My First Bike - Ducati 848 EVO or Aprilia RSV4-R

Ridden a a bit during my visits to Indian when I was 13 (a country where there's no real rules) but haven't ridden since.  I'm 28 now, and find myself itching to purchase a bike everytime summer roles around and I see all the bikes on the street again.  So, that being said, I've finally decided to go for it, get the license, and take the courses necessary to learn to ride properly.  Right now, I'm looking at getting a Ducati 848 Evo, or an Aprilia RSV4 R. Hoping to get your thoughts on these two bikes.  Also, I'm about 5"6 in height and 155 pounds, but quite athletically fit.  Not sure if this matters much, but I'd imagine on the types of bikes I'm looking at, it may have an impact?!  

There's a huge difference between just knowing the basics of throttle, brake, shifting, and steering...and being able to pilot a sportbike (especially one such as a Ducati 848EVO or Aprilia RSV4 R) with any semblance of real control.

Please read this before you go any further.  

Thanks very much for the link to the article.

That really put me in prespective and I really appreciate the warnings, as well as the amount of thought put into that article.  You may very well have just saved a life!

That being said, any chance you could suggest a few bikes that are good starters?

Thanks!  

Get a dual sport single, 250 to 400cc, the tires those bikes come stock with slip and slide earlier and in doing so provide an opportunity for learning at lower speeds.  Moreover, the bikes are fast enough to run with or ahead of most any automobile, giving you the ability to forget about dangers behind while focusing on dangers ahead.  

In my opinion a beginner should learn about sliding tires on the dirt, not on the street where mistakes can have brutal consequences. Once they become skilled enough to have the proper reactions when the tires do break traction, then perhaps learning on a dual sport single about breaking traction at lower speeds on the street is OK.

To the OP, I think bikes such as the Kawasaki Ninja 650R, Suzuki Gladius (or SV650 if hate the Gladius' styling and you can find a clean one), or Yamaha FZ6R are great first bikes to learn on.  

The FZ6R is an awesome looking bike.  Yamaha, can we please have an FZ8R or a FZ9R?  That sure would be great.    

I too like the look of the YZ6R.  What are your thoughts on a Honda CBR 600RR?  Would you say it's too powerful for a first bike?

Thanks again to everyone for your responses....much appreciated!  

I realized in my reply I had put in the Yamaha YZ6R as opposed to the FZ6R....my guess is the Y is too powerful?  Again, any thoughts on the Honday CBR 600RR though?

Thanks!  

Hello, Sens 12. Before you buy that bike of yours, ask yourself what is motivating you & why you'd like to have the bike you're thinking about. I may be wrong, but I get the impression that bikes have made a deep impression on you, like me, & you'd like to get the best looking & a powerful machine, even if you're looking at 600 cc bikes. If you have very limited experience like you say, you'd learn more & improve your skills in a linear fashion, if you started with a used smaller bike. That way you could sell it for about the same price & graduate to a different machine as your skills improve. Don't forget to look at the CBR 250RR or the Kawasaki Ninja 250. They're good enough for experienced riders as well. Always wear the proper gear, even if you're 'just riding down the block'. Don't ever ride when you're angry or upset, or at extremes of temperatures. It'll affect your reaction times, amongst other things.
Like me, you'll find yourself to be a better & safer car driver, after having ridden motorcycles because they'll teach you how to hopefully anticipate what other drivers are doing on the road. I learned to ride dual purpose bikes on the streets, when I was 14 yrs. old in Pakistan. After a year, I got a 175 cc dual purpose bike & rode a total of 10 yrs. on the streets in Pakistan without any major crashes (Just fell once when I landed wrong after doing a crossed wheelie through an intersection !). And I believe that if you can ride a bike on the streets in India, it'll help you develop your anticipation skills greatly, because of all the 'controlled chaos' on those streets (!). After a 10 yr. break, having moved to the USA, I got back into motorcycling & bought a Honda RC-51, but also went to a Riding School in 'Vegas, to learn how to handle a Sportbike properly. It's been 10 yrs. now, riding a Litrebike, without any mishaps & crashes, thank God. There have been lots of close calls, mostly by the inattention of other drivers on the roads. But because of the skills learnt over all those years, first on much smaller & then bigger bikes, I was able to anticipate & avoid being a statistic. I've slid both the front as well as the rear tire & also had the bike drift sideways (on a 40 deg C morning on a curve at 55 MPH), but was able to stay calm & correct the bike in all those situations, because I learnt my lessons on a much smaller bike & which was not so intimidating compared to if I'd been on a  much bigger bike.
Just remember that you have to learn how to crawl first, before you can walk & only then can you run. I hope my experience helps you make the right choice. I wish you well & welcome you to the joys of experiencing motorcycling.
Best Regards,
Dr. Rahi.  

That's a lot for your help!

I actually did look at the Honda CBR 250RR as well.  But the reason I mentioned the 600 is because of the Yamaha's mentioned in the previous posts.  So I wasn't sure if the 600 was a close comparison, or if I was way off.

I'll definitely work my way up though.  And like a car, I started with a small piece of junk and rode it into the ground before getting a 'real' vehicle, so I intend to use that same judgement with my motorcycle purchase as well.

Amit  

The Honda CBR 600rr is a sweet bike however it is not really oriented toward a new rider.  The CBR is a more powerful bike than the Yamaha FZ6r although I think that the biggest difference you will find is going to be the seat and handlebar hights and the seating position.  I have sat on both new bikes recently and the FZ6r really does have a nice comftorable seating position.  The CBR does not, but I will say that the CBR does have a little of a more tolerable seating position than it's competitors in the super sport class.  Are you planning on buying used or new?  

I was thinking of buying used.  Based on some other comments received, I too was thinking of the Yamaha, although I've heard good things about the Honda as well, and it seems to be a popular bike, which would suggest there's some good reasons why it's a preferred choice.  That being said, I would like to be comfortable on the bike I choose to learn on....decisions decisions.  

Also, if I could ask your thoughts on the YZF-R6 as well, that would be great.....  

The Yamaha r6 would be the worst choice of the three bikes for a begginer as it is even more ergonomically uncomtorable than the CBR.  I have also heard countless people deem the r6s as "unforgiving", certainly not a quality I would like in my first bike.  The CBR is also amoung the super sport bikes which are not reccomended for a begginer.  So a ninja 500 or 650 would be ok if you are dead set against getting a 250, but not a zx-6, which is the super sport model.  Each of the four Japanese bike manufacterers has a supersport model- Yamaha has the YZFs, Kawasaki has the zxs, Honda has the CBRs, Suzuki the GSX-Rs.  These are the bikes you should avoid as your first bike and might decide that you don't want one at all after owning a bike with a more comftorable riding position.  Personally, I bought an 02 Suzuki GSX 600 Katana for my first bike.  It is a GSX, not a GSX-R which is the supersport.  I find it to be very sporty in both looks, performance and handeling yet relatively comftorable.  I have sat on the brand new supersport bikes and although I love the way they look, it is certainly a huge change in comfort from my bike, and not in a good way.  It also seems that after 2005 or so, the bikes started to have a higher seating position as advances in race oriented suspention technology developed.  The Yamaha FZ6r would be great but there are not that many used ones available as the bike only came out a couple of years ago and the ones that are available are still going to be quite pricey because they are relatively new.  I admit to being biased, but for a used bike the Suzuki Katana 600s look great if you like the fully faired look and a nice one can be found for around $3,000 or maybe less.  I love mine and even plan to keep it always even after getting a newer bike one day.  Have you seen any of the bikes you are considering in person and sat on them?