First time riding a bike bigger than a 250cc. Share your experiences!

[nigel]

My first experience was today.. test rode a couple of kawa's. I swear the smile on my dial matched the speedo! I tried an '04 ninja and an '07 z750, and both felt amazing compared to what I've been used to riding for the past couple of years.

Then I had to get back on my 250 and ride to Masterton and back. I've never thrashed it so hard over the rimutakas before... something about tasting a bigger bike gives you a new feeling for speed I guess!

[Bonez]

Owned a Honda CJ250. Use to "commute" to Havelock North from Hobsinville every other weekend no worries. GBs not much quicker but am having a blast on that.

Progressed from the CJ to a CB400T, CB650C(bad choice at the time) then a GSX750(wahoo!). Now happy tinkering (more to keep them in a servicable condition as opposed to concourse condition-have a few older 80s jap 750s, a CX500 and a CB550F to play with) and enjoy scooting around the countryside on the GB400 mainly.

[nosebleed]

Looks look my first was different. Popped my cherry on a GPZ600

Rode in on my MVX250, and got all pumped and jittery in anticipation of the GPZ. This was from whoever used to be just down from Mt Eden Motorcycles (where House of Knives is now.) Something Brothers wasn't it?

Jumped on the Kwaka and thought my god!... what a gutless piece of crap.
Was looking forward to getting back on the MVX to be honest. They weren't the most 'reliable' but when they were 'on-song' they were fun

[SARGE]

What was it like when you rode your first "bigger" bike?

being from the States, there is no real graduated system (wasnt in the days when i started riding .. i had grown up on Minibikes (yes,.. built it ourselves.. 4 HP Tecumseh riding lawnmower motor..).. went onto an old Yamaha 175 Enduro after that..

my first "road" bike was believe it or not.. an old Cub 90... rode the shit out of that..my first real bike was a home built Sportster Framed Panhead.. me and pop bodged some bits in his barn together.. then i went out and bought a new 82 750 Katana.. then an 84 Honda Nighthawk 650..then an 85 Vmax...dont think ive owned anything smaller than 600 ever on the road..

sink or swim time with those.. you either learned fast or you didnt..

[Salival]

I really don't think there are any words for the first Big Bike experience.

First big bike I rode was a ZX9R from TSS Red Baron. And I don't really have any words except "intense." Unbelievable power, stable, very very very fast. Good brakes.

The next big bike I rode, I bought - the Firestorm. 1000ccs on V-twin grunt and she purrs like an angry kitty.

Fuck your turbo Jappa cages. Nothing compares. Not even close.

[scracha]

Fz400N purchased 400 miles away in the middle of England. Took train to collect. Bike wasn't quite ready when I got there. Left a lot later than I intended. Power...umm about 2.5X the Kawasaki Z250 twin I'd been used to and the brakes felt uber sharp. Started snowing on the way home. Absolutely shitting myself all the way back. Stopped at nearly ever service station to thaw out. By 1am the temp had went down to -12. Luckily it hadn't rained. Arrived home just before 3am with a shit eating grin.

[breakaway]

First CBR400RR I rode (not the one I own now) seemed to have similar power to the RG150 (Which I did own at the time). Then after riding around on the CBR400RR, the SV650 seemed to have around the same amount of power as the CBR400RR. Then I got the GSXR, which seemed to have a similar amount of power to the CBR and the SV. Truth is the GSXR has way more power, I just never tap into it. Gotta love when I drop two gears to overtake a car and the front comes up

[Blackshear]

My old man asked me if I wanted a go on his Race Prepped XR500 when I was 15...
Had a different kind of oil pump, higher compression, hotted up cams and the likes.

I think I cried a litte that day. 70% fear, 30% pure joygasm tears. That thing... Phwoar.

[Number One]

Hmmm first non 250 bike ride...I hadn't been riding long. Hubbie (boyfriend at time) bought home a sexy 'Candy Jade Lime Yellow' TL100S

After a few weeks of just stroking it in the garage, gazing longingly at it while it sat next to my RG150 making it look even more sad than usual. Weeks of sitting on the back of it wrapt round my man blatting around the back of the wairarapa roads I plucked up the courage to take him up on the offer of a wee tootle.....after all...I can handle an RG150

OMG - it was a fabulous machine - big and loud and growly and purdy the tank was HUGE and the bars seemed so far away...I wrapped myself around the tank...damn good vibes....and proceeded to make my way around Upper Hutt rather sedately.

Was quite a fricken handful to move about - especially at slow speed...I swear those things might explode if they are ridden at 50K for too long.

Anyway enjoyed it very much but had to bin my knickers from that ride because not being used to the more cumbersome handling I just about rode it straight into a car parked on the other side of an intersection as I tried to make my way through.

Thankfully I had the presence of mind to 'look where I wanted to go' and magically I made it around without running into that car or removing it's side mirrors.

I had just discovered that you actually can go too slow on a bike Aaaa but I would love to have a go on one of them bikes again now that I am more experienced and used to man handling bikes to get them to go where I want them to.Oh yeah and I'd be legal this time too!

[Edbear]

Having learned to ride on my Mother's BSA Bantam 125 when I was twelve, my first bike was a '51 BSA B31 350 with a gutted Dunstall megaphone exhaust.

It was a bit heavier than the Bantam and did actually outperform the little bike when it was going - okay it did go most of the time - and could reach 72mph, (117km/h), with me lying flat on the tank...

[DarkLord]

Not my first experience on a bigger bike as I've ridden a couple now but YR64L let me take the R6 for a quick pootle yesterday...I was amazed at how heavy and solid it felt for such a little bike. I didn't go far or fast, barely took it over 4,000 revs but it was nice to at least experience it.... I was a bit timid with it as I was half expecting the front wheel to come up any second!!

[tbone]

I'm still on a Virago 250, going for the restricted on Thursday. Only other bike I've ridden is a GN125. So still on the learners (not for long!).

The flatmates boyfriend has a Firestorm 1000 vtwin (I think VTR1000F) - he let me ride that a couple days back, and holey moley! The torque on that bike is incredible! I loved the acceleration on that bike - super fast! Probably had the biggest smile on my face getting off that bike!

But still, I much prefer the cruiser style - went down to Bayride soon after and sat on a Honda VT750 (didn't ride it) and I was sold - soon as I get off my bloody learners and restricted, I'm getting that bike!

[OutForADuck]

I learnt to ride before graduated licenses and as a result learnt on a bigger bike and rode many "bigger" bikes. BUT.. after riding for a few years I was lucky enough to get onto homologation 1100 limit production Suzuki and havee a blat.

I remember thinking that up to 5 thou it was pretty strong but when I twisted it way beyond that the front hit the sky, my butt slide out of the racing seat and up onto the tail section, my arms were full stretch and the back wheel was actually spinning while all this was going on. My helmet even managed toslid back on my head.

I promptly gave it back to its owner and went to dry clean my shorts..... my whole mind body and soul seemed to be a week behind the bikes acceleration.

Oh the stench of fear and sweat combined into a headdy cocktail!!!

[Bass]

Vincent Rapide that had been brought up to Black Lightning specs.
Friction dampers, girder forks and manual decompression lever - it bit real hard if you mistimed your release of the de-comp.
Owner had the original English rego papers for it.
First name there..............John Surtees

[Brett]

ZXR250c to a K4 GSXR 600. Rolled out of the driveway on a testride right next to the motorway. Wound it up through 1st & 2nd up the offramp and thought my arms were gonna be pulled out of my sockets or the front wheel lift or something. Will never forget that day. Nothiing has ever appeared more dramatic since...not now that I am used to a 600's performance...even a thousand is not quite the same.