250 too slow?

[brooklynyte]

I know youve seen a million of people like me but please give me advice. Im fed up with all the unsupportive people telling me not to get a bike, I live in Brooklyn NY Im 20 years old, 140 lb, 6'1", i came to the conclusion that i want a bike, more specifically a kawasaki. I was originally thinking (dont kill me yet) a zx-12r but thankfully i found this forum and now im thinking of more like a 250r after reading freakin outs post. I understand safety, and have a little bit more maturity than most my age, i work at a body shop and have seen the worst with cars, but not with bikes, but the wonders of the internet has shown me that. I'm not lookin to race or anything but i want something with a little zip, can even a 250r take off faster than most cars or what? i have never ridden a bike yet and im goin to take that safet course mentioned in the post i read, i think its MSA or somethin, so i dont know the power of bikes at all, like i said, i dont wanna race but i dont wanna have to fight to keep the bike up to speed on a highway, or have to slow down traffic taking off from a light cause that alone will get me killed in brooklyn, car service town cars will be up my *** if thats the case lol. any hel would be greatly appreciated and i will let you know how everything goes. i have just finished reading the dmv's motorcycle booklet so i could get my permit so i could go to that training course because every true biker that ive spoken to tells me thats the way to go to get my license, not through dmv. I would like to thank the forum operators and members for being here to help little a-holes like me not kill ourselves. cause i prolly would have bought a liter bike if i hadnt seen this forum, you get caught up in trying not to look like a pansy but hey, i guess its better to be alive than to b cool huh?

[1Adam12]

I rode a Ninja 250 in 89 and not much has changed on the bike except the bike got lighter and better performance probably. It was a really fun bike to ride and was never short of revs. The powerband is different as you can wind it up to 14,000 rpm (could be higher now) and the bike loves high revs. You won't be stopping traffic and will out accelerate most cars - exotics excluded. Having a 250 or a scooter for that matter in the city makes sense. Its a pain to drive there.

Good job into studying and getting safety information - Motorcycle Safety Foundation, Information can be found in the FAQ section.

Buy some safety gear: Invest in a good helmet IMHO an Arai or Shoei, gloves - don't get the thin ones, this is what protects your hands in a fall/crash ie sliding, jacket - look for back protection, elbow protection and shoulder protection as a min, and riding pants.

[kmcbee1414]

Yeah
the 250 is one of the best beginner bikes on the market, you should if you havent all ready check out the older post here, you can find some good info there. Might i suggest that you go to your local bookstore or library and check out some of the motorcycle books they have.
Anyway have fun and stay safe.

[Curt]

can even a 250r take off faster than most cars or what?

Mine beats just about every car on the road. Fast sports cars can beat me in the 1/4 mile, but I can beat them in traffic because I can take off so fast. You don't have to worry at all about being too slow on a Ninja 250. I think the Ninja 250 has a lot more zip than the 250 cruisers out there.

thats the way to go to get my license, not through dmv.

The MSF is a way better method to get your license. Think about it this way:
1. The purpose of the MSF is to make you a better rider, and most people (95% or more maybe) easily get their license the first try.
2. The purpose of the DMV is to keep unskilled riders off the road. They teach nothing. They don't help you. They don't want to help you. Their purpose is to see you fail. Maybe 60% of the people pass the first time.
So who do you want to help you get your license? Someone who wants you to succeed, or someone who wants you to fail?

you get caught up in trying not to look like a pansy

If you try to not be a pansy (the guy with the 250), you become a pansy (the guy who lets other people push him around). That's what peer pressure is -- when you let other people control your life. So be smart, be strong, and be a real man.

A year or so ago Kawasaki changed the redline on the Ninja 250 to 13,000. There's no change in the engine or transmission. They just changed where the red line mark is.

Curt

[1Adam12]

For the naysayers out there, consider this. Motorcycle racing bikes are 125's, 250's etc. and produce tons of handling and speed.

If you buy the 250 and master it, there are tons of aftermarket parts that can make it go faster if you are so mechanically inclined to do so. I feel many riders sell the Ninja 250 because they have no idea what the bike is really capable of doing. They cruise in the 4-5 thousand rpm range and feel it doesn't go. It goes, they just don't how to ride!

I'm sure Curt will concur that the bike has plenty of go power, just need to know how to use it. Skill, experience and knowledge.

[Curt]

Curt concurs.

After you take the MSF course and you've been riding a while, take the advanced course. I've let some people ride my bike. It's amazing what it can do in the hands of a truly skilled rider.
Curt

[megahyperion]

Im pretty much starting out on an old 900cc bike and its not that big of a deal if your responsible and ride in the right state of mind.

