Kawasaki Card vs. Personal credit card

[WildKat]

Originally Posted by Phenix_Rider

I know shit about financing. But if you've been riding your buddies' bikes for a year, you really need to look at something better suited to a new rider. Look at the SV650 and Ninja 650R or an F2/F3/F4i- you can get any of them for a few thousand less than what you're looking at now. Say under $4k slightly used because so many are jumping up after a few thousand miles.

I was thinking the same thing..you can save yourself a ton of cash and get a great used bike that will not only be easier for you to afford but to insure as well. You can't forget about that because once your insurance company sees you wanting to pick up a Daytona 675 or anything of that nature all they are going to see is dollar signs and your insurance payment each month is liable to be as much if not more than your bike payment.

Get yourself an early generation CBR, consider a 600 or 750 Katana as well, an older FZR would be a solid option as would the SV's. There are tons of used bikes for a great price that still have a lot of miles left of them that will suit you well as you get older and get more experience. Don't rush heading out to buy the latest and greatest just to keep up with your buddies; that's asking for trouble dude

Yes, I have gone to the bank... but with a bank loan I would be forced into full coverage and with the bikes i am/was looking at, Id be paying more a year in insurance than the bike itself... screw that...

not to sound like an ass but that really is the way wrong answer here. You're a new rider, 1 year of experience is not much. You've got your whole life ahead of you to buy new stuff; take the time to do it right and carry the proper insurance but your risk of going down is way higher as a new rider on a sport bike than it is for someone 20 years older on the same bike. Get a cosigner if possible or bite the bullet and get a bike you can afford. It doesn't have to be a sport bike to be fun.

I've been riding street bikes since I was 16 and dirtbikes before that. I have as much fun on my Katana as I have on any other bike. It's cheap to insure even for new riders, it looks good, it's bullet proof, easy to work on,and very forgiving to new riders and easy to ride for experienced ones. That's just one example of not having the latest and greatest but still being able to go out and tear up the twisties and keep up with anybody else. Sure they might lose me on the straights off the line or something but regardless the thing about riding is, do what feels right not what your buddies think you should be doing.

[Porkchop]

Well... I think that settles it.

I knew all along that this idea wasnt the best option. But with my buddies constantly in my head, and all the shiney plastic i see inside the pages of Sport Rider every month... my head just got a little too far ahead of itself. I really believed that i could pull this off, and who knows maybe i could have. But with a stronger sense of reason (everyone here) I think i will hold off a bit. Now that I'm back from vaca and back to work on Wed... with a new raise , and with a little better budgeting, I'll save a nice little lump in my pocket. Come January/February when theres a foot of snow on the ground here in Ohio... I think I'll start looking for a nice little deal on an 03/04 FZ6. Shouldn't be too hard to barter at that point.

I want to thank all of you guys(and gals) for all the help. I posed this question in a couple different forums and I can honestly say this is the only one I will be returning to. Thanks for not being too brutal to a forum noob either. With all the help you gave me... who knows what you guys can teach me, maybe I'll just stick around and become a regular. Thanks Again!!

[Mr Lefty]

any reason why your so specific with the bike you want? you listed the F4I and the ZZR but now say you want an FZ6? don't get me wrong... the FZ6 is a GREAT bike... but really... I'd just look for the best deal... don't tie your self into only looking for one type of bike... I myself was looking for a SV650 when I found mine...

Keep an open mind... and remember... ANY of these bikes are gonna put a smile on your face... and the only opinion that matters is the one you get in your helmet while riding it.

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by Ebbs15

any reason why your so specific with the bike you want? you listed the F4I and the ZZR but now say you want an FZ6? don't get me wrong... the FZ6 is a GREAT bike... but really... I'd just look for the best deal... don't tie your self into only looking for one type of bike... I myself was looking for a SV650 when I found mine...

Keep an open mind... and remember... ANY of these bikes are gonna put a smile on your face... and the only opinion that matters is the one you get in your helmet while riding it.

Truth.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by Porkchop

Well... I think that settles it.

I knew all along that this idea wasnt the best option. But with my buddies constantly in my head, and all the shiney plastic i see inside the pages of Sport Rider every month... my head just got a little too far ahead of itself. I really believed that i could pull this off, and who knows maybe i could have. But with a stronger sense of reason (everyone here) I think i will hold off a bit. Now that I'm back from vaca and back to work on Wed... with a new raise , and with a little better budgeting, I'll save a nice little lump in my pocket. Come January/February when theres a foot of snow on the ground here in Ohio... I think I'll start looking for a nice little deal on an 03/04 FZ6. Shouldn't be too hard to barter at that point.

