New (prospective) rider, lots of thoughts and questions

[ramathorn]

I'm in the exact same position as coelomate in wanting to take up riding...we're actually same age and height too, kind of weird. Anyways, I also like the sport bike style and am looking to find the right bike for me except that mine won't be for long distance riding, just recreational. Because of the advice of every rider in the world, I've decided to get a smaller size bike and learn to ride before I get up to the big boys. I got a couple of questions for yall though. I understand a 600cc bike is too much for a beginner like myself, but what about something like the Ninja 500? Is that going to be something good to get or would it be borderline dangerous to learn on? I've heard only good things about the Ninja 250, but it's small size turns me off even though I know that would probably be best. So I guess my main question is would a 500 be too much bike to learn on or would it treat me well? Thanks and any other bike recommendations or ideas would be really appreciated.

[bebopin64]

the 500 accelerates faster than a porsche 911 carerra 4.

im getting a 500 for my first road bike but ive been riding a 250 dirt bike on the road for 7 years.

[Duffy]

The seating is different on the ninja 500 too. If you take your time to learn your clutch play and throttle response then you should be fine. But there are times when the power sneaks up on you. Like one time I was following my brother and we were nearing a red light. A few yards before we stopped it turned green and my brother took off. I gave my ninja some throttle to catch up and WOOOOAAAH, almost fell backward off the bike So just be careful whatever you decide, doesn't take much for an oops to happen.

[ramathorn]

That was what I was worried about. I didn't want to be riding around with everything going fine and then have to make a quick decision and throw myself off the bike. I'm thinking that the 250 is going to be the best choice. My only concern is that in a year or two the 250 will become, for lack of a better word, boring. A bike that size seems like it would only keep someone entertained for so long. I would think that if I bought the 500 I could ride that for three or four years before I got complacent with it. Maybe I'm just being ignorant since I don't have any experience. Has anybody ridden only a 250 for more than a few years without it getting old? I know I could upgrade when I got bored, but being in college, my money has to go towards other things.

[liquid.force22]

trust me. the 250 wont get boring. even without breakneck acceleration bikes are still fun. being on the open road, nothing between you and the fresh air....so on and so forth