starter bike

[Jake]

i think im going to get a bike this summer before i start working on my car. i was looking at the ninja 250s and was wondering if that would be my best bet or if anyone else has anything similar. i have never ridden before and i dont want to spend much more than a grand. i also chose the ninja 250 because it looks a little sporty, even though it probably cant get out of its own way. im not too worried about speed, i just like the idea of the mpgs without getting a scooter.
im not too sure about posting this on sbz but it seems like a couple of you guys ride, so let me know what you would do in my situation! thanks!
-jake

[MWoods26]

I understand you are only looking to spend a grand but do yourself a favor and save more money before you waste a dime on a ninja 250. save up for a 600.

[motox159]

^^^ Agreed...a moped would be better than a ninja 250

[Rick93coupe]

I agree, I would look for a 90's CBR 600. They're still quick, get good mileage and can be had pretty cheap.

[CNTLOSE]

A 250 is still a good choice....especially if you have never rode a motorcycle before. If you buy it used for a grand you should be able to sell it for the same when your ready for a bigger bike. I would also recommend a riders class...maybe even before you buy to see if you will like it. Some people buy a bike and then decide it is not for them and turn around and sell it after a couple weeks.

[Jake]

i have ridden my brothers bmw (dakar? i think it was called) offroad for a short period of time. it was a pretty big bike, with a 600 twin in it if i remember correctly. but on the street with other cars seems like a whole diferent ballgame. so i will definitely try and find a class to take. as for the 600, i have thought about that, but the main reason i want a bike right now is for money, to ride back and forwarth to work and school. the 600's get worse gas mileage and i think insurance takes a hit too. (i am only 18). and im not too concerned with speed (thats what im pouring all my money into the stang for!). if the time comes where i get the itch to go faster on two wheels i would still be able to sell it. and if im only the in the bike for around a grand i wouldnt take too much of a hit on it either. that being said, is there anything between the 250 and the 600? and are there any other sporty looking bikes in the 250 category? or is the ninja the only one?
i really do appreciate all the help and input so far. thanks!

[Gene]

It's amazing how much 250 Ninjas hold their value. You'll struggle to find a decent one for under a grand.

I would look at 500 Ninjas or GS500 Suzukis, or like others have suggested a 90s CBR600. 600 Katanas or 600 Ninjas, if bought right and aren't beat to death also make good first bikes.

Honda made a VTR250 Interceptor in the early 90s, but they're really rare and come in awful fluorescent colors. Suzuki also had a 400 Bandit that's a great starter (and a 4-cylinder), but it's really rare as well.

[Jake]

i am not looking for one in great condition. as long as it runs fine, paint scratches wont bother me. im sure i will lay it down at least once anyways and dont want to ruin a nice bike. i just did a quick search for 600's on ebaymotors and couldnt find one for under 2000. i liked the vtr250 and the bandit, but couldnt find them for sale anywhere. (i know, rare) i looked this summer and saw several 250s for under 1000. but im not sure if people are raising there prices in the winter or what.
again thanks for the help. you gave me several other good options to look into.

[mad max]

I would go with a 250 , its a good beginner bike , but i have a feeling you will be bored very quickly with it. You should be able to get your money back out of it though , because they do hold good value. When you're ready for something bigger , i would look for an early 90's cbr 600f2. Really rider friendly bike and good on power .

[Mustard]

My first bike was a 500 ninja. I sold it 1 month later for a 600 CBR that was raced out. Its a good idea to take a riders course. It may help save you cash on insurance as well. I would look at 800 suzuki intruders. They are a good bike and handle well and wouldnt be too much bike for a first timer

[Gene]

My first bike was a 500 ninja. I sold it 1 month later for a 600 CBR that was raced out. Its a good idea to take a riders course. It may help save you cash on insurance as well. I would look at 800 suzuki intruders. They are a good bike and handle well and wouldnt be too much bike for a first timer

The 800 Intruder is about the polar opposite of "handling well" :)

It's a pretty nice cruiser, actually, but the long rake and low ground clearance make it awful around corners. If he wants a sport bike of any type, the Intruder is not a good choice.