I want to thank all of you guys(and gals) for all the help. I posed this question in a couple different forums and I can honestly say this is the only one I will be returning to. Thanks for not being too brutal to a forum noob either. With all the help you gave me... who knows what you guys can teach me, maybe I'll just stick around and become a regular. Thanks Again!!

I just read through this thread with the thought that you were going to go through with it despite the advice given. I'm relieved to see you have at least put some thought to it all. Good job.

I wouldn't EVER, Never NEVER EVER buy a bike on a loan or credit of any sort, from anywhere. Motorcycles are big toys, and toys shouldn't be financed. That is for this economy and others.

The ONLY reason to go without full coverage is if you have enough in your pocket to get it back to condition if something happens. In fact, I usually recommend you get a good agent with gap insurance and a medical rider on the policy.

Keep an open mind.

Congrats, and welcome to the forum.

[marko138]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

Buell... 3rd gear FTW.

Thats exactly right. On the tightest of tight roads I will use 2nd.

[Porkchop]

Well... I havn't exactly locked myself in to the bike per se. And I did list the FZ6 in that second list. IDK... I read two or three really bad reviews on the F4i, nothing about how it handles tho. Fit, finish, and build quality... but it's a Honda!?!? The ZZR is still in that very short list and seems like a really nice bike. Never ridden it though, just sat on it. I think the Yami might be a better learning tool with how small and agile it is, less "balls to the wall" sport oriented as well. Plus, insurance on the thing is fantastic compared to an SS. We will see...

[Mr Lefty]

well I'll tell you right now... the F4i is a great bike it wouldn't still be made if it wasn't selling... and it wouldn't sell if it wasn't a solid bike... just like the ZZR considering they're running "old" tech.

shit even if you had an F4 or an F3 they're still great bikes... NtS had an F3 before his 600rr... as far as I know he loved the thing...

becarefull where you read your "reviews" and remember when looking at motorcycle mags... they're "paid" to rate one better than the other... and they ALWAYS have to have a winner... most of us won't really notice much of a diffrence in performance between the two... but they need to break them down and name a winner to sell mags...

if it's from a forum... really do your research... find out who's saying it... and read a lot of their other posts... to find out if they're full of shit or a solid source of info. also find out what type of rider they are... someone like Trip who rides track alot may say the F4i is overweight and slow to him... but that's not where the F4i is meant to be... (not putting words in Trip's mouth)

above all... just do your research... and honestly... Kawi, Honda, Suzy, or Yamaha.... you can't go wrong. all the bikes are well built. some have a few personality quirks... but as a new rider... they'll be fine.

good luck

[Phenix_Rider]

It's hard to really decide what you want to live with until you've ridden a lot of bikes. Which is a Catch 22, since it's hard as a new rider to test ride many. Really, you've ridden a couple other bikes, so you've got a head start. Look at the specs- more than just peak HP and redline- 0-60 and especially top gear 60-80 rollon will tell you something about a bike's character. Spend as much time as you can hanging around several dealers familiarizing yourself with all the models you're considering, and more important spend time in the seat. Pick it off the stand, shift your weight, see how the controls feel in different positions.

I personally don't care for the FZ6- but I'm used to the grunty little 650R. The FZ spins up really fast, and you probably need to downshift a few to really make it move. It's all in what you like, and you could do a lot worse than that. If you like the low clipons, high pegs feel, the FZ will feel strange. If you like the upright easy going feel, a ZZR is going to be rough riding more than a few miles.

Mags can be useful, but a lot of times they're just giddy to have a new bike to thrash. Look for long-term rides to see what they say about day-to-day.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by azoomm

I wouldn't EVER, Never NEVER EVER buy a bike on a loan or credit of any sort, from anywhere. Motorcycles are big toys, and toys shouldn't be financed. That is for this economy and others.

The ONLY reason to go without full coverage is if you have enough in your pocket to get it back to condition if something happens. In fact, I usually recommend you get a good agent with gap insurance and a medical rider on the policy.

I disagree with the first part, as I have financed every bike i've owned.
Does it cost a little more in the end? yes.
Does it pay for itself with the smiles over the miles? IMO yes.
And I'm quite sure that even with the shitty mileage that my savings in gas riding the 1125 over driving my pickup is more than my interest.

I do agree on the insurance though.