sunk318

Hi all,

I just got my motorcycle endorsement through MSF course and am in market to buy a beginner's bike. I am thinking either Ninja 250 or Honda CBR 250.

Would anyone with knowledge in bikes be kind enough to go check out used bikes with me sometime next week?

Thanks!

Sabre

I'd help if I were there. I got my endorsement many years ago.
I'm a pretty big guy but I started with a Suzuki gs500f and within a month or two I felt way underpowered on it and wished I had gotten something bigger. Also, truth be told, most of the time when I went out decide between the bike and the S, I usually took the S.
It was faster, more comfortable, easier to deal with (no gear to have to put on and take off everywhere you went), more conventient, etc.
If I had started with a bigger bike it'd probably be less of an issue. Even if you avoid the supersports and go with something like a SV650, or an F4i.
Powerful, but not crazy.

A lot of it comes down to how much self control you have as a rider. Would you be better off getting a bigger bike and being extra cautious vs getting a bike incapable of going overboard to protect yourself with the *risk* of becoming bored with it right away? Do you have the necessary willpower not to get in over your head?


Just a few things to think about.
Regardless, congrats and keep the shiny side up.



That being said, I also know of a cafe-style racer 1980 Suzuki Gs450e that needs a good home.

s2sik

Aaron makes very good points. I no longer ride, but hope to get another bike in the future. I opted to purchase a new (at the time) 2004 Yamaha R6 as my first bike. I road for about 5 years. 2 of those years it was my only mode of transportation. I am process oriented and felt comfortable starting with a little faster bike. I will say, even starting there, I found that I was looking for more power after my first few thousand miles. I ended up doing your typical bolt ons, flash, wheels, etc etc and that kept me pretty happy through the duration of ownership. if you enjoy the driving experience of the s2000, a 600cc bike has very similar parallels. good luck!

sunk318

Cool, thanks for great advice.

I will probably never do anything crazy or stupid to take chances, but I am taking extra caution to learn how to ride better on 250cc before I move onto 600s. I also don't have money to buy a 600cc now. On top of that I will probably have to relocate within about 4 months, so I need something that can be a quick resale without losing too much money.

I find Ninja 250s to be around $1.5 to $2k (older ones like 06 07), so that's what I'm thinking about getting.

IrishCarBomb

I accidentally stumbled on this while trying to click on the pacific northwest sub forum. But i figured i could help you out a bit. I've actually owned a 2010 Ninja 250 and for what it is, its a great bike. No regrets starting out on it what-so-ever. It's peppy, great gas mileage, and handles better than my 600 just because its so light. I rode around on that for about 2 years. I do admit I wanted more power, I do a lot of freeway miles. But that was just a minor issue for me. It could do the speed limit and frequently on the freeway i would ride around 80mph. Fastest i could get it was up to about 100, which is something i could live with. Theres no point in going that fast on a public road anyways. On the freeway it does sound like it is very strung out but i had no problems commuting on it 80 mile round trip to work.

After this i moved on to a 2011 ninja 650 and i actually still have it. It's a great bike and i actually ride it more than my zx6r. It's more comfortable and easier to commute on, more of an upright position so it doesn't kill my back and wrists after a few hundred miles. If you have any background it motorcycles or dirtbikes you could potentially get away with one of these for your first bikes. But i can not tell you how great of a learner bike the 250 is. The 650 is fast but its not, I'm gonna flip you on your ass if you gun it fast. I do laugh at people who say that they need more power on a 600cc bike and don't track them.

I'm up here in Olympia WA a couple hours away. If you have any questions you can DM me. I only took a $200 loss on my 250 when i sold it.

Good Luck!

sunk318

I got 2012 Honda CBR250R with ABS. It was $2800 which was a bit over my budget but I really liked the fact that it had ABS and was fuel injected.



Oh yea, I also like the fact that now I have Honda S2000, CBR, and a lawnmower. lol

IrishCarBomb

Congrats!