okay chomping at the bit ... when DO I get the bike?

[2will]

Hey man.. im in a similar situation. Im gonna get a 250 aswell. Just to ease your mind a bit the msrp at a kawasaki dealer for a 07' 250 is about $3000. So dont go buying that bike b/c your afraid the deal will dissapear. For 800 bones more you can get a brand new one. I was recently searching craigslist for 250's and saw some dude selling it for $4500, made me laugh. I want whatever that guy is smokin.


Rob

hehe. what are YOU smokin man. msrp is a far cry from the price you pay to take a bike home from the dealer. if you can get a current year bike out the door at msrp, especially one with as little profit built in as the ninja 250, well, that's more than an accomplishment.

[Jthmeffy]

SV650S - MSRP $6499

I paid.. $6048OTD.. '06 new, 1 mile on the odo


not a wonderful deal (i've seen better, but mostly from dealers who have a hard time selling the sv cause everyone in the area wants a gixxer) but good enough for me

[RZG]

well.. my point was that say you put 2200 down you could get a 1 or 2 year loan on a brand new one for peanuts. I smoke Marlboro Mediums.

[safety-boy]

IT IS NOT PREREQUISITE

Hear hear! I rode a while before the MSF. The upside was having some skills already - this probably lessened the initial fear of riding and let me concentrate on some of the better things they can teach you.

The downside to getting comfortable on a bike first... Not sure how your MSF course will be set up, but the bikes at mine were in lousy shape. Getting used to a bike that doesn't run well can be distracting. Unless the bikes are really loved, they will be a disappointment from you Ninja.

Now the good part of the cr@p bikes, is you will LOVE your when you get back on it!

If you ride before the course, have someone who knows a bit about riding get you started. Know the places you plan to ride, and stay out of traffic as much as possible. Make sure you have gas, or make absolutely sure you can find your reserve switch, and how it works (lefthand side below the tank/near the seat on a Ninja - turn forward for reserve). Starting a bike after it has been run dry can be a real problem, and can frustrate you to no end your first couple of times.

--Dave

[tanitatt]

well.. my point was that say you put 2200 down you could get a 1 or 2 year loan on a brand new one for peanuts. I smoke Marlboro Mediums.

My wife suggested I just go out and buy a new bike ... but seeing as how it'll be my first bike ever, I think I should get something I won't mind dropping a few times... besides the '07s don't come in yellow

Anyway ... in the end I didn't buy the bike. I think I'm just getting ahead of my self a bit too much. Sigh ... I hate waiting ... but I think it's the prudent thing to do.

One of these days I'll acutally grow up and wont have to remind myself to think/act like an adult.

thomas

[RZG]

Im with ya buddy. I check craigslist ebay and the paper everyday now, and my brc doesnt start till march. Im pulling my hair out. i went to barnes&nobles last week and blew $150 on like 5 books. Every book i picked up looked better than the next so i ended up getting them all...

Got alot of bathroom reading to do now

[intotherain]

no. i got my bike a couple of months before I took the MSF course. I had no previous knowledge on motorcycles at all. It came to my house and sat in my garage.

This is what I read before getting on:
http://motorcycles.about.com/cs/beginne ... rcycle.htm

To start a motorcycle is a simple operation. Starting a motorcycle is not the same for all motorcycles but all variations of starting are covered here.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:

1. Get on the motorcycle.
2. Insert the key in the ignition of the motorcycle.
3. Locate and turn ON the fuel petcock. Some motorcycles don't have a need for this step.
4. Pull the choke all the way out unless the motorcycle has been running previously.
5. Turn the key in the ignition to the ON position.
6. Make sure the kill switch of the motorcycle is set to RUN.
7. Make sure the motorcycle gear shifter is in neutral.
8. Squeeze the motorcycle clutch lever with your left hand all the way to the grip.
9. Press the start button with your right thumb.
10. Let the starter motor turn over until the engine fires before you release the start button.
11. The motorcycle engine should be running at a fast idle.
12. Over a period of a few minutes, gradually push the choke in as the motorcycle engine warms up.
13. You have started the motorcycle and are ready to go!

Tips:

1. If the motorcycle engine fires and then immediately stalls, just press the start button again until it fires a second (or third) time.
2. If engine does not start, recheck the kill switch and the fuel petcock.
3. Modern motorcycles will stall if you attempt to put the bike in gear while the sidestand is down.

Well of course I had an extremely weak, 12 hp, 200cc, so that my have contributed to my success in having a good early start on motorcycles..

I have never driven a manual before, so I had no idea I had to switch to one and hold in the clutch when I came to a stop. LOL. took me a few minutes to figure that one out.. Thats about all. Came to this forum about a month after I got my bike though.


ALSO:: you might miss your deal on the ninja 250! those are hard deals. There were none in my town...

[2will]

No. The brc is not a prerequisite to riding a motorcycle, but neither is intelligence.