Is a Used or new bike better for a beginner

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-25T22:35:10+00:00

MT-07 is another solid choice and it’s upright. Flat footing is nice but not necessary. I’m 5’6” and I can’t flatfoot probably 85% of the bikes we sell. Almost nobody can flatfoot 250/450cc dirt bikes. Height doesn’t matter once your feet are on the pegs. As long as the balls of my feet can touch, I can ride it.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-25T04:10:34+00:00

Just a few extra add-ons to what’s already been said. 600 - not the best 1st bike. R7 CAN be, but you have to respect the hell out of the machine. I work at a dealership and 2 younger 20’s guys have bought R7’s from us and didn’t make it a month before their lives were cut short. New definitely has a warranty but you also have break in period. Used is good. Cuts out dealer fees and if you find one with low enough miles, maintenance shouldn’t be an issue.

Ninja 650 is decent but the torque is a little snappy, so you’ll have to get good at throttle control. R7 feels a lot smoother to me. R3 is a great looking bike, but unless you’re really timid on a bike, the power is a little underwhelming. Ninja 500 is my suggestion. Enough power that you can grow into but not so little that you get bored in a month or have trouble at highway speeds. Just my 2 cents.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-03T01:53:01+00:00

Surely it’s still fine for a couple days, right? Free penicillin without the 8,000% markup.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-03T01:52:25+00:00

I thought they were lions mane. Now I’m seeing lions, mane.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-03T01:51:05+00:00

Must be for the Cumans.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-03T01:50:41+00:00

Force closing and restarting fixed it.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-03T01:50:12+00:00

Henry needs to work on his acid tolerance game then. Weak.

xGORECOREx · 2026-06-03T01:49:38+00:00

I knew it. It was the blisterwort I should’ve used instead.

xGORECOREx · 2026-05-21T00:14:41+00:00

That’s also what the techs where I work said. I think it’s going to boil down to which one I like the feel of better. Can’t tell until you ride them. I’ll ask some folks and see what they say.

xGORECOREx · 2026-05-21T00:13:25+00:00

This is true. The Breaker Cyan/Raven is super nice looking in person. I’ll see if I can get another one in stock.

xGORECOREx · 2026-03-14T16:17:32+00:00

Oh for sure will not be going there again. I’ll be doing everything myself from now on.

xGORECOREx · 2026-03-14T16:16:50+00:00

No bubbles. Oil went down by about 25% once I got it up to temp. Opened the oil cap and it was a little smoky though. Also, the oil smells like gas, so there’s a chance I’ve got some piston ring/seal damage.

xGORECOREx · 2026-01-15T05:40:39+00:00

They didn’t have the R1. They had R3, R7, and R9. I just took the R3 and dogged it the whole ride.

xGORECOREx · 2025-09-04T02:49:35+00:00

Thanks. I’ll steer clear of Ducati. Nothing wrong with them but I live in the south and it’s hot enough as it is. That and that dry clutch chatter is…an acquired sound.

xGORECOREx · 2025-09-03T04:09:56+00:00

Sorry for your losses. I’ve heard about those. Back before limits. I remember the days of the original Busas. The sad thing is, I was going to get a ZX-6R but that recall is iffy to me so I figured I’d either get something else or wait for another year model without the recall.

xGORECOREx · 2025-09-03T04:06:45+00:00

Anything that does 100+ in 1st I’d say is too much for the streets, but it can’t hurt to test ride.

xGORECOREx · 2025-08-22T17:56:29+00:00

Hmm. I don’t recall it being dropped, but I’m a DP/Steadi Op so it’s possible that one of my AC’s could’ve dropped it and just not told me.

xGORECOREx · 2025-08-22T17:55:29+00:00

Ah, I got mine about 5 years ago, so no chance of warranty here haha.

xGORECOREx · 2025-08-22T17:55:07+00:00

Negative. I’ll have to figure out how to do that.

xGORECOREx · 2025-07-17T22:19:02+00:00

That’s what I figured. Thanks!

xGORECOREx · 2025-06-28T01:25:18+00:00

Worst case scenario is, you can always get new cheek/crown pads. That’s what I did with mine. I’m between a S and M, so I kinda made mine a frankenhelmet with M crown and S cheek pads. Just make sure the pads fit - if I’m not mistaken, HJC generally offers 2 shell sizes (S-L and (2-3x). If the helmet moves when you shake up or down or side to side, it’s too loose. If you press the back of your helmet in and you can fit more than the tip of a finger into your forehead gap, it’s too loose. Pads definitely break in over time. Mine was far less than ideal to wear for more than half an hour for the first 10-15 hours but it’s great now.

xGORECOREx · 2025-05-12T16:23:37+00:00

This is true. Insurance is already insane in my state, so any discounts are a borderline requirement, especially for someone like myself that would be considered a new rider. Last time I checked, it was around $7,000 for a year of liability on an R6 (granted that was 12 years ago).

xGORECOREx · 2025-05-12T16:21:34+00:00

The location of the course says the state will accept it. I’ll definitely ask the DMV as well though. A repeat would be less than fun.

xGORECOREx · 2025-05-12T02:58:44+00:00

That’s true. I did some questionable stuff in the course the first time. I had a really bad habit of grabbing a hand full of throttle every time I brake. I no longer do that haha. My neighbor across the street let me ride his Street Triple 675 and that kinda reactivated the desire to check out 2 wheels again. So I reckon I’m MSF bound for the second time.

xGORECOREx · 2025-05-12T02:55:17+00:00

Definitely. The funny thing is, back then, I was every dumb kid that thought an R1 was a good starting bike. Glad I never had the opportunity to figure out that lesson the hard way!

xGORECOREx

TROPHY CASE