| Author | Message | ||
     Hayabusa |
No matter what bike I have owned there have always been arguments on the forums about whether or not it was a good first bike. Reading all of the posts has allowed me to generate a list for first time riders...I think these sum it all up. 1. Cars are trying to kill you, don't trust them. 2. Ride at YOUR own pace, don't try to keep up and override your abilities. 3. The weakest link on any bike is the rider. 4. When you feel comfortable on the bike remind yourself that you aren't that good and refocus on improving your skills. 5. Always know what your right hand is doing...it is the most dangerous part of the bike. I hope these help. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Is the 1125 CR too much bike for beginner? YES. And we all have to cut the "stay mature" and "respect the machine and you'll be fine" b.s. An 1125 has a TON of get up and go right off idle. A small slip up in the wrist will put you on your back in a hurry, regardless of if you were fooling around or not. I started my girlfriend on a 250 Ninja - originally it was going to be a Blast, but it wasn't as comfortable for her. I like it for her because you gotta try REAL hard to get the front wheel to even think about leaving the ground. Not true on basically any Buell outside of the Blast, and the CR is the worst for it. Get another small bike if you can to really learn on. Be as careful as possible. | ||
| Al_lighton |
It's a poor choice, period. You may be able to make it work for you, but the odds are against you. The price of it not working well for you may be your life. But it also may be just a lot of expensive repairs. IMHO, your best first bike is probably somebody else's first bike that they're selling because they got their second bike. Buy a used bike. You're new to the game, you're probably gonna drop it a couple times. Why scratch up a shiny new bike? Scratch up a not so shiny old bike, and once you're more skilled, move up the shiny new bike. Listen to Bart. He speaks the truth. Al | ||
| Dbird29 |
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mcy/1108154766.ht ml Here's a Blast for $1700 in Dallas. Buy that learn on it and sell it for what you paid. Think of it as a free bike. Keep your new CR in the living room as "Art" and bring it out after you have the drops & oops & oh shits out of your riding. I could be a few months or a year but your pride and joy CR will be perfect for you. You may even want to keep the Blast for friends to ride! | ||
| Court |
Tough to beat a Blast for learning on. I'd absolutely agree. . . buy the Blast, display the 1125CR. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Tough to beat a Blast for learning on. I still believe this is the case. We got the Ninja 250 only because the Blast's riding position just felt odd to her. I'd rather have a low-power 5 speed that you didn't have to rev to the moon, and if you want a reasonable seat height (non DS bikes), the Blast is about the only game in town. | ||
| Bobby_fletcher |
thanks guys for all the advice. being that i am buying an expensive bike, it is gonna be real hard to justify an additional smaller bike to the misses, but im gonna try. thanks again for all the input!!!! | ||
| Earwig |
If you are really buying an 1125cr, as a first bike... you are retarded, period. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Get a cheap dual sport (and I don't say that just because I am currently selling my KLR-250). That saves "explaining" as well. Get the CR, park it, and get the dual sport, and ride the wheels off it... including lots of dirt. Take the MSF basic course, then take the MSF experienced rider course. Then ride lots more dirt. Slowly ease into the CR... rare occasional rides for the first season, on low traffic low stress no hurry missions. If you simply must go straight to an 1125, then invest in training. I would find a local MSF instructor that is flexible, and pay the guy or gal to give you private coaching. Pay them $1000 for both closed course and street 1:1 instruction. Don't leave the parking lot until you can do the "experienced rider course" drills flawlessly. And buy lots of gear... there is a great gear thread going on here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=32777&post=1435791#POST1435791 | ||
| Court |
I'll share my criteria for a "first bike" (and I, like Bill, generally keep one or two of these around).
