Litre Bikes : Should Anyone Ride a Litre Bike?

Here is why we think that litre bikes should not be riden by anyone especially a beginner!

Our Gear Setup [Updated]:

Support us by shopping motorcycle gear with this link:

Or anything with this Amazon link:

Connect with us:

[byknphil]

More often than not, what makes any motorcycle unsafe is usually the nut that connects the seat to the handlebar.

[vegmoto]

An old biker told me “it’s more fun to ride a slow motorcycle fast than it is to ride a fast motorcycle slow” and I hear that in my head any time I’m on a liter bike.

[Steiger]

I have never ridden anything with two wheels and an engine in my entire life, and still somehow I watch this guy religiously

[ScienceChap]

Thats ok. I only ride a 998cc. MT10. Its a great bike. I love it.

[desolatetree]

Should you? No.
Should you be able to if you want to? Absolutely.

[KimSE]

The feeling of opening up a 600cc: prepare, knock down a couple of gears to get the engine revving and you're away and get the job done. The feeling of opening up a litre bike: the world shrinks, you go into hyperspace and your heart rate double and all of this happens in the time it takes to twist the throttle. In any gear. It's terrifying and corrupting and additive and I love it. There's not much you can do on a 1000cc sports bike that you can't do on a 600cc just by getting into the right gear but the drama and the adrenaline is epic.

[phillittle]

Ryan F9 is such a brilliant presenter. His topics are always incredibly well researched. He also has the ability to make generally boring subjects interesting with his whit and charm. The guy is quite possibly the best thing on YouTube

[vernonyeldell]

As a bigger guy,

I started out in a 650cc, which is totally capable and comfortable. After about due years I got my first liter bike, and it was like going from a fit cycling to a V8. The smallest bikes handle the curves better, buy the liter bikes have a another ride and more power on demand in any gear at any speed ( even two up).

[gordhorton]

This guy is the best host on YouTube. Original, insightful, funny and, perhaps most importantly, believable.

[RufusCapstick]

I agree you shouldn't ride a litre bike, that's why I ride a GSX1400, ha ha

[knightlautrec]

Started on a 125, moved up to a 250 and now I'm on a 900 Street Twin. Definitely the way to go and I would advise anyone starting out to begin small and work your way up. Learning to ride on a machine that can't get you in too much trouble was ideal for sure. It might be a little slower to get to your forever bike but it's well worth doing, it's also just fun to ride. You can really ride the hell out of a 125 but still be within the speed limit lol.

[Darth_Firebolt]

"Some geeky programmer is the real hero of that story."

* laughs in K5 GSX-R1000

[derweiehelge]

I feel really stupid, now that I know, it's a “litre bike“ intead of a “leader bike“ as I always thought....

[Nightdare]

So your saying we should buy turbo-ed 1350 cc bikes?

[issackaiser]

(Watched the whole video btw)
So I’m just adding my opinion to go along with his last word here. True, ain’t nothing wrong with buying what you like but a least be a rider that is worthy of the bike that you want instead being that guy who is constantly scared of his own bike. Some bikes are beginner friendly but none of bikes are “idiot” friendly so ride with care, know your limit and well don’t be an idiot.

[StormShoukhan]

For what it's worth, my first bike was a 1994 Honda CB400. After a year, I scored a good deal on a 2008 Triumph Speed Triple. The CB400 was critical in my developing fundamentals before moving up an additional 680cc's; especially on some of the more narrow streets around Japan.

[MotoGreciaMarios]

The problem with all dangerous activities is that dead people aren't around to tell their stories. It's only the survivors and their success stories of "I've had no problem at all" that we hear about.

[DontNickMe]

I agree with F9. I've had 10 bikes, 3 which are liter bikes. I finally realized how ridiculous it is to ride one in modern day traffic. You can barely use 1/3 of bikes potential on road. I've switched to a 600 naked bike and its so much more comfy and actually useable in today's traffic. Feels the same or better than my liter bikes other than those 30 sec sprints of doing 180mph

[chrishavill]

I went from a suzuki boulevard C50T cruiser to an FZ1 a week ago
The one stand out thing to me is you don't ever need to downshift. At 35 in 6th you can trust the throttle and accelerate way faster then you ever need to without even using full throttle.
It's addictive and I love it.

[Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

Litre bikes certainly can be ridden safely on the road. Many riders have used the Hayabusa as a sport tourer for years without incident. As for myself, I could hardly wait to get my hands on a ZX-11 when they were introduced in 1990. My Sunday rides from Denver to different destinations in the mountains were awesome. But after a year, I decided that riding the machine, even on sterling mountain highways, was akin to showing up at an indoor shooting range with a howitzer. I still miss it.