Would a 2006 VFR 800 make a good first bike?

Wow! that is alot to go through, but I get why its done. Although I will say that some European countries get a little too restrictive, but on our end I really question how we let a new rider walk into a motorcycle shop and purchase a GSXR 1000 or Busa for a first bike or even the new 600cc bikes?

I forgot to mention, until recently, many dealerships didn;t care if you had insurance or a license when you picked the bike up? So you could buy the bike and then try and ride home! More than one dealership I have talked to has too many stories involving the "new" rider and the crash that happens in the parking lot of the dealership or right up the street from the dealership:crutch: . Many dealers now require proof of insurance or a license because of liability; they don't want to be sued easily.

One MSF class I coached had a women from France, and at the end of the class we talked with her about what France requires. Sounds similar to England except one of the last steps is you have to come back and complete the parking lot exercises with a passenger on the back of your bike. The other Coach and I were like, now that's a challenge!

Thanks for the info. on what's required in your neck of the woods.

Moby, before I forget, do you think all the training you have to go through helps keep fatalities down or makes you a better rider? Give us your thoughts!

BZ

 

I hadn't ridden for almost 20 years. My previous riding experience was extensive with motocross and street riding up to and including a Honda Goldwing. I took a MSF course to refresh myself with riding again. Then I went and purchased the RWB. My initial impressions were: 1) this is a highly refined complex bike for a rider just getting back into riding. 2) the VFR is very sensitive to control input and lets you know if you are not smooth in all aspects of operation. 3) putting in quality riding time with attention to safety will yield more confidence over time with this bike.
In summary, I wanted a RWB from the start and I have no regrets. My plan has been to grow into the bike safely and it is working. After 3000 miles my skills have progressed to the point where I can start to tap into the performance of the VFR.

 

Moby said

What I like about working your way up is that it allows you experience a lot of different bikes before you get to your 'ideal bike' and settle with it; let's face it most people's ideal bike will be either big or powerful or both.



You often hear a new rider say that he wants to buy a brand new 600 cc supersport or even a 1000 cc superbike. Everyone seems to want big power right away. Me, not so much. At least right now. My notion of an ideal bike keeps changing. Now I am thinking about supplementing my VFR with a 450cc - 690cc supermotard just for fun.

So many bikes, so little time! And, unfortunately, so little $$$ . . . .

 

In North Carolina it's easy as well. You go to the DMV and take a 25 question test on the computer. 20 out of 25 correct is a passing grade and you are issued a Learner Permit. The only restriction with a Learner Permit here is that you cannot have a passenger.

You can ride with a Learner Permit forever if you wish. Eventually though if you want to get your full fledged Motorcycle Endorsement, you have to take another test and do a brief riding test. The riding test can of course be skipped if you have something from the MSF.

 

I know how that goes. For a while I've been really wanting a CB750 for some reason as a "WTF" supplement for my VFR.

However lately I've been thinking about a dual sport of some kind (maybe a XR650 or perhaps one from another manufacturer).

 

Yes you can see the thinking behind it, but it's just beginning to get a bit excessive, not least because it costs so much; one doesn't need to be too cynical to wonder whether half the changes they seem to bring in are just an excuse to make more money out of us. Each new stage or additional feature bumps up the cost. And things are expected to get tougher in the coming years. There are already plans to force new drivers to effectively train for a whole year before they can get a licence, and if these are adopted I expect the same - or worse - will apply to motorcyclists.

We have a small but extremely vocal 'anti-motorcycle' fraternity here who keep yelling about bikes being unsafe and lethal and polluting and generally undesirable. It's easy to keep harping on about 'nanny states' but the UK is rapidly becoming one, alas.

I expect such extra features will be added here soon.

The answer has to be yes and no

Yes in that the current rules/procedures do prevent 17-year-old kids from, jumping straight onto an R1 and wrapping it round the nearest lamp post; having to stick to smaller, less powerful or restricted bikes until they are 21 does help cut back teenage biking fatalities. Similarly we have very few stories of the 'having an accident in the dealer's parking lot' variety that you alluded to because to buy/ride a big bike you will have had to have trained and taken a test on a big bike so the familiarity is there.

The fact that the wearing of approved helmets is compulsory also helps, and there's no real 'squid' culture here: you just don't see young idiots in shorts and bandanas zooming around on powerful bikes (the crap weather also helps in that regard). In fact wearing protective gear - leathers, boots etc, far from being seen as a hindrance or imposition, is rather regarded as the height of cool and style and only costs prevents everyone from being rigged up with the best kit. In all my years of biking I don't think I've come across any bikers who regard helmets and protective gear as a bad thing, whereas lots of car drivers still won't wear seat belts.

Our big problems are with 'Sunday riders'; older men who take up or return to biking in their mid thirties and buy powerful bikes which they only use at weekends or on a summer evening, trying to flick them round twisty roads without always having the knowledge and experience to do so, especially as they've spent all week cocooned in their cars feeling immortal. The peak age for deaths from motorbike riding is now something like 36 so it's clear the training regime doesn't seem to be working so well among slightly older riders.

What I'd like is for ongoing training to become a bigger part of accident prevention. Instead of charging us a fortune to take several different tests and threatening us with having our licences taken away for two minor speeding offences (you can get disqualified for doing 35 in a 30 zone just twice; most of us do that twice a minute :smile: ), they should encourage and subsidise the uptake of advanced riding courses. E.g you take your CBT and main test and then are committed to attend, say, three advanced rider courses in the next two years, available at low cost, in which you can start learning all the important things you never manage to do during initial training, from countersteering to motorway riding to wet weather techniques and so on. Not only will you learn as you go and nip bad habits in the bud before they form but the cameraderie and fun associated with extra training would also be a bonus.

 

The truest thing ever said on a bike forum. If I ever became a billionaire I'd build a huge, secure garage and fill it with every bike under the sun, just so I could try them all out at least once and get rid of that nagging feeling that I'm missing out on something super :smile:

 

I've been riding scooters a 50CC and a 150CC in NYC for 4 years and all told probably 12000 Manhattan Miles. Just bought my first bike and have a total of probably less than 500 miles riding a real motorcycle. I'm 5'9, 170lbs, 30yrs old.

If you understand the dynamics of the road and the bike, this one will not get ahead of itself. Just make sure you ease into it, this bike is amazing, it can do more than most any newbie can imagine. So you do have more machine than you can handle. But stay within your comfort zone you will be fine.

I agree with a lot of posters about dropping it. I did that already making a turn on a hill with a full tank of glass. So thats where inexperience comes into play. The damage was minimal.

I feel great about this bike, it can do it all, except off road. In the future when i'm ready to have another bike, it will make moving to a larger BMW or even a smaller sport bike easier.

I also believe there is the