Progression rather than leap question.

[LBD]

This will be an emotive subject and if possible I would like to limit posts to only those who have progressed from 250cc restricted to 750 cc plus sized machines in one leap within the last 5 years (the voices of experience)

And if you can, leave the emotions and testosterone out.

And the question is.... With the benifit of hindsight, was it a responsible / safe / correct step to make or do you think you would have benifitted from a progression, ie 250cc to mid sized then to larger?

Any examples to support you opinions?

Look forward to the posts....

[Whynot]

With the benifit of hindsight, was it a responsible / safe / correct step to make

Yes

do you think you would have benifitted from a progression, ie 250cc to mid sized then to larger?

Yes, but only due to the fact that i would have saved money on insurance ....

[SlashWylde]

With the benefit of hindsight, was it a responsible / safe / correct step to make

Yes.

Or do you think you would have benefited from a progression, ie 250cc to mid sized then to larger?

No.

I went from having ridden a 250cc Yamaha Virago to riding an 800cc Kawasaki Vulcan after 9 months riding experience. Was an appropriate step up for me as I had my full license and my skills had improved beyond the capabilities of the 250cc machine. It was, effectively, holding me back.

[Badjelly]

This will be an emotive subject and if possible I would like to limit posts to only those who have progressed from 250cc restricted to 750 cc plus sized machines in one leap within the last 5 years (the voices of experience)

And if you can, leave the emotions and testosterone out....

Geez, I fail on all counts. You certainly know how to make a bloke feel unwelcome, don't you?

[firefighter]

I did'nt, but I rode a mates GSX 750 before I got my bigger bike, and it was fine, I don't reakon there's a problem really as long as you teethe into it, I kinda wish i'd brought something bigger than my 650, so kinda a flipside to the whole "should've brought something midsize" hindsight for ya.

[jrandom]

Progression is definitely beneficial.

Problem is, it's also less immediate fun.

[Mully]

I went 250cc to 900cc in one hit.

Was fine for me, but then I ride like a pig-tailed little girl.

At the end of the day, the bike will only do what you tell it to do. If you don't trust yourself not to wring the shit out of it from day one, get something smaller.

[The Lone Rider]

I think it completely depends on the sort of bikes you have been on and are going to. It also depends on you, your abilities, and level headedness in approaching something different that could get you killed.

The 250cc I've ridden were XV250 and a VT250C, both "baby" harleys or of that style, with vtwin motors.

I then moved to a VF750C, which has a v4 engine.

The difference between the VT250C and VF750C is minimal in a lot of respects which is one reason I went to the VF. Of course, the VF is bigger with slightly different position on the bike and it has more power. But over all very similar bikes. It only took me me an afternoon on the VF to become comfortable and confident.

In saying that.. had I jumped from the VT250 to a M109R... that could have been a mistake. Bit of a jump there.

So likewise.. jumping to a Hayabusa may not be the way to go.


My other point was you as a person. There are plenty of hot shots that just buy the biggest and baddest bike they can and hammer it. Then they hammer it into a wall, off a cliff, into a sign, into a car, into friends they are riding with. So I think your approach to a new bike is important. Not to wind myself up as a god, but I was careful and eased into the bigger bike. I road it around and the only time I gave it a blast of power was on straights. It takes awhile to get used to a new bike and accept it's new limits in a responsible manner. I owned the bike for around 6 months before I even tried to see what it's top speed was.

So.. hope all this helps.

[Hitcher]

There is an inordinate amount of time spent whacking on (and off) about "progression".

The issue isn't about the bike, it's about the rider.

If you think that you'll squidly yourself to death or die at the hands of a jealous gay lover if you move directly from a 250 to a 1,000cc bike, then don't buy one.

The alternative to full noise gay sex isn't less of it, so the alternative to "not a 250 and not a litre bike" isn't automatically a sports 600.

The world is littered with competent mid-range bikes in a range of styles to suit all tastes, including bi-curious.

[LBD]

Geez, I fail on all counts. You certainly know how to make a bloke feel unwelcome, don't you?

I failed qualifying on all counts too, its part of the reason behind asking, some good wisdoms coming out so far...

[vifferman]

I progressed through the years and various capacities, starting on a 175 and now currently on an 800, but I think I could've easily jumped to a bigger bike earlier on. That's just the way it happened: it was more to do with finances than ability, as I was riding big, heavy bikes when I was only 15. It wasn't perhaps appropriate for me to own one then, but I think with two of the 500s I've owned, something bigger would've been better.

