hello :)

hello all, names joel. also a newb or squid if thats the term, haha. ive been dirt biking for like 2 years and no i dont think im a pro. i signed up for a motorcycle class where they do 2 3hr classroom periods and 2 5hr riding periods. im from cali and its a CHP certified course so all i have to do at DMV is take the written test. BUT! my main question is (for those that live in cali), do i have to have a permit before a lisence??? (i used the search, but it seems to give me every post on here anyways) second, im bike hunting. i dig the fat tire in the back, unlike the ninja 250's. 600's seem a lil heavy to start with, granted they're cool and all. i learned that honda makes the CBR250, which looks similar to the 600 and 1000 street bike and thought it would be cool to start with that and modify it for fun. but then again i never seen one here in the US so im assuming it would have to be imported, which i hear is a b*tch. other info about me, im currently on the matrixowners.com forum (hence i own a toyota matrix, good car to carry my snowboard or drum equipment, also modified in a few ways) so im used to how forums work. ive been drummin for 4 years, snowboardin for 5 seasons. gonna be attending Cal state university of pomona to major in mechanical engineering - maybe make my own damn street bike, haha. (when i checked there open house, the senior students made this indy car incorporated a gsxr600 engine. does knot to 60 in 2.8 secs!) but yea, back to the permit question, do i need one before a lisence? if so, i got exactly a month to get one.... >_< heres a pic of my trix: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/matrixownerz/100_1789-2.jpg

:welcome: man. :twfrox:

:welcome: not sure of the permit requirements for CA, did you call the DMV and ask them? they should be able to tell you all the info you will need...

:iagree: and :welcome:

You should check out the Hyosung GT250R. Do a search for it on Yahoo or google. Best looking 250's IMO. There's some dealers in Cali too. It's a full fairing 250. The style would be like a 600 or 1000. Digital gagues(sp) and everything. I think they're like 3,500-3,800 bucks or so.

You should check out the Hyosung GT250R. Do a search for it on Yahoo or google. Best looking 250's IMO. There's some dealers in Cali too. It's a full fairing 250. The style would be like a 600 or 1000. Digital gagues(sp) and everything. I think they're like 3,500-3,800 bucks or so. sweet, ill look into that. yea, im up for basically any type of street bike, as long as it has that fat rear tire, hehe. i guess ill call the dmv and ask. i read the dmv book for cali motorcycle riders but i couldnt find my answer. pardon my ignorance but wat the hell does twf mean?? >>> :twfrox:

Two Wheel Forum

Two Wheel Forum ah, never would of guessed thank you for the cool welcome, once i get my bike, ill be participating a lot

:welcome: man... don't worry about it. We are here for ya regardless and escpecially if we can help you get on TWO WHEELS!!!

:welcome: to TWF and :sorry: You cant get the Honda 250 in the US for street use.:disapp: Your stuck with the Ninja 250 or the Hyosung GT250R.

:welcome: to TWF and :sorry: You cant get the Honda 250 in the US for street use.:disapp: Your stuck with the Ninja 250 or the Hyosung GT250R. yea, i figure importing is a pain and they are only found in every other country but ours. but i researched some info on the GT250R and apparently the ONLY nearest distributor for Los Angeles County is the one in Oakland.... only a good 6 hour trip to frisco...... doesnt seem worth it... i definitely don't want the ninja 250, i test drove one and they suck... feels like a weak 4 stroke yamaha yfz250 dirt bike (or watever the model is). as far as getting a 600 (would like a gsxr or cbr, any year after 97), i dont like how heavy they are (considering im a squid), so which bike would have the MOST MODIFICATIONS as far as carbon, weight reduction, titanium, etc... in order to make the bike lighter (regardless of parts being legal or not) :wink:

We have a member here at TWF that sale the Hyosung somewhere in SoCal. Ill have to remember who it is tho.:scratch:

We have a member here at TWF that sale the Hyosung somewhere in SoCal. Ill have to remember who it is tho.:scratch: eh, this is something im gonna take my time with. i have a lot of research and questions to answer before i quickly decide on a bike. this will take AT LEAST the next 6 months. but thx for lettin me know, ill be checkin out the classifieds every so often :dthumb:

:welcome: But i do not understand what you mean about "you dig the looks of a 600 but its too heavy".....??? 400lb streetbike is heavy? your not gonna find anything lighter than a supersport bike!!! you should be more concered with "power" issues than how much they weigh....weight doesnt really matter. you are probably thinking about how light a dirtbike is....at 150-170lbs but streetbikes handle ALOT differently. If you want to start with a 250...thats good...but dont spend big bucks on one especially importing one that you like....if you are into motorcycling..a 250 is just a throw a way bike........just to learn on...dont spend money on that....find one used if you can....THEN spend money on a nice bike when you are ready to move up to a supersport. :luck:

Welcome to the forums :luck:

We have a member here at TWF that sale the Hyosung somewhere in SoCal. Ill have to remember who it is tho.:scratch: Mojo is the member you are thinking of...

