Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

I'll make this a sticky as it gets asked a lot and point everyone here ....when the question comes up from new riders.

Your thoughts .....is this a good bike for a NEW rider.




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Take a course and ride with experienced riders giving good advice........ I believe you can start out on a lot of bikes.

This is def not one. Its bigger. Get a ni,ble 500. Some ppl need a begineer bikes. some ride busas first time. Its about the control.

this is my first bike

i took an MSf course before i got going.

first couple of weeks the weight was an issue. Must admit that i dropped the bike (gently) the first week.
once i got that out of my system, i have learned to love it

controlling the bike is easy once it's moving at moderate speed.
the issue is all about slow speed skills

there are advantages to the weight of the gsx650f, especially on the freeway and in windy conditions

i think i have grown into the bike now that i have ~ 3500 miles under my belt.

I cut my teeth on a middle weight cruiser, and thought the 650f would be no problem. I must admit that I am glad this wasn't my first bike. Once I got the bike rolling it was great but at slow speeds I almost dumped it a couple of times. I've grown to love the bike but wouldn't recommend it for a first bike.

My first bike.
Took the MSF course and ended up getting this before reading anything. Originally was looking at the Honda Shadow but when i went to buy they were out and this is what i ended up with. Great choice.

It depends on the person really. If you are careful about riding technique and tall enough that the height and weight of this bike are not a problem, it's a great first bike. In fact, any bike can be a first bike for the right rider, it all depends on the ability and confidence of the rider. Remember, every bike, even a Busa, can go just as slow as every other bike.

My second bike
The first was an almost simular Bandit S (2001) , this one added just 10 or 20 kilo weight on top of it.
Almost dropped the bike, making a U turn on a parkingplace, with my wife as a duo......
Talking about gaining a little weight.... add up a full topcase and 90 kilos of a sweet loving woman....and my own 85 kilo including boots, jacket and pants....
You'll reach a total of almost 410 kilo when you've filled it up .....

Just try ceeping your balance at very low speed..... almost impossible.
But I managed it....... only just

The "FU" version would maybe be suitable for a beginner, but I think the full power version, combined with the weight, would make it a bad idea for anyone other than perhaps an older rider who won't be tempted to ride beyond their abilities.

No, not a good "Starter" bike, because it's damn expensive to fix!

The issue about weight, I thought it was a good reason to say no as a starter bike for the GSX 650F; however, I can't say that, and at the same time recommend the Yamaha V-Star 650 Silverado as a "starter" bike. The GSX 650F sitting position is higher than on the V-Star 650, so when it begins to go over, it's not so easy to stop as with the V-Star 650 with a lower sitting position. The weights are probably close to the same.

The issue about power is significant, but I think it is controllable by a beginner who has no reference to an easier bike with less power. The GSX 650F can get a beginner rider into trouble instantly with no learned ability to control the throttle. It's not a bike that throttle control should be learned on. Even for me, it would have been "ify" learning how to control the speed. The bike wants to go fast and it is so smooth, the speed is pretty far up there before one notices it's not 10 mph.

An immature, attention deficit person would probably hurt themselves taking early chances with the GSX 650F, before they really know how to control it. I'm a reasonably cautious person, not prone to being an idiot when riding, but had my GSX 650F been my first, starter bike, I maybe would be OK physically, but the bike would have had numerous, expensive repairs after beginner errors. Beginner errors like grabbing the front brake (easy to recover from that on a light Ninja 250, not so with the GSX 650F); like stopping at a light going up a hill, and believing the bike is in first gear ready to go, only to discover it's in neutral and the bike is rolling backwards, not going forwards (easy to recover on a light Ninja 250); like making your first stop after the MSF class, when the light changes to red quickly, and you're going 35 mph (doing it on a light Ninja 250 is kinda hard "first" time, maybe not even possible on the GSX 650F "first" time).

