Need Advice

[Kal]

but it also would not kill me?

Lack of attention on any bike will kill you.

All we do, most of us, is attempt to stack the deck as much in our favour as possible.

Ride safe and have fun.

[Brackstone]

large

Ahh, Jeff's just jealous... 5'8" and 115 lbs, most women are scared to break him in half! That must be why he's single!
Wrider

That would be funny if it weren't true.

May I suggest some....



?

[storysunfolding]

Have you taken the MSF course? The ninja 650 is a great bike, but it's not the best starter bike for two reasons.

Reason 1: A high percentage of people drop their starter bike, and since this line isn't that old, any drop will seriously hurt retail

Reason 2: The sv 650 and ninja 650 are considered grey area bikes. If you took the MSF and were one of the better riders in the class, you might consider this bike. Otherwise I'd stay with the ninja 250. It's a great learner bike, fun to ride, you can sell it for what you pay for it (assuming you bought used) and many a 6'2'' person has learned to ride on it.

[DivideOverflow]

I'd recommend getting a used SV-650 instead. It would be much cheaper than the ninja 650, since they are newer. Also, you could look for a suzuki GS500F, they are a great starter bike.

The power difference between the ninja 650 and 500 isn't overwhelming. It is more the cost difference if you do drop it. A used ninja 500, GS500, or SV650 would be fine.

Just take the MSF first to gauge how competant you are. Some people have a really hard time on anything over a 250cc to start with, and others pick it up a lot quicker. Just try not to delude yourself.

EDIT: I'm 6'1 235lbs and I've been on my friend's ninja 250. While small, it was not uncomfortable to ride, it had plenty of power for the highway, and it was extremely easy to handle. It is just the issue of it looking a bit small, but when you are learning, that should not be your biggest concern.

Another 250cc option is the Hyosung (or UM) comet 250. Those have a much bigger frame than the ninja 250, and are very close to the same performance. At a few dealerships around here, rebadged hyosungs are being carried with the UM (united motors) badging, and are being supported under the dealership for warranty. And these are big dealerships that carry the big name bikes! It looks like hyosung bikes are finally becoming a little more mainstream.

My first bike was a hyosung 250cc cruiser, and the motor was perfect for a first bike. It had plenty of power, it was a lot smoother than the ninja 250, it still got between 60-70mpg, and I liked the styling better than other 250cc bikes.

[dbrann11]

6'3" 200lb, I have a ninja 250, just picked up a 95 yam xj600s. the 250 is definitely smaller, when 1st learning, especially if you take the MSF you won't know the difference those bikes are small too. I bought the 2nd bike so the wife and I could ride together. I am definitely more comfortable on longer rides on the 600, I don't struggle to keep my feet in the proper position and my knees fit nicely against the tank.

I can say though that I'm glad I rode the Ninja for my 1st few hundred miles, its very forgiving and pretty resilient (wife dropped it the other day, oops). Plus you can probably get most of your money back when its time to swap the 250. A dealer buy me will give you 90% trade in on your 1st bike if you upgrade within a year.

[igor]

Thank you all for reply, and i will look at the bikes that were suggested in all responses
I dont really care for the looks of the bike, just the price and forgiving performance


P.S:
Tall guys do fare better with women ..not always tho