z900 as my First Bike

[Zed62]

@zed9 you are really building a compelling case for me to drive ( yes drive, not ride) a Hardly Ableson
  Tons of weight, little power and lots of vibration.   I did laugh out loud,  peace!

[zed9]

Originally Posted by Zed62

@zed9 you are really building a compelling case for me to drive ( yes drive, not ride) a Hardly Ableson
  Tons of weight, little power and lots of vibration.   I did laugh out loud,  peace!

Yeah, I’d probably not make the best Harley salesman. 

[Zboyya]

Depends on what kind of riding I think you’ll be doing most. If it’s mostly city some highway I’d go to a 400/500cc. If you don’t mind a heavier bike than maybe on low power mode but if it’s shorter jogs or mostly city 500/600cc would be way! Enough .. Ik from experience .. I’m actually looking to go down in size I started on a z400 got the z900 and know I want more power than the 4 but less weight than the 9 .. I’m mostly country highway top speeds interstate once in a great while I’m looking at the z650 for the best of both worlds 👍

[bobbyg123]

I'm facing the same decision here in a few weeks, and it's not an easy one. Everyone who offers an opinion on what to do as a beginner is correct in their reasoning. Start with small bike. Start with a used bike. Purchase a 600cc middleweight and split the difference. Get a bigger but tamer 4-banger like the Z900 and make the right choice your first choice.

After reading dozens of online reviews, message board blogs, and watching hours of video content, I've decided to take the advice of one of my experienced biker co-workers. He said, keep reading and researching, but wait to pull the trigger until after your permit course. I'm signed up for a 16-hour permit course followed by an 8 hour intermediate instruction course in July. There I'll be able to sit on and hopefully try out a few different bikes and get a better idea of what I'll want.

Having purchased boats and RVs in the past, I've learned the importance of being honest with myself about how much and what type of user I'll be. You don't need a $400K Class A motorhome if you only plan on camping at State Parks 6 times/year. You don't need a $100K Boston Whaler if you only plan on bass fishing on the lake once in a while. The same is true for motor bikes. For me, I live in a rural area here in the Greater Seattle area, and I have a scenic 11 miles commute to work on some twisty back roads. That type of driving represents 90% of how I plan to ride. I'll almost never hop on a freeway, nor will I tour the State on my bike. I have to factor that reality into my decision. While the Z900 would be perfect for that type of riding, so would a 600-800cc middleweight sport naked. I'll want to ride on weekends and zip around the city, but not the big city. The suburbs.

The good news in all of this is there's no shortage of great bikes out there. This forum has been an outstanding resource. Thank you everyone!

[zed9]

bobby.. The beauty of the z900 is that it’s engine provides very smooth power at low rpm compared to the liter bikes and engines in the 600-800cc range. It is quite happy tooling along in small town traffic or breezing along on country backroads.

[Cazzy_R]

 Unless you have been riding motorcross as a kid I believe the Z900 is far too fast, powerful and heavy as a first road bike.
 Get something smaller, hone your skills, and make mistakes on a slower. lighter and cheaper machine.

[Alex9109]

Originally Posted by Cazzy_R

Unless you have been riding motorcross as a kid I believe the Z900 is far too fast, powerful and heavy as a first road bike.
 Get something smaller, hone your skills, and make mistakes on a slower. lighter and cheaper machine.

Completely agree. Well said

[bobbyg123]

Originally Posted by Cazzy_R

Unless you have been riding motorcross as a kid I believe the Z900 is far too fast, powerful and heavy as a first road bike.
 Get something smaller, hone your skills, and make mistakes on a slower. lighter and cheaper machine.

I said previously that opinions on either side of the "first bike" debate are legitimate. You're not wrong here. While I'm older, responsible (haven't had a moving violation in 25+ years of driving), rode dirt bikes in my younger years, getting into street riding at 50+ years old carries a lot of risks.

For me personally, the weight issue is the biggest factor. Choosing a bike that weighs 400lbs as opposed to 475lbs+ is significant to me. As far as safety as it relates to speed and driving habits, I don't think cc's make as much of a difference. A buddy of mine has a Z400, and that thing still rips 0-60 in like 4.3 seconds. An R3 does it in 4.6 seconds. That's unbelievably quick in the grand scheme of moving vehicles.

