Best Starter Bike

JOSEPHD95

Ok so I know this question has been asked a million times....but here it is again....

What is the best starter motorbike for someone with zero experience and why?

amacca

JOSEPHD95 wrote: »

Ok so I know this question has been asked a million times....but here it is again....

What is the best starter motorbike for someone with zero experience and why?

imo there probably are a number of ideal learner machines (honda cb250 or something like that springs to mind) but there is no ideal starter motorbike as I kinda think that depends on the rider and what they really want to ride to a certain extent.........what worked for me was not buying a motorcycle to learn on but taking more lessons and passing my test on the school bike (rented) - instructor let me rent the bike at the weekends at a reduced rate to learn on and that made more sense to me than buying something I didn't want...then when I passed I restricted the bike I wanted at the time.


eg: I started on a restricted Ducati 996 during the two year restricted period and loved every second of it but that wouldn't be ideal for many .....insurance costlier....not exactly an everyday commuter etc - it was the right choice for me though as thats what I wanted and I still have something like it + if I bought some sort of a cb 250 (that was supposed to be an ideal learner bike) I'd probably have got very little back when I would have gone to sell it and then would have to buy the machine I always wanted etc

others may prefer a cruiser etc


tldr...........my two cents - its worth considering renting for the test if you can get time on the bike at a reasonable rate (even if it takes more than one attempt to pass) and then getting the bike you want (and can afford taking insurance into account) and having it restricted, you will enjoy riding it more and you wont be trucking around selling a learner bike (probably at a loss for some models) afterwards...then when the two year period is up have it de-restricted and while you will be familiar with the bike and handling etc it will be like the thing has a whole new lease of life.

Del2005

amacca wrote: »

...........my two cents - its worth considering renting for the test if you can get time on the bike at a reasonable rate (even if it takes more than one attempt to pass) and then getting the bike you want (and can afford taking insurance into account) and having it restricted, you will enjoy riding it more and you wont be trucking around selling a learner bike (probably at a loss for some models) afterwards...then when the two year period is up have it de-restricted and while you will be familiar with the bike and handling etc it will be like the thing has a whole new lease of life.

+1 rent to learn, for some unknown reason the schools all use easy(ish) to ride bikes, and then buy what you want. There's also the added benefit that when you drop the bike for the 1st time, it may not be yours:D

As for your 1st bike. It all depends on your build what bikes will suit. Go into a dealer with a good selection of bikes and sit on them all, every bike can be restricted, and see what fells most comfortable.

Then for the kick in the teeth. Decide on some bikes you like and stick them into Liberty, the old Quinn, to see how far you need to bend over.

Cuddlesworth

Best starter bike is easy. Whatever you can afford to buy, insure and repair when you drop it.

FatherLen

i have only been on bikes for two years now but i have a soft spot for the hornet 250. easy to ride, light, fast and very tough. its also cheap to tax insure and run.

Tigger

1998 Yamaha r1 on carbs with reconditioned exups
'nuff power for when you progress but easy to ride a slow sPeeds

scottless

i got me first bike 3 months ago its a CBR400RR and i love it, its such a good bike, depends what your into tho, the cbr is like a baby superbike so its great fun, if your looking for somethin like that its what id go for, stay away from the cbr250's there all in bits, its really hard t find a good one cause they were all thrashed by young lads who didn service them but the 400's were taking care of, specially my one

spiggotpaddy

Tigger wrote: »

1998 Yamaha r1 on carbs with reconditioned exups
'nuff power for when you progress but easy to ride a slow sPeeds

I missed the punchline there. Zero experience = yam R1.

To answer the op, an ideal starter is something like a suz gs 125 because they're cheap to buy and insure, you get seventy to the gallon, and very reliable. You can buy a Haynes manual and learn how to service it, being a very straight forward design you can teach yourself basic motorcycle maintenance and arm yourself with a good base knowledge for bigger bikes in the future.

Connavar

Didnt see the point in starting a new thread on this as I think its under the same topic.

What kind of price would one expect to pay on these starter bikes for something of a good quality(bike only, excluding insurance/tax/gear)?

Yzf R6

I think you should get the bike you see yourself on in a few years time as it will have to be restricted anyway,but it will also give you time to get use to the size and weight of it too.

mark fitapatrick

well i have gone through all the replies and i must say they explain why we have so many dead riders in this country. you need to afford a good professional instructor and hire his bike and take on board his professional advice. your life depends on it my friend

Connavar

mark fitapatrick wrote: »

well i have gone through all the replies and i must say they explain why we have so many dead riders in this country. you need to afford a good professional instructor and hire his bike and take on board his professional advice. your life depends on it my friend

If you get a good bike of your own how is that any different from hiring the instructors bike?

