Total Motorcycle Community Forums

So I've been a big fan of Motorcycles for a long time but financially haven't been in a position to get one until now. It will be my first bike and the one I will learn to ride on. I have a buddy who is selling a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R for $2800. But from everything I've read, and from what he has told me, I'll be ready for something bigger in a week.

The positives though are that I know it is in good condition, the price seems fair, it’s a popular bike so I won’t get totally screwed when I'm ready to sell, and its quick, I could have it in the driveway this afternoon if I wanted (although I'm not that impulsive).

What would you do? Do you guys think the positive will out-weight the negatives or will I feel like I'm riding a fancy looking scooter in a week and want to sell it immediately?

I don’t know much about crouch rockets but I would suggest starting out small and working your way up. A year on a starter bike is not a bad thing if you have never ridden before.

Unless you're a total natural and have godlike skills, I doubt you'll exhaust what that bike can teach you about cornering in a week.

By the way, have you read this classic post on the Pashnit forum about the Ninja 250? http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1145

I made a 300 mile ride around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State with a guy on a Ninja 250. At no point was he having trouble keeping up, and he seemed relatively comfortable in the saddle to boot.

I would have no hesitation in recommending the 250, it will take closer to a year or two than a week for your skills to outgrow it.

Well those things corner like no other, my sister has 2800 miles on hers (first bike) and it does over 100 with her on it.
I'd say go for it! They're great bikes, last forever, have great relative resale value, and are fantastic learner bikes.

I kept my Ninja 250 for 7,000 miles (2 years) before "moving up."

The '08 250 is a great learner bike. I would buy it and keep it for the first year then trade up. My wife has an '08 and I probably ride it more than she does. Power below 6,000 rpm is non existant but at 8,000 +; it's not bad. One of the best handling bikes I've ever ridden. Long range touring is not what this bike does best but you can save that for your next bike if that's what your looking to do. At $2,800.00; I doubt you'll lose a penney on re-sale even if you keep it for a year. 250's alway sell well in the used bike market - you won't have a problem unloading it when the time comes.

here's the funny thing about the ole ninja 250. My first bike was/is a Ducati 748 Bip. Great bike..not a beginner bike. Plenty of power. I've been riding for 2 years come february. I have a friend who crashed his Ducati 1098 and had to bring out his ninja 250 (2009) so he could join us on our runs up in the twisties. Funny thing is, I actually could outride him when he had that 1098 by a fair margin. On that 250..up in the hills, he's unstoppable. Its got next to no power in comparison. But if I hadnt seen it time and time again, id have thought it impossible. If you think you're going to outgrow a ninja 250 in a week..then you dont understand true proficiency as it pertains smoothness. Until you get to the point where you can thrash the bike through turns on a whim (not suggesting that to anyone uncomfortable with that), then you havent outgrown the thing...period.

Kawasaki Ninja is one of the best bikes to have and cruise on road, if it was me, I would definitely go for it no matter when I'm planning to sell it.

MotoGuy23 wrote:So I've been a big fan of Motorcycles for a long time but financially haven't been in a position to get one until now. It will be my first bike and the one I will learn to ride on. I have a buddy who is selling a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R for $2800. But from everything I've read, and from what he has told me, I'll be ready for something bigger in a week.

The positives though are that I know it is in good condition, the price seems fair, it’s a popular bike so I won’t get totally screwed when I'm ready to sell, and its quick, I could have it in the driveway this afternoon if I wanted (although I'm not that impulsive).

What would you do? Do you guys think the positive will out-weight the negatives or will I feel like I'm riding a fancy looking scooter in a week and want to sell it immediately?

In my personal opinion I'd go with something bigger. 250 doesn't give you much oomph. Not saying you have to go real big but 500 ninja would probably be great.

However they say those bikes resell decent because people are always looking for them. I just don't buy something that costs that much and try to resell it in a year or two. But it's up to you. I think people make riding out to be a lot more difficult than it really is.

MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A SAFETY COURSE!!!!!! As a matter of fact safety courses in the US teach you how to ride. (Free in PA). Take one before you think about getting a bike, you may not even like it.