[GrantHayden]

Hi, everyone. My name is Sasha, I'm 17 years old. I'm buying my first bike this year and there are three bikes that I really like, 1985 ninja 600r, 1983 unitrack GPZ 550 and a 1983 GPZ 750, would these bikes be too powerful for a beginner? I don't have a lot of riding experience I have ridden my friends 200cc dual sport a couple of times...

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to motorcycling!!!!

The best advice is to start out on something small that allows you to hone your skills on something agile and less likely to try to hurt you.

However, I'd be a hypocrite if I said you couldn't do it. After all, I only rode small bikes for literally just a month before getting a big chunky 80s bike. I had a Honda Rebel 250 and a Buell Blast (500cc single that was as small and slow as the Rebel) and sold them a month after getting my license for a Suzuki GS850 and a Honda GL1100.

80s bikes like the ones on your list or like mine aren't anything like a modern bike with the same displacement. They can have pretty predictable, pretty controllable power. They still do have a lot of power for a beginner, however.

The biggest thing with those old bikes will be weight. They can weigh around 600 pounds, have a considerable amount of that weight up high, and that weight will be unforgiving to mistakes. The weight combined with the power can make them bad learning bikes and bad first bikes.

So my verdict? Try to see if you can try out one of the bikes on your list before buying. See if you feel comfortable with the weight and power. It's much safer to start small, but you don't necessarily need to start on a 125 or a 250.

 

[hogcowboy]

WELCOME ON BOARD, and...

We are friendly site here. Well, most of us?

So you don't have that tiered licensing thing where you are forced
to small displacement bikes to start with, interesting. I'd still suggest
something in the 200-250 range but of those you listed, that 550 is
probably your best bet for surviving those first few months of learning.
I'm assuming then that you don't have beginner classes you can take
to get you feet wet just to see if riding truly is something you can do
without killing yours? If you do have such class then I'd highly suggest
you take one. But of those 3 bikes you have a better chance of not
getting in trouble is the 550. Just take it very slow and easy to start
with. There is a saying here that goes something like, it's more fun
to make a slow bike go fast than it is to make a fast bike go slow.
Think about that as I'd stand with suggesting something smaller as
you can always go larger as you hone your skills.

 

[SemiFast]

bikes that I really like, 1985 ninja 600r, 1983 unitrack GPZ 550 and a 1983 GPZ 750,

The 550 and 750 were good solid machines. I'd also recommend the 550 as the best, of those listed, as the better choice to start with.
DO NOT BUY the 1985 Ninja 600! I can not believe you were able to find one that still runs.
The 1985 600 Ninja had hidden overheating problems in that the combustion temps were too high resulting in burned up valves, valve seats and EATING camshafts and such.
Kawasaki's first 600 Ninja (1985) was a horrible failure. They had great handling so we all ran out to buy one to run in the 600 class. None of them made a full season without a rebuild. I ran mine on the street for a while then discovered what I had during the first valve adjustment. Because it couldn't even survive street riding, I had the dealer warranty it then I sold it.

S F