No one said don't get instruction on the bike that you purchase.

P.C.

mark fitapatrick wrote: »

well i have gone through all the replies and i must say they explain why we have so many dead riders in this country. you need to afford a good professional instructor and hire his bike and take on board his professional advice. your life depends on it my friend

What a load of c**p.

We have IBT in Ireland now, so a new rider has to do training before they go out on the road on their own.
There are also restriction laws that new riders have to adhere to.

I am not really sure why you have posted here, or what you hope to achieve with your post, but you will not be entertained for long.

Stainless_Steel

P.C. wrote: »

What a load of c**p.

We have IBT in Ireland now, so a new rider has to do training before they go out on the road on their own.
There are also restriction laws that new riders have to adhere to.

I am not really sure why you have posted here, or what you hope to achieve with your post, but you will not be entertained for long.

In fairness he gave good advice. A Yamaha R1 was mentioned as a starter bike. Mental.

Alkers

FatherLen wrote: »

i have only been on bikes for two years now but i have a soft spot for the hornet 250. easy to ride, light, fast and very tough. its also cheap to tax insure and run.

Great first bike, there's one on biker.ie for 1500E, nothing to do with me and you will need it restricted.

Del2005

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

In fairness he gave good advice. A Yamaha R1 was mentioned as a starter bike. Mental.

I think the sarcasm meter is broken.

But it doesn't mater if you start on an R1 or a Cub50. You can end up in a big a mess on either without proper training.

Andromeda_111

I'd suggest to go to as many bike shops as you possibly can and sit on all the bikes they have to offer. You'll get a feel quickly for what type of bike you prefer. I wouldn't advise spending a lot of money on your first bike because the majority of people I know who start off on bikes, fall in love with it, then they quickly want a change as they become more familiar with other bikes.

Get something you like to look of, is reliable and something that other starters would go for as you'll want to sell it at a later stage.

As others have said, an R1 is mental (I'm hoping he's selling one and was joking with that advice). You more than likely will drop it at some stage don't buy a new bike!

Best of luck, enjoy looking around and let us all know what you decide upon.

Stainless_Steel

Del2005 wrote: »

I think the sarcasm meter is broken.

But it doesn't mater if you start on an R1 or a Cub50. You can end up in a big a mess on either without proper training.

Of course it matters.

AboutTwoFiddy

Don't forget the Ducati Monster, great starter bike. You'll pick up a good 620 handy enough.

Doylers

Im new and have a varadero 125. Really happy with it, nice 4 stroke and is always smooth. Kinda tall bike and is a bite heavy so I other bikes feel smaller now:D Did my IBT of a Kawasaki ER500 nice bike too(prefer varadero). Would be nice to have a bit more power.

Del2005

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

Of course it matters.

All the people I know who've crashed, I haven't had mine yet, has been in city traffic at relatively low speeds. Some of these earned their wages on how fast they could get from A to B. They where all on powerful full bikes.

Same thing coming into a corner too fast. Most of our roads are suitable for ~100km/h. You can approach a corner too fast on a Moped if you haven't had training.

The power of a bike doesn't mater, if it did we have studies plastered all over the RSA site showing the correlation.

It's the level of training and experience the rider has that counts. Put a complete novice on any bike and they can kill themselves. Give someone 16+ hours training and they might not.

spiggotpaddy

Del2005 wrote: »

All the people I know who've crashed, I haven't had mine yet, has been in city traffic at relatively low speeds. Some of these earned their wages on how fast they could get from A to B. They where all on powerful full bikes.

Same thing coming into a corner too fast. Most of our roads are suitable for ~100km/h. You can approach a corner too fast on a Moped if you haven't had training.

The power of a bike doesn't mater, if it did we have studies plastered all over the RSA site showing the correlation.

It's the level of training and experience the rider has that counts. Put a complete novice on any bike and they can kill themselves. Give someone 16+ hours training and they might not.

Your point leans towards the mindset of "you could be killed walking your puppie". Which of course you could, but I do think there is some very poor advise in this thread. When a rider with zero experience takes to the road, there is a lot of information to process, and a large sport bike will punish you if you make a mistake, if you have not had time to hone your reflexes.
I have to agree with stainless on this one, Of course it matters.