If that bothers you in the least . . you have spent too much. I am starting on two Super Motards (hopefully) based off two old KLR's I just got. Set a $1500 limit (about half of what you'll spend in your first get off of the 1125CR) and buy a cheap bike. | ||
| Ccryder |
Court: Please clear this up for me.... Which side do I kick it over??? LOL You are 110% correct, especially about the 1125 being fairly crash friendly in those loooow speed scenarios. My Throttlemeister took more of the brunt than even the pod. Time2Ride Neil S. | ||
| Hexangler |
Is the 1125 CR too much bike for beginner? I say yes as well. After about 6 used street bikes starting with a MotoGuzzi v50II (500cc), my first new bike was an '87 GSXR1100 at the age of 22. Much fun, many crashes, eventually turned into my race bike for a season at Sears Point (Infinion). A lot of my old friends are no longer with us, sad. I guess I was just lucky. | ||
| Court |
Just in case our new friend thinks I am kidding . . .  | ||
| Chevycummins |
At least its on the battery tender!  | ||
| Ccryder |
Did you tear the cover? | ||
| Hexangler |
Gotta love them rusty cans! Tetanus shots required for all Buellers! | ||
| Dipstick |
NO, the 1125 is NOT a good choice. It is a lean, wickedly fast superbike designed for expert riders. It was NEVER intended for new riders. Buy a used $1000-$2000 dual purpose bike (a street legal dirt bike) and learn to ride it off road in the dirt and mud first and then ride it on the street. Then buy a used XB9 or 12 and ride it for at least a year before you even consider buying an 1125. Trust me, the wait will be worth it, you need to work your way up to a superbike. | ||
| Bigschwerm |
I agree dual purpose piece is the best way to go. I learned when i was 5 yrs old on a 80cc dirt bike.....all them years riding off road till i picked up my temps at 15 helped me out tremendously. | ||
| Court |
>>>Did you tear the cover? Yeah. . damnit and it was brand new. But it was not bad and I l kept the great BMW cover when I sold the Bimmer a couple months ago. I have a HD touring bike cover and the BMW, both work well. Yeah, I bought several of those Battery Tender Juniors when CA was selling them for something like $12. I figured leaving it outdoors all the time would toast them. I'm still on the first one and have news ones still in the plastic wrapper hanging on the wall. Rust never sleeps, nor does it bother me.  | ||
| Edgydrifter |
Probably not necessary at this point, but I'll go ahead and echo the majority opinion anyway--wait a bit before you buy the lobster. The 1125s are actually very easy bikes to ride. They're powerful, they handle like a dream, and (at least by sportbike standards) they're fairly comfortable. Sounds good, right? No. Unfortunately, all this makes them bikes that are very very easy to get into trouble on, and I'm not just referring to speeding tickets. Few beginning riders are mentally prepared to trust their bikes in high-stress situations. At some point in our early riding lives, most of us have (or know someone who has) done something like go into a decreasing radius corner faster than we meant to, panicked, hit the brakes and ended up off the road. If we'd leaned the bike over further and maintained our speed we'd have been fine, but we didn't trust the bike and didn't trust ourselves... That stuff takes time and miles. That time and those miles can be had with fewer "crisis moments" on a more moderate motorcycle. A bike like the 1125 goes from zero to freaky with surprising quickness. Better you should start by combing Craigslist for a decently-thrashed UJM that can pass the Court test (not that I agree with EVER kicking a bike--I'd feel like I was kicking my wife). An old Ninja or FJ is a fine ride that will serve you well as you build up your skills. When you're done with it, you sell it for basically what you paid and use the proceeds on the 1125. Of course, if you do choose to ignore our advice and pick up the CR (yeah, most of us know how THAT goes, too), know your limits and wear your gear--all the time. | ||
| Socoken |
I would never dream of kicking over ANY motorcycle. Thats just not right, on many levels. Even a well used starter bike to one person, would be gold to someone without one. Motorcycle abuse is not something to be tolerated! | ||
| Bishopjb1124 |
