Anyone here ride? Looking for advice.

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A few months ago, I posted a topic here stating that I was thinking about getting into riding, and asked opinions of it. Well, last week I finally decided to take the plunge. I took an MSF course over the weekend, mastered it; and now I have my endorsement (I live in the US state of Arizona, for those unfamiliar: an endorsement allows full legal use of any street-legal bike). Already picked up my gear and helmet, now just looking for a used bike.

In the class I used a Rebel 250, and I truly felt as though if I owned one, I'd outgrow it within weeks. My budget is about $3000, and I've been looking at a few 96-04 sportbikes: Ninja 500r and YZF600r. Anyway, anyone know of any equivalent 400-600cc sportbikes worth looking into? Does anyone have any experience in this field, or can anyone offer any general advice? Or comments, even. Thanks in advance guys.

It's been decades since I rode sport bikes but I've talked to several members here who do ride modern cycles but haven't posted lately so be patient and they'll chime in sooner or later.

If you go with a sportbike I would stick with the 600's and higher, because they are typically better engineered than the smaller bikes. But be warned, they become very uncomfortable to ride after 45 minutes or so. They are tough on the lower back and wrists. They are lots of fun though, you can out run just about any sportcar around, without that huge investment.

An on-off road(dual purpose) bike is a fun option, especially if you have the desire to hit some dirt roads occasionally, plus the upright seating position is far more comfortable than a sportbike. They are also the easiest to maneuver, and they are the lightest of the choices. I would stick with 600+ cc's on those bikes because the smaller bikes aren't made for prolonged highway speeds. The bigger bikes don't have to work nearly as hard to maintain the top speed limits, and the engines will last longer between rebuilds.

The cruisers are the most comfortable of all, with their laid-back riding position. They are the best choice for trips over an hour. The engines are low tech and low maintenence, so they last a long time without needing rebuilt. The power per cc isn't nearly as high as the sportbikes, so I would go with the biggest bike you can buy with your money. Anything over 600cc's should be fine, but you are less likely to outgrow a 750+.

Then you have your standard/naked bikes, which are basically sportbikes without the full fairing, and they have an upright seating position like the dual purpose bikes. They are also quite comfortable to ride, and are aimed more toward the "hell-raiser" crowd. They are fast, they love to wheelie, and can handle the nastiest curves of any mountain road. The Suzuki SV650 would be an excellent choice, and can be found used for around $3,000.

I think that covers the main groups, and as you can probably tell, I love bikes. Whatever bike you choose, you will have fun. If you need any specific info on a bike, or class of bikes, let me know. I'll be glad to help.

what doyou want it for, touring, short trips, off road, top end speed ?

majority of people with sports bikes over 600cc don't/can't use thebike to its full potential, therefore for an out an out road bike I'd go for R6 Yamaha.

For short trips and fun, I'd look at any of the super motard (do you have those in the states?) style, KTM, Husqvarna.

For touring with a bit of off road, big BMW would be the way.

For me, I've always liked the big Ducati Monster range, nice torquey V twins.

mmm, so many beautiful bikes, so little time.

lol When I saw your topic's title, I thought you meant riding horses!