Killgore Trout

I'd say start with a small practical bike and work up.

I started off on a Vespa PX 125 and moved up to the PX 200 after 2 years.

Passed my test on a friend's 200 after a year on the 125(the PX and [nearly all] older Vespas are manual), I have ridden some pretty long distances on both. they're easy to work on, tons of them out there so loads of parts. Good for carrying loads and they have a spare.

I still have an old Vespa in the shed and I really loved the PXs.

The experience I gained on them helped me appreciate moving up to bigger bikes and build me up some valuable spannering skills.

Del2005

spiggotpaddy wrote: »

Your point leans towards the mindset of "you could be killed walking your puppie". Which of course you could, but I do think there is some very poor advise in this thread. When a rider with zero experience takes to the road, there is a lot of information to process, and a large sport bike will punish you if you make a mistake, if you have not had time to hone your reflexes.
I have to agree with stainless on this one, Of course it matters.

If your so convinced that powerful bikes are dangerous for new riders. Please provide the studies linking power and crashes, taking into account the level of training required before the rider is allowed onto the road. Once you give me some peer reviewed scientific research I'll agree.

Otherwise I'll assume it's just the same "Speed kills" sh!te that the RSA spouts.

Speed doesn't kill, inappropriate speed kills and there's a big difference

amacca

spiggotpaddy wrote: »

Your point leans towards the mindset of "you could be killed walking your puppie". Which of course you could, but I do think there is some very poor advise in this thread. When a rider with zero experience takes to the road, there is a lot of information to process, and a large sport bike will punish you if you make a mistake, if you have not had time to hone your reflexes.
I have to agree with stainless on this one, Of course it matters.

as far as I can see not many posts mentioned a large sportsbike with no restriction
and the others mention bikes that are close to or come under the power to weight/bhp restriction or mention getting the bike you want restricted

this doesnt seem that off the wall to me (in terms of safety or accident risk if not in terms of cost of insurance)........................its what I did.....tbh I felt that little bit more exposed and that little bit less in control on both learner bikes my instructor had (cb250 - er5 [may have been restricted too) than my poor choice which I had until recently.

I also think the point made earlier that you get used to the size and weight and become more familiar with the bike so when the restriction is removed its that bit easier to cope with the ramp up in hp is a good one.


basically not everybody is the same...........the ideal learner bike for many may be suzuki gn 125 etc etc but its not necessarily for all and once a bike is restricted it evens the playing field in terms of power etc so a learner should be able to learn on a wide variety of machines as there are no doubt a wide variety of learners- narrow the choice even further to some a boring little honda cb (just a personal opinion - I'm sure they are lovely if you're into that sort of thing) on top of training costs and then the cost of shifting your learner bike that may depreciate (the market for learner bikes is not like it was) like a stone etc and you get less and less riders on the road...............I think that's a more than valid point too without it being tarred along with others contributions as bad advice

Stainless_Steel

Del2005 wrote: »

If your so convinced that powerful bikes are dangerous for new riders. Please provide the studies linking power and crashes, taking into account the level of training required before the rider is allowed onto the road. Once you give me some peer reviewed scientific research I'll agree.

Otherwise I'll assume it's just the same "Speed kills" sh!te that the RSA spouts.

Speed doesn't kill, inappropriate speed kills and there's a big difference

Please show us research that proves a R1 presents equal danger to a 125. What a stupid argument.

Alkers

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

Please show us research that proves a R1 presents equal danger to a 125. What a stupid argument.

His argument is please show us research that shows an R1 to be more dangerous.

That being said, the R1 is a stupid suggestion here as the OP would never insure it and it wouldn't be great with the restriction.

bladespin

Anything with two wheels and an engine, you'll know yourself what will suit more, something sporty if you're that way inclines on something more practical if that's your thing, once you treat it with respect and understand your own limitations you shouldn't have many problems.

I started on an RD 350, at the time it was regarded as a loony bike, but I managed it, I know lads who crashed CB250s when they were learning too, the bike itself doesn't have much say in things.

bladespin

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

Please show us research that proves a R1 presents equal danger to a 125. What a stupid argument.

That'd be the car that pulls out on you, doesn't really matter which bike you're on. Your argument seems equally stupid to me, that said I wouldn't really suggest an R1 as a starter but you're just as at risk on something much slower.

Del2005

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

Please show us research that proves a R1 presents equal danger to a 125. What a stupid argument.

An R1 can be ridden at 50km/h in 5th gear and it can go over the national speed limit, a restricted bike can also exceed all our national limits.

It doesn't mater which bike your on, if you watch the vanishing point you'll be unlucky to crash.

I spent my childhood riding bikes off road. I completed, badly, in trials and rode around forests and mountains most weekends of my youth. Unfortunately I was a few months to young when the restriction came in so I refused to get a provisional and didn't ride a bike for over 10 years.

When I eventually got my A provisional I passed my test 1st time, after 1 lesson. This is the only licence I passed on 1st attempt and I have passed all categories. But I knew I wasn't safe on a (restricted) bike so I voluntarily paid for a full days lessons to make myself a better rider and bought Police Roadcraft. I'm still learning how to ride a bike, again, and know my limits and the days instruction is still paying off. I still need more instruction to improve my riding which I'll try and do in the summer.

Bike riding is a skill that has to be learned and the only safe way is with proper instruction. Once your learn how to ride safely it doesn't mater if your bike will do 100km/h or 300km/h as you will be riding for the road not the bike.

According to your logic I was safe once I'd passed my test on a 25kw bike with 1 lesson, I knew I wasn't capable of riding safely even thought I was according to the RSA. I know you now need 16 hours to ride which IMO isn't enough for a total novice, but is better than nothing.

Wossack

AboutTwoFiddy wrote: »

Don't forget the Ducati Monster, great starter bike. You'll pick up a good 620 handy enough.

lot of electrical niggles with the 620.. the 695 is the better bike

Stainless_Steel

Del2005 wrote: »

An R1 can be ridden at 50km/h in 5th gear and it can go over the national speed limit, a restricted bike can also exceed all our national limits.

It doesn't mater which bike your on, if you watch the vanishing point you'll be unlucky to crash.

I spent my childhood riding bikes off road. I completed, badly, in trials and rode around forests and mountains most weekends of my youth. Unfortunately I was a few months to young when the restriction came in so I refused to get a provisional and didn't ride a bike for over 10 years.

When I eventually got my A provisional I passed my test 1st time, after 1 lesson. This is the only licence I passed on 1st attempt and I have passed all categories. But I knew I wasn't safe on a (restricted) bike so I voluntarily paid for a full days lessons to make myself a better rider and bought Police Roadcraft. I'm still learning how to ride a bike, again, and know my limits and the days instruction is still paying off. I still need more instruction to improve my riding which I'll try and do in the summer.

Bike riding is a skill that has to be learned and the only safe way is with proper instruction. Once your learn how to ride safely it doesn't mater if your bike will do 100km/h or 300km/h as you will be riding for the road not the bike.

According to your logic I was safe once I'd passed my test on a 25kw bike with 1 lesson, I knew I wasn't capable of riding safely even thought I was according to the RSA. I know you now need 16 hours to ride which IMO isn't enough for a total novice, but is better than nothing.

I agree with the vast majority of your points. I just think a big sports bike requires experience to handle (experience NOT training). And not because of the power. I agree that a restricted bike can be dangerous. My point is that a sports bike is built for experienced riders.

CJhaughey

OP I'd look for a naked bike, you may not drop it but if you do the cost is likely to be limited, a fully faired bike can cost a lot of money to repair if you drop it.
Yamaha YBR 250 or Honda CBF 250 would both be great learners bikes and are easy to maintain as well.

Del2005

CJhaughey wrote: »

OP I'd look for a naked bike, you may not drop it but if you do the cost is likely to be limited, a fully faired bike can cost a lot of money to repair if you drop it.
Yamaha YBR 250 or Honda CBF 250 would both be great learners bikes and are easy to maintain as well.

Just buy crash bungs for any bike you buy and don't do like most people and wait till you've dropped it before you buy them.

Stainless_Steel

Del2005 wrote: »

Just buy crash bungs for any bike you buy and don't do like most people and wait till you've dropped it before you buy them.

+1! Guilty as charged!

ambasite

CB 125 -

http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Naked/CB125E

Alkers

ambasite wrote: »

CB 125 -

http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Naked/CB125E

I don't agree, may be great for the likes of the CBT but you'll be bored of it in 5 minutes, looks naff, probably very slow and you can't sit your A test on it so you'll have to rent or borrow another bike for that.

Del2005

Simona1986 wrote: »

I don't agree, may be great for the likes of the CBT but you'll be bored of it in 5 minutes, looks naff, probably very slow and you can't sit your A test on it so you'll have to rent or borrow another bike for that.

