what the real deal with 250 vs. 500

[1will]

hi. new here. may as well make the first post a real one.

6'1 190 lbs. brc in june. considering 1) ninja 250 vs. 2) ninja 500/gs 500 for first bike after i take the course.

i don't have qualms about learning on either of the 500's (sure i'll have a better sense of this after the class) but i've read that starting on a 250 can yield better results because it allows you to "learn to ride your first bike to its limits."

thoughts on this?

i can stomach a season a lean mean squid machine if it will pay off down the line. seems lots of people worry about outgrowing their first bike; i wouldn't mind it. more power to me if can ride a bike wide open with real confidence, or something like that.

my only concern: is the 250 practical for the highway? this was mentioned generally in another thread, but supposedly the ninja is fast for a 250. i'd like to have enough machine under me to do some highway riding in my first season when i get my skills up.

thanks. laterz.

[Sev]

hehe, well a squid machine is like a 600+. Squid refers to someone riding beyond their limits and who is likely to cause harm to themselves or others.

As for the bikes, they're both great, but they are pretty different in terms of the size of person they'll fit. My best suggestion is to go out and sit on both of them, then sit on a bunch of standards, then try some cruisers.

There are a couple of things I think you should stay away from, sports bikes/inline-4's with 600 or more cc or cruisers greater then 800cc. Most of the forum will agree with me on the first one, there is a portion that will disagree on the second.

As for starting on a smaller bike making you a better rider, I totally believe it does, when you can wring every ounce of speed out of 250 it'll make you a better rider on a 600.

[VermilionX]

the ninja 250 can go highway speeds. i've seen vids of a guy on it doing fine on the freeway.

it will just take a little more time to get to highway speeds compared to the 500.

also, the 250 is very light so be careful around crosswinds and 18 wheelers.

[Ninja Geoff]

With your height the 500 may just plain fit you better than the 250. I say on a 250 and felt cramped. Not QUITE as bad as the Nighthawk 250 from the MSF course though.

[Sev]

also, the 250 is very light so be careful around crosswinds and 18 wheelers.

All sport bikes suffer from this problem. It's inherant to the design. All it requires is paying a little more attention, and moving to the part of the road that is away from the 18wheeler.

[Scott58]

My Rebel 250 has done thousands of freeway miles and the ninja is alot faster then that.

[flynrider]

The Ninja 250 is capable for the highway, although if I planned to be spending a lot of miles on the highway, I'd go for one of the 500s. They're better suited to it in both power and weight. If the mission were mostly in town riding with occasional highway trips, I'd go for the 250. It's got plenty of power to start with, and I'm of the opinion that if you learn to make the most of the 250's performance, you'll be a better rider when you move up.

[Kal]

Definately sit on as many different Bikes as you can. After 18 months of running around on a sit up and beg CG125 I have been riding a Kawasaki ER 5 which is a lot bigger and has a more sportsbike style seating position.

All the weight feels like it is on my erm, well if I were riding one for a long period I'd be concerned about my ability to father anymore children, the riding position is cramped for my legs and the gear/brake controls feel very wrong and are putting me off my ride.

Comfort is all relative to the ergo's of the bike - not the size of the Bikes engine.

[Stoops417]

I ride my 250R on the highway often, and i have NO problems with power or speed. The spec sheet on the bike says it will do over 100 MPH and i have NO problem beliving it will do that. Point being that highway speeds are not an issue for this bike.

In my opinion, its got plenty of power for most any beginner. If the rider weighed more than say... 250 pounds, then that might throw the power to weight ratio into the not so fun range. With my 165 pounds on it though i have no doubt its just as fast as most V6 powered cars.


All this rambling comes to a concise point in this: When i was shopping for a bike i was concerned with the 250 being painfully slow due to the opinion often voiced on forums like this. However after letting my mature side do the decision making and going with the safer choice i can say that for a bike, its a little slow. But for someone just starting out, its the perfect combination of being easy to drive slowly, but still being capable and usefull for everyday riding. The Ninja 250 is quick enough to get you a ticket just as easy as any other bike.

[Kal]

I like you. Welcome to TMF.