:welcome: But i do not understand what you mean about "you dig the looks of a 600 but its too heavy".....??? 400lb streetbike is heavy? your not gonna find anything lighter than a supersport bike!!! you should be more concered with "power" issues than how much they weigh....weight doesnt really matter. you are probably thinking about how light a dirtbike is....at 150-170lbs but streetbikes handle ALOT differently. If you want to start with a 250...thats good...but dont spend big bucks on one especially importing one that you like....if you are into motorcycling..a 250 is just a throw a way bike........just to learn on...dont spend money on that....find one used if you can....THEN spend money on a nice bike when you are ready to move up to a supersport. :luck: what i meant about liking the 600 look but not the weight was the whole tire thing, like the gsxr 600 or cbr600 or even the r6. i guess ur right about them being the lightest supersport bikes, but i have this poster of a raced out gsxr 750 (from the UK) and it has every single modification on it, from titanium swing arm to carbon fairings to some weight reduction. the bikes weight and center of gravity dropped considerably which is wat id like to do. so a gsxr 600 is my top choice i guess (btw, is it pronounced GEEZER or GIXXER?? both have the j sound for the g. im used to geezer) ur right bout how i think of the weight of a dirt bike. i guess its a big change to go from a 160lb bike to a 400... would be cool if i can take off 100lbs of weight, prolly make it way more manuverable(sp?)... and yea, it must be common sense for the ride to be totally different compared to a dirt bike... but.. so i guess i be lookin for some 250 to practice one and if i find a descent used one for dirt cheap ill take it, but if i find a 97 or newer well priced 600, im in for that too... the bike wont be my main choice of commute. so while its sitting in the garage, ill be buying parts to make it lighter :dthumb: thx so much for the tips, greatly appreciated cheers :cheers:

its pronounced GIXXER not geezer....lol anyway...i hate to break it to ya...but its virtually impossible to shave 100lbs off of a 400lb gsxr600. it weighs 350lbs dry (+60lbs in gas but you cant do anything about that).....about 200lbs of it are in the motor and suspension and drivetrain. todays bikes ARE very light...the frame and tires and plastic is only about 150lbs....almost as light as they are gonna get....you MIGHT be able to shave off 20lbs maybe 30lbs by switching to titanmium parts but then you are adding another 3-4k in parts to the bike to save 30lbs!!!!! i dont know why you want to shave weight tho....you must have a misconception of the handling of these bikes....they are VERY VERY manuverable. Moto GP saves weight as much as they can because they are pros.....you wont notice any difference as a new rider for a LONG time. but trust me....400lbs of a supersport bike is NOTHING...its VERY balanced and easy to manuver. balance is ALL in the throttle anyway. its not like you need to take a sweeper at 120mph as opposed to 100mph...learn how to ride first before you spend your money turning a bike into a race bike! good luck!!!!!!!! but dont get crazy over the weight thing.....i dont know why you are worried about it to begin with. a 600 supersport of any year will be MORE than you can fully handle for a long time before worrying about shaving weight to go faster in the turns! good luck and take it nice and easy!!!!

its pronounced GIXXER not geezer....lol anyway...i hate to break it to ya...but its virtually impossible to shave 100lbs off of a 400lb gsxr600. it weighs 350lbs dry (+60lbs in gas but you cant do anything about that).....about 200lbs of it are in the motor and suspension and drivetrain. todays bikes ARE very light...the frame and tires and plastic is only about 150lbs....almost as light as they are gonna get....you MIGHT be able to shave off 20lbs maybe 30lbs by switching to titanmium parts but then you are adding another 3-4k in parts to the bike to save 30lbs!!!!! i dont know why you want to shave weight tho....you must have a misconception of the handling of these bikes....they are VERY VERY manuverable. Moto GP saves weight as much as they can because they are pros.....you wont notice any difference as a new rider for a LONG time. but trust me....400lbs of a supersport bike is NOTHING...its VERY balanced and easy to manuver. balance is ALL in the throttle anyway. its not like you need to take a sweeper at 120mph as opposed to 100mph...learn how to ride first before you spend your money turning a bike into a race bike! good luck!!!!!!!! but dont get crazy over the weight thing.....i dont know why you are worried about it to begin with. a 600 supersport of any year will be MORE than you can fully handle for a long time before worrying about shaving weight to go faster in the turns! good luck and take it nice and easy!!!! yea, i think ur right, just a misconception. was talking with a good friend of mine (owns a 954rr) says even his bike is very manuverable (and i understand not to get crazy doing things on my first bike - which brings up the whole weight thing). but, i guess im persuaded to keep my money in my pocket. besides, seeing as gas prices are still increasing for me, i guess its all gonna have to go to that. thx for the input. im not worried about the weight of the bike anymore. ill be heading to DMV tomorrow morning to take the written exam for a M1 permit. wish me luck :dthumb:

