Ringo
Member
I'm sorry. I don't necessarily agree with others that say go for it. As a beginner rider you are going to make beginners mistakes. You will drop the bike in a parking lot, go into a turn too fast, accidentally give it too much throttle, etc...
With such a big, heavy, fast bike, the possibility of you getting seriously hurt are very good. At the very least you may get frustrated and feel the sport is not for you and give up on it all together.
My advice to you is to leave the FZ1 in your living room for now. Go back on Craig's list and find something much smaller and lighter and with a lot less power to learn how to ride. Take the MSF course, or even go to a driving school and take some lessons. Learn as much as you can. When you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing, then and only then would I recommend you take out the FZ1. Trust me. You will thank me later.
Thanks. I've been thinking about this bike for the last couple of days since I purchased it (I'd really like the way it look and fit me....though a bit heavy). As a matter of fact, my wife just call me from work early this afternoon and recommends the exact same thing you've just mentioned here. She told me to either sell this bike or keep it (but do not ride it) and buy a 250/500cc bike to practice on....Then when I've enough experience, I can take out the FZ1 and ride it.
The thing is, I do not have extra cash to buy another bike to practice on, and at the same time don't want to sell this good find for a smaller bike which is only temporary. I'm thinking of finishing the MSF basic rider course for beginner....THEN hire someone locally with extensive riding experience to teach me one-on-one how to handle and correctly ride the FZ1.
If you guys know any such person that is near San Jose, CA let me know.