One of the reasons why so many new riders choose bikes bigger than they should is because they're priced in the same ballpark as smaller bikes. My local dealer is selling new Z900s for $8,300. Yamaha MT-07's for $8,100, and SV 650s for $7,300. New 300cc class bikes and used bikes are over $5,500. Granted, $3K is a lot of money for some, particularly younger riders. For or older guys, $3K isn't much of a savings when you know you're going to be trading/upgrading the smaller bike in a few months/years and giving most of that savings back.

I'm probably going to put the Z900 decision on ice for a few years and get a lighter bike to start, but it's still going to be in the 500-650cc class. I'm not gonna lie though, the alter-ego voice in my head is asking myself, are you really going to be that much safer on something like a CBR500?

[zed9]

I own several bikes including one pretty powerful but I thought I’d try a small displacement bike so I bought a cb500F. It’s lighter than the z900 but is only rated at 47rwhp. I’m no speed demon but to me that is too little. It’s fine for around town and backroads riding if you don’t mind downshifting a lot on steep hill climbs. And riding in aggressive highway traffic you are getting in over your head.
To me, 60rwhp is the minimum safe limit. I’ve owned 60rwhp bikes and they are fine. You don’t have to rev the crap out of them to keep up with fast highway traffic.
If you’re never on a highway, where being too light the bike gets flighty, 47rwhp is fine.

I sold the cb500F for being underpowered in highway situations and bought the z900. The weight difference is very little when riding.
In fact I’d say the z900 feels exactly like a cb500F with a 115 hp engine. They are very similar. The cb500 was the easiest bike I ever rode. The z900 comes in a close second.
A great choice would be the z650. It’s very light and with enough power for real world situations. It’s something like 65-70 rwhp.

[n_zoomz]

Originally Posted by bobbyg123

As far as safety as it relates to speed and driving habits, I don't think cc's make as much of a difference. A buddy of mine has a Z400, and that thing still rips 0-60 in like 4.3 seconds. An R3 does it in 4.6 seconds. That's unbelievably quick in the grand scheme of moving vehicles.

I would argue the opposite. While it may seem quick compared to normal traffic, 4.5-5 seconds is a long time for 0-60. Furthermore, a z400 and a z900 are only similar in their looks and that they're both Kawasaki "Z"s. They are drastically different bikes and imo if the Z400/R3 seem fast, I would recommend you start with one of those.

Originally Posted by bobbyg123

One of the reasons why so many new riders choose bikes bigger than they should is because they're priced in the same ballpark as smaller bikes.

I would also have to disagree with you here. I think new riders choose bikes far faster than their skill level because they get ahead of themselves. I know because I was one of them  Truly, if we were trying to be cost effective we all know a used 2nd gen SV650 for <$3k is the best bang for your buck and can do it all.

Originally Posted by bobbyg123

For me personally, the weight issue is the biggest factor. Choosing a bike that weighs 400lbs as opposed to 475lbs+ is significant to me.

Originally Posted by bobbyg123

I'm probably going to put the Z900 decision on ice for a few years and get a lighter bike to start, but it's still going to be in the 500-650cc class. I'm not gonna lie though, the alter-ego voice in my head is asking myself, are you really going to be that much safer on something like a CBR500?

Out of curiosity, why is the weight of the bike so important? Personally, my track kx450 (half the weight, ccs, and hp) scares me more than my z900 any day. Also, it depends on what you're basing your safety on. It seems like speed is your metric, and in that case, yes. You will be far safer on a bike that barely makes triple digits indicated rather than one that can easily do the same triple digits gps before the end of 4th gear 

Keep in mind that safety in street riding is not solely based on you. It is 9/10 times dependent on your surroundings and other road users. On that note, if a car pulls out in front of you, going 60 in 6th gear on a 500r is alot easier to manage than 120 in 6th on the z900. If you wouldn't go 120 on any bike, then you wouldn't really have a need to upgrade from a "small" first bike anyways