I technically started on a dirt bike and never rode a 125cc I went straight for the 250cc and still ride the 250cc dirt bike.
I basically just never thought I couldnt ride or handle it, I am 5'11 @ 140lbs so I am not a big guy but I have some height which didnt really allow me to get intimidated by the 250cc dirt bike when most of my freinds said I was silly for buying one over a 125 which they claimed was more then enough, but now it seems there more then enough bikes are more then enough behind me when we ride agressivly out on the trails.

With that frame of mind I was hunting for a litre bike for my first street bike but I am glad I did NOT buy one.
I took my buddies 02 GSX-R 750 out and its night and day to the bike I ended up with (GPZ900R) although I have quite a bit more on him in the cc department his bike would crush mine in any type of race.
My bike is also still not yet fully tuned, I only just got it running.

Meanwhile I have another freind who has a 03gsxr750 and was recently hit, not cause he couldnt control the bike but more from lack of confidence in riding, he was driving like an old lady and everyone there (4 freinds) say it was his fault for the way he driving, like a grandma.

Now when I rode my freinds 750gsxr for the 2nd time which was after some good riding time on my 900 I couldnt believe the difference, I felt like I could do just about anything on the bike because of the weight difference the increased power through the rpm band, needless to say after riding his bike the 2nd time another freind said I rode it like I had been riding the bike for years, and I even pulled off some wheelies he cant do yet (1st into and through 2nd gear standup) and hes been riding for almost a year.

That was mainly just from confidence in myself after stepping down from a big heavy slow bike, but dont get me wrong you need to respect the bike as well, it takes a perfect balance of both respect and confidence to handle the newer big bikes.

So my vote for a good beginers bike is an old big (900cc for example) bike, generally because they are not as fast as the new fuel injected 750's and they are alot bigger and heavier which helps to build confidence and learn how to control and especially respect a bigger bike.

Believe me after riding my freinds gsxr for the first time then riding my bike I was very intemidated by the difference in size and weight, not only does my bike have a heavier motor but an all steel frame and you can tell just sitting on it and leaning it from side to side. This was enough to make me drive extra cautiosly and I still have only pulled some mild 1xt gear wheelies (no standups) on the bike.

I am sure with an older bike you will spend some time working on it which will help to teach a new rider more about bikes, and the brakes and handling response wont be quite as touchy.

Its like an old DJ freind told me, if you can master some old Gemeni turntables and sound good on them you will really sound great and have no problem spinning on a pair of technique 1200's

But if you really want a new bike I would just go for the 500cc, leave the 250's to play in the dirt, thats just my opinion.

Other then that I would personally try to find someone who has one and the other and ride them both, see which one you like because no one on this forum can tell you what you will like.

If my freinds or whatever would have pushed me into a 250 I would have been disapointed, just like if I let them push me into a 125cc back when I bought my dirt bike.

Its all about YOU, what can YOU handle, what type of responsibility are YOU willing to take on.
I can handle my 900 enough to stay safe and still have fun, but that doesnt mean you can.
Others love their 250's and feel their more then enough, you may not feel the same way after riding one.

Also dont take this post as a suggestion for a bigger bike, and dont think I condone getting a newer liter bike for your first bike cause I dont, when I say what can you handle I mean 250cc-750cc.

The 8 of my freinds who have bikes all started on 750's, theres only been one accident with us and that was the freind who got bumped (it was only at 10mph and he walked away but the bike didnt), and most of my freinds have been riding for years, only me and two others are starting this year.

[Stuart]

the average sportbike and most cruisers depending on how well you take care of them and what aftermarket parts if any...can go 0-60 in less time than a ferrari if you know how to shift

[brooklynyte]

okay, now new dilemma, so far im deciding on getting the 250since it wont kill my pocket. NOW...its about 3 g's i dont have any money saved up, but i need this bike lol, i would love to finance it but dont think i have enuff credit history, what should i do?? i was thinkin maybe getting a credit car or 2 and buy it with those and pay them off, over the course of maybe a year to a year and a half. im coming home from working on all these brand new cars, takin the train home, seein a nice bike every once in a while, then wiping the drool off my mouth and getting ticked off cause im not able to afford it. plus i have nobody to cosign for me. what are my options? its such a great price for such a great bike and i cant even take advantage of it. is anyone anyone able to give me advice to get this bike(legally lol)?AHHHHH WHY COULDNT I HAVE SAVED ALL MY MONEY???? I already work 2 jobs and now im looking for a 3rd, i make 260 at my regular body shop mon-fri job, and then i work a mitsubishi service shop on saturdays for 70 a dayso thats only 330 a week, that means about 9 weeks till i have enuff money, no way, summer will be over. please help me, i even tried to apply for a personal loan and was rejected due to lack of credit history!

