Any sportsbike enthusiasts here?

Motorbike beginner here. Looking to purchase a sportsbike but not sure if it matters what bike you get if it's your first bike.

Definetly will be doing wheelies and driving it often both in city and hw. My preference is the Ninja zx14 or zx12. But if it is "highly" recommended to start off with a smaller bike then I was thinking about the CBR600f4i or Ninja 250.

Will getting the bigger bike be a major problem learning wheelies with and riding without breaking my bones?

P.S. Do sportbikes have compartments for 2 helmets and an empty backpack?

P.P.S. What can I expect insurance rates to be with complete coverage? (Just turned 30 )

I started on a Ninja 250 and would recommend that bike to anyone, even an experienced rider. If mine hadn't been stolen and torn up by the thief I would still have it. It handled great and had a surprising amount of power for such a small engine. Got mine up to 190 mph once going slightly uphill, and got around 60-70 mpg. Get a small, good-handling bike to start out with, get comfortable with it and then move up. I would also highly recommend you take a safe riding course (if you haven't already), it will lower your insurance rates and get you into some good habits while keeping you out of some bad and potentially deadly ones.

After my Ninja was stolen I got and restored a 1976 KZ900 and couldn't be happier with it, but I don't think I would have handled it well without the experience on the smaller bike first.

Originally Posted by jaguarx7

It handled great and had a surprising amount of power for such a small engine. Got mine up to 190 mph once going slightly uphill, and got around 60-70 mpg.

190 miles per hour huh? HHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Sorry, but that surely must be a typo. I also have a ninja 250, I just started riding this past season, Full insurance for me at 19 years old, no experience is 30 dollars a month. Comparably insurance for a newer, think 2007, r6 is 180 per month for me. I have got to maybe 105mph, on a downhill. Id say if you're pretty tall it may not feel right and you will want a taller bike. But if you sit on one and feel comfortable, go for it.

You can flick the 250 around turns and twists sooo much easier than a bigger bike, and in my area, 12 bucks in gas will get you about 180 miles of hard on the throttle riding. No regrets on my decision as of yet, I love that bike. Have you looked into the new Ninja 300? Both the newer style 250 and the 300 look exactly like a big bike. I have had many people ask, even other riders, if my bike (Ninja 250) is an R1, I lol'd.

You also will find it difficult do wheelie the ninja 250, it is possible no doubt, but you are going to have to be dropping the clutch in order to get it up. My dream bike right now is the CBR6004fi, and you will also be able to ride 2-up with much more ease on the 600 rather than the 250.

And to answer your other question. No, atleast on my ninja 250, I have probably just enough room under the passenger seat to put my wallet. However, the bike does have two helmet strap holders, one on each side of passenger seat. Its not very secure because if anyone wanted your helmet, they could just cut the strap off and its theirs.

Originally Posted by mj745

Motorbike beginner here. Looking to purchase a sportsbike but not sure if it matters what bike you get if it's your first bike.

Definetly will be doing wheelies and driving it often both in city and hw. My preference is the Ninja zx14 or zx12. But if it is "highly" recommended to start off with a smaller bike then I was thinking about the CBR600f4i or Ninja 250.

Will getting the bigger bike be a major problem learning wheelies with and riding without breaking my bones?

P.S. Do sportbikes have compartments for 2 helmets and an empty backpack?

P.P.S. What can I expect insurance rates to be with complete coverage? (Just turned 30 )

Is this a serious thread?

(1) Wheelies are generally illegal on the street, and for good reason. Expect to drop the bike frequently while learning, causing damage to both the bike and yourself. A better way to practice wheelies for a beginner in on a dirt bike. The higher center of gravity makes them easier to wheelie and at a much lower speed. Still, wear full motorcross protection while doing this.
(2) Any bike, even a Ninja 250, goes fast enough to kill you. Look for a place that teaches you how to ride before even getting a bike. Talk to the instructors and see their reactions on your ambitions.
(3) The only bikes with internal storage big enough for 2 helmets are generally big touring bikes.
(4) Insurance on a new sport bike with a novice rider will probably cost as much as the bike, per year. Seriously.

Yes, i meant 109 mph. Also, I agree with the others: wheelies on the street are stupid. About 2 years ago a guy did a wheelie while going over a bridge near where I worked. A gust of wind blew him sideways into one of the beams (it's an old truss bridge) and the beam took his head clean off, helmet and all. One of my friends is a police officer and he was first on the scene, said it was pretty nasty. Motorcycles are great fun, but please don't think you can make yourself look cool by doing stupid things on one.

DO NOT get a ZX12 or 14 for a first/learner bike. There's probably no better way to insure your parents attend your funeral.

A smaller bike is lighter, easier to learn basics like throttle control and safety in traffic, and less expensive to repair if you drop it ( as you inevitably will). My first bike was an SV650s which is all the power a beginner needs. It was an easy bike to learn on, and as I got better, it was still fun. I would recommend looking for a good, low mileage SV, there's plenty around. There are several other good beginner bikes that are similar. I know it's not very macho, but your first bike shouldn't have 100 hp. Less than 85 is fine.

Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (or similar) course. You get to learn basics in a controlled environment, and at least in New Jersey, if you pass the course, you don't have to take a road test to get your license.

And if you really need to learn to wheelie and do other stunts, there's schools for that too. Some of them even provide a bike. Just remember, no stunting on public roads. (Some moron on a Busa almost killed me when he lost control of a wheelie and his bike missed me by about two feet when I was on my bicycle). Don't be that guy.

Is this a serious thread? The f4i and the 250 are no where in the same class. That's like comparing apples and door knobs. Sport bikes also typically have no compartments for anything unless you buy a saddlebag and even then you're not likely to fit a full faced helmet in there. They might have helmet locks under the seat but no compartments...