OT: My first motorcycle...

[spaced_ghost]

Originally Posted by maunahaole

Christian is right. Go used on your first bike. That Honda is probably nice, but it may vibrate like mad at highway speed. The SV 650 is a nice bike - but save that for your second one. Look for a Ninja 250 while you are shopping.

Go take the MSF class too. Take the class before you get your bike.

fwiw, my first bike was a 650. dumped it 5 mins into my first ride letting the clutch out too fast. had to fix the shifter. needless to say, I never did that again.

[rice rocket]

Did you at least get a short wheelie in?!

[buldogge]

I owned a SV650 (original "tubular frame" model) for a few years. With decent suspension (I had a Penske rear shock and Race Tech worked forks) they can be all the bike you need...comfortable, good torque, and with upright bars a great commuter. I used Laverda Jota type bars and added a different headlight/fairing/windscreen nose.

I really liked that bike, but sold it on to buy a Honda VFR800i which I took on a 5k mile road trip out west...it was the right tool for the job and is also a great bike...love the V4.

If you want a 250...I will sell you my '93 Honda NSR250 MC21...275#, 63hp, Traxxion worked suspension!

Get a used 250 4T...ride the snot out of it, sell it for about the same you paid for it and then buy a 600-800cc bike. Think SV, VFR, BMW F800...

-Mark in St. Louis

[djg21]

Originally Posted by spaced_ghost

if you have any highway miles to ride, i'd go for something bigger, like 650.

I'd agree. A heavier bike is going to be more stable at highway speeds. But, if you don't have a lot of riding time it might be worth taking a motorcycle safety course from a school that supplies (small) bikes. (It's always worth it). If you're not yet licensed, you may be able to use the school's bike for the road test. It is far easier to pass the road test on a smaller bike.

[spaced_ghost]

Originally Posted by rice rocket

Did you at least get a short wheelie in?!

boy, did i. right in front of a line of people waiting to get into a theater. after the brief wheelie, bike went sliding in one direction across the intersection, and i went sliding the other way.

[bike]

Buy the riding gear first. Skip the 250 thumper, its insuficient. The new ninja 300, or honda cbr 500 are the only beginner bikes that should be considered. Trust me, my little ninja 250 is beyond boring at this point, it was a real quick stepping stone.

[n_maher]

For a first bike, absolutely buy used. You may hate it and taking the bath of depreciation on something like a 250cc bike would be brutal. You're about to come into the time of year where the market will be pretty well flooded with used bikes in the Northeast.

Outside of that, my thoughts on a first bike based on the one that you posted would be something like this.

1. Suzuki GS500e - any year will do. Often found for less than $2k with low miles. Look for one that hasn't been raced or otherwise obviously abused.

2. Kawasaki EX500 or Ninja 500 - very similar to the GS listed above. Small enough not to bite your head off, powerful enough to have a useful life span and fine for highway duty.

3. Triumph TT600 - the early ones were much maligned for a soft spot early in the power band. A good dealer will have remapped it long ago to largely remedy that and it was overblown anyway. Styling is somewhat polarizing but you also won't see one parked on every corner. Also probably not that easy to find but I used to ride a Triumph (Sprint RS) and loved it.

4. Depending on your inseam you could also consider something like a KLR650 or DR650 both of which are "dual sport" bikes that look a lot like a dirt bike but don't have the suspension travel and are too heavy to really do serious off-roading with. But they make for great commuters.

There are certainly more options but you get the idea. I'd to 650cc and below and not buy something that was made more for a track than the street (GSXR, CBR, YZR, etc.). Flip side, anything smaller than 400cc is probably going to feel pretty wheezy after a few months. Basically I'd try to avoid the usual pitfalls that new riders seem to find which is that they buy too much too soon and suffer the painful consequences.

Best of luck and as they say, keep the rubber side down.

Nate

P.s. Please wear a helmet.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by buldogge

Get a used 250 4T...ride the snot out of it, sell it for about the same you paid for it and then buy a 600-800cc bike. Think SV, VFR, BMW F800...

You really should only buy used for a first bike but don't buy a POS, you want something safe(r). The CBR 250 can be a steal used as people upgrade way too soon. For a second bike in a year or two I also recommend something like a VFR which has an incredibly reliable and torque laden V-4 but also has all-day ergonomics.
The MSF course is a must and so is decent gear.

[ofcounsel]

I've been riding motorcycles continuously for about 25 years. I've been racing motorcycles for a long while too (I used to race 600 class bikes and now I race SV650's).

My thought is that the 250 is a great bike to get your feet wet with. It will serve you well in learning throttle control, and are lightweight and easy to maneuver. The ABS option is really nice as well, as it will inspire confidence. The fuel injection makes it easy to start up and run. It will also get you great gas mileage. Plus, when you drop it (not if... when), it's generally a cheaper bike... so it won't hurt so much.

My thought is that you may out grow it within a year. But honestly, it's not a great idea to to go too big, too quick. Even little 250's can accelerate from 0-60mph as fast as a sports car. An SV650 is manageable as a first bike, but honestly, it's not as good of a "first bike" as the Honda 250. Smaller bikes will help you build confidence as you build your skills. Going too big too fast is the good way to get hurt or die. Honestly, I've seen my share of sane, level headed people who get in over their heads and end up dead.

