What's a good starter bike for me?

[Snake]

I've already read all of the help topics and such. My problem is that I don;'t want to buy any used bikes. I've been looking at kawasaki as a starter. Particulerly the ninja 250 and the Eliminator 125. I love cruisers, and an equal love for sport bikes. what bike is best for me? I'm 5 foot 10 inches, 240 pounds. and 2999 is my price limit.

[DivideOverflow]

stay away from the eliminator if you weigh 240... I weigh 220 and it took me nowhere fast. Ninja has much better power, and is fun to drive.

If you buy used, you can probably find more of a selection in your price range.

my 2 cents....

[iwannadie]

id say go used as well. youll get alot more bike for the same price if you find a good deal. a wider selection in comfort and power. for 3k new your pretty much stuck with the 250s unless you find a dealer willing to close out last years models for you at a huge discount. check ebay for local bikes im sure you can find alot of bikes for under 3k.

also as usual who wants to drop a brand new bike while learning.

[Lion_Lady]

Definitely reconsider buying new.

For as long as you're likely to keep this first bike, the 'buying other people's problems' concern in buying a used bike, is really a non-issue. Take along a friend (or a co-worker) to look - my hubby has a co-worker who offered to do a test ride for us, before either of us had our licenses.

Buying new and deciding you want to trade up or switch to another style means a BIG cash hit.

Buying used means after 6 months of use, you'll likely be able to sell that used bike for about what you paid.

P

[Snake]

sounds good, I'll look for a used ninja 250. now, I'm planning a trip to Wisconsin, what kind of luggage can I get for a ninja?