[sean]

I have never been fond of a first bike being a sport bike. Especially if your on a budget. 1000.00 wont get you much in the sport bike family worth having. ninja and katana. Nothing wrong with either of the two but they can get pricey if you lay one over and insurance will be a little higher. You need to learn about being on a bike in different situations and get better at being on a bike before you need to worry about what kind of bike your on. You will understand what I am talking about as you start riding more. The cruiser type bikes offer a different seating position and you can see a little more side to side when your sitting up rather than leaning forward. If you drop an old cruiser you pick it up and keep riding. No plastic mess left behind and on most cruisers it wont show the damage as much on a drop. For the 800 to 1200 price range there are plenty of bikes out there. shadows, night hawks, kawasaki ltd, kawasaki kz550, kaw 440ltd, sabre, maurauder, cb550, suzuki 550. There are tons of great older sport/ cruisers out there waiting to be bought cheep. Also the cruiser can be easier to take your test on.
As far as classes. Scarlet oaks has a course that provides the helmet and bike. It takes 3 days and at the end when you pass the class you get a voucher so you dont have to take the bmv on bike test. I think the class is @ 50 dollars.
Its your first bike and your young. Dont worry about how well it takes turns. Just get on it and learn to be a safe and responsible rider. Then go get the bike you want that looks cool. Thats how i did it. I have a cruiser and an R1. I like them both the same.

[97dustang]

my first bike was an 03 yamaha r6, its an awesome bike, has really good power, and still gets about 45 mpg's. just dont hammer it everywhere. I would reccomend starting on a sport bike as opposed to a cruiser because they are more nimble and much more forgiving if you have to swerve, come to a sudden stop, or any obstacle you may come across. as far as a 250, i wouldnt waste your time, you will be bored with it extremely quickly and want something bigger. just save up and find a 600 for 2k or so, just because it has more power doesnt mean you have to use it. and with a 250 your gonna find yourself wanting more. just my .02

and insurance isnt too bad, im 20, no tickets, and its $40 a month for my r6. i went with geico but progressive is also pretty cheap.

oh yea, and i just signed up for the rider course, im taking mine at butler tech, its $25. Im in the class starting may 5th, if you want you can see if you can jump in the same one. If you get a bike before hand and want to cruise around a little let me know, im always down to ride

[INSANEBA]

Alot of good advice above, but also alot of different opinions lol. The 250, 500 market is made for guys like you, thats for sure! I bought my gf a 99 Ninja 500 for her first bike, but she never even rode it. I sold it and bought her a gsxr600, adn she does fine on it. As for my opinion, I say scab up $1500 and go find an older FZR600, CBR600F2, Katana 600, or something of that nature. They are entry level sport bikes, that for that price arent gonna be perfect. That way you wont be heart broken if it does fall over. They perform great, but not too great. They have good power, but power to weight ratio they arent too much for a beginner. They are all over craigslist for cheap, I've been looking for one for my cousin. Theres a 99 Katana 600 up here for $1500 obo, black on black, looks decent and new tire and chain too! As for a cruiser, I wouldnt recomend it for a newb, but I had a couple when I was a teenybopper. They are heavier, less forgiving, less ground clearence, and just a different animal all together. But just make sure most of all whatever you get you like, your the one gonna be putting it around lol...

[silverstang]

Good advice INSANE. My first bike was 06 600rr and I think it was a great first bike. Now I have a harley and like you said a different animal. It takes alot more to turn that harley and thats what scares most newb. I would stay away from a 250 all togather. You will be bored after the second ride and then want to sell it or just lose interest in riding. Good luck pick a bike that fits you have fun and be safe!

[Jake]

i really appreciate all the input and advice you guys have given me. i was looking into bikes mainly for the gas savings of going to school and work everyday. that way i could spend the cash i would save on finishing my mustang. i guess i'll make my decision once i have cash in hand, but dont worry about me getting bored with whatever i get. my mustang is slow as hell, and i would cruise around in that thing with the top down all day long. :bigthumb

[Jake]

as far as classes go, i think i would have to wait until school/work slows down. unless they have classes on sundays only. it is definitely something i am interested in though, when is the deadline for registering for that may 5th class dustang?

[mailman]

I put a brazillian miles on a Ninja 250, enjoyed the crazy gas mileage, and have no complaints. If you are over 6' or 175lb, the 250 is going to feel very small under you. Great bike, cheap to maintain, cheap to ride. Buy one for this year, trade up when you can afford a nice sport bike.

[97dustang]

there is no deadline to register, you just have to register before the class is full. and even if the class is full you can show up on the night of the class and if they have any no shows they will fill the spots with any walk ups

[Jake]

I put a brazillian miles on a Ninja 250, enjoyed the crazy gas mileage, and have no complaints. If you are over 6' or 175lb, the 250 is going to feel very small under you. Great bike, cheap to maintain, cheap to ride. Buy one for this year, trade up when you can afford a nice sport bike.

i think thats the route i'll end up taking. i am over 6 foot and right at 175 (scrawny) but i have sat on a friends 09 ninja 250 and it seemed ok. maybe its because i rode bmx bikes when i was six foot :rolleyes:
thanks for the input.

