How much for a 98' Kawasaki ninja 500R

Message

miked78231 · Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:48 am

i ran into a guy who is willing to sell his bike but didnt name a price. he said it only has 1500 miles on it and im not sure as to how much to offer. also is this a pretty decent bike? this will be my first bike ever and i have been doing some research and i think a ninja 500 would be perfect to start with. im just unsure about the 98'. if any of you could put in your thoughts that would be great. thanks.

K9 · #2 Unread post by K9 » Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:14 pm

Hi miked, It's nice you are going to get a bike. I wish I could give my openion on that bike but I do not know the machine. There are plenty of people here who have lots of smarts so be paitent and people will answer your questions. I can give my thoughts on something here though. You said you are doing some research on that machine, Good. Research it so you know weather or not if it's a good machine. Learn about it and see how it progressed in the next year. Make sure it's something you want especially since it's 8 years old. I'm trying to say not to "settle" for anything just to get on the road. I am looking forward to making a purchase this May and if I can not get (afford) what I want I will not settle for something else, even if it means going one more year untill next summer to get what I want. So research and then do more research so you can decide if it is a good bike. Some will tell you it's to big, others will say at least it's not a 1000CC bike. Much has to be known about you to offer an exact openion on such things, did you ever ride before? Are you a big guy or a small frame guy? The list goes on and on and it is difficult to judge what is best for you. We all want you to be safe and not get hurt, think about motorcycle schools for road know how and bike handleing. But you see I have no idea if you have done or will or have thought about those things. So openions are a dime a dozen, so take your time and think everything out, have a respectable fear of the road and a strong will to live. I do not believe one just jumps out on the road. I have some years of motocross racing under my belt but I am not fooled into thinking I can handle the road because of that. Yet I know nothing about you or what motivates you into wanting a bike, what ever that is, good luck and hang out here. This is a great place to ask questions and add up all the answers you get and see what they equal in your mind.

Scott58 · #3 Unread post by **Scott58** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:39 am

Since this is a first bike you may want to hold out for a 250, but a deal is a deal and it comes down to personnal choice. The 1500 miles could be good, but the fact it has been sitting could be bad. carbs could be a bit gummed up tires could be cracking. There's any number of things you should look for. One biggy is any signs of rust in the gas tank. how a bike is stored over long periods dictates what it's worth. Again though it is a ninja and can get away from a new rider. Look for a 250 and learned to ride first. It may keep you from becoming another statistic and we don't like statistics.

miked78231 · Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:58 am

a 250 eh? they do come much cheaper. im just worried that i wont get as much power as i want. i was going to take those classes then take the bike out to my parents which is out in the country and just practice riding all weekend. so your saying a 250 then? i can respect that. maybe i should go with a 250. theres two sides of what peolpe are telling me and one side is a 250 and the other is a 500. is there a poll some where on this site so i can get a full idea on what everyone thinks?

Scott58 · #5 Unread post by **Scott58** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 8:48 pm

The 500 is a more powerful bike no question about it. It also comes at a higher overall cost, insurance, gas, maintenance, you name it. However if your learning you really do want a more forgiving bike. Less weight means less chances of dropping it. Lower power means less chance of getting in over your head to soon and actually consentrating on good riding practices without being intimidated by higher performance. You may out grow the bike quickly, but I have never seen a problem with that because you'll know you have outgrown it for all the right reasons. It's always better for a rider to out perform his/her motorcycle then for the motorcycle to outperform it's rider. The ninja 250 is still capable of near 100mph and for a new rider that's a pretty good clip. I go back and forth from my Rebel 250 to a Suzuki S50 (800cc intruder) so believe me I know the difference in performance, but the truth is I like the S50 but I love the Rebel. I go places on that bike i'd never take a larger more expensive motorcycle. It won't get me into trouble unless I let it. It doesn't offend my wallet either. 80 mpg is a wonderful thing. In the end however it is up to you and the experience you want out of your motorcycle. Good luck.

miked78231 · Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:17 am

thanks a lot man. i think im just going to look around and if i find a great deal on a 500 then i will go with that but if not i will just get a new 250. thanks for all the help. i will let yall know how #### ends out.

Motofiend · #7 Unread post by **Motofiend** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:05 am

250 vs 500

250 is smaller/lighter

500 will accelerate faster but from the reviews people say that the 250 is alot of fun even for an experience rider when you put it into the higher rpm range.

TheImp · #8 Unread post by **TheImp** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:07 pm

As my sig indicates, I ride a vulcan 500 and the engine is the same one that powers the ninja 500. It's my first bike and it does have a lot of power to spare through the gears, but I haven't yet explored them and I don't intend to until I have considerable experience under my belt. But I haven't found that it has too much power for me, I find myself controlling it fine without having to feather the throttle. It's up to you, but in my case I wanted a bike I could grow into for a couple years and be happy, but everyone has their own path (half-pun?), I suppose.

Cjanik84 · #9 Unread post by **Cjanik84** » Mon May 29, 2006 6:47 am

i'll tell you this much about my expierence so far, even though im not an expierenced rider yet:

i just bought a 84 kawasaki 900r last week.

i drove it about 4 times around the warehouses and its hard to keep it in the lower rpm ranges to learn on.

i have to be extra careful not to blip the throttle or i'll be going too fast to learn on.

i imagine the 500r might be pretty close, a 250 would be nice because then you can have better control over the bikes speed for a beginner.