Beginner V2

You want to make gradual improvements to get more comfortable. Be gentle with the throttle *and* the brakes - grabbing a fistful of either on the V2 will be a bad day.

Doing some track days is, as you've seen in previous comments, highly recommended because the track doesn't change (well... almost) so you can practice rather than being surprised on every corner like you would on a new canyon run. What's more some of the fast guys will usually follow you for a few laps and help you if you ask them.

Get the V2 (It's more like a 600/750 than a litre bike). Modern-day litre bikes like the S1000 will blow your ears off. Like others suggested I'd get the V2 and ride it in a lower power mode if need be. But honestly you can ride it in normal Sport mode and just don't whack on throttle, be smooth and you'll be fine.

Take it easy. The V2 is not a beginner bike. It makes more power than Carl Fogarty’s wsbk winning bike ever did. It is faster than every rider on this forum.
Take it easy.

You will drop it. Not if, but when. As a beginner, everybody makes stupid mistakes. I once walked away from my bike without pulling out the side stand. I dropped my first bike over and over again at intersections, lights, sidewalk. It will happen. I advise you to buy a Monster instead, ride it for 2 years or let’s say for at least 15000 miles, then trade it in for the V2. It will just be so much more fun for you, and you will loose less money. The Monster is a super fun bike for a beginner, you won’t miss anything in the first 2 years, once you get confident, switch over for the dream bike and have all the fun again! Like in a water park, you don’t get on the fastest slide first. You work your way up from the slower ones to the potentially deadly one...

Get the V2! You'll be fine. Put it in Street more and it will feel like the 300.

Deadcruiser said:

You will drop it. Not if, but when. As a beginner, everybody makes stupid mistakes. I once walked away from my bike without pulling out the side stand. I dropped my first bike over and over again at intersections, lights, sidewalk. It will happen. I advise you to buy a Monster instead, ride it for 2 years or let’s say for at least 15000 miles, then trade it in for the V2. It will just be so much more fun for you, and you will loose less money. The Monster is a super fun bike for a beginner, you won’t miss anything in the first 2 years, once you get confident, switch over for the dream bike and have all the fun again! Like in a water park, you don’t get on the fastest slide first. You work your way up from the slower ones to the potentially deadly one...

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Not everybody.

I've never dropped my bike at an intersection, sidewalk, lights, etc. Almost 20yrs now. I've crashed once in the canyons but that's a whole different story.

He has riding experience. Long as he respects the bike and the power, he'll be fine. There's nothing different between a 300 and a v2 otherwise. If you know how to ride one, you can ride the other. How well he corners and rides in general, now that's a different story. RESPECT....THE....BIKE....AND....POWER! That's it.

I have also never dropped a bike at a stoplight, in my garage, or done anything like forgetting to put the kickstand down. Definitely crashed from riding like an ....., but I don't buy the whole you're gonna stall it at an intersection thing.

I was on a V4 after 8-ish months of riding and commuted every single day in the PNW (rain, snow, etc) for 2 years without ever putting it down. Now it's just a dedicated track bike.

Respect the machine, focus on developing good habits, and a beginner could be on a 300hp turbo busa without dropping it.

Deadcruiser said:

You will drop it. Not if, but when. As a beginner, everybody makes stupid mistakes. I once walked away from my bike without pulling out the side stand. I dropped my first bike over and over again at intersections, lights, sidewalk. It will happen. I advise you to buy a Monster instead, ride it for 2 years or let’s say for at least 15000 miles, then trade it in for the V2. It will just be so much more fun for you, and you will loose less money. The Monster is a super fun bike for a beginner, you won’t miss anything in the first 2 years, once you get confident, switch over for the dream bike and have all the fun again! Like in a water park, you don’t get on the fastest slide first. You work your way up from the slower ones to the potentially deadly one...

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YES exactly what I wanted to say. Get a MONSTER! It’s a fast bike and full of low end torque. But most importantly it’s a very fun bike and is very forgiving. The V2 is BIG by comparison and trust me when I say this, the seating position and riding characteristics are not similar to your 300. Now the monster on the other hand is closer to what you’re riding right now, so transitioning to it will be a breeze. Also insurance is way less on the monster as well.

