[newrider00]

hi im a new rider, been riding for almost a year. im interested in getting an R1. i have a few questions, and ANY advice would be appreciated

should i just get an R1? (since the only way to learn to ride an R1 is by riding an R1)

if NO, are there any smaller bikes that would be a good middleground between and R1 and smaller bikes?

if YES, what are the common mistakes people make when learning to ride an R1?

these are my inital questions but feel free to mention anything and everything useful you can think of that would help me out. thanks a lot

 

[Sam56n]

you will be flamed


welcome to the forum

personally, i rode a lfot (around 10000canyon miles) before getting a r1, then i crashed a lot!!!! i recommend getting an older r6 , still tons of fun, and scarry

riding an r1 is nothard, you will learn in about 45 minutes to go down the street to the local cafe to hang out... the problem comes when you are going somewhere and something out of the ordinary happens and you have to control yourself and your bike, hence the recommendation of getting a smaller bike that's more forgiving


infact, i'm starting to race my r1 this coming month, however, i'm planning on getting a r6 so i can race with something more forgiving


my street bike is an old 250, cause i'm waaayy too scared of street riding

 

[PATBAROK]

i started on a 600,and no matter what everyone says,the 600 is a blast to learn on and you can refine your skills better on the 600. just my .02

 

[XShogunR1X]

my first bike was my one....... you could go ahead and get one..... but like they say smaller is more forgiving..... but for learning on the R1...... be nice to the throttle...... she likes to come up in first........ be gentle with the rear brake..... mine has a hell of a bite on it........ and take your time........ i haven't crashed yet and i've been riding since August of 2003......... but.... not to say it won't happen....... don't let people make you push your limits...... just remember you want to be safe and live to ride another day............ other then that not much more to say........ the R1 is a little heavier then 600s and if your use to a smaller bike you'll notice it doesn't turn as fast as them.... but with time and practice you'll get it down............. good luck.....

 

[YZFR1Freak]

It depends on what kind of person you are. People with self control and a good sense of their limits could learn on an R1. Others would would surely kill themselves if they tried to learn on an R1.

An R1 is a forgiving bike but when a noob gets into a bad situation (which can be easy to do with a powerful bike) that may not matter! Without knowing you I'd say don't get an R1 or any other liter bike. Chances are you are just going to hurt yourself.

Also, don't be fooled into thinking that a 600 isn't dangerous too. If you don't respect them you will pay!

 

[downtown]

Dude, Welcom to the forum.

You said that you are riding for almost a year. What are you riding/rode on during this year?

 

[accce]

if you have to ask others if you shoulg get a R1 you do not have the Confidence in your own riding and should stay with the 600 or you might get hurt!

 

[Skeeter]

Welcome to the forum. Use the search key on top and try typing
in first bike. The topic has been addressed many times on here.

 

[pkracer21j]

Heres my take on it, The R1 is a great bike and coming from an F4i it was a big difference. The 1 handles great and stops on a dime, true it doesn't turn in as fast as an R6 but lower the front forks a lil bit and you'll take care of that problem. the biggest diffrence between a liter bike and a 600 is the throttle. I had to wring the hell outta my F4i to keep it in the power and on the R1 all you have to do is just roll on the gas for instant acceleration. With that being said you should be fine on a 1, just take a little time getting used to the throttle...oh yeah, it does like to come up in first but it'll come up just as easy in 2nd if you ask it to

 

[hulk252]

I started with a suzuki intruder 800, then moved on to a katana 750 and finally last year went to the one. I have been riding all together 5 years and after getting the r1, I felt like a newbie all over again. atleast I had a little experience about rough situations though. Also I would suggest a motorcycle safety class.

 

[Ozzy_R1_demon]

As Skeeter,and some of the other guys have suggested-do a search on this topic,as its been adressed dozons of times. Being new to bikes its great that youre asking for advise before jumping into the deep end and getting something not suitable for you,but before you get the wrong impression about some of the guys here that MAY come down hard on you for being a new guy and saying you want a R! for your first bike-its not a personal thing,just that its been asked dozons of times

My suggestion wouldbe to get a smaller bike,like a 250 and learn how to ride and as much as you can before getting a bigger bike:yesnod Although you may have mates that have 600cc bikes(and larger),take it slow and dont rush into it. I had my CBR 250rr for 3 1/2years,which although is a long time-it enabled me to learn so much about riding,and howto ride in traffic.

Once you get your bike,get the appropriate gear,and WEAR IT. Its no good sitting in a cupboard if unfortunatley you have a spill and come off. Once you do this,get booked in for some riding schools. You'll learn alot about emergengy braking,cornering etc etc..and its very helpfull.

