I've read around alittle bit and i have a pretty good idea of some starter bikes. So from there I starting talking to some people and I had someone suggest I check out the ninjas. I'm thinking this guy is dumb. Who buys a new and rather expensive bike to learn on? Just to humor the guy, I checked it out and I learned that there is also a 250. the Ninja 250r. It seems like a decent price to me, but then again, I don't know a whole lot about bikes.
Is this bike any good?
Would it be a decent first bike?
I don't want to make plans that involve a bike that isn't wnat I should be looking for, and/or not worth its weight in dirt ya know.
thanks for the help

 

it is and it isn't. buy used first time around. i also would suggest a 600 cc bike first. has decent power and less likely to grow tired of it as quick.

 

Yeah i've had so many people buy a ninja 250 as their first bike and out grow it in about a month

 

they're just saying that cause they want shiny faster bike, instead something thats match their experience.

 

As others have mentioned, a 250 is a great place to start but you may be tired of it before you're done paying for it. What is it that is most important to you in the bike purchase. Are you looking for something that will inspire a lot of confidence and ensure that your early riding experiences are good ones? If so then the Ninja 250/500 or Suzuki GS500 may be the ticket in the sporty category (don't forget that there are relatively low displacement metric cruisers that also fill this bill nicely). If you are looking for something that will keep you entertained for a long time even after you've gained some experience, consider an SV650 or Ninja 650R. The SV in particular has a strong following and upgrades for handling are well documented. If you are looking for something that will get you mad respekt at the lot y0, then you need a stretched out, custom painted, nitro-turbo 'Busa, with lots of chrome spikes on it.

 

i started off on a brand spankin new bike with 0 miles and had no issues. id definately recommend getting a 600 or 750.

dont waste your time with the 250s and 500s. you will grow out of it in no time and the resale value sucks.

all bikes are dangerous, they can all go fast enough to kill you, the only difference is that the higher CC bikes get there faster. respect the roads and the bike and you should be fine on any CC bike.

 

I started on a new 2004 SV650S and loved it. I put 23,000 miles on it my first year riding and never went down. I then thought I was ready to move up so I got a new 2006 GSX-R1000 and proceeded to crash it in the first 4 months. You will probably be happier with a 600 over a 250 because you won't feel the need to "move up" or get bored with it so quickly, just make sure you respect the bike and don't over-estimate your abilities. In hind sight, I should have kept the SV another year or two before transitioning to a liter bike, but the SV was so easy to ride it made me over-confident. Anyway, there is my experience with starting out... Just don't try to move up too quickly!

 

+1

 

i know with cars you double the displacement and its a big thing.
With motorcycles being so light, how much difference would it make to go from the 250 to the 500?
I'm not looking to blow anyones doors off, at least not for a while. I'm looking more for the ride around town sort of bike. If that makes sense...

 

sounds to me like you want a cruiser of some sort.

unless if you want to "cruise" around on a sportsbike to look cool.