Ninja 250R vs Honda Rebel - Which to be the first bike?

[RhadamYgg]

The kawasaki will be more fun in the corners, if that's your thing. Also, the 2008 is a bit different in the style departments than the older ones. But, like was suggested, go with what ever one fits better.

Well, having not ridden yet, I don't know if corners are my thing or not. Knowing the highway system of New Jersey.... I'd better like corners at least a little bit if I intend to use the interstates - and I do.

I can see, though that I'm going to have to spend more than the 5 minutes I've spent on the Rebel to decide if it is truly a comfortable fit or not.

RhadamYgg

[RhadamYgg]

IMO The Honda is vanilla, a workhorse, built to do a job and do it for a long time. The Ninja looks sportier, has more power (or better gearing), and handles better (might need tweaking). Both are good bikes and do the jobs they were designed to do.

Thanks Johnj. It looks like a person shouldn't be able to go too wrong with either motorcycle.

RhadamYgg

[RhadamYgg]

To be honest you've made it too much of an intellectual exercise, I've ridden a number of motorcycles where the stats said one thing but the bike said another once I was "involved" with it. Don't get me wrong I tend to do what you did, but in the end it will have little to do with what you choose.

As for the two headlights on a bike, consider this; almost all bikes with two headlights only use one at a time (one low beam, the other high). The reason for this is that studies have shown that motorists mistake a motorcycle with both lights on for a larger vehicle that is farther away! The obvious inference is that they are more likely to take some action for which they do not have enough time.

Don't ask me who these people are that see two headlights on a bike this way, I just see a bike with two headlights on, at its actual distance, but I guess we don't all see and perceive in the same way.

I tend to make everything too much of an intellectual pursuit - which is why most of the people I know are surprised I'm interested in riding motorcycles.

Weird, so statistically - Honda has information that a motorcycle with two headlights that looks like an angry person - is more visible on the road, but paradoxically, if both lights work at the same time, people think the motorcycle is slower and larger than it really is and feel freer to do stupid things in front of it...

Hehe so get noticed so they can purposefully jump in front of you... Nice.

RhadamYgg

[RhadamYgg]

I'm 5'9" - 170 lbs, 36 years old.

What's your inseam? I'm 5'8" with a 32" inseam, and the Rebel felt right at first...but six months later it started to feel very, very small.

Go sit on a Ninja, see if it feels better. Both are good bikes and would be fine, they're reliable, will get you from point A to point B, and will be forgiving of newby mistakes. Get what fits you best, and floats your boat the highest.

I have a 30" inseam. I'm probably going to have to annoy the dealerships a bit to see which motorcycle is best for me.

If I were to go with what floats my boat the highest... It'd be the Ninja 250R... It just seems more agressive. If I go with what I think will be the most reliable I'd go with the Honda. But as I see looking at the technology in the motorcycles - Honda cars and reliability and Honda motorcycles and reliability might be two totally and completely different things.

RhadamYgg

[RhadamYgg]

Largely, it's a matter of personal preference. To a lot of people bike styling is important. The Ninja can do things with its gearing and sport-bike styling that a cruiser can NOT do.

The Ninja will be great in curves and will probably surprise you on the straightaways. The Honda will be great on the straightaways and will probably not surprise you in the curves.

Fairings. They look amazing and are the biggest pain in the world from what I hear. That plastic gets expensive- good luck replacing it if you dump the bike.

Really, it's hard to compare these two bikes side by side because they're two completely different motorcycle styles.

However, I'll throw my 2 cents in with the Ninja crowd. Lovely little bike, keeps its value very well. And the new 2008 model? Drool.

Yeah, I'm a weird fellow in whatever pursuits I follow. I like Honda, but I don't care if it is a sport bike or a cruise.

I do care about splattering myself against a solid object while riding a motorcycle, though.

While the Ninja has more power than the Rebel, it doesn't sound like it has more power than my 1992 Civic, which I ran up to its high-end limit of 110mph. I'm not that young and stupid anymore, so I won't be testing the high end speed of the Ninja - I just don't want to be in the position of hitting a bump and the motorcycle doing a wheelie or something.

RhadamYgg

[Shorts]

Dude, you're way over thinking this. I applaud you to the degree necessary in the forethought and mature planning in this decision to ride and how to go about it. I think you're at the point where one can safely say ""poo poo" or get off the pot".

If you like the Rebel, get the Rebel. If you like the Ninja, get the Ninja.

[RhadamYgg]

Dude, you're way over thinking this. I applaud you to the degree necessary in the forethought and mature planning in this decision to ride and how to go about it. I think you're at the point where one can safely say ""poo poo" or get off the pot".

If you like the Rebel, get the Rebel. If you like the Ninja, get the Ninja.

You know - my wife complains that I sit on the toilet too much too.

RhadamYgg

[Thumper]

You know - my wife complains that I sit on the toilet too much too.

RhadamYgg

That's a guy thing, I think

[Kibagari]

Dude, you're way over thinking this. I applaud you to the degree necessary in the forethought and mature planning in this decision to ride and how to go about it. I think you're at the point where one can safely say ""poo poo" or get off the pot".

If you like the Rebel, get the Rebel. If you like the Ninja, get the Ninja.

I must say, I really do admire Texas women for posts like this.

+1

[R3sp4wN]

Anyway, what do you guys think? Is there some fundamental idea that I'm missing that would make the Rebel a better first motorcycle as opposed to the Ninja 250R?

I am in the same boat as you; my MSF course is next weekend and I, too am looking into what machine to start off with. Of all the bikes that I have been sitting on and playing around with, the Ninja 250-500 seem to be what I will be starting off on. They seem to sit like a standard upright riding motorcycle and are a comfortable weight for me.
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