[Stuart]

DO NOT...I REPEAT...DO NOT get credit cards and buy it that way, very very very bad idea.

That's all I have to say, I saved and found a good deal in the end, that's the way to do it, you can find a much better bike for less than 3 G's and still enjoy the hell outta it.

[1Adam12]

You've managed the torture chamber so far....I would hang on. You can get some great deals at the end of the season when you'll have cash to pay for it. In the meantime you can collect your gear so when you are ready to buy you won't have the additional expense to pay for it. Buying it with a credit card will be the most expensive ways you could do this. If you wanted to build your credit file, put a large down on the bike. Try Capital one financing - Ya know, whats in your wallet. I think they are only charging 7% which is better than most credit cards - you can apply online through ebay in the motor section if you can't find them. You can find out within 15 minutes usually.

Some factors maybe how long you have had a job. If longer than a year, thats a plus. If you have no other expenses, your debt ratio will be in good shape, but just no or very little credit history.

[Curt]

So you got turned down once, eh? That's no big deal. Credit is actually pretty easy to come by, and I think you have some decent options.

1. Save up about $1,200 to 1,500 cash and buy a used Ninja 250. There's plenty of them out there, and they are almost as good as a $3,000 new bike. Like 1Adam12 said, you can get some good deals at the end of the summer when people start dumping their bikes to buy cars, plus the dealers are trying to sell off the old models to make room for the new ones. The combination drives the price of bikes down considerably. In contrast, right now is a pretty bad time to buy a bike, because demand is so high. People just bought a boatload of them in May, and there are not very many left for people like you.

2. Get a loan from your bank or Kawasaki, and use the bike as collateral. Lots of people do this to buy a new bike, but you can buy a late model used one this way, too. You will have to carry full coverage. That's going to cost you a lot because of your age, but fortunately the insurance companies give you a big break because the engine is only a 250.

3. Get a credit card and take a cash advance to buy the bike. Your interest rate will probably be higher than option 2, but full coverage will not be required, so I'll bet the cost will be comparable. One way that this is better than option 2 is that you can choose an old bike if you want to.

Personally I don't like loans or credit at all. I had a loan on my first car (a new one). I paid it off in 2 years, and I've never had a car or bike loan since then. I've bought a lot of vehicles over the last 19 years, but I've always paid cash after the first one. So I think option 1 is the smartest move. Hang in there. Work hard and save your money. Don't borrow unless you have to.

But in some cases it makes sense to borrow money. If you can use the loan to make more money, then I don't mind. Loans for education and investments are often good ideas. If you don't have a car, buying the bike may save you enough money in travel expenses that it becomes a smart investment. Or maybe you can get a better job because you have transportation. You need to decide that for yourself.

I think that options 2 and 3 are about equal. Personal loans and credit cards are generally a bad idea, but in this case it gives you a bigger selection of bikes to choose from (especially older bikes) plus it lets you pay a lot less for insurance, especially at your age. If you are committed to paying off the loan or credit quickly, then you're a lot better off than most people (but not as well off as me, because I wouldn't get a loan at all).
Curt

[Stuart]

I bought my virago for 1200 mostly restored, I just need to clean the carbs a little and I was set, then I bought the side covers that were missing (50$) and one emblem I still need to find, my insurance is full coverage and roadside assis for only 294, I am a 19yo with no accidents or tickets and the engine is a 750

[brooklynyte]

??? 294? lol where do you live, good ol NY is the highes insurance anywhere. they gave me an online quote of like 600 for liability but they didnt even have the ninja 250r as a selection so i had to put other. everyone on this forum f'in rocks, ive never seen any forums willing to help out a newbie like youve helped me, Curt, yo made me realize that i could get a usd bike but still use the credit card for it so it wont take me too long to pay it off, though i would still love to get a brand new one, im sure 98 till now are pretty much the same, and that was my reason for wanting to use credit, cause of the insurance, one more question for now... I live in Brooklyn which means i have no driveway. How easy is it for someone to come and night and just put my bike on a truck and drive off? to i have to chain it up to a light post or somethin? Thanks people!!!! you made my day!

[kmcbee1414]

You really should invest in a good heavy chain with a good heavy lock. if you have the money you should get a security system of some sort.

[Curt]

good ol NY is the highes insurance anywhere. they gave me an online quote of like 600 for liability but they didnt even have the ninja 250r as a selection so i had to put other.