My first bike was an xb12ss, rode it for about 2 years and then got an 1125R. Had the bike 2 months and down I went (darn deer at Buelltoberfest) If I had rusted the bike more I could have went around the deer but panicked and hit the brakes when I could have leaned the bike farther and missed it. I agree with the majority about it being 2 much bike for a new rider. The throttle response torque and power are crazy on an 1125 and your right hand will F@%K you in a heart beat. Your missus will be more pissed when you have to spend another chunk of change to repair your shiny new bike. If you do get the CR respect it but do not be scared of it, the bikes limits are greater than you own. In other words the bike has bigger cojones (as Rocky said that is Latin for Spanish nuts) than you do. Know your limits ride within them and ATGATT it will save your life (mine sure as shit did) I hobbled away with a severely sprained ankle and hurt pride. The bike rode away with a bent left bar and that was it (it had a soft spot to land after flipping the guardrail ME). Gear is cheap lives are not I had to replace a jacket and spine protector a(foot peg punched a hole in it). Good gear will save your A$$. Jimmy | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
Motorcycle abuse is not something to be tolerated! Bad Court. Go to your room. | ||
| Jmr1283 |
did u drive dirtbikes as a kid? or have u been good in coordination? i cant say u shouldnt buy it. neither can anyone else. go test drive it a couple times. ur an adult. are u like me, and let ur right hand pave the way? Just take it out and see. just remember put ur right on a leash. and remeber its not always ur doing in a bad situation. a tourist couple just all of a sudden slam on the brakes and ur at 60 and u dont know any better but to slam the rear brake on. not only are u not stoping in time but ur goin side ways at the same time. so ur in the left of the right lane and u just veer to the left to miss um and BAM!!! ur hit by a car. | ||
| Court |
>>>I would never dream of kicking over ANY motorcycle. Then bring me your bike and I'll kick it over. | ||
| Jmr1283 |
>>>I would never dream of kicking over ANY motorcycle. Then bring me your bike and I'll kick it over. hehehe  | ||
| Dynasport |
Court, I respect you greatly, but I am afraid I will have to have you taken out back and shot. | ||
| Madduck |
Courts starting to scare me. My first new bike was a 1994 Harley Road King, first year low serial number. I thought that was the most beutiful motorcycle I'd ever seen. Walked around it a couple of times and the service manager, Chuck Berryhill, walked me through the functions. I laid my leather jacket on the ground next to the right side of that bike and pushed it over. It is important to protect the bike from the asphalt, so be careful when pushing it over. There were about 10 stunned Harley people standing there looking at the bike lying on its side. Turns out to be easy to pick up and there was zero damage. Always know how to pick up your motorcycle and try it first with help around. Turns out I was the first customer that had ever done that. They thought I was nuts and I couldn't figure out why anyone would ride off on a 700lb motorcycle without knowing how to pick it up onct it had fallen over. I put 500 miles on it Sunday and monday and brought it in for its first oil change. I moved from ••••••• to rider that Tuesday morning. All of the people standing there that day have remained friends. For a first bike, get what you want, take care of it and have fun. Don't take passengers for two years, it is harder than it looks. Short cute ones ride much better than tall thin ones. | ||
| Socoken |
Ive never dropped a big cruiser, but I would assume you pick it up from one side, or the other. I dont need to knock a perfectly good motorcycle over to narrow it down any smaller that 50/50. I dont cut my belts or slash my tires so I know how to fix them either. | ||
| Macdiver |
First of all, since you are picking up the bike today, you asked this question way too late. For the benefit of other beginners who may find this thread, there are other reasons to start with an inexpensive used bike. If you have never ridden before, how do you know if you will like riding. Most people buy a bike more for image than actually riding. It seems to be the minority of bikers who truly like riding. Buying a used beginner allows you to discover if you really enjoy riding without losing a large sum of cash. Like cars, a new motorcycle depreciates quickly. The used beginner bikes are already depreciated and the price is fairly stable. Spend 2000 on the bike and another 1000 on gear and if you don't like riding you can sell the bike for 2000. You are still out the cost of the gear although you could sell most of it and recover something. Buy a new bike for 10,000 and you are lucky to sell it for 7 - 8 k. You are out 2 - 3 k on the bike alone. The lost money on gear would be the same in either case. Also ditto on the too much power for a newbie posts. |
