[Tiny1877]

I had only ridden my friends 180cc dirtbike before (couldn't figure out why it would bog out after 1/2 throttle - the choke was out) once of twice, not very fast. I bought my Kat 600 brand new last year and the only time it has been down was when my dumbass brother dropped it stopped at a red light while I was on vacation. He couldn't handle the weight of the bike with his chicken legs. Go to the dealer, make sure you can hold the bike up if it starts to lean one way or they other. Have someone there to help you so you don't accidentally buy (drop) it.

[Flip]

That wont work because the bikes at the dealer dont have the fluids in them, they all feel light.

[Tiny1877]

That wont work because the bikes at the dealer dont have the fluids in them, they all feel light.

OK, so imagine it about 40lbs heavier. :P

With the right attitude, a Kat 600 is a great first bike. Just keep the right wrist under control and respect the power.

[hellcamp]

Sure, if you want a quad or a dirtbike. Are you even looking?

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org//mcy/169711418.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org//mcy/171229397.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org//mcy/170210958.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org//mcy/170122441.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org//mcy/169925855.html

And that's just the last 6 days.

[ArcherDude]

I think with the weight issue we need to know what size tux259 is. If he is like me 220lbs 5' 11". I say no problem. If he is 5' 8" 135lbs it may be a little heavy for him. But on the other hand I have seen girls who were very petite with heavier bikes.

[ronin]

the only difference in dry weight between a 750 and a 600 is only 7 lbs (per suzuki). i say if you're going to get a 600, might as well get a 750.

it appears you have the right attitude when it comes to riding safely so i don't think you will abuse the difference in power until you're ready for it. you will grow out of a 600 sooner than you think.

[ronin]

oh by the way, if you plan on frequenting interstates, be prepared to get blown around on a smaller, lighter bike. especially when passing (or being passed by) rigs; it's no fun.

[onthedot]

I've dirt-biked and off-roaded for about 30 years. So when I got my Kat 600 and started street-riding, I was a little worried. It's a great beginner bike, I think, but also very capable as a long-term bike. The only thing that would be better is if it didn't weigh so much. I could see it being a chore to handle for a newbie, but I also think it rides pretty nice on open road because of the weight.

[douglasg]

I also had never ridden before I got the Kat 600. I didn't have any trouble at all, great first bike for me, little heavy but other than that, perfect.

[TheKlic]

I think with the weight issue we need to know what size tux259 is. If he is like me 220lbs 5' 11". I say no problem. If he is 5' 8" 135lbs it may be a little heavy for him. But on the other hand I have seen girls who were very petite with heavier bikes.

I'm 5'5" and 145 I can ride the kat very well, and I've won slow races at places before

but I'm a good experienced rider
if you take your time and ride cautiosly around a parking lot, neighborhood blah blah blah... you can do fine on any bike, theoretically

IMO, go with a lighter bike, it's more fun to be on a lightweight anyway
EX500, GS500 etc. but I think a Kat 600 would be ok if you respected the bike enough

and don't listen to all of these "it's not if, it's when" people, I've never dropped my kat, or wrecked on the street
maybe I'm just lucky?...

[Learned You]

I have been riding for about three months now. My kat 600 was my first bike. I have had no problems with it. I think it was a good first bike for me. I am 6'4'' 280 though.

[roger06Kat]

I started riding on a 04 GS500f. I though that was a great beginner bike.

[Tiny1877]

and don't listen to all of these "it's not if, it's when" people, I've never dropped my kat, or wrecked on the street
maybe I'm just lucky?...

Word. I still have yet to drop mine in a year though I've only put about 1400mi on the ticker so far. My brother dropped it, though. I had the bike for a week. I still need to get the signal generator cover replaced from that.

[The CyberPoet]

Here's the full body of my standard repost on this subject, which covers far more of the reasons I believe that a smaller bike is better as a starter bike:
-----------------
NOTE: STANDARD REPOST

Standard advice:

As a newbie, my advice is to look at cheap used bikes in the 400 to 500cc range. Find a bike that fits your build well, where you can put both feet on the ground and lean the bike between your thighs left and right a bit. The bike should be cheap -- $1k - $2k price range (preferably something you can afford in cash), physically light and nimble, and not all that powerful. If you wreck it during your learning curve, you won't cry at the financial penalty of it, and if you don't wreck it, you'll be able to get out of it whatever it cost you in the first place... It'll also teach you better riding habits.