So my thought is go for the Honda 250. If you want "a little" more power, but want to stay in the general size range, consider the Kawasaki Ninja 300. The MSRP is a few hundred more, but it's a really popular alternative (In fact, in this case it's the class leader, and the Honda's the alternative).

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/pro...ns.aspx?id=717

And please, please, pleast DON'T skimp on gear!!!! If you're gonna commute, get yourself an Aerostich suit, a full face helmet (Arai, Shoei, and Suomy are leading brands) and a good pair of gloves (Held Gloves are my favorite). I can't emphasize how IMPORTANT good gear really is.

http://www.aerostich.com/suits

[jamesau]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

i'm interested in getting on a bike.

Second taking the rider ed course (see here for locations and dates: http://www.rider-ed.com/)

Also second getting a full set of gear should you decide to take the plunge.

Also some great reading here:
http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-.../dp/0760314039 and
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Mot...ref=pd_sim_b_3

[christian]

Originally Posted by bike

Trust me, my little ninja 250 is beyond boring at this point, it was a real quick stepping stone.

Originally Posted by n_maher

Flip side, anything smaller than 400cc is probably going to feel pretty wheezy after a few months.

Originally Posted by ofcounsel

My thought is that you may out grow it within a year. But honestly, it's not a great idea to to go too big, too quick. Even little 250's can accelerate from 0-60mph as fast as a sports car.

I don't want to derail Nick's thread, but I do want to explore this a bit. What, exactly, do you guys mean when you "outgrow" a 250 or that it becomes "boring" or "wheezy"? (And of counsel, I recognize you qualified your statement.)

My experience includes, as I said earlier in the thread, over 160,000 miles of riding experience, about 19 years on bikes, and about 10 bikes owned, including a number of liter supersports, a big sport-tourer, a Harley, a couple of KTMs, a bunch of standards, etc. I've raced 125cc two-strokes and done a number of track days on 600s as well.

At present, I own a Honda CBR1000 and a Ninja 250. I use the Ninja for 90%+ of my riding, because it's my commuter, and frankly on the weekends, I'd rather ride bicycles.

But I guess my point is this, other than flogging it for multiple hours on the highway, I don't see where the Ninja falls short in road-going "performance." It's certainly not the fastest bike in the world, and the build quality is obviously done to a price-point, but frankly, for riding around, and even for sport riding, it's fine -- like any other bike, the fun is about hitting the right lines, riding the bike you're riding within its limits, etc. In fact, I find a Ninja 250 a lot more fun on the street, because you can actually ride it at 7/10ths without getting into vastly superlegal speeds. Yeah the suspenders suck and the Dunrocks are hard, but that just means your inputs have to be more gentle. Liter bikes are basically useless on the street; it's difficult to ride them hard enough to warm the tires...

Don't get me wrong, I understand getting bored with a motorcycle and wanting to try something new, but I'm struggling to understand how one outgrows a Ninja 250 in a year.

[spaced_ghost]

i can't speak to 250's, but I know when I had my 650, it did always feel like i was pushing it too hard when on the highway. granted, I was in my early 20's and had a tendency to go 100mph across Kansas....

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by christian

Don't get me wrong, I understand getting bored with a motorcycle and wanting to try something new, but I'm struggling to understand how one outgrows a Ninja 250 in a year.

Peer pressure. Pure and simply peer pressure. Haw haw lookit the little bike! You can't be a real man (tm) on that little thing! You need a [insert bigger displacement MC that that individual is riding here].

I'd say riding a 250cc road bike is a lot like driving an MG Midget: its low enough performance that you can wring its neck and have a hoot while not going supra-legal 'arrest me now!' speeds. I've had a Midget. It was a hoot hustling it thru the corners using all its power. I've ridden a 250 Ninja. Same kind of feel.

Just don't do what I did: start on an 82 Goldwing as your first daily rider. Its a long story, but since it had a 'for sale' sign on it, I figured I'd better ride it so people could see it was for sale vs sticking it in the garage and hiding it.

If you insist on getting a big bike, check out the boxer BMWs. While they're big, heavy bikes, the powerband isn't liter class 'straighten your arms out while you're wheelie-ing in 3rd gear at 100mph' strong.

M

[fatallightning]

The looking down of 250s seems to be a very American thing where any squid can walk into a dealer with a license acquired on a scooter and buy a Hayabusa. In Europe, where they have a tiered license, 250 is a midsize bike. Unless you're doing lots of super slabbing, a 250 is fine. Contrarily, 250 starter bikes hold value better then bigger bikes, maybe not brandy new, but you can usually buy a 2 year old starter bike, ride it for 2 years, and damn near break even.

The small CBR is a wonderful bike, and fuel injection is a beautiful thing. Go for it, take the MSF, buy a decent jacket, lid, boots and gloves.

Depending on your inseam, or tastes, consider maybe a dual sport bike as well, Suzuki DR400S(m), Yamaha WR250, etc. Those things are a hoot, and get ridiculous mileage.

[christian]

Originally Posted by fatallightning

Contrarily, 250 starter bikes hold value better then bigger bikes, maybe not brandy new, but you can usually buy a 2 year old starter bike, ride it for 2 years, and damn near break even.

I've never bought a (pre-2008) Ninja 250 for more than $1600. I've never sold one for less than $1600. If you buy in October and sell in April...