CLpower

Opinions? I'm thinking of a starter bike right now.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

they are fast. that is great way to start out. Technically, you never need anything else but you buddies will all have 600's....then you'll be like i need a 900 or 1100 .... for absolutely no reason. 250's keep up to 100+ miles an hour no problem. After that speed they start to run out of steam.

CLpower

fast? The thing is slower then my GTO The new one does a mid 14 second 1/4 mile


I don't really care about the speed though as it'll be my first bike ( I haven't ridden a bike since I was probably 8 years old) and then it was just a little electric motorcycle.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

it's gotta be running out of steam at the quarter mile. What is it's 0-60?

zeroday

There's a guy at my office that bought a hyabusa as his first bike. he's still alive 2 yrs later.

I'd get a 600, you'll be tired of the 250 really quickly. Plus, from what I've seen you're a big guy and IMO you'd look retarded on a 250. like even more than usual.

Python2121

I have ridden the 250 a few times before, it is THE starter bike so don't expect to hold onto it for very long because you will want a 600 (and you should stop there). Buy used with some scuffs. Very tight bike, quick 0-60 but tops off quite early (which is good for you). Very light, very fun.

TL CHROMETIDE

A friend and I have been looking for a new one since the Go Green Sales Event started. Every dealership we visited said that it'll be sold out everywhere.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

I totally agree. I started off with a Honda VF-500 and I was itching for more CCs after a few weeks. I would go with either a 500 or 600cc. It's perfect for a starter bike and it'll keep you happier longer than a 250. Either way I wouldn't go higher than a 600cc. I can't believe who ever got a Hyabusa as a starter bike. That's just crazy.

Osamu

I really like the look of the new 250. Looks much more aggressive, and the riding position is much more like other sports bikes.

I hear they have completely sold out of the 250 on the entire island here, and don't plan on getting anymore until January. Not sure if that is true, but it is believable.

I have a 2004 250 for the past year or so. I don't feel the need to upgrade, but that is more of a financial thing than anything. Plus I really have a hard time trying to find time to ride it, and an probably going to be selling it off in the next 6 months. I do feel a little too big for the bike, but it is still fun. I am really glad I spent so little on my first bike. I'll admit I layed it down a couple of times, not moving though, but still I'd be a lot more pissed if I spent more than $1500 on my bike. Plus since I bought used, I can probably sell my bike for at least as much if not more than I bought it for.

I've read reviews of the new 250 saying it is a completely different animal from the old one. On one hand, one reason I bought the old 250 is that it has been around FOREVER, so I know it is reliable, and parts are cheap. But reading reviews of the new one, it sounds like a lot more fun than the old one, and a lot of reviews from the people with 600s and 1000s say that it is still a lot of fun. I think there is a reason why the 250 is THE starter bike to own. Getting down the fundamentals are important, and an experienced rider on a 250 can keep up with any 600/1000 in the twisties. I think anyone wanting more power really soon is going in too many straight lines.

CLpower

5.75 seconds

CLpower

yea, that seems to be the case, and then the ones on craigslist are asking a premium

zeroday

to further my point about how small these things look, here's a normal sized person one one:

CLpower

really, what's making me think about it is on a commuter standpoint.

CLpower

Zero, the 250R is about identical to the size of the 500 and not far from the 650

250:

Wheelbase 55.1 in.
Seat Height 30.5 in.
Dry Weight 333 lbs. / 337 lbs. (CA-model)
Overall length 82.1 in.
Overall width 28.1 in.
Overall height 43.7 in.

500:

Overall length 82.5 in.
Overall width 27.6 in.
Overall height 45.7 in.
Ground clearance 4.7 in.
Seat height 30.5 in.
Curb weight 434.4 lbs.
Fuel capacity 4.8 gal.
Wheelbase 56.5 in.


650R

Wheelbase 55.5 in.
Seat Height 31.1
Dry Weight 393 lbs.
Overall length 82.9 in.
Overall width 29.9 in.
Overall height 50.0 in.

zeroday

overall height difference between the 650 and the 250 is 6.3 inches. that's not a small difference. don't get me wrong, i still think you'll look like an ape on a tricycle riding either the 600 or the 250, my main point was the 250 is not powerful enough to propel your apedness around town .

zeroday

I look fine on a 600/250...then again i'm 5'9"

gdubb

Skip the 250 and go to a used 600. I went 600->900->1000 all within about 2yrs.

The new 600's are light years ahead of my 95 cbr 600 I had.

GSI

I'm in the same boat. Never ridden before and am looking to get a bike. Want to get something that will help me learn with enough power to keep me happy in the future as the mrs. will not understand me wanting to buy a new bike in 6-12 months after I master the first one.

scuc

aynone heard of or considered the hyosung gt250R? I haven't found much info on it, other than its another 250cc bike. I think this is a full sized bike (compared to the Ninja 250)




edit: here's the link to their website
http://www.hyosungmotorsusa.com/

Python2121

Oh and the ones I drove were all old, so I DK what the new one is like (can't imagine its much different). After giving it some thought I would just go with a used CBR600 f4i.

