Its just always been funny, every time I talk to sport bike riders (maybe all the ones around here are just total assbags?) they tell me the same two things: "Man, you got to get into it for the thrill. Its about how fast the bike can go, and the power. Its so dangerous, if you've never ridden before don't bother." To which I say "Well, What about the Ninja 250?" Response? "Nah, 750 or bust bro! Even if you never ridden before, its safe!"
wat
Are these people TRYING to get you hurt, or are they just high?
If you want to have fun instead of scare yourself into quitting (or god forbid hurting yourself), you want the motorcycle equivalent of a Miata, not the motorcycle equivalent of a Formula 1 car. Most supersport machines (600cc racing-oriented machines like the Honda CBR600RR, Yamaha R6, etc) and superbikes (1000cc racing-oriented machines like the CBR1000RR, R1, etc) are basically two-wheeled equivalents of formula 1 cars. They're designed specifically for racing, and some people try to shoehorn them into backroads playing.
But they were never designed with backroads playing in mind, don't have the right ergonomics for it, have suspensions and super-sharp steering that were not designed to deal with routine potholes and frost-heaves, and have powertrains that literally make a Civic Si seem like a torque-monster.
Don't listen to the douchebags. You'll be safer, and YOU'LL HAVE MORE FUN, if your first machine is a two-cylinder bike of 250cc-650ccs that was designed specifically for backroads playing instead of competitive racing (Kawasaki Ninja 250, Kawasaki Ninja 500, Suzuki SV650, and this CBR250RR). I'd be wary about getting a supersport machine before a year of riding, or getting a superbike before a couple years of riding. And even then, it's certainly not mandatory to have fun. I've been riding for thirteen years, I'm on my third bike, and I'm totally happy with my SV650.
As a final note, don't ever, ever get into the habit of thinking that public roads are racetracks, which is what the douchebags around you seem to be advocating. If you want a racetrack, do a track day. If you're going to ride on public roads, remember that. I know of two situations in my area where motorcyclists were killed by other motorcyclists, and I myself hit and killed a stray dog while tearing through a blind curve faster than I ever should have.
This is exactly the sort of news Honda, motorcycle companies in general, and riders like me want to hear. The motorcycle industry's been in a downward spiral for about 3 years now, as people are holding onto their current bikes and unsold stock is rampant in dealers. Manufacturers know this; they haven't introduced much because it's difficult to launch all-new products to capture the market, given the amount of research and engineering for now models. So the fact that Honda is blessing the American market with this, attempting to capture a younger market as opposed to courting the baby boomer generation that has traditionally been the market force for motorcycles (and is now literally dying off) - it's very good news indeed.