Hope this has helped in some way,good luck with the bike whichever you decide to get and safe riding.
:thumbup

 

[KNEEDY R1]

:corn :corn :corn

 

[newrider00]

The bike i learned to ride on was a ninja 250 (small bike). i AM (or feel i am) confident enough to just try and ride an R1, but rather than just go for it i figure i would ask people what they thought. no sense in me getting injured because i was afraid to ask for help, or thought i knew anything about riding yet (which i obvioulsy couldnt). the reason i am considering an R1 is that i want to move up in power beacuse the 250 is so limiting. i know that the R1 is a huge increase and that other bikes would provide adequate power, but i think that with the right trainging i could have the right bike from the get go. i WILL listen to the general consensus of forum goers, but i would love for someoen who learned on an R1 to give me their list of complaints (for refernce sake). thank you all so much for your imput, it means a lot to me.

also skeeter i am jealous of your avatar, and really want to see a pic of her from the other side


thanks again, you guys are awesome

 

[mrheavydee95]

NEWRIDER I was riding a Suzuki Katana 600 for about 4 years before upgrading. I'm about 2 weeks from getting my R1. PM me in about 4 weeks and I'll give you my opinion between the 2.

 

[Eyespy]

The bike i learned to ride on was a ninja 250 (small bike). i AM (or feel i am) confident enough to just try and ride an R1, but rather than just go for it i figure i would ask people what they thought. no sense in me getting injured because i was afraid to ask for help, or thought i knew anything about riding yet (which i obvioulsy couldnt). the reason i am considering an R1 is that i want to move up in power beacuse the 250 is so limiting. i know that the R1 is a huge increase and that other bikes would provide adequate power, but i think that with the right trainging i could have the right bike from the get go. i WILL listen to the general consensus of forum goers, but i would love for someoen who learned on an R1 to give me their list of complaints (for refernce sake). thank you all so much for your imput, it means a lot to me.

also skeeter i am jealous of your avatar, and really want to see a pic of her from the other side


thanks again, you guys are awesome

newrider, since you indicate you have only "almost" one year's expience on the EX250, a GREAT starter bike, BTW, I would strongly suggest you move up incrementally. Use the same good judgement you exercised in starting out on the 250, by making the upgrade to a 600 after you have enough experience and skill on the 250. Going from the 250 to the R1 would be an exceptionally ill-conceived plan. You would not be the first person to make this mistake, so why not continue to do the smart thing?Good luck and welcome to forum.

 

[XShogunR1X]

The bike i learned to ride on was a ninja 250 (small bike). i AM (or feel i am) confident enough to just try and ride an R1, but rather than just go for it i figure i would ask people what they thought. no sense in me getting injured because i was afraid to ask for help, or thought i knew anything about riding yet (which i obvioulsy couldnt). the reason i am considering an R1 is that i want to move up in power beacuse the 250 is so limiting. i know that the R1 is a huge increase and that other bikes would provide adequate power, but i think that with the right trainging i could have the right bike from the get go. i WILL listen to the general consensus of forum goers, but i would love for someoen who learned on an R1 to give me their list of complaints (for refernce sake). thank you all so much for your imput, it means a lot to me.

also skeeter i am jealous of your avatar, and really want to see a pic of her from the other side

alright.... as i was saying before... my first bike was and still is my R1.... i've been riding it since August of 2003...... not that long... i've logged close to 2000 miles..... so yeah i'm still a newbie.... and i can tell you.... the R1 is not that bad of a bike that they say..... every one told me i should of gotten something smaller... but i'm glad that i didn't i love my bike... wouldn't trade it for anything in the world... all though there are times when i want to throw it in the trash.... but it was a salvage bike... so it's going to have problems... but hey.... in about 2-3 months... it's going to be fixed...... it's really does have a lot of power... wheelies are scary at times and happen when you don't expect it to....... but what do you want from a bike with 135-158 RWHP (depending on the year you buy) but from what i can tell you, it's great man.... take it easy don't push your limits and you'll enjoy it and wonder why so many people tell you to stick to a smaller bike..... a 600 can get you in just as much trouble............ but disrespect the R1 and push your limits too soon and you'll know why they told you to stay away from it......... i've had a few close calls.... but it happens to the best of us........ i haven't wrecked yet.... and that's cause i don't push my limit...... i also plan on going to an Advance rider program... and logging some track time for more practice..... anything you can do to help your skill is priceless.......... if you feel that you really want to take the big step from a 250 to a 1000 then go for it.... but becarefull........... but remember... always have fun.......

 

[XShogunR1X]

and my only complaint besides machnical problems....... my rear brake..... it's got a hell of a bite on it....... my tire slides too much........ that's about it..... other then that i love it.............