First time riding a 600CC Sportbike - Tips?

just take it easy, go at a reasonable speed and dont redline until your use to it and use to riding in general.

 

Take it slow. Realse the clutch SLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWW. Dropping the clutch is where the majority of new riders douche themselves. Maybe see if someone you know has like a 250 bike you could take around the block, I guarantee it will help when you ride your 600.

 

I was just like you. i took the safety course and passed it. and then i bought my first 600CC 2 months later. i was very nervous about getting in traffic. so i took it slow. everything came back to me of what i studied and had to do in the riders course. just take it easy when your at a stop sign and need to turn. one of the hardest things for me was stopping and going from a stop sign. but i got it down. dont let any motorist rush you, take your time. good luck and trust your instincts. be weary of everyone around you. believe your are invisible to everyone around you. because one thing ive learned is that cagers are oblivious to us.

 

is this your first bike, or just a ride? dont be like the guy above and buy a 600 as your first-
you will appreciate the bike, and riding physics in general, if you start with an engine you can actually manage.

that said, what sort of 600 is it? if its a moto guzzi, i recommend you DONT ride it, as they have sooooo much torque- inline fours can be tame, just again, release that clutch sloooooowwwwlllyyyy- plastics cost about 1500 bucks

 

Sound advice.

Just as everyone said about the clutch, it's very important to go slowly on your first run. A good trick someone taught me to find out where the clutch point is without even moving is to start the bike, put it in first gear, hold your brakes, and let out the clutch as slowly as humanly possible until you just ever so slightly see the RPMs drop or feel the engine shudder. Once you do, you've found the tail end of your clutch, so don't go any further than that.

You don't want to do this too often, but it's a great trick to use to figure out the area that you need to be at to get moving. After riding around for several days, your hand will have retained the muscle memory necessary to just pop it to that point on the clutch with no effort at all.

 

like you would know. i own two bikes. my first one was and still is a 1980 cb750C it was a project bike that i had alot of fun building and learning how to repair/ rebuild motors in my case it was a DOHC motor, also rebuilding forks etc. then i bought the cbr600 to feed my need to ride. i went through the harley riding program. i had the privilege of riding their buell blast which is a 500cc bike and is alot of fun to ride. everyone else i know takes a different course and they ride little shit 250cc bikes.

 

Go slow, start in familiar areas. Work your way up, remember to lean in the corners.

And don't let it start tippin over, it's heavy

 

just take it slow, be defensive on the road.. ride the roads that arnt busy. wear gear incase the unexpected happens. dont allow other people to push you outside your comfort zone.
have fun with it though!!

 

A 600cc is not that bad as a first bike.

Sure, it's a little high, but I have several friends who started on a Suzuki SV650S (the Sport edition of this model) and they, A) were used to its full power in about a week, and, B) had a nice bike that they weren't going to outgrow and have to go through the hassle of resale in order to buy something larger. It will take you a little longer to get used to the power than it would on a 250, but once you do you will be fully satisfied.

Now, if you had gone out and done what some younger people do that are missing vital portions of their brain that control common sense and bought a 1300cc Hayabusa, I would have told you to sell it back for something a little more 'sane'... if you valued your life, of course.

 

Don't crash. Good luck.

 

fyi, an SV650S is far slower than a 600cc bike. The SV is a 2 cylinder bike which means more torque down low and far easier to ride. 600cc bikes such as CBR. Ninja, GSXR are 4 cylinder bikes which make almost twice the power of the SV650S

and to the guy who said the Buell Blast 500cc was better than the "piddly 250cc bikes" LMAO!!!

the Blast, one is a Hardley-Ableson POS, and makes about the same power if not LESS POWER THAN A 250 TWIN

Displacement isn't everything in a motorcycle

 

You'll be fine man i started on an R6 and just took it slow till i sincerely got the hang of the bike and learned the flow of traffic. Best advice i can give in general is ride like you are invisible, and you have to dodge everyone out there. Ride like you're purely 100% transparent and no one is looking for you (because they're not) and you'll be fine on the street. Just expect everyone to pull out in front of you, even if you make direct eye contact with the dumbass soccer mom in her SUV...Dont trust her, she'll pull right out in front of you regardless.

 

I'm in the process of getting my bike license at the moment. Gotta start on a 250. Let me know how your learning on a 600 goes

 

A Gixxer and SV are like apples and oranges ha i have ridden both and can tell you the SV is way more tuned towards beginners. It's also a v-twin, so the powerband isn't as wide as the gixxer, they are less torquey and have more give in the throttle. GSXR are tuned for the track right out of the box, if you go on any motorcycle forum they will say the same, they are not good beginner bikes but its ultimately up to the rider. I don't know how many guys i've seen loop a 600 on their first ride hilarious! But OP, take it VERY SLOW! My first ride was on a GSXR 750 and i was scared shitless, but i was also 17 and stupid ha. Take it to some long open roads and get used to the throttle repsonse, the wight, turning, etc. then take it into traffic and be aware, it's easy to get caught up in looking around and forgetting the basics of the bike .

 

i took the msf course over the summer and spent like literally months figuring out what bike to get. I eventually settled on a bandit 600, not quite a gixxer but sure as hell not slow by any means. Its a lot heavier than the crappy little rebel 250s that msf lets you ride. Thats probably the biggest thing i had to get used to, learning how to properly weight your legs and shit at stop lights. As for power..you will learn to love and respect it. Truthfully if your just tooling around town your rpms wont really go past 6 grand, you gotta realize most 600cc I-4s powerbands are so peaky they dont really start kickin your ass for another 4 grand or so. Practicing matching the revs on downshifts is a good skill too, feelin the rear slidin around when you HAVE to brake is a little unsettling. I have no doubt that you will be fine with your gsxr 600. Get a bright jacket, helmet, and an exhaust that shit really kinda matters when your so invisible and you will be fine. Ride safe

 

get on, sit down, hold on......go


OH! I forgot...there are two kinds of motorcycle riders...those that have gone down and those that are going to go down. Dress appropriately.

 

ATGATT

All the gear, all the time.

Other than that, just take it easy. Small movements, gentle with the throttle, keep the revs down, slow on the clutch. Don't go anywhere but your neighborhood until you're 100% confident. Ride the bike, don't let it ride you.

'09 R6 owner here

 

Wear your gear OP.