[Cards_fan40]

Hey guys , My name is Matt , I am a 17 year old student. I am a junior in high school , and I am looking at getting a ninja. I am going to start out with a 250cc for sure , but I wanted to check up and get an added opinion. I still need to take the test to let me drive a bike , but I am planning ahead. I dont want anything more then a 250 until I am good on the 250. I will only use it to get to and fro school/work/friends houses/family ect. I do not plan on taking it on the freeways and I am not trying to go fast , yet . I also know I need to set aside money for protective gear. I was told I need to invest into a helmet(duh) , gloves , a jacket of some sort , and pants. Someone also mentioned boots , but I dont wanna end up wearing boots to school , so anyone know an alternitive to that? any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the imput guys.

 

[nemethjames1]

:grin: well for starts, i just wear my regualr shoes when i ride my bikes.... ninja250 is a nice start at becomin a good rider....

 

[Freakinout]

A lot of people wear regular tennis shoes and stuff like that on their bikes. This gives you NO ankle protection. Over the ankle boots are what you are looking for. Doc martins, and similar boots will usually give you enough protection. I know of no other alternatives to actually wearing boots.

 

[nemethjames1]

good point... maybe i should buy some boots now LOL

 

[JTpaintball70]

woot! Another 17 year old If the 250 is anything like my 500R, then you should like it. My 500 is great for commuting to and from school/work, as you can get out of the school parking lot before most people are there As for a jacket, just make sure it has armour in it. And combat boots look good and give decent protection, so do the AlpineStar GPS3s.

 

[Cards_fan40]

woot! Another 17 year old If the 250 is anything like my 500R, then you should like it. My 500 is great for commuting to and from school/work, as you can get out of the school parking lot before most people are there As for a jacket, just make sure it has armour in it. And combat boots look good and give decent protection, so do the AlpineStar GPS3s.

I take it you are 17?????

Thanks all for the input , I appreciate it alot. The only other thing I forgot and thats pretty important is INSURANCE. Can you guys give me a range of what I can expect as a 17 year old student???

 

[JTpaintball70]

Yep, 17 year old Junior also. For a while I thought I was gonna be the youngest one on here
I'm paying about 800 a year for liability with some xtra options through GEICO

 

[Cards_fan40]

Well when your birthdate? mines june 6th , are you still the youngest one here?

Thanks for the info on Geico, I was going to give them a call. Sounds reasonable , I'll call them and find out some more.

Thanks all.

 

[2WheelFun]

By the way Matt.....Welcome!

 

[ninja250r]

my ninja 250r

welcome card fan, I really like mine. Only 22 miles on it right now so take this with a grain of salt. Very light agile bike. Bottom end is kinda weak but will hit 80 fairly quick. Great learner or just a fun bike for someone nearly twice your age. uh umm. :wink: It seems to be a very well mannered bike. It is far from my first bike so I am a little biased about the lack of power, if it was my first I would think it was a bad *** Just dont do the honda shadow 250. SOOOO weak. The ninja is fun, reliable from what I have read, and looks sweeter than anything else in its class. Priced to move as well at under 3000. Enough said. GO. BUY. LEARN. ENJOY.

 

[JTpaintball70]

Mine is Nov. 8... looks like I'm still youngest

 

[Freakinout]

I feel old in here....

 

[N3GATIVEZER0]

welcome card_fan, you'll get a lot of good info here.

and freakinout: you're not old, you're experienced!

 

[2WheelFun]

My oldest son's b-day is Nov 8th and mine is Nov 10.

 

[sci fly]

i'm 16 (17 in two months), a junior in highschool as well. I started out on a Nighthawk 250 (good idea to start out on a smaller bike to build your skills). From what i've heard about the 250 it's an extremely good bike. I've heard it's basicly a smaller version of the ex500 (what i ride). If that's the case then i would definately recommend it.


edit: i'm the youngest one here, no one knew until now though

 

[JTpaintball70]

you can have that title Sci Fly

 

[Daekar]

haha i feel old now too... wish i had started that young. Oh well I'm started now, that's what counts.

 

[Cards_fan40]

Thanks all for the warm welcome , and I appreciate the info very much. I will prolly look into the prices of the bike/saftey equipment/insurance in the next few days.
Can any one tell me a good brand of gear? I have been told that first gear is pretty solid. Any other brands I should look into?

Thanks again for the warm welcomes.

 

[1Adam12]

My recommendation is to buy a used Ninja 250 unless you are really stuck on a new one. You will save lots of money and can invest that money in your gear. If you are patient enough you can find one that is relatively new with low miles on it. The engine will run forever so don't worry about mileage too much.

The 250 is a great ride and lots of fun. Depending on how much you weigh you may want to consider upgrading your brakes and suspension.

 

[Daekar]

I've got a FirstGear "Speed Jacket" and matching pants that I really love, but unfortunately I don't think they make that particular style anymore. Check out

http://www.firstgear-usa.com/index.htm

for their '04 line of stuff. I'd recommend Sidi (http://www.sidisport.com/eng/index.asp) or Alpinestars (http://www.alpinestars.com/_lp/scoop_moto.htm) for boots. If you possibly can, decide which stuff you're interested in and then take a trip to a dealership to try it all on if you can, especially the boots.