Almost a new rider, have some questions

[Veda]

2. I read a post in this forum saying that a certain Honda bike (similar to the Ninja's specs) had trouble driving on freeways, like it didn't go fast enough or something? I was wondering how fast Ninja 250's can go so I know I am able to use it as a commuter bike, or if I am going to have to purchase a stronger bike (which would mean having to save up for months more).

You were probably reading about the Honda Rebel or the Nighthawk. The only similarity to those and the Ninja are the 250 cc engine. Beyond that the Ninja has more horsepower, an extra gear, and a different type of engine. (I'm not mechanically inclines so I won't even try and explain the differences, I'm sure someone else has already done it somewhere). The top speed on the Ninja 250 is about 110 mph.

[Blood`Sentinel]

Veda, yeah it was the Rebel. I noticed the extra gear and hoped it would make a difference, thanks for the information- somehow Kawasaki's main webpage manages to 'educate' you without actually telling you any information that will help you. and 110 mph is plenty good enough for me, I don't think I will hardly even have an opportunity to speed seeing as I live in a city with rush-hour traffic that seems to go on all day.

And thank you Shorts for the compliment, definitely helps- and I am off to work to make some more money for my bike, hopefully it all pays off in September.

[gliderider]

Also any advice about how to prevent death or serious injury is much appreciated

Yeah, I'd like to know how to do that, too! The best I've been able to do so far is to postpone it.

J/K, welcome to the world of motorcycles, you sound like you have your head on pretty straight.

[IcyHound]

I haven't had any discomfort in the rain beyond not having an auto wiper for my visor. I'm very ana about my visor being clear so the spray from tires bothers me. Just a personal thing.

The bike handles fine. I'm not going to go pushing it in anyway, but to move from point A to point B through the wet, it takes it like a trooper.

[jonnythan]

Please quit making your text so small. Use a normal font size.

[Jas0n]

I had the same questions, except all were answered through trial and error.

My ninja 250 rides perfect in highways. It can keep at steady 80-85 (if I wanted to). The wind is the only thing that gets scary, but other than that its really easy to manage.

Over here in PA, you do not need a drivers license to take the BRC. You do need a drivers permit I belive. I only have a drivers permit, and I am currently taking the BRC. They let me in with just a MC permit.

Unless you plan on being irresponsible, riding out of your limits, racing people (with a 250 lol) and scraping your pegs, then you don't have to buy all the saftey gear at once. I only paid about $500 for the bare essentials. A DOT and Snell helmet, a pair of riding gloves with leather padding, a Joe Rocket mesh jacket and some work boots to help with shifting.

[Blood`Sentinel]

I noticed most people here don't think its wise to buy a new, because it'll be dropped and many other reasons and yet I am still inclined to move towards the newer bike, I guess it has something to do with being able to afford a new bike.

I am going to keep checking out bikes for sale while I save for the new bike, and if I find one that makes my tale wiggle then I will check it out, but so far they are either in North Carolina [which would basically cost me what I would save to retrieve], or some mentally challenged is trying to sell a Ninja 250 for $2,500 and it has 15,000 miles on it or something... and in that case, I could buy my own brand new one, resell it 2 years down the road when I may or may not buy a bigger bike and only lose 500-1000 dollars on it.

But like I said; I'll keep looking for a used one, but I am also concerned about the color scheme and reliability, I mean I am going to drive this for atleast 2 years and that is a while to own a bike so I don't want to buy a bright yellow bike with a barbie painted on the front of it, so every morning I can get up and curse my way to school. :] thats a bit extreme but you get my point...

@gliderider::

Thanks for the compliment, you know, it would be kind of pointless to buy a motorcycle to take me to college and back only to be killed doing it and to never be able to use the knowledge I am learning. xD

And I made my text size "1" font bigger, doesn't make a damned bit of difference to me... its bigger than book text, easier on my eyes but I changed it.

[ShadowGrrl]

Hi BloodSentinel! Another Seattleite!!

I too, think its great that you're saving up your own money for your bike. These days, whenever I hear a teen/young adult say "I'm gonna get a <insert object here>".....it usually means that they expect their parents to buy it for them. I wish I could have afforded my own bike when I was 17!! Kudos to you!

I thought about buying my Ninja 250 new, for the same reasons you want a new one.......but instead I looked on craiglist and found a 2006 Ninja for $2400. The initial service had already been done on it (saved about 300 bucks on that expense), the previous owner kept it in cherry condition...it looks like it rolled off the showroom floor! It only had a little under 2000 miles when I bought it. She runs like a champ!

That being said, if you buy your Ninja new, then you've got the expense of taxes, licensing, and those other fees....so you're maybe looking at over $3500. Factor in the initial service for it on top of all your gear.

[Septimus]

You still owe tax on it even if it's used (in most states anyway).

I don't think it's unwise to buy new ... it's just less economical since it's not like a 2007/2008 Ninja is going to be significantly better than a 2002 Ninja. Identical parts ... just the color scheme.

I'd rather save a thousand bucks and spend it on gear. But if it's worth it to you, go right ahead - and like you say, you can always sell it yourself a couple of years later. Particularly if you're in a more rural area where there aren't a lot of used bikes, I guess having the dealer nearby provides some peace of mind.

[ShadowGrrl]

You still owe tax on it even if it's used (in most states anyway).

Yup. Oops forgot to mention that. I payed about $240-something on mine when I transferred the ownership. Granted, I didn't spend on the initial service, so I used the money I would have spent on another pair of boots.

Hope to see ya around town on your bike, BloodSentinel!!