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i recently finished my MSF: BRC course and I'm getting a Kawasaki Ninja 250 relatively soon. I hear it's great for beginners. I sat on one at the dealer and it felt nice and comfortable though the pegs are a little higher than i thought.

Anyways i hear that the 250 will be outgrown within a year of riding and most people who bought one traded up to 500-1000 cc bikes. Is this an accurate assumption? Does the Ninja 250...have an expiration date?

Depends entirely on how you feel about it.

Could take only a few months before you notice that you're riding confidently and wishing you could have more power in some situations (this is me now, after about a year of seat-time and 5k miles on my 600).

Or you could get to a point where you're very confident in your riding but decide that you just don't need more bike for what you do on it.

It's like anything else you're the master of. You like what you have, and sometimes want more, or you don't like what you have, and always want more.

Check out this site if you havent found it already:

www.ninja250.org

You will find alot of people who are fanatical about the Ninja 250. Many have gone on to much larger bikes and either kept their 250 or come back to it.

The 250R will run away from traffic, stop as quick as you want, cruise easily at 70MPH, and with a little practice it will turn as if the bike is anticipating your thoughts.

Bad points: it is very buzzy at times, low speed cruising can be jerky, the fairings catch sidewinds, front forks are very weak, and the stock tires belong on a scooter. My front brake was very grabby, this was partially a cause of the wreck that totalled mine last year.

It aint exactly a comfortable bike IMHO, I found it to be a bit too folded up, but I am 48, I would have liked it a lot better 20 years ago. I had fun riding it even with the issues, no bike is perfect.

The reason the bike has this reputation of being outgrown - most who get this bike use it as a learning tool, a stepping stone, as they feel some "need" for a 600+ sportbike and the uncool, unhip, ugly "girls bike" Ninja 250 is only something to be tolerated for a few hundred or a few thousand miles. If you are in this group, you already know that you will "outgrow" the bike and dont need any explanation.

if you dont have any preconceived notions, you will only outgrow the bike when it no longer suits your needs, and when you truly feel that you have mastered riding this particular bike.

Wow! Kmag was right on the money. On his first post, too. (Welcome to TMW).

It all depends on what type of riding you'll be doing. If it's mostly city commuting, then you might not need to upgrade. If you plan to spend your spare time on the racetrack, or riding across the country, then you might want to upgrade.

I know a guy that's been riding an EX250 to work for 6 yrs., with an occasional weekend jaunt to the mountains. He gives me a hard time about riding something as large as my 750 around town.

thanks for the welcome flynrider. I thought I had posted here at some point, been reading this and many other cycle forums the past year and a half.

I like to promote the Ninja 250 even though I dont want another one. It's a great bike if you accept its limitations and can fit on it comfortably. Although that pretty much applies to all bikes I guess.

Welcome Kmag1959 and right on with the Ninja 250 thread

The 250 is an awesome commuter bike. I commute with it to work everyday (weather permitting). If you are looking to go fast and get lose women ... then perhaps this isn't going to be the bike for you in the long term. But, if you are looking for some cornering fun, greate millage and cheap insurance ... then this is your bike.

For now the Ninja is getting me to work 3 miles away and school 5 miles so it may be a 10 mile ride each day if i do nothing else. I may cruise outside the city but i doubt I'll go group riding.