miss-piggy

I'd believe that dirt bikes(off road bikes) are used more and there are more of them in the US. I'd believe this simply because of all the little kids in the boonies with dirt bikes in the world using them to get around and have fun. At the same time, I also believe that motorcycles probably average more miles per year simply because its a lot easier to ride 200 miles in a day on a bike. With all that said, which is safer? Well, I'd rather run into a tree than a SUV. Concrete hurts more than dirt. Motocross riders rarely die, but it's pretty common to hear about someone getting killed on a motorcycle on the highway.

As for a bike; I have a SV650. I like it fine. I had a mishap with it a few weeks ago. In typical beginner rider fashion, I dumped it going slowly around a curve when a car started creeping out on me on an intersection. Minimal damage to both me and the bike. Again, a stupid beginner thing. I'm back on the bike. If you are looking for fun, 600cc is where you want to be. If you are looking to save money on a bike, Ninja 250 is the way to go. If you are a bigger guy, you can get away with learning on a standard bike with a 800+cc engine, but it will be far less forgiving than a lighter sport bike. I rode my uncles huge Harley a month or so ago, and it was way too heavy for me.

In the end, there is no right answer. Just personal preference. I'd like to try a lighter standard bike out one day. I think it may fit my personality slightly better. I also would like to try a BMW bike one day, but they are quite costly.

cornfuzed

if you get a 1000 for your first bike you will regret it the entire time you have it

IndianRide

I started out on a 800cc cruiser intruder vs800(which I still have), and have owned an old pos yamaha virago 750 I was going to make a project bike out of of and now also own a 2002 sv650

The cruiser was easy to learn on and I still own it, the virago 750 sucked due to being so old I always had to work on it, I wouldn't recomend buying anything too old as your frist bike, get something in the 2 to 3k range in decent shape so you won't be too mad if you mess it up and won't have to worry about it breaking while your trying to learn. The sv650 is by far the easiest bike to ride that I have owned, I've owned it for about 2 months now and have put a little over 2,000 miles on it, theres hardly any chicken strip left and I'm kind of scared to lean it any further on the streets, I have no issues keeping up with higher hp bikes once the roads get curvy. They handle great,very forgiving acceleration is good they out run the buell xb9's stock. I beleive they are rated at 12's from the factory so not fast by super sport terms but plenty for the backroads. I've ridden two 2nd gen's as well as an s model and another naked, they seem to be a little less forgiving than the 1st gens but it could have just been that the suspension was setup stiffer than mine.

Now for the 599, they are kind of hard to find, my dad was looking at one but went with a z1000 instead, he said the 599 was awsome and they are supposed to be super popular in europe. He just got a killer deal on the z1000 for the same price of the 599 and its kind of hard to pass up on a liter bike for the same price with less miles. I rode the z and it would be way too fast and powerful for a beginner if your considering a liter naked bike, don't do it until you get some experiance.

I've ridden quite a few bikes and including touring bikes, super sports, motards, etc. it comes down to personal choice in the end. So buy something you like and not what other people think is cool, go to as many dealers as you can and sit on the bikes and see what fits you well. Just don't buy something stupid fast and exspensive to learn on

txdohczc

fix it for you.

Tom-Guy

I hear great things about the SV650, time and again, except for the tired old it's not as fast as an inline 4 sportbike line.

A 20 shot of nitrous would fix that, and can be done for under $200. Being able to hurt a 600cc crotch rocket's feelings is priceless, you know.

J-SMITH69

nah 20 shot of nitrous and you might keep up with a sv1000

j3w

i'm not saying i'm the know all end all, but i've owned/ridden almost every kind of bike, from a harley road king to the current bike, a cbr900rr with the 75 shot. the sv650 was hands down the most forgiving of all of them. you can't go wrong.

for everyone who says you'll get bored with it, don't listen. people always say to get a bigger bike, but usually they can't ride the 600 to it's potential. i've turned faster times at pacific raceway on my 02 gixxer 750 than i did on my current bike. the fun in a bike isn't about short bursts of acceleration on the freeway.

but listen to johnny, get a buell

Tom-Guy

LOL.

I defer to your knowledge, Johnny-san, I admittedly know jack ---- about bikes except when it comes time to take highway pulls against popular 600/750/1000cc sportbikes.

scottsi

meh, I like short high speed highway pulls, get a 1000, I'd love a 1098.

cornfuzed

actually you can make the sv650 have some good power if you want to

here http://www.hordpower.com/gallery/album08/sv677lazo
with a little work the guy bumped power from 74hp 47ft-lbs (at rear wheel) to 86hp and 55.5ft-lbs with just a little work (16% jump in power and it's a conservative build)

here http://www.hordpower.com/gallery/album08/03sv650 7hp gain with just little ---- like exhaust,filter,and airbox lid removal nothing big

http://www.hordpower.com/gallery/album08/SV700stg3 a jump from 73hp to 90hp with some little ---- and it's not even a fullout race build
i would say that if you really wanted the sv650 to keep up with the 600's just get some cams,larger throttle bodie (or carbies) big bore/high compression pistons (stock is only 11.5:1)
exhaust,airbox,ram air and i see 100-105rwhp and 57-62ft-lbs thats not to shabby only a couple hp short of the 600's but allot more torque