Agree with lot of what Olequa said. ^^^^.
For my 1c...
I learnt on a GS500F and the silly slow riding ,parking ,stopping ,not putting the stand down 100% ...mistakes I made and I was able to save the bike from dropping or falling over ,because the 500f was lighter and lower.
I KNOW I would of dropped the 650F ,its taller and heavier and no way would I have been able to save it.
There is alot of pros and con's for it being your first bike ,or day 1, learner bike.
If you can get a mates small 250 for a month or even a few weeks ,just to get the basics down {even if you have done some training} and get past that first 2 weeks and get rid of the nerves that make you do the silly mistakes your in with a better chance of not dropping it.
Also the size of the bike can be intimidating ,not to mention your one is probably brand new. $$$$$ .
To put it in to a non riders terms I like to tell it this way.
Imagine learning to drive in a delivery truck ,its big heavy and lots of power..{GSX650F}
And your mate is also learning and hes got a little 2 door car to learn on...{250cc any bike}
When learning to ride ...change gear ..take corners ...stop...and park it ,or to push it into the garage at night.
Who you you think would be ,most likely to finish the first 2 weeks or month with no damage ,confident ,and feeling he has more control with gears etc ...and probably a better driver = faster and smoother.
Starting of small and working you way up ,can make you a better rider in the long term. IMHO

Now I'm not saying you can't learn on the 650 ,you can ,you will get threw the first few weeks and the bike won't wheelie and ride it as slow as you like ,but consider the costs of repairs IF you drop it and that your mate on the 250 will be a better smoother rider and will be riding rings around you on your 650...So this is my NO vote reasons.

But if your not in the finance to buy a cheap used 250 {or borrow one }for a few months and then sell and buy a 650 ,you will get by and grow into the bike ,but your doing your self a injustice and and slowing down your riding learning curve.IMHO.
If i knew what I know now {and I know shit} but if i could go back and start again I would get a new or used ninja 250 and keep it for 12 months.


I voted Yes and No .
Yes you can learn on it.
But NO it wouldn't be my first choice.

I do think it is a little too much for a beginner. But I have been known to be wrong. I guess I don't understand the weight thing as much as the raw power of 10 0r 11k rpm in the early gears. I've been riding for 28 yrs. and when I grab a hand full of throttle it still gives a very wild thrill. I started out on a 125cc dirt bike, many bikes after that, then worked up to the GSX650F. You can buy a busa if you want for a first bike, but chances of getting in trouble go way up if you are not wise.
A noob I think might panic and crash and burn, Maybe not, but the power is more scary to me then the weight thing. Staying upright at slow speeds seems like nothing compared to rocketing off the line.
But, it's a free country , so you should get what you want, just practice a ton until the controls become automatic to you. If you have to think about the control usage too much, you need more practice.
Just my 2 cents!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first bike was a GN 250 and I didn't even know how to get it out of the shed!!! So with much eye-rolling from my husband and a lot of patience (his!!!) I finally mastered her. Got my full licence and looked around for something more. The GSX 650f was the only bike that suited me as far as a more upright position, seating, comfort, fairing etc. As a fairly new rider I guess I wasn't going to be disappointed by mechanical issues as I didn't know any different!! That may sound careless but fairly honest.

Other women ask me all the time if it's too heavy, too big, scary? And my answer is that the difference between a 500, 600 or 650 in weight is minimal, 100km is 100km no matter how long it takes you to reach it, take things easy learn slowly and keep learning! I take on all advice offered to me (and there's lots offered believe me!!!) I enjoy the freedom, escapism whatever you want to call it from riding this beautiful bike and 5 years ago I would never have believed it possible!!

Motto: I'm doing - you're watching!!!

I think if you take the MSF course, use your head, and take your time, then the GSX650F is a fine first bike. Otherwise, something smaller would be the way to go.

I think you maybe best with a 500 to start for a summer then move up. This is a heavy bike with lots of power and if you have no experience it could be a lot to handle. Also make sure you always take the basic rider course.