ill be heading to DMV tomorrow morning to take the written exam for a M1 permit. wish me luck :dthumb: :luck:Don't over think the questions.

Not even considering the 500's or the twin 650's? You might want to take a look at the ninja 500, gs500f, ninja 650r, and the sv650s.

I defy you to find a street bike more manuverable than a 400lb rocket.

:luck:Don't over think the questions. i think i did that but in the end I GOT MY PERMIT THIS MORNING!!!! hehe, im psyched, now i can legally ride a bike. i over thought the questions and i can only miss four, and i missed FIVE. so get this, i started arguing about one of the questions being unfair. heres a pic: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/matrixownerz/scan0004.jpg the answer was supposed to be C but i argued and said it should be A and that the picture is confusing. how, in answer C, is rider B going to wedge his arse between rider A and the car!?!? if were assuming rider B is passing, it can be assumed that ur passing both the car and rider A, according to the picture. i dunno... i argued my point, had another dmv person involved, i won. i got my permit, hehe. besides, if i retook the test, i would have to pay another 5 bucks.... i only had 4 on me, lol. the thing that made it hard to argue with the lady was that HER ENGLISH AS FAR AS GRAMMAR WAS TERRIBLE! The beginning of the question goes, "to pass, rider B should:" which in other words, 'rider B is passing, what should he do?" The lady understood it as, "To pass rider B, you should" which makes no sense when comparing the question to the answers... if i didnt argue with her, i wouldnt have my permit right now, haha. well yea, my motorcycle course doesnt start till exactly a month from now... but mean while, ill try to practice some on a friends bike... hoping someone will lend it to me to go practice slow turning in a parking lot or something... ANY POINTS TO STRESS THAT I SHOULD PRACTICE ON? LEMME KNOW PLEASE! thx again for the advice and support, im loving this community so far!

I defy you to find a street bike more manuverable than a 400lb rocket. wuw, didnt mean to rattle u up or anything. jus understand im a super light weight with a weight of 135. dirt biking is cool seeing as thou its under 200, thou even that wears me out after a while. like i said, i hav this poster describing all these weight modifications and wat the guy did, it basically seems like the bike is so light that u can crumple it with ur hands. i also have that one motorcycle magazine published in the UK. describes a R1 that rides like a R6 but has way more power. so i was thinking, getting a 600 that rides like a 250, just has more power. but ive already been persuaded not to worry about it. besides, i jus keep the money in my pocket to spend on something else. my lovely gf just bought me a shift assualt jacket for 100. getting shipped to me from the UK. ill be buying a helmet, most likely by HJC (or watever the brand). i kinda like the Halex design. cheapest place i found that helmet was on ebay naturally. thats bout all im gonna need for the class im taking, they're providing the motorcycle for me, and i think if u complete this course, u wont have to take the on-bike field exam. i just show proof of course and i get my lisence (at least i hope).

You live in Norwalk so go to http://www.motorhelmets.com on the I-5 and close to the 91. They have a decent selection of helmets and gears in their store. Try out for size and check their prices (you'll find their prices to be extremely competitive, especially if you're talking about cash payment). I'd suggest to pick up a couple of those riding books and read through them. Don't worry about practicing anything. The course will teach you all the basics. Practicing unsupervised just means that you may be picking up bad habits.

You live in Norwalk so go to http://www.motorhelmets.com on the I-5 and close to the 91. They have a decent selection of helmets and gears in their store. Try out for size and check their prices (you'll find their prices to be extremely competitive, especially if you're talking about cash payment). I'd suggest to pick up a couple of those riding books and read through them. Don't worry about practicing anything. The course will teach you all the basics. Practicing unsupervised just means that you may be picking up bad habits. thats a great idea, ill be sure to check that out and pick up a book or too. earlier today, i was trying out (not that i want one) my best friend steve's bike (the guy burning out in my avatar). hes had 29 years of experience with motorcycles and is the pro, for any kinda bike. so he let me go up and down the street on his 954rr. i was freakin out but once i started moving, it was cake walk! its much like dirt biking just without the sliding around stuff, lol. after going up and down the street once, we went to a big empty parking lot near by and set up 4 cones. we started with the cones spread out and after going through it 3 times, we would bring them a lil closer to each other so i can develop tighter turning at slow speeds. i didnt fall over at all, never put my foot on the ground. he says hes very confident in me. so now im really psyched!! i hear all kinda of experience from him so hopefully i wont repeat some of his bad ones. :hug: thx telling me about the place, ill go tomorrow

Man I'm not rattled up. I'm just saying...while yes a sportbike outweighs a dirt bike...they are about as nimble and manueverable as could be. Thats all. It's all good bro. We're here to help.

