I am thinking of buying a sports bike. What are the options for a beginner with a 拢2k-拢3k budget?

I have my test booked (UK). Hopefully I will pass!

I have tried out a couple of friend's bikes and really like the sports bikes, I feel comfortable on them and enjoy both their performance and the look.

I know that these types of bikes can be expensive and have earth-shattering performance figures. I refer only to out-and-out sports bikes in this question, not muscle bikes or sports-tourers.

HOWEVER, this will be my first bike over 125cc. My budget is 拢2-3k. I want a sports bike that will tolerate a beginner but will still offer me satisfaction as I become more experienced- of course, Insurance on the bigger bikes will also be an issue.

What would you recommend? My friend's bikes are all around the 600cc mark and I have heard this is really as big as I want to go as a novice. The Ninja sticks out as being a solid sports bike in my price range, are there any alternatives?

Thanks!

Don't forget to budget for insurance, and be sure of what you really want from your bike; panniers are an essential if you want to get out of your motorcycle gear when you go to the beach and a full-fairing will keep you semi-dry when the wind and rain hit.


"Sports tourers" are plenty fast enough for most people who haven't had their sense of self-preservation surgically removed and they are a hell of a lot more comfortable than pure sports bikes so don't be too quick to overlook them.

Honda CBR 600's are very common but they are rock-solid, comfortable and give excellent performance all-round. Trust me, it will quite happily wheelie at 90mph and won't give you a numb-bum after 50 miles.

You might also look at the Japanese grey-import market - mostly 400cc and 250cc bikes; back in the mid 90's I remember drooling over the exotic 400cc Honda RVF (not to be confused with the VFR) and the techno styled 250cc Honda Hornet.
*edit: It looked like a mini Ducati Monster, very different to the normal 250 Hornet.

Foe your first bike after your test then I would recommend not going for and out and out sports bike.
I would say go for a CBR 600f these are the best bike probably ever built. These will do practically everything. The build quality is second to none, and they are good for twice the legal speed limit. In the right hands they will run rings around may higher spec bikes.
This is always my first choice of bike for the novice.

Honda CBR600f, lovely bike, my first big bike & I still ride one, very forgiving, will get you out of a lot of the scary situations your inexperience will get you into. On a practical note, they're fantastically built, mine sits outside in all weathers & is fine, had various other makes and I have to say that Kawasaki's (in my experience) have a terrible build quality & are really hard to work on.

You'll be fine on a kawasaki KR1S, I think it's a 250, but has plenty of spirit.

i passed my test 6 week ago and i got a 1988 vfr750fj , a very powerfull bike even more power than the new vfr,800. 160mph sports tourer but this modal is more of a sports though. loads of tourque 105bhp even the 2008 models are 97bhp i paid 拢600 english pounds . i love it, as i say it is a powerfull bike but most bikes are , when you move the throttle 1 mm it shoots off like a f1 sports car , so dont even think about twisting it all the way round,

this was my first bike ever . respect the power cos it has more power than you actually think, i didnt realise motorbikes was this powerfull. and mines a baby the honda fireblade and yamaha yzf r1 are something else and no beginner should ever think about getting one . they call them the widowers