To quote myself:

the Ninja 250 & 500's, Bandit 400's, Suzuki GS500 are an ideal starter bikes... [Newbie "riders"] would learn far better habits on the smaller bike than on a typical Katana (for reasons I'm about to explain):

There are certain great advantages to starting out on a small, nimble, high-rev'ving bike with a low total cost. Among others, you will learn to use the handling and power with far more finess and far more skill than you would on a larger, more powerful bike like the Kat. To put that into terms that make sense to someone coming from the car world:

When Colin McRae, the world-champion WRC (world rally cup) driver first started to drive (age 12 - 14), he did so swiping his dad's 1972 Ford Fiesta/Escort with a miniscule 1.2 or 1.4 liter engine. It had power nothing -- manual steering, manual brakes, and high-rev'ing engine with little torque. This taught him everything from precise handling to carrying speed through corners, finess and control, matching shift-speeds and proper gear selection. If his father had owned a Cadillac Eldorado with a 501 cubic inch engine and automatic-power-everything, he would have never had the opportunity (or the need) to learn proper gear selection, finess in handling, traction and handling loss of traction, etc. -- the huge engine and huge car just never require it of the driver. In the same sense, a larger, heavier and more torque-rich bike never require you to learn certain fine nuances of riding... you can just punch out in whatever gear for a passing maneuver, you don't need to carry speed through corners, etc. And there's the crux -- if you learn these skills as habits with your first bike, they go with you for the rest of your life. On the other hand, if you don't learn them at the beginning, unlearning mediocre and poor habits and learning the better/advanced habits later is very difficult and something many never master...
Thus, for all the same reasons that McRae went on to be the winningest rally champ in history, I say to you, get the Ninja 250 or 500, or a bandit 400, a nighthawk 450, etc., and start there. By the time you move up in a year or three, you'll be riding circles around at least half the guys who started on a Katana, and doing so with great confidence. Plus, if you buy in that price range, you can always sell it (if you don't total it) for about what you paid in the first place. And if you do total it, you won't be awake nights crying about your sudden financial loss and looming payments...

-----------------

If you are willing to travel in a 200 mile circle to find the right bike, you can find an older Ninja 500 in the right price range, a Ninja 250 any day of the week, as well as a Bandit 400 if you're luck, and sometimes a nighthawk 450 in good shape. Don't ever limit yourself to the town you're in or your local little area.

My two cents worth.
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[iwannadie]

never take the sellers price as the final price, if someone wants 3k offer them half and work your way up to 2k cash, most likely they will take it.

If you offered me half my asking price that would be the end of our conversation - seriously. I usually start around 83% and work my way up from there. Private sellers generally list for pretty close to what they want. As a whole they're not out to rape you like the dealers, just looking to sell for a bit more than what they would get at trade-in.

well i got my bike and my car using this method for way way less than asking price. i helped a buddy get his first bike for half what the asking price was. helped a friend buy a car for like 75% of the asking price.

everyone selling stuff thinks they should get WAY more than what its worth. ive seen a 2 year old ninja250 going for 500$ MORE than retail price for a brand new one. the guy was saying 'his is broken in so its worth more than a brand new one'.

maybe youve been going after the tradein crowd, they have money to go buy a new bike and just want to make money off their old bike rather than unload it. i say go after the guy who needs to sell off the bike because of personal reasons not because he wants something to replace the old bike. someone who needs to unload will see a hand full of cash and not be so quick to turn away 50% of the asking price when the cash is right in front of him.

bottom line low ball the person get their counter offer and go from there. if they dont want to deal then move on theres plenty more out there. bring up stuff like the bike will need new tires so that is lowering your offer. it will need oil, brakes, any little thing you can think of to make the person see why your offering alot less and not just low balling cause your cheap.