The dos and don'ts of lowering your bike to fit you. - Page 2

how about you take the responsability away from the bike and the company.. and put it on the rider???
The person themself has to have the common sense to know what they are on and what it is capable of...
If the person has no clues.. then even a Harley electra glide can be too fast....
If you have no common sense, reflexes.. or take the time to learn.. then any bike can and will get away` from you...

i started on a 1200 sportster.. then my first
"psuedo" street bike was  an  SV1000.... who has the money to buy bikes in stages?

I'm about to lower my 98 cbr f3 one more setting cuz well im a short guy and i like to be close to flat footed. But as for a starter bike it was a 86 yamaha Fj 1200. The price was right and it actually fit me pretty well. Not what i would suggest as a starter though.

I've thought about lowering mine before, just been worried about snagging a peg taking a corner. Some like their bikes for cruising/show, others like them for cornering etc., different strokes for different folks. =)

How this got turned into "What size is too big?"  i don't know but....  "It's not the size of the bike it's how you use it!"  Sound familiar guys...   Everyone can say a 600rr is too big.  How ever it really does go back to how competent and how intelligent you ride.  I got told a 600rr was TOOOOOO!!! big what a lot of crap.  It's perfect!!!  If you are not comfortable on your bike a 250 could be too big.  If you are comfortable with a 600rr after you lower it  (the right way) more power to you.  One thing that cannot be expressed enough is do not mess with the geometrics of the bike.  I know you will say "lowering it does effect the geometrics of a bike"  however if everthing is done in balances; it will work out in the end.
 
In case you can't tell I was and still am a newbie on a 600rr;   RESPECT THE BIKE IT WILL RESPECT YOU BACK!!!!

So... where are dos and don'ts of lowering?

I just got a 1996 cbr 900rr, took it out for a ride for the first time ever today and I must say, it intimadated the hell out of me. Call me a puss in boots if you will, but I only got it up to 50 mph. Its my first bike and I'm thinking that maybe i did start out too big, but i think that as long as i'm careful i'll get the hang of it without killing myself first. 

I also just looked into the msf ridercourse, and I'll be taking that next month or so, sounds like it'll be fun and definetly worth the time and money spent. :-)

Hey, don''t feel bad guys, I''m starting on an 08 CBR1000rr.

Im new to this forum but I can tell you I started on 1000RR with no problem. I also think that if you injoy riding and and have good judgement it is not a problem. And it''s cheeper to start on now you don''t have to eat your money on trade in. But 2000+ dollars isn''t worth your life so if your not able to handle it dont buy it.

Starting on a small bike is the text book way to learn how to ride well. That''s not to say that getting a big bike as a starter won''t work; it''s just harder. Chances of making a mistake and going down hard, is amplified. I''m sure there''s plenty of people who got 300HP cars as their first car. Nothing wrong with that. I think an important thing to ask the beginner rider when they first buy their bike is: "What do you want to achieve?" Some will say, I want to look cool and just be able to ride around town. Some will say, I want to be blazing fast at the track and have good technique. It''s obvious which bike you would recommend to which person. I don''t see anything wrong with a person getting a 1K bike if all they want to do is ride it to their friends house and be cool or impress that young blond down the street.

quote:

ORIGINAL: PlayfulGod

too all the guys/gals that started on a 600+ and had no problems. You are like 1%, the other 99% crashed/died/or are crippled.

And its not hating, its common sense to start small n work you way up. I would almost bet that a rider that started on a 250 n worked his way up to the bike he wanted can out ride 99% of those who started out on a 1k.

 
I have a 600 F3 with no problems and only been riding for about 4 months. i have gone down once but that was only because i hit some loose dirt on the road. i dont ride like a maniac becuase i respect the bike and know my limits.

I started on a 600 f4 this year (no problems so far, and I really enjoy the bike but the first few times the bike did intimidate me). I am 6''4 and 210 lbs....250 bikes all seemed far too small a fit. To tell you the truth after riding my buddies 750 gixxer I almost wish I had started with an even bigger bike (his bike is wider and more comfy). I think as long as your careful a 600 to start is no problem. A 1k? thats probably a different story. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: bananazx

So... where are dos and don''ts of lowering?

 
my thoughts exactly, why is this a sticky?

I bought my son a generic LIFAN LS 200 sportbike to start on. What a frickin joke. Absolute piece of shit. He did lay it down in the yard, no big deal. We sold it for 100.00 loss. Went and looked at Ninja 250''s, a couple diff. 04 & 07. My opinion, not much better than the Lifan, & for what people are wanting for the Ninja 250''s around here is a joke. 3-3,500 for an 07?  His buddy bought a new Hyosung 250 sportbike with a warranty for 4k?????? He dumped that thing twice.
Anyways, i figured why buy a piece of crap 250 when he will outgrow it in 2 weeks, so i bought him a 98 CBR600F3. he has taken the 2 day basic riders course & seems to be doing fine with it. Well of course his buddy couldnt be outdone, so he bought a 97 gsxr 600 & is trying to sell his p.o.s. Hyosung. he will be lucky to get 2k for the thing. He should have started with something better.
I feel start out with whatever suits you as long as you are comfortable with it, be careful, alert & most of all, dont succumb to peer pressure. That will get you every time.

i started on a 50cc dirt bike at 5.  moved on to an 80cc honda then a 200.  i would not want to start on a 600.  i rode for years on a small bike.  at 13 i got a chance to jump on my dads harley and take that for a ride.  what a thrill.  when i turned 18 i bought my first real road bike and it was a 600 F3.  never had any problems after that.  now i have worked my way up the ladder to a busa but will never get rid of my F3. 

I believe starting small makes you a better rider but I see no issues with starting with a bigger bike either. It all depends on your maturity level in my opinion though

Just for the record on a WAY off topic thread, I started on a Katana 750.  Being a hair under 6'' and when I started riding and to now, I''ve been in the 260-280 pound range.  I''m glad I went 750... I got a good feel for the bike and the more I learned, the higher the RPMs went.  Never have owned anything under a 750 and now my liter bike fits me a whole lot better.  My opinion is this, buy the bike that fits you best first off, this includes body size, ride style, experience, etc.  Second, use GOOD judgement.  Don''t pull a bike out the showroom/ebay/whatever that you have never ridden and start carving up the road.  Get a feel for the bike and learn how it "talks" to you.  I''d rather get joked about for not running my bike all out, then to push past my limits and look like a joke... make sense?