Help Choosing

[Kawasaki]

Well I just turned 16 and am going to get my motorcycle learners in a few days, really excited, and my dad has been taking me to look at some bikes from suzuki, kawa, and honda, but im really leaning towards kawa.

Anyway, when I went to the kawa dealers I found 2 bikes I really liked, but think they may have too much power for me, anyway, I saw the Ninja 500R, and they had the Ninja ZX-6RR, and the rest were around 1000cc's so I dont care about those, when I went to the suzuki dealership, they had the following, The, GS500F, Katana 600, Katana 750, and the SV 650, Honda had, The CBR 600-RR, CBR 600-F4i, and the interceptor, if anyone recomends any of these bikes, or wants to share a good starter, please do!!

[Kawasaki]

bump... really need some suggestions guys.

[allawybiker]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I strongly recommend the Ninja 250 instead of the 500 as it is easier to handle and lighter in weight (so I hear!), still pretty fast though!
You may want to look at the following thread for good suggestions:
viewtopic.php?t=100&sid=8a595bbd4a262cf ... 687a2f7ea3

Good luck, enjoy and be safe...

[Slap-Bassist531]

if u ask me since its ur first bike i wouldnt consider goin over 100 horsepower if i were u (id even go lower if i were u) so if i were in ur shoes id either get the Suzuki GS500F (i believe thats teh name) or the Kawasaki 500 because the 6R has about 120-130 horsepower which is way way way more than youll need because just too much throttle and BOOM youll end up on the ground with ur bike on its side thinkin ' wtf mate ' lol hope this was helpful my friend

[Kawasaki]

lol, thanks man, that really helped cause I was looking at the kawa 500 R

[kyle]

Congrats on prospective bike ownership! If you've ready any of the posts here, you should know that nearly everyone on here is going to recommend you take the MSF course... its a great course, highly recommended, and worth the money.

As for bikes, you probably don't want to hear this, but here goes anyways... you're 16, and (probably) have very little road driving experience, car or bike. How long have your parents had you behind the wheel of a car? Most states allow a vehicle learner's permit at 15, so I'm guessing at most you've had about a year of limited road time?

Honestly, I'd recommend you take a look at the 250cc bikes. Sit on them, look at them.. just think about it.. sitting, looking, and thinking are all free. They're also quite a bit less expensive, which will give you money to purchase gear with. Good gear. Good gear will transfer over to your next bike when you're ready to move up, too. A 500cc bike, while giving you a lot more power to maneuver in traffic, also gives you a lot more power to potentially get yourself into a bind, and if you haven't been driving long, then those binds could get you hurt really quick.

Whichever you go with, look into the MSF class if you haven't already. That, good gear, and a level head will keep you riding for years to come!

Keep us posted!

[Kawasaki]

Thanks for your time kyle.

I was talking with my dad at the kawa dealership, and he used to ride motorcycles etc, and I test drove the Kawa Ninja 250 R, It was the most fun ever, although I've done off road dirtbiking quading, but road biking beats all of them, the bike felt great, didn't hafto bend my back to much for the handle bars (no back cramps at all at the end of my 30 min test drive ) Umm it felt great, I just went around the little area the dealers in, felt quite comfortable.

[kyle]

I probably shouldn't have presumed how much experience you've had.. sorry about that...

Would the dealer let you test a 500?

[Kawasaki]

I was actually kinda lucky, my dad new the guy working.. it was closing, but I can prob head over there after school and test it... hmm but I think im leaning towards the 250 now. I dont want to over do my self, and dont want to spend more money on the 500, and drop it and scratch the crap out of it, you know?

[kyle]

Are you considering buying a new bike to start on?