License question

[Dietrich]

Not trying to derail this discussion too much as the initial post was regarding liscensing...the question of displacement comes up all the time with the Sport Classic line.  Many people have fallen in love with the Sport Classics and bought them as their first motorcycle ever, even though they only come in "1000 cc" models.  The new riders have been fine when going about it in a mature way.  The thing I've noticed about Ducati, especially air cooled Ducatis in general, is that they are very mild mannered and the power delivery is very predictable.  A new rider should be able to manage the power very easily with a little practice and respect.  Also, an 1000 or 1100 cc air cooled Ducati is barely equivalent to a 600cc water cooled inline 4 bike such as a GSXR600 or Yamaha R6, which are considered to be entry level bikes in the sport bike world, and indeed the lowest level of sport bike displacement available in america, at least with the big 4 brands.  Just another angle on the subject.  A stock Monster S2R1000 is an easy bike to ride safe.  They can be tuned to be much more high strung as the experience level increases.  Keeps 'em fun. 

I do think however that there are some people who shouldn't ride motorcycles at all because they have no self control when it comes to speed, etc.  So my advice is to just take a serious look at yourself as far as discipline and go about learning to ride with some respect for your own and others mortality. 

[TeenRider]

Very interesting, Dietrich. I did not know that about the air cooled vs liquid cooled.

[Dietrich]

Well, to be fair I guess there are a couple 250cc "sport" bikes available such as the Ninja 250.  Forgot about that one!  Look up the specs on bikes you're interested in and compare against what most would consider the competion to that.

[Monster Dave]

Don't forget that a V-twin and an inline 4 are very different in regards to power delivery. The torque on a V-twin is much greater. Not to get into an argument about differences in types that Dietrich pointed out, but I'd submit that the power delivery does feel very different regardless of equivalencies in tech specs.

[Slide Panda]

Don't forget that a V-twin and an inline 4 are very different in regards to power delivery. The torque on a V-twin is much greater. Not to get into an argument about differences in types that Dietrich pointed out, but I'd submit that the power delivery does feel very different regardless of equivalencies in tech specs.

To back that up with some numbers - a GSXR 600 makes a little bit less torque than an SV-650 which peaks well into the RPM range while the SVs torque is higher than the GSXR through the whole band. The GSXR whomps the SV on the HP numbers at nearly double but like the torque there is a high RPM surge, while the SV is a lot more linear.

Those different profiles make for very different rides.

[TeenRider]

Yea I just dont care for Jap bikes no matter how fast they are.
Thankfully for my future, BMW entered the superbike market. Though, hopefully I'll be able to afford that Desmocedicci 
okay maybe just 1198R. love the italian sex machines

[Slide Panda]

Yea I just dont care for Jap bikes no matter how fast they are.

It seems you may have misinterpreted my point. I was nodding to the fact that the twins lump on a lot more torque than equivalent or even larger displacement i4 engines, earlier on. That difference can make a twin more of a challenge for a new rider as an inadvertently large  twist of the throttle in the mid-low range of a twin gets a lot more reaction from the bike than something with low torque numbers. While that can be fun once you're used to it, it can catch newer riders unawares.

[Monster Dave]

+1 to that. 

[TeenRider]

no I just meant that in general, not specific to your reply

[Monster Dave]

...hopefully I'll be able to afford that Desmocedicci  
okay maybe just 1198R...

Your enthusiasm to become a new rider is totally understandable - we've all been there! But if you can, try and focus on learning to ride and set skill level goals to achieve before putting yourself the biggest and baddest motorcycles. You're totally new to riding, and your riding will reflect that for a good while.

Any asshat can go down the road in a strait line at full throttle - what's more impressive is the rider who really knows how to control and work with his bike. The rider who can put a knee down while performing a perfectly controlled figure 8 at 15mph while at the same time maintains perfect riding position is a good example of that.

If you put the wagon before the horse, as Panda said, you could really find yourself in trouble.

Give yourself a solid year of riding, before you take any other courses beyond the MSF class. This will give you time to master the basics and define your comfort zones as well as your deficiencies. Then if you can afford it, look at Total Control by Lee Parks to polish up and advance your skill set:

http://www.totalcontroltraining.net/index.html

I think that Dietrich will back me up that this was a really worthwhile course to take. After all the miles that both he and I have ridden, we learned a lot at that class.

You'd be better off to put your $$ into an education in riding than into a really expensive bike with no instruction.