Man I'm not rattled up. I'm just saying...while yes a sportbike outweighs a dirt bike...they are about as nimble and manueverable as could be. Thats all. It's all good bro. We're here to help. dude! u couldn't be more correct! i totally overestimated the weight of a 600. after gettin a lil used to the 954rr, my friends R6 feels WAY WAY lighter!!! unbelieveable difference. the 954rr has no mods, but the r6 was lowered about 2" or so, i definitely would like to lower watever bike i get about that much. im assuming it makes it a little easier to turn and lean? i also wont have to be standing on one side of the bike, lol edit: btw, how do u like ur 92 gsxr750????

dude! u couldn't be more correct! i totally overestimated the weight of a 600. after gettin a lil used to the 954rr, my friends R6 feels WAY WAY lighter!!! unbelieveable difference. the 954rr has no mods, but the r6 was lowered about 2" or so, i definitely would like to lower watever bike i get about that much. im assuming it makes it a little easier to turn and lean? i also wont have to be standing on one side of the bike, lol edit: btw, how do u like ur 92 gsxr750???? I love it. It's a rock but I can outride most of the pups around here on their new rides that are 150 pounds lighter.

I love it. It's a rock but I can outride most of the pups around here on their new rides that are 150 pounds lighter. yea, i was curious cus im not looking to buy the newest bike out there, i was looking for some bike 97 or newer thats around 3-3.5k. unless u can recommend a better year? (i gotta maintain the budget around there thou) so are ebay, recycler, and craigslist the only places to shop for a bike online? any other places i can look into??

yea, i was curious cus im not looking to buy the newest bike out there, i was looking for some bike 97 or newer thats around 3-3.5k. unless u can recommend a better year? (i gotta maintain the budget around there thou) so are ebay, recycler, and craigslist the only places to shop for a bike online? any other places i can look into?? 96-2000 GSXR's where the generation before they F.I.'d them. They are lighter than mine and look pretty good. They should be in your range. Or any bike from that year range should be close to that.

96-2000 GSXR's where the generation before they F.I.'d them. They are lighter than mine and look pretty good. They should be in your range. Or any bike from that year range should be close to that. :iagree: and not that far behind the new bikes in performance.

yea, i was curious cus im not looking to buy the newest bike out there, i was looking for some bike 97 or newer thats around 3-3.5k. unless u can recommend a better year? (i gotta maintain the budget around there thou) so are ebay, recycler, and craigslist the only places to shop for a bike online? any other places i can look into?? Call these two outfits up and see if they may have some used bikes for sales. They're small mom&pop type shops but they also dabble a bit in used bikes (usually on consignment). Also for online shopping, check out http://www.cycletrader.com http://www.2wheeltuning.net/ http://moombacyclesports.com/

:iagree: and not that far behind the new bikes in performance. As long as it has 2 wheels and not 4...the performance is great to me...no matter what it is.:dthumb:

As long as it has 2 wheels and not 4...the performance is great to me...no matter what it is.:dthumb: sweet, u guys answered my questions perfectly! thx a lot, i really dont have any questions left. im excited that i got my permit finally and that i hope to get my lisence next month. i wont be getting a bike for a very long time (prolly till early to mid next year) but meanwhile ill be learning the specs in that year range u mentioned. i was looking around that range already so im glad u guys agree. i dont need the newest thing out that. but yea, thx for the info, links, and advice. once i get my bike, ill most likely start asking more questions. till then, ill be in the classifieds, hehe :wink:

sweet, u guys answered my questions perfectly! thx a lot, i really dont have any questions left. im excited that i got my permit finally and that i hope to get my lisence next month. i wont be getting a bike for a very long time (prolly till early to mid next year) but meanwhile ill be learning the specs in that year range u mentioned. i was looking around that range already so im glad u guys agree. i dont need the newest thing out that. but yea, thx for the info, links, and advice. once i get my bike, ill most likely start asking more questions. till then, ill be in the classifieds, hehe :wink: Stick around bro...:twfrox: