic check it out. Definitely sit on some first and ride them if you can, find one with a comfortable riding position (I know the CBR is uncomfortable for me because when the steering bar is to the extreme left or right, my wrists hit the gas tank).

Unless you are looking for a cruiser?

Draconius can recommend some good rides, as far as me I would suggest a Honda Shadow, Suzuki Boulevard, or something similar. The Boulevard M50 (800cc) is a beautiful ride with an electronic ignition and a shaft drive.

Let me know what you're looking at and what you decide.

Save some money, buy used (sometimes dealers have good used motorcycles) - that way also, if you drop it, you didn't just drop your brand new bike

If you are anywhere near Western PA, check out westernpariders.com for some local rides!

Also check out this article: http://www.westernpariders.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=25

 

I've been looking at getting a Kawasaki Ninja 636 or a Triumph Daytona. I've never ridden a CBR but I've heard they are uncomfortable.

I have also been looking at an R6. But I don't know as much about them.

 

I had a CBR 900. It was uncomfortable as hell but I think all crotch rockets are uncomfortable back killers. :shrug:

2 years with only a 250? Wow, I was done with my 600R after 3 months. The crappy thing about this is that its hard to get test rides now days (around here anyway) to find out what you love. You can get a lot of bike for 6K.

 

I havent been riding that long either, but i can tell you right now that the only way to know if they bike is for you is to own it and live with it for a few months. I got my RC51 and loved the torque but in the end i wanted to sell it cuz it just didnt fit me, literally cuz the 2 radiators are side mounted in the fairing and my knee keeps on bumping into it. ... bike got stolen before i got a chance to sell it. My 04 R6 I just fit soo much better, its smaller and more manageable in turns. No discomfort in the balls or back during long rides. I think the longest Ive rode in one day was a whole afternoon and about 150 miles. the only part sore was my hand cuz of all the shifting stuck in traffic.
I'm gonna go check out a triumph later on this week.

 

I am having so much trouble finding a good bike in my price range. I really don't want to spend more than $5,000 but if the deal is right I can go as high as $6,500 out the door. My choices are (in order):

1. Honda CBR600
2. Kawasaki Ninja 600
3. Yamaha R6
4. Honda CBR1000
5. Triumph Daytona 675
6. Yamaha R1

My ideal bike would be a 2007 or newer CBR but I don't think that is going to happen in this price range. What year bike do you guys think I can get in this price range?

EDIT: Under $5k is acceptable too.