That's what you often read on message boards or hear in person from riders new to the scene.
Whether it be somebody looking to get into dirt bikes or street bikes, they usually want to get a bike that an experienced rider would want to ride, not something that's beginner-friendly.
Why?
I feel it's due to two main reasons.
1) They automatically want a bike that gets the performance headlines.
Because they don't know anything about it, they simply don't realize that hopping on a firebreather of a bike will make learing the basics of riding a motorcycle more difficult.
Ever try teaching a newbie to riding a motorcycle on a Yamaha YZ-80?
Yes, a teeny, tiny, little 80cc bike.
I did this once.
Since a YZ-80 is a motocross race bike with a lot of power for it's size, and since there's no free lunch in physics meaning making a lot of power from 80cc means having a relatively narrow, hard-hitting, and non-beginner-friendly power character, a newbie on a YZ-80 is a recipe for lots of stalling, falling, unwanted wheelies, feet flailing off the pegs, and lots of comments like, "Holy shit! Can we go home, now?".
You see, holy shit is not what a beginner needs because instead of learning the basics about riding, they're simply trying to survive the ordeal.
The same can happen with a new rider hopping on a Yamaha YZF-R6 sportbike, the street bike equivalent to the YZ-80.
Unless the newbie is naturally talented and seems to take to the bike like a fish to water, they'll be puttering around hoping they don't crash this $10,000 bike when they try using the front brake for the first time.
Making a U-turn in a parking lot is something to be feared.
Starting off on a hill is to be avoided because they might screw up and tip over in traffic.
2) They fail to seriously realize that your typical beginner ain't gonna' handle a YZ-80 or YZF-R6 very well at first.
They basically don't want to look in the mirror and have a heart-to-heart conversation with the guy or girl they see in there.
The thought of a mild-mannered and easy-to-ride (relatively speaking - they'll still need to master the basics on any motorcycle) bike like a Yamaha TT-R125L or Yamaha XT-250 or XV-250 is a turn-off because they think of those bikes as too boring and slow, even though they don't yet know their ass from their elbow with motorcycles and riding them.
Today, I read a post from a guy on a message board, asking for advice on buying his first off-road bike.
He has lots of street riding experience, but none off on bona-fide trails.
I wrote my two cents in, and you can probably guess what the jist of my post was.
Yeah, I tried to recommend that he put his imagination and pride in his pocket for the time being and buy a dirt bike that is not a firebreather, but, one that has a reputation for being user-friendly, not a race bike.
I'm curious to see what the response is.
Typically, the guy will be leaning toward high-performance bikes because he believes he's ready for it.
He'll even get lots of recommendations for high-performance bikes from other guys riding high-performance bikes, and it's always centered around the theory of don't-get-something-too-small-and-wimpy-because-you'll-just-grow-out-of-it.
To me, that's how it's supposed to work, versus being basically fearful of the bike and losing interest.
I'm sorry, Mac, but you probably ain't gonna' be clearing the 75-foot triple jumps any time soon.
Not until you learn how to ride, first.
Off to jerk,
-John
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