Try a few other insurance companies. Rates vary a lot from one company to the next. Try http://www.bike-line.com, http://www.progressive.com, http://www.geico.com, and http://www.statefarm.com. But your age, location, and lack of experience is going to hurt you. Just be glad you're not trying to insure a liter bike.

im sure 98 till now are pretty much the same

Other than colors, there have been very few changes since 1987 or so when the Ninja 250 was introduced. I would have no hesitation buying a 10-15 year old one. The reason I picked a 2001 was because I liked the red & black color scheme.

How easy is it for someone to come and night and just put my bike on a truck and drive off?

Very easy. If a professional wants your bike, he will get it, and easily, too. But he can get a CBR600 just as easy, so he'll probably leave you alone. When I was going to school, there were a ton of bicycle thefts. I always tried to lock my bike next to a more expensive bike with a cheaper lock. I had no trouble, but it helps that I never had a bike worth more than $200 back then.

So if you get an older, smaller bike, the pros won't bother with you. The guys you need to worry about are the casual, opportunistic thieves. Front or rear disk locks are good. Both are even better. A chain is about as good as it gets, unless you can get a private garage. You can also get an alarm. I like the ones with a remote pager, so if anything happens to your bike (including someone knocking it over), you can run down and kick their *** while they're still there.

http://www.Kryptonite.com makes great locks and chains. They have a New York ***hetabaddit (sp?) that looks pretty tough to me. Get the one with the long chain so you can reach a nearby lamp post or try the one with the noose.

My ex used to live in Queens when we were single. I always had a hard time finding a parking spot until she moved to a different neighborhood in Queens. It turns out that the reason there were some spots available in the new neighborhood was because a lot of car thieves lived there. I'm just so happy to be in Minnesota. I've left the keys in the bike a couple of times. My Lexus key is on the same ring. You sure can't do that in New York!
Curt

[brooklynyte]

HAHAHAH if i saw that her **I** would take advantage of it, thats the problem, there arent many people in NY that have a problem with stealing. its like second nature, if its easy, take it. i went to the kawasaki dealership closest to my house on coney island avenue and looked at it in person, i creamed my pants, its beautiful, i asked the guy "does the 250 have any balls at all?" he smiled and asked if i knew how to ride, i said not at all, then he started showing me the 500 which was 4 grand more USED! i took th financing application along with the kawasaki credit card app. i did the app online and i was once again denied. ive been pretty down lately and i have noone willing to cosign for me, my only other option which i really dont wanna do is a loanshark , but i dont think i would do that for a bike, really just emergency. so im officially F'ED! I dont wanna wait 3 month's to save it up, by then, summer will be over, I, also found out thati have to wait about a month to take the roadtest, i was gonna do it through that school but money is an issue, im still gonna take the school training but after i have my bike, *I KNOW I SHOULD DO IT FIRST BUT IT AINT HAPPENIN* Im an impatient person, I only make about 1300 a month cause im a loser, looks like theres yet another item on my "Want but cant have" list. I'm passed the point of being ****ed, im passed the point of being depressed, im just fed up.

[Curt]

Ah, grasshopper, this is good. You want the Ninja. Well, you can't have the Ninja. And this is very good. You are now ready to make a real change in your life. This isn't about a motorcycle. This is about life. Think about your life. Think about what you want. Think about where you want to be 10 years from now. Then start working on that.

This is not about a motorcycle any more. You are taking some good steps in your new education. Don't give up by going to a loan shark. Keep learning about life, real life. When you have finished learning, grasshopper, then you will be ready to live.
Curt

[brooklynyte]

LOL, even though it sounds crazy, thats just made more sense to me than anything ive heard in the past year lol. thanks curt

[brooklynyte]

LOL, I love my life,now ive finally got it through my head that i wont get a bike anytime soon because i cant afford it, then, this mechanic that works for Honda service tells me that this guy in Honda parts is selling his cb500 (dont know what year, prolly old) for like $300.00, now i would love to settle for that but the only problem now? NOWHERE TO PUT THE DAMN THING!!! Im looking for a place to keep it till i get my liscense, so once again, so close, yet so far away, he said the bike does need to be cleaned up, and it needs a new battery but this guy also owns a bike shop and he wouldnt try to sell me a f'ed up bike. and even if i have to invest a few hundred, big deal, i could learn on that until i save up for a kawasaki! Now, i have a few ideas, at the mitsubishi shop i work at, the lot is HUGE, so maybe, just maybe i could hide it in there, or i could ask my boss at my regular shop if i could keep it there for a small price, other than that, i dont know, maybe on the street with a cover on it so the cops cant see it has no plates, i dont know cause i dont want it towed either. but i cant pass up that sort of price. i HAVE to figure out something, im gona try to ask my boss on tuesday about keeping it at my shop, come on Curt, I need your wisdom!!