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I have very little experience riding, but one day i hope to own one of my dream bikes...a modern Kawasaki Z1000 cafe bike...something like this will do nicely :D

http://www.bikeexif.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/z1000.jpg

I'd be just as happy with a Mad Max edition Z1000 though
http://z1000goose.fc2web.com/images/goose-nazono.jpg

[Jake]

i dont know the history behind the cafe bikes, but every single one i have seen i have really liked.

[97dustang]

it started as a british thing. it was one of the earlier forms of motorcylce "hot rodding" if you will, they were bikes that the "younger" crowd could afford, and they fixed them up and would try to make them as fast as they could by piecing together parts from other bikes or modifying the parts they had. then they got the cafe racer term because they would go to local cafe's ... bars by todays standards, talk shit, and then have races, usually down the road around a cone and first one back won. theres a really interesting show on t.v. called cafe racer. its all about the history, and building cafe bikes

[Gene]

I have very little experience riding, but one day i hope to own one of my dream bikes...a modern Kawasaki Z1000 cafe bike...something like this will do nicely :D

Good taste. :bigthumb

One of the scariest bikes I've ever ridden was an early 80s KZ1000 Eddie Lawson Replica with a 1400cc big bore kit...basically a full on old-school Superbike for the street.

http://www.classic-japanese-bikes.com/images/KawiELR.jpg

The next street bike I'd like to build would be an upgraded version of the old-school Kawasaki ZX-7R...the real ones with flatslide carbs, close ratio gearbox and an aluminum fuel tank.

http://raresportbikesforsale.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ZXRR-Left.jpg

I had a 1992 and a 1995 regular ZX-7 in the later 90s...I'd love to have an "R" model and build it with newer suspension components and such. I just can't really get into the looks of the newer sportbikes, but I love the bikes of the 80s and 90s.

[Rich]

Look for a 90's model Honda Nighthawk 750. Excellent starter bike. Low maintenance and as reliable as the day is long!

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I love the old "vintage crotch rocket" bikes...the ones where you can see they definitely weren't cruisers but not quite what they are today.

This must be one of my favorite cafe bikes ever built...pretty much any bike Steve Carpenter has ever built is badass but this is one of my favorites. It's built from a '71 Honda CB750

http://www.pipeburn.com/storage/cb750_cafe.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=12660578 07350

[INSANEBA]

I got my first kZ1000 when I was 17, man did I think it was the baddest thing on the road lol. Ofcourse to all my friends, it was too! They are cool, and I would repo my old Z1-900 if I could ever find it. Just to have it sitting around, maybe even to cut up and make a street fighter bike with. Gene, I think what you said about not being into the looks of todays bikes comes with growing up riding/seeing the old school badass'es rule the road. But me being a drag racer today, I have to adapt... Like it or not, new school stuff is pretty wicked these days...

[Timido]

I have allways thought Sv650s were great as a first bike and a last bike. They have decent power they handle great and they are a dime a dozen. That is the one bike I wish I would have keep.

I allways wanted a sr500/srx600 single cafe style bike. You can keep the british crap.

[Gene]

I have allways thought Sv650s were great as a first bike and a last bike. They have decent power they handle great and they are a dime a dozen. That is the one bike I wish I would have keep.

Best cheap race bike ever.

[97dustang]

hey jake,
I ended up selling my bike today, however i'm still registered for the class on may 5th. if you want I can try to get them to just change the name on it if you want to take my spot. just let me know

[ibstrokin]

Yet another alternative is a Suzuki SV 650. They are v-twin, torquey, sound cool, not real fast, not real slow, good frame/ handling/brakes. Good first choice, something to consider.

[blown86lx]

My buddy is selling a 96 cbr 600 f3. Its red and white and black with f3 in yelow on the side. I think he wants $1800 for it. Last time I talked to him he still had it, but that was about a month ago. If your intrested pm me and I will get you his number. It has a Yosh slip on exhaust and is -2 teeth on the front sprocket.

[babiixoxbritty]

my first bike that i really rode alot was a 07 hayabusa. it was a great riding bike, really stable. i had a 250 ninja but all my friends wrecked it so i traded it for a moped.

[INSANEBA]

F3 is a perfect starter, cheap, quick, handles, and when you get the balls it'll wheelie. You can go low 11's on it stock too, fun all around!