Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hello all!

So, I joined the forum back in '06. I was fresh out of college, living in NYC and saving up for a bike. That never happened. Fast forward 6 years and now I live in Hawaii, and I just got my motorcycle permit! I'm signed up for the MSF course for the weekend of Aug 10th. So, It's time for me to get my first bike. There are a few I'm looking at, trying to keep in line with advice on what a good first bike is. Just a little background on me: I've ridden "standard" bikes a few times with no trouble, and I have a SYM DD50 moped that has a stroker engine, upgraded from 49cc to 108cc (176lbs dry). It is super fast, and I'm able to do some "flicking" and leaning, taking it up some very twisty roads. I've never dropped it. I also drove standard transmission cars for most of my life. Okay, now that I've gotten all that "this is my exp even though it doesn't matter" stuff out of the way, on to my question:

Which of these 3 do you think is the best (a) starter bike, and (b) best deal?

07 Ninja 250 for $2100
06 Ninja 500 for $2950
07 SV650N for $3400

The area I live in is kinda shady, so I'd want to get an alarm. I kinda like the ninja 500 because its more powerful than the 250 and already has an alarm and some other things. But, a friend of mine told me that the asking price for it is ridiculous. It IS out of whack with the KBB value. The 250 looks like the best "deal", but idk, I'm afraid I'm going to get bored on it fairly quickly. Which I guess isn't a huge problem, since I could probably sell it for close to what I paid. It might be harder to do that with the 500. I'm doing mostly city driving, with some highway on the weekends. But, it's HI, so there's not THAT MUCH road to drive on. We only have 3 highways

What do you guy's think? I've been looking for weeks, and I can't seem to find a really good deal. Bikes out here sell for a lot... the market is weird.

Thanks for your thoughts and time!

For the type of riding you are planning, I would say the little 250 is ideal. You will be surprised how much power it actually has and the fun factor is high on that bike. I've know a couple of riders who planned to start out on the Ninja 250, ride for a year and then upgrade to a bigger bike.....three or four years later, they still love their little 250 and ride it. One actually refused to sell it to another friend of mine who wanted to get into riding and offered him C$1000 over the going price.

The Ninja 500 and the SV650N would probably fall into the gray area of first bikes for newbies. Some say they are fine, and other not so good. But most would agree you really can't go wrong with the Ninja 250.

ceemes wrote:For the type of riding you are planning, I would say the little 250 is ideal. You will be surprised how much power it actually has and the fun factor is high on that bike. I've know a couple of riders who planned to start out on the Ninja 250, ride for a year and then upgrade to a bigger bike.....three or four years later, they still love their little 250 and ride it. One actually refused to sell it to another friend of mine who wanted to get into riding and offered him C$1000 over the going price.

The Ninja 500 and the SV650N would probably fall into the gray area of first bikes for newbies. Some say they are fine, and other not so good. But most would agree you really can't go wrong with the Ninja 250.

Awesome. I called and emailed the guy with the 250, no response yet. As a side note, I've also watched "Twist of the Wrist" twice, and ordered 4 books on how to ride:
- Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
- More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride
- Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques
- Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track

You might enjoy this read:
http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1145

gsJack wrote:You might enjoy this read:
http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1145

Yeah, i read that. It's a good read and made me feel better about a 250.

¦¦¦Ninja 250¦¦¦

I agree, the 250 would be the ideal one to start on. For the best deal, I think it (was) the SV650, but that's not the best deal for a new rider, more if you were looking for a 2nd or 3rd bike (after the 250). The 250 looks completely stock and it's lower milage is a real bonus too.

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2 ... ja250R.htm

BTW- Welcome back not only to the Total Motorcycle community but to riding as well! Congratulations on taking the step of getting that motorcycle permit and booking that MSF course, well done!!!!

Best of luck on your course, remember everyone is nervous on the first day, but by the 2nd/3rd day, you are going to be a "Seasoned Pro on the parking lot" just you wait!

Mike

I'd vote for the Ninja 250 as well. It's a good bike and a good deal, but August 10th is still several weeks away. You never know, an even better deal might pop up. Anyway, good luck, welcome to riding, and enjoy!

I vote for the 250 as well.

Also while reading books is great don't start over thinking motorcycling especially when riding. I've seen a few people read books, study, try to practice 24/7 and forget why they are riding in the first place and end up worse for it. Focus on what you are doing, try to find any potential dangers, plan escape routes, but don't forget to HAVE FUN! If you're constantly stressed while riding try to remember all the things you learned it'll just make you worse for wear!