[Chris84]

First post on here, didn't seem to be many kawasaki bike forums out there and this one looked like a good one. Anyway come this spring after I find out where to get these biker lessons I'll spring for a permit and license. Then I'm gonna be looking for an older (obviously) ninja sportbike. Tight budget I'm looking at 2 grand for one, I saw one fairly close by me for about 1,300 it was an 89 I believe this is the ad here.
http://adcache.cycletrader.com/5/8/6/64594886.htm

I was also wondering about the 250's, they are extremely cheap but a 250? sounds kinda limp-wristed I was thinking 5-600 but can't find one for about 2-2500, anyone have any input on them. thanks.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

welcome to the board chris!- look around the go-fast forum and you'll see this subject is common among new riders.most of the guys here will recommend a 500 as a starter bike and they list the reasons why-i'm just too lazy to type em' all :lol:

ride safe!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Welcome, I agree with bikeaholic.

The 250 might be a little on the small size but don't go over 500 for a first bike. There's one heck of a big step between the 500 and 600 Ninja models, the 600 actually has twice the power of the 500 ( 118 vs 60 ).

 

[Chris84]

Yea, I'll check that forum out thanx, I think I'm leaning towards the 500 problem is, can they be found around my budget?

 

[Anonymous]

PRICE RANGE

eBAY too...but there are enough of us on the FORUM to do about anything...A NEW NINJA 250R isn't that far over your budget if you are working and you want a great bike where insurance, maintenance, and fuel costs are cheaper. The only thing about the NINJA 250R is that the power on the low end is LOW but if you check out the stats you will see that it rolls on at 9,000RPM all the way to 13,000RPM and the red-Line is at 14,000RPM. Unbelievable, that the motor turn the RPM's and has so much power, but it IS there only in the upper RPM range. Heck, it has 6 gears...does over 100MPH, easy to handle...but, you're the one spending the money and if you want to keep something for years and years then MAYBE you'll want something larger...depends if you live on the flatlands or in the mountains...I say this because if you look at facts and figures and just plain out fun the NINJA 250R...IS a NINJA! ...it is still cheaper...

 

[Chris84]

Yea the thing with the 250 is I could walk into a dealership and get a nice one but after a year, year and a half I'll be wishing I got something a bit more powerful. I plan on owning my first bike 3-5 years so a 500-600cc would probably be ideal. Not too coumfortable bout ebay though, if I find something I'll probably post it up on here before I bid on it. Bikes are like 4-500 bucks to ship I think plus you don't get to look at them test them out etc. But who knows.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Yea the thing with the 250 is I could walk into a dealership and get a nice one but after a year, year and a half I'll be wishing I got something a bit more powerful. I plan on owning my first bike 3-5 years so a 500-600cc would probably be ideal. Not too coumfortable bout ebay though, if I find something I'll probably post it up on here before I bid on it. Bikes are like 4-500 bucks to ship I think plus you don't get to look at them test them out etc. But who knows.

You're not buying a toy, don't worry about thinking that maybe you'll want to trade up in a year or two. Right now think about the fact that you're buying a learning tool. Buy used you'll save money, you won't be as sad when you drop it. If you take your time and shop around you may find a bike that you can sell in a year or two that you won't lose too much money on.

 

[michiganarft11]

When you get ready to get your permit, here's the website of the MSF. http://www.msf-usa.org/
I found a local place to take the Rider's safety course through that site. Here in Michigan if you complete the course, it waives any other road tests for your endorsement. When you're done, they hand you a piece of paper so that you can go get your motorcycle endorsement.

Also a really good idea if you can't decide how big of a bike to get. For the course they provide 250's to ride.

 

[bud8fan]

uncle bob's right....shop around and get what you want. there is some really good deals out there for the money you want to spend.

 

[Chris84]

I plan on it, thanks for that site, theres no chance in hell that I'm buying a brand new bike by the way, it's gonna be used and most likely be old.

 

[Freakinout]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[darkninja]

Finding a 500 cheap is no problem if you shop around. A 250 and a 500 are about the same price used. And don't be afraid of Ebay. Just make sure you look at where they are selling the bike (location) and only pick ones that are within driving distance so you can physically check them out first. I found my 500 on Ebay, drove 60 miles to look at it and decided that I wanted it. The guy sold it to me for $1650 on the spot. There are ways around Ebay. Check Motorcycle Trader too.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Consider this sick and twisted or just a wake up call. Was talking to my dealer ( well actually his son ) and it seems they buy a lot of bikes right in hospital emergency rooms.

Seems they have a network of contacts in nearby hospitals that call them when a biker shows up injured and they make offers on the spot and get them often for less than salvage value.

Ninja's and GSX-R's seem to be the top selling bikes in E.R's.

 

[Chris84]

whats considered a lot of miles on a bike anyway.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Bikes can last for hundreds of thousands of miles but as a general rule 50,000 is when you have to start shelling out big bucks to keep it on the road.

As a general rule of thumb I would advise to find something with under 30,000 miles preferably nearer 20,000 which isn't that hard actually. Lot's of bikers only put a couple of thousand miles a year on their rides.