+1, not suitable for the test so you'd need to hire a bike for an A licence. Only thing it's good for is cheap insurance.

Motorist

Hi all,

I have zero experience and am doing my IBT in a few weeks. Was thinking of getting a Kawasaki Ninja 250, but from what I've read they struggle a bit at motorway speeds and dont feel the most steady. I've also read that most people get sick of them within just a couple of months and want to upgrade. I want a bike that will last me for a good two or three years. It also seems to be a pain with the carbs compared to digital fuel injected bikes that are available. Im finding the whole process of getting a licence very expensive with gear, IBT, tests and bike. Although a more powerful bike would be more expensive, I'd rather spend the money upfront and have the bike for when the 2 year restriction after the test is lifted.

Im not fully convinced about the arguments I've read about grabbing too much throttle on a more powerful bike, etc.

I was basically wondering is this whole advice of starting out on a 250cc bike is more geared toward young lads who cant keep the head and will just want to go at the bikes top speed I am nearly 30 and have 10 years driving experience. I drive a 1.3 litre car which I have kept for fuel economy. I have no inclination to get an adrenalin rush while driving. Do you still think it's dangerous to start out on something like a ninja er6? DO they perform okay for a learner when restricted? Or are there any similar bikes you would suggest that are in between ?

Many thanks.

Alkers

No problem at all starting off on a bigger bike that is restricted. You may find it a bit tough at the very very beginning and at slow speed with the weight of them but within a couple of hours you will be comfortable. I'd maybe do a first lesson on a school bike and then move onto whatever bike you are planning on using yourself.
If you're planning on keeping whatever you buy for a few years then a big bike that is restricted makes sense as once your two years is completed you can take off the restriction.
I would say to try and find a bike that is restricted via a restricted ECU rather than a throttle stop as the latter isn't much fun to drive (the equivalent of only being able to push the accelerator peddle 1/8th of the way down in a car).
Also, at your age it may be worth looking at when the new licencing system is coming into place as it may work out a quicker method for you to having a full unrestricted licence as I think there is a provision for direct entry.

Cuddlesworth

Simona1986 wrote: »

No problem at all starting off on a bigger bike that is restricted. You may find it a bit tough at the very very beginning and at slow speed with the weight of them but within a couple of hours you will be comfortable. I'd maybe do a first lesson on a school bike and then move onto whatever bike you are planning on using yourself.
If you're planning on keeping whatever you buy for a few years then a big bike that is restricted makes sense as once your two years is completed you can take off the restriction.
I would say to try and find a bike that is restricted via a restricted ECU rather than a throttle stop as the latter isn't much fun to drive (the equivalent of only being able to push the accelerator peddle 1/8th of the way down in a car).
Also, at your age it may be worth looking at when the new licencing system is coming into place as it may work out a quicker method for you to having a full unrestricted licence as I think there is a provision for direct entry.

I have a Er-6, it was restricted with a throttle stop. The engine produces plenty of low down power/torque and the bike is happy between 4k and 6k Revs. I didn't notice the power loss up to 110kph and even then its negligible. It would cruise at 150kph with the stop in. Since nobody here bought them, they are pretty cheap now for a good all round bike that's cheap to run and fun to drive.

Motorist

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I have a Er-6, it was restricted with a throttle stop. The engine produces plenty of low down power/torque and the bike is happy between 4k and 6k Revs. I didn't notice the power loss up to 110kph and even then its negligible. It would cruise at 150kph with the stop in. Since nobody here bought them, they are pretty cheap now for a good all round bike that's cheap to run and fun to drive.

Do you know why they weren't popular here ?

I was looking on a few different websites and called into a few shops, but there doesn't seem to be too many of them around though. They cost around 8k new.

Cuddlesworth

Motorist wrote: »

Do you know why they weren't popular here ?

I was looking on a few different websites and called into a few shops, but there doesn't seem to be too many of them around though. They cost around 8k new.

I don't know. They are really popular in England. I suppose its because bikeworld is the only Kwac dealer left in Ireland.

The new model is a pretty good bike. The early model(06-09) has a few known issues but nothing really major. Engine is rock solid.

Wossack

theyre a great bike

and used alot (with great sucess afaik) in the racing scene - races alongside sv650s

Alkers

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I have a Er-6, it was restricted with a throttle stop. The engine produces plenty of low down power/torque and the bike is happy between 4k and 6k Revs. I didn't notice the power loss up to 110kph and even then its negligible. It would cruise at 150kph with the stop in. Since nobody here bought them, they are pretty cheap now for a good all round bike that's cheap to run and fun to drive.