[motorbyclist]

of course you could go 600 and leave room to upgrade

I would like to limit posts to only those who have progressed from 250cc restricted to 750 cc plus sized machines in one leap within the last 5 years (the voices of experience)

And if you can, leave the emotions and testosterone out.

good luck!

now i assume you talk sprotsbikes, not tourers. if it's a tourer then make the jump it's more weight than anything else. if it's a sprotsbike, i can only assume the gsxr750. good luck.

i also assume you're capable of being an absolute idiot on two wheels; i am painfully aware that i was and still can be.

for the road i went from 250 to 400 and did not regret that - in fact since trying other bikes from 600 to 1000cc i'm glad i did go for the 400 and have no plans of upgrading despite being offered a 600 twice now. in fact after my nc30 was stolen i got an nc35 - a 10% power loss and i still love it.

if you don't want to hear that you've already made up your mind.

alot of the uni club riders have made the same move to 400 and enjoy the move, as have those that go to 600cc

a few years ago i jumped from an '83 XR200 to a '98 YZ400F - the dirt bike equivalent of a learner 250 to sports 750 - and have not regretted it, BUT i will say that it was a steep learning curve and i did miss out that mid-size offroad experience

likewise i've noticed a lot of big bike riders aren't very good riders until they find a straight bit of road. there's a lot more skill in riding a small bike fast.
i find, and a few of my friends have found, that downgrading to the small bikes are more fun too - especailly when you take an fxr150 on a 250 ride and school teh lot of them through superior handling and clutch abuse

which i assume is exactly what you didn't want to hear 'cause you've heard it all before'

of course the flip side of not moving up to a 600 is i have not had to learn proper throttle control - my road bikes have less power than traction so i just lay on the power, the 600 i nearly owned was the opposite. long story short i got fed up with all the sideways action and feared for my licence not so much for speed but power wheelies, so back with my tail between my legs to a 400 - it's a bit more forgiving and lighter to handle

so yeah, it all comes back to being an idiot

[The Stranger:Me]

of course you could go 600 and leave room to upgrade



good luck!

now i assume you talk sprotsbikes, not tourers. if it's a tourer then make the jump it's more weight than anything else. if it's a sprotsbike, i can only assume the gsxr750. good luck.

i also assume you're capable of being an absolute idiot on two wheels; i am painfully aware that i was and still can be.

for the road i went from 250 to 400 and did not regret that - in fact since trying other bikes from 600 to 1000cc i'm glad i did go for the 400 and have no plans of upgrading despite being offered a 600 twice now. in fact after my nc30 was stolen i got an nc35 - a 10% power loss and i still love it.

if you don't want to hear that you've already made up your mind.

alot of the uni club riders have made the same move to 400 and enjoy the move, as have those that go to 600cc

a few years ago i jumped from an '83 XR200 to a '98 YZ400F - the dirt bike equivalent of a learner 250 to sports 750 - and have not regretted it, BUT i will say that it was a steep learning curve and i did miss out that mid-size offroad experience

likewise i've noticed a lot of big bike riders aren't very good riders until they find a straight bit of road. there's a lot more skill in riding a small bike fast.
i find, and a few of my friends have found, that downgrading to the small bikes are more fun too - especailly when you take an fxr150 on a 250 ride and school teh lot of them through superior handling and clutch abuse

which i assume is exactly what you didn't want to hear 'cause you've heard it all before'

of course the flip side of not moving up to a 600 is i have not had to learn proper throttle control - my road bikes have less power than traction so i just lay on the power, the 600 i nearly owned was the opposite. long story short i got fed up with all the sideways action and feared for my licence not so much for speed but power wheelies, so back with my tail between my legs to a 400 - it's a bit more forgiving and lighter to handle

so yeah, it all comes back to being an idiot

So to cut throught the excessive waffle.
600s handle better and that will likely escape you if you jump to a thou.

[motorbyclist]

pretty much

hey it was 2am, my thoughts weren't exactly organised

and i didn't want to outright say that the progressives generally become better riders than the leapers

but now i've said it - awaiting KB outrage

[discotex]

I went with a 600 but I test rode bigger bikes.

SV1000S was my first <250 experience. Followed by GSXR-750 and Z750. All totally different. All totally manageable if you ride them like a nana.

But all quite capable of getting you into utter shit. Same applies to the 600's though.

My advice. If you've done less than 25000km on a 250 don't make the massive leap to a thou but 750 is probably ok. If you're under 25 make that number higher.