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Took the beginners MSF course this weekend with Wheels in Motion. Man, it was fun, challenging, and I passed! Woohoo! All I need now is an 800cc crotch rocket as my first bike! (j/k)

I'm looking forward to getting a good starter bike and gear. One thing I found kind of interesting is how several of the students there (who'd been riding for about a week) had all kinds of advice for me. Mainly the advice went something along the lines of 'you should get a more powerful bike'. Hmmm, let me think about that...

I can see needing something more powerful than a 250 to get around in the mountains and to keep up on the highway, but I would think that a good 4 or 500cc bike would do just fine. Anyone live in the mountains with a bike about that size? Does it work well?

Ride on!

Hi!

Lucky for you there are no 800cc crotchrockets

Congratulations on passing your course! If it hasnt already.... the addiction will really kick in soon haha. I wish you a long and happy and safe riding career.

Dont let those guys rattle you about a smaller bike, over here in hawaii they all consider 600cc sportbikes the "minimum beginner choice" lol. Theres always gonna be those few people who think they need to hang their ego over their bike every time they ride, just keep a level head and stick within your limits.

As to the 250, thats what I ride and its got plenty of power to keep me entertained..... everyone seems to think it has to run at 18k rpms to hit 45 on the highway or something, but its a lot of fun to ride, and still easy enough to get you to speeds you really shouldnt be hitting on the open road. As far as 500's what I hear is that acceleration is only a little faster, but theres more room to spare at the top end. Either would be a fine choice.

Im assuming your interested in a sportbike, which could be wrong...... if your more into cruisers then some people will probably recommend a 500-800cc bike........

Good luck and ride safe!

Thanks!

I'm actually looking for a cruiser or standard for a tall person. The sport bikes are WAY uncomfortable for me.

congrats talldude!! i remember a kid (maybe 18-20yr old) in my MSF class last summer who already owned a 1100cc+ (cant remember exact) Victory which seemed crazy to me. he was small and slim. maybe 150lbs soaking wet. i was thinking of a simple 250 for myself.

i ended up with a 750 cruiser and couldn;t be happier.

let us know what you get.

The Ninja 250 and 500 are actually standard bikes despite the fairings. Time to go sit on bikes - standards & cruisers.

Oh, and Congrats!!

I'd recommend going with at least a 500 if you're going to be riding the rockies. The 250 is a fine bike, but it just loses a lot of it's available power at those altitudes (particularly in the summer). In the cruiser dept., any of the middleweight (650, 750...) V-twin cruisers would work well. KarateChick has the right idea. Head off to the bike shops and start sitting.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I decided to go with a KAW KZ750! I can't wait to start riding it as soon as all my gear comes in.

Ride Safe!

Whoa! Sherman, turn off the Wayback machine!

So, is it a twin or a 4 cylinder (they made both)? A bike of that vintage is going to give you some practice in the wrenching department. I recommend you go over to KZRider.com and join up. There's a vast amount of KZ knowledge there, just waiting to be tapped.

Congrats on the bike!

Thanks Bikin' John!

I was going to ask if there was a forum for the KZs or not...woohoo, you rock!

hey congratz....now make sure to have all ur gear when u get ur new bike....