I've driven one also as my housemate used to have an er-6f which was restricted in this fashion (which I was insured on). I know the engine has lots of torque etc and they're a capable bike but I was referring to not liking the physical method of the twisting of the throttle being limited as opposed to not liking the Er-6. I'm sure you get used to it but I found it very annoying. I don't see how you can say you didn't notice the power loss below 110kph, put it in 2nd gear and open the throttle fully, now put the throttle stop back on and try it again, the difference will be huge.
As an aside he now has a Gsxr 600 which is restricted in the same fashion and it is a similar story (if not worse).

Motorist

Simona1986 wrote: »

I've driven one also as my housemate used to have an er-6f which was restricted in this fashion (which I was insured on). I know the engine has lots of torque etc and they're a capable bike but I was referring to not liking the physical method of the twisting of the throttle being limited as opposed to not liking the Er-6. I'm sure you get used to it but I found it very annoying. I don't see how you can say you didn't notice the power loss below 110kph, put it in 2nd gear and open the throttle fully, now put the throttle stop back on and try it again, the difference will be huge.
As an aside he now has a Gsxr 600 which is restricted in the same fashion and it is a similar story (if not worse).

Does ECU restriction just limit the bike to a certain speed as opposed to physically limiting the fuel/air mix? Is it harder to get done than the washer restriction ?

Wossack

those with ecu restriction generally come so from the factory

this means to get them de-restricted, you've got to get a new ecu (and locks, keys etc in the case of immobilisers), so eh, pretty expensive (1k+)

Throttle stop is fine, as is carb washer restriction. Most kwacks are restricted via stops, yams the same.

Wossack

Motorist wrote: »

Does ECU restriction just limit the bike to a certain speed as opposed to physically limiting the fuel/air mix? Is it harder to get done than the washer restriction ?

nah, theyre not speed limiters. I'd say they rev limiters to some degree, but no idea how they work - fuel/air as you say perhaps

Alkers

Motorist wrote: »

Does ECU restriction just limit the bike to a certain speed as opposed to physically limiting the fuel/air mix? Is it harder to get done than the washer restriction ?

It will be on injected bikes and it limits the amount of fuel being injected so it's at 33bhp. Doesn't limit speed but any bike @ 33bhp will top out around the 160km/h region.
It's a 30second job to swap out the ECU provided you have another one to put in. The price varies hugely depending on the bike, for the likes of a GSXR600 you can be looking at €500+ for the ECU where you can easily pick up a restricted SV 650 ECU second hand for €50. I haven't heard of having to swap out locks and keys when changing ECUs, maybe on the HISS bikes but it's not the case on the SV anyway. If you're buying second hand you should be able to find a bike with both ECUs included in the sale but if you're buying new talk to the dealer about it, I've heard of cases in the UK where the dealer will put a full power ECU into the bike once your two years are up at no extra charge but it could be different here.

Cuddlesworth

Simona1986 wrote: »

I've driven one also as my housemate used to have an er-6f which was restricted in this fashion (which I was insured on). I know the engine has lots of torque etc and they're a capable bike but I was referring to not liking the physical method of the twisting of the throttle being limited as opposed to not liking the Er-6. I'm sure you get used to it but I found it very annoying. I don't see how you can say you didn't notice the power loss below 110kph, put it in 2nd gear and open the throttle fully, now put the throttle stop back on and try it again, the difference will be huge.
As an aside he now has a Gsxr 600 which is restricted in the same fashion and it is a similar story (if not worse).

To each their own, I see where your coming from. I drove a 98 fireblade that was carb restricted and it felt gutless in comparison. So pointless twisting all the way back for next nothing. At least with the Er6 what available feels use able. I've never been on a restricted ECU bike, but I assume its the same power output with twice the travel.

As for 2nd gear and laying back on the throttle. Until you hit 6k revs there is no difference between them. I spent a month switching back and forth. The bike just pulls regardless, you drive it kinda like a diesel swapping gears low down and using the torque. Christ I could wheelie the bike restricted.

If I had to go through another two years restricted it would be a bike with a parallel twin or in a close second a Vtwin like the sv650.

Cuddlesworth

One last thing, Er6 insurance in Ireland is pretty cheap. Its a low risk bike in comparison to the direct competition.