Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I like your revised list a little better than your first...
I'm certainly partial to the Nighthawk 750...I bought a '93 as my first bike.
When I bought it, it had 14700 miles; this morning I turned 16500, and I've had it for less than 9 weeks.
I commute everyday on the interstate for about 24 miles each way. I push 70-80 mph and still have the power to pass without straining.






This is MY perfect bike; plenty of power delivered thru a consistant powerband...very forgiving.

I found this, after much searching, on Craigslist.com. Had to travel from Atlanta to Albany, Ga and gave up $1700 cash...the good deals are out there if you're patient.

+1 to the ninja 250. If you're looking for a sportbike you will fit perfectly on this baby. I'm 5'6''ish and can almost perfectly flat foot the bike with my boots on. And I've done 2 hr freeway rides at 65-75 mph and its just fine. It's also a great beginner friendly bike, very forgiving for someone like me who never drove stick/manual before and had to learn how the clutch worked (and probably would have faceplanted myself in the cement on any other bike).

the ninja 250 is THE beginner bike. it is small enough to be forgiving enough of your mistakes, but it is fast enough too. i dont know who posted its top speed at 105, but i have seen 125 on it. it will easily hold 90 on the highway for an hour and 15 minutes, did it last night, and it will also easily pull 70-80 for 3 hours, much longer than that though and you run out of gas. anyway, the ninja 250 is an amazing begginer bike, it is perfect for everything.

Oh, and the stock spedometer is horribly inaccurate too.

I hate to say it, but I've got to... the speedo on my 250 shows 90 when my GPS reads 83.2. Guess which I believe. Oddly enough, I quote the lower figure too. I'm used to driving a particular stretch of road in my car and averaging 65MPH to match traffic. I drove that road 700 times (more than that really) and had a good feel for it... 65 was the usual speed... and then I get my 250 and I'm going 70 just to match traffic and I'm thinking "are people really that much more agressive when they see a bike on the road?" No... the speedo is wrong.

I am guilty of calculating MPG based on the built-in odometer... actual mileage is probably worse by 6% or so.... but it is still over 50 even though most of my riding is at 70+ real (GPS) MPH and through mountains and hills.

But it is still a great bike! For what you described it'll do great, be a lot of fun, and save money too.

If you are doing a lot of highway... if you can find a Nighthawk 750, that would be the perfect bike. It is really a shame they stopped making them, they are basically the perfect commuter. (They can be really fun too!)

I don't think it is too much for a beginner (better than the SV650), as long as you take the time to get used to it.

i think i've decided on a gs500e.

my next question is how many inches do you think i can drop the seat hight to compensate for my size? it is 31.1" stock and i'm a mere 5'6'' with a 29" inseam, so no way will i be close to flat footed

torxim wrote:i think i've decided on a gs500e.

my next question is how many inches do you think i can drop the seat hight to compensate for my size? it is 31.1" stock and i'm a mere 5'6'' with a 29" inseam, so no way will i be close to flat footed

sit on it 1st.

personally, i don't wanna lower a bike bec it will affect handling. best you can do is shave the seat if it's still too high for you.

Definitely make sure to go sit on a bunch of bikes. I was (and still am in some ways) very hung up on one bike, but after sitting on it I know that it's a 2nd or 3rd bike. The bike I bought today isn't one I intended on looking at, but after sitting on it, doing a bunch of research, etc..it ended up being the right one for me to start on.

torxim wrote:i think i've decided on a gs500e.

my next question is how many inches do you think i can drop the seat hight to compensate for my size? it is 31.1" stock and i'm a mere 5'6'' with a 29" inseam, so no way will i be close to flat footed

I have a 99 GS500e, at 5'7 with boots on I can flatfoot it perfectly.

Awesome bike so far Loving every moment of it.

Tappy wrote:

torxim wrote:i think i've decided on a gs500e.

my next question is how many inches do you think i can drop the seat hight to compensate for my size? it is 31.1" stock and i'm a mere 5'6'' with a 29" inseam, so no way will i be close to flat footed

I have a 99 GS500e, at 5'7 with boots on I can flatfoot it perfectly.

Awesome bike so far Loving every moment of it.

good to hear, need to find one to go sit on for a while now, sounds promising though!