Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey all, I'm taking my BRC in October. I was pretty set on starting on a ninja 250 but i've been reading many different threads stating if you take the MSF class its ok to start on a 500. Do you agree with this? I've also read that many people don't see that much of a difference between the ninja 250R and 500R. To be completely honest if I feel confident about my riding after my class I want to start on a 500 but again I want to take the safest route. I'm not sure what to do but i'm still researching bikes.

nothing wrong with starting off on the 500. its a very easy bike to ride and is plenty forgiving, plus you dont have to wring its neck to keep up with traffic.

On the flip side of the coin, I ride a 250 and don't have max throttle to keep up with traffic. The interstate speed limits here are 65-70 but most people go 80 and I can keep up. Granted a few times on a long uphill slope I max the throttle out but a 250 can keep up in traffic just fine.

Im a newbie here but would a 400 bike be good? Im just saying if you dont want a 250 because you think it will be a "little weak" and you dont want a 500 because its " too strong" wouldnt a 400 be a good choice or not? Dont forget this is coming from a 14 year old

a 400cc RR bike has more power then the ninja 500 and GS500.

just like an aprilia 250R has almost the same power as an SV650 and more power than 800cc cruiser bikes.

it's not about engine size (cc) it's about the power output (bhp)

that said, a 400cc RR bike has around 60bhp, it's not bad for newbies. they don't make them anymore though so good luck finding one.

maybe you can find a kawasaki 2002 ZXR-400.
http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Kawasaki_ZXR_400_2002.aspx

at 65bhp, that's pushing the limits of a newbie bike... but it's still in the gray area of newbie bikes.

VermilionX wrote:a 400cc RR bike has more power then the ninja 500 and GS500.

Verm, One of your fatal flaws is this - Not everyone wants a freaking RR bike! I know that's a stunning revelation, hope you can compe w/ the reality

There are a bunch of ~400cc bikes from the 70's 80's era which would make teriffic starter bikes. Off the top of my head, there's the Honda cb or cl350 / 360 ... there's the Honda Hawk 400, Nighthawk 450, etc ...

For Rasta one of these bikes is much more practical to start off with than an RR.

TechTMW wrote:Verm, One of your fatal flaws is this - Not everyone wants a freaking RR bike! I know that's a stunning revelation, hope you can compe w/ the reality

Except that rasta was asking about a CBR400RR in another thread. Hope you can cope with actually READING THE FRICKIN' FORUM!

I did read the thread. The kid wants a bike that he's probably not going to find. And then Verm Recommends another one.

I'd also like to add that Rasta is 14. Right now he doesn't know a whole lot about bikes except that they look cool, they're fast, and they'll probably make him look cool. With a little help from the forum members, he can also discover that they are practical but dangerous, and that riding a fast bike doesn't make you nay faster if you don't know how to ride it. Just makes you look like a dummy.

He might also learn that buying a 400cc RR bike used is a pretty bad proposition, because it's a super high-revving motor that's probably had the snot ragged out of it, and will need attention and money to keep it reliable or even safe!

Verm acts like he's permanently stuck at age 14. Rasta might actually grow up.

There are some great 400cc bikes out there too, but for some reason we don't see a lot of them in the UK, and even less in the states.

When I did my full DAS test, we were on imported XJR400 bikes. Whilst they were a bit heavy, they were wonderful machines. Incredibly smooth, stable, and with a decent bit of woohoo power when you wanted it, with out going too far and giving you oh-"poo poo"-I'm-gonna-die power

Anyways, I'm off topic...
Do the MSF as you say, Then assess yourself. If you've very comfortable, and you test ride a 500 and find you're very happy on it, then go for it.

However if you're uncertain, get the 250. Theres no shame in it, and both should hold their resale value very well.

I started on 125cc bikes, rode them for a year, and don't regret a moment, as I learnt so much from them.

theres about a 2 grand price difference. if you's poor like me the 250 is the best choice. the 500 is a little faster/nicer, but not $2000 faster.