MaverickiB said:

I have also never dropped a bike at a stoplight, in my garage, or done anything like forgetting to put the kickstand down. Definitely crashed from riding like an ....., but I don't buy the whole you're gonna stall it at an intersection thing.

I was on a V4 after 8-ish months of riding and commuted every single day in the PNW (rain, snow, etc) for 2 years without ever putting it down. Now it's just a dedicated track bike.

Respect the machine, focus on developing good habits, and a beginner could be on a 300hp turbo busa without dropping it.

Click to expand...

A 300hp turbo, maybe its true for one in a hundred but basically thats ........ and bad advice.

You are the exception not the rule re V4 after a few months without crashing yet. Its a fact of life when you ride for 2 reasons one is chance and the other is rider error through miscalculation of some sort. The actual crash stats are shocking, some thing like 30 times more likely to be in a crash on a bike vs a car. That said most accidents with other vehicles happen at low speed at intersections in town while single vehicle accidents that result in death occur usually at higher speeds on open roads in the country. There are a number of factors, age is one, middle aged men for a while were king of fatalities but the highest risk after learning comes at around 10,000k for regular riders or about a year when they get over confident.

Falling of stands, stationary accidents etc can happen anytime, a bike is a balancing machine whose natural position without movement is on the ground. One error and gravity takes over.

Finally it all comes down to maturity as vehicle operator, do you know your limits and have you got good reflexes etc. It is almost always a very bad idea to get a litrebike as a first bike, obviously some can handle it as a second bike but I would not recommend it either unless you had some training and quality miles experience.

Going slow is not the problem, anyone can go slow on a bike, its when you twist the wrist.

Paul G said:

A 300hp turbo, maybe its true for one in a hundred but basically thats ........ and bad advice.

You are the exception not the rule re V4 after a few months without crashing yet. Its a fact of life when you ride for 2 reasons one is chance and the other is rider error through miscalculation of some sort. The actual crash stats are shocking, some thing like 30 times more likely to be in a crash on a bike vs a car. That said most accidents with other vehicles happen at low speed at intersections in town while single vehicle accidents that result in death occur usually at higher speeds on open roads in the country. There are a number of factors, age is one, middle aged men for a while were king of fatalities but the highest risk after learning comes at around 10,000k for regular riders or about a year when they get over confident.

Falling of stands, stationary accidents etc can happen anytime, a bike is a balancing machine whose natural position without movement is on the ground. One error and gravity takes over.

Finally it all comes down to maturity as vehicle operator, do you know your limits and have you got good reflexes etc. It is almost always a very bad idea to get a litrebike as a first bike, obviously some can handle it as a second bike but I would not recommend it either unless you had some training and quality miles experience.

Going slow is not the problem, anyone can go slow on a bike, its when you twist the wrist.

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Your post is confusing because its tone is as if you're disagreeing with me but the content is agreeing with me to an extent.

I never said you'll never crash on a bike if you're smart. I said it is very easy and possible to never drop a bike in a stupid way, like in your garage or at a stoplight. Sure, mistakes do happen, but you wouldn't *accidentally* grab a gun and shoot yourself in the .... with it ever, would you? No, because you understand guns are dangerous and/or respect their power, so you wouldn't point a loaded one at your ..... Motorcycles are no different at all. If you respect the fact you're sitting on a 400+lb machine, you will never do something ........ like get off before putting the stand down.

They're also refined machines in the sense they don't just randomly do wild ..... As people have said, a bike has no power if your wrist doesn't apply it. So liter bike or not, as long as the rider has basic control over his extremities, he isn't put in any imminent danger by hopping on a motorcycle.

The reality is I am not the exception. Survivor bias influences a lot of mindsets about motorcycles. Every dingus bingus who dropped his motorcycle in his garage or at an intersection tells their friends about how they confirmed the theory. Meanwhile, there's many other riders who have never dumped their bike in a ........ way who aren't spending their time telling everyone about how they've never forgotten to put the kickstand down.

Telling someone they're bound to do something like that is like telling people they're bound to get out of their car before putting it in park. "It's just a matter of time before you let your car roll away! Everyone makes mistakes!" Except they usually don't when it involves heavy machinery that costs thousands of dollars.

It's simple, a 300hp bike as a first bike is ridiculous, falling off is a fact of life on bikes and litrebikes as first or second bikes means either you're timid, an accident waiting to happen or very talented.