Black Tire

Put it this way. Do you look good in the hospital? Thats the question you gotta ask when you think a 600CC is good to start on. No offence. But the states on people starting on a 600C are not good. Don't let looks of a bike influence u.

taitando

I'd recommend the 250R as a starter bike. Put it this way, if anything ever happens, wrecking the 250 doesn't feel quite as bad as wrecking a 600 or 1000. Even if you don't wreck, once you're ready to move onto something with more displacement, the 250's hold their value very well and it's pretty easy to sell them 2nd hand (especially with gas prices the way they are).

Besides, the money you save from buying the 250 can be used on other things like gear. A good helmet, jacket, gloves, and boots can be pretty expensive. Most people don't even figure in that cost.

CLpower

yea, i'm not going to let how I look on my bike matter. If I wanted that i'd build a cruiser.


What does one generally pay for insurance on a bike like this? Also, what kind of financing rates do the dealers give?

gdubb

Ins can be high since its considerd a sport bike. If is has fairings is what the ins company condsiders.

Also you need A credit to get financed on bikes since its considered a "luxury" not like a car. Another way is to get a signature loan from a bank. Either way you dont get great rates on bikes in general.

This what I remember when I sold Kawi/Suzk back in 02

wackjum

My insurance when I had a 250 was $60 a year.

But that's the minimum liability only. If you get full coverage, expect to pay about 1/3 to 1/2 of the value of the bike for your first year's premium. Statistically speaking, the first year of ownership the bike will probably get destroyed (for any bike).

Now that I have a 600 GSX-R, the insurance is about $80 a year.

You will have to find an insurance company that will cover you. Many don't write motorcycle insurance. I use Nationwide.

cltypeSLOW

i would look at a buell blast. they are great starter bikes, and the dealership offers great trade in pay-outs on them when you are ready to move up to a bigger bike. all the harley motorcycle driving classes use buells as well.

zeroday

In that case, this Yamaha will do the trick

65 Fury Convert

The Ninja 250 or an EX500 are great starter bikes. Go for it. My first was an EX500 and I loved that bike. It did everything very well.

Costco

Get a literbike then




Actually I was looking at Ninja 250s and that new one looks 20x better than the old ones with the plain ole square headlight. It actually looks like a sporty bike now. May pick up a used one eventually, knowing that I'll lay it down while trying to move it or something.

Costco

Wow thats insane! When financing though, aren't you forced to get full coverage for the entire length of the term? At least thats how it as when I got my car loan.... eff paying the entire cost of the bike after 2 years

wackjum

That's true. I forgot you'd be financing the moto. That probably will require full coverage.

I wouldn't buy a starter bike new though. Just my opinion since I'm sure it will get a little scraped up at some point.

Used ones hold their value well once you pass it on. It's just that initial hit.

CLpower

see, it doesn't even look like the new bikes are taking the initial hit. Bikes w/ 1,000 miles are still fetching a premium!!

wackjum

Yeah I haven't been in the bike shopping market since after the gas crunch. So it might be a different market today.

taitando

The demand for the '08 250R is pretty high right now with used ones fetching for almost as much as new out the door. If you aren't in a hurry you may want to wait until the riding season is over (i.e. winter) when typically more of these bikes show up on places like craigslist and ebay. If you can't wait, then going new might be your only route.

If you can get financing for a car, i don't see why it'd be anymore difficult than a motorcycle. We're talking about a $4k bike, not a $75k Ducati D16RR.

spdy0001

Sounds like your doing well avoiding the peer pressure to start on a 600

If you want to learn on a "sportbike" then by all means chose the Ninja 250 or GS500F


Either one will be a great starter bike and when people say you will get bored of it easy this will probably be true. Think of it this way though, unless you total it you will probably sell it from just about what you paid for it. If you do wreck it you can just chalk it up to experience and then buy what you really want.

Moog-Type-S

Ninja 250 is an excellent starter bike.

Take the MSF (to save your a$$ and to save you some coin on insurance)

Get your skills down on the 250.....if you still have the "bug" after riding the 250 around for a while...then jump to a bigger class of bike.

Costco

^

Though my friend got bored of his GS500F after a while, it was a good starter bike. He went right to an R1 afterwards

I'd rather not drop a bike at all, and I'm pretty damn mature for my age. But at least there's some more room for mistakes on a 250 over a 600 supersport.

wackjum

It's not so much maturity as experience.

Some of it is maturity, like not doing wheelies on the freeway. But like driving a car, you need some experience handling a two wheeled vehicle around other traffic.

scuc

Hyosung is having a special on their bikes right now where you save $300 on a lot of their models if this is your first bike purchase or if you've taken the MSF course recently. The GT250R looks pretty nice IMO. Just throwing it out there in case you missed my other post...

gdubb

Left and right field comparing car and bike financing. Like I said earlier a car is a necessity not a motorcycle. That is what banks look at, you need A if not A+ plus credit. I saw so many people with good credit that most times could get a CC or financed somewhere else that will not get approved for a bike. I lost sooo many sells due to credit