Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for about 3 months now. I've learned so much from this site. I've signed up for the MSF course the last weekend in March. I've even been sold on starting out on a low displacement Ninja bike. Now to my question.

I went into the local motorcycle shop today to sit on some bikes. I tell him I'm brand new, never been on a bike before. He immediately taps the ninja 250 and 500, the suzuki 500, and the ninja 650 and says..."You'll be sick of all these in a couple of months. Don't start out smaller than a 600." He then walked off. The 2nd guy to approach was much better.

He looked at my 6'3 frame and guessed I weighed over 200 lbs (I'm right at 200). Then he asked what kind of riding I would be doing. I told him a 30 mile daily commute, round trip, on a 65 mph divided highway. I told him that I'd be going up to Lake Tahoe on the weekends. He said that the 250 would have a hard time getting me up those hills and at that elevation. I live at 4500 ft, elevation at Tahoe is around 7500 feet and its a fairly steep climb. He recommended the Ninja 500 because of my height, weight, and where I would be taking it.

My impressions were that I liked the feel of the bigger 500 frame. I didn't think there would be much difference in size-frame wise- between the two. But I felt it fit me better, not that I was cramped on the 250.

What do you guys think? If the 250 will work fine for me, I can't really justify the pricetag on the 500. But if I am going to have problems, then I'll pay extra. Also, will I grow out of the 500 less quickly than the 250, or are they pretty comparable?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

i dunno, it'd be pretty hard to ride when you're high, and you're even big to boot.

if you're gonna go w/ a 500... get the GS500F instead... i think it's a little lower on the performance scale compared to the 500 ninja, but it certainly looks better.

it'd be pretty hard to ride when you're high

Lol...


I'd go for the Ninja 500 because it looks sexier and is better performance wise.


So yah.

Shiv wrote:

it'd be pretty hard to ride when you're high

Lol...


I'd go for the Ninja 500 because it looks sexier and is better performance wise.


So yah.

I agree, the GS looks like it's trying to hard to be something.

Well, glad my pun wasn't lost on anyone. High is so much more fun to say than altitude. Anyway, since I'm brand new, is the 500 pushing it? Whats the performance difference between it and the 250.

I know you all said the 500, but if it were your first bike ever (I'm 26 M) would you do it?

If I'd gotten a sport bike as my first I probably would have leaned towards it.

BaoQingTian wrote:Well, glad my pun wasn't lost on anyone. High is so much more fun to say than altitude. Anyway, since I'm brand new, is the 500 pushing it? Whats the performance difference between it and the 250.

I know you all said the 500, but if it were your first bike ever (I'm 26 M) would you do it?

500s are common beginner bikes. don't worry.

Get the 500. A lot of us, including me, started out on 500's. You will appreciate the extra power when climbing to those elevations with 200lbs of rider on board. The other option, as always, would be to start out on a cruiser. Anything from a Vulcan 500/750 to an M50/S50/C50 would work out great for ya. The Vulcan 500, for instance, uses the same engine as the Ninja 500R but may offer better accomodations for your build.

Ditto on the 500, it's all the bike you'll ever need; but probably not all you'll ever want. <G> I've put over 110,000 miles on a couple of GS500s after wearing out four Hondas and they've taken me about as high as you can go in the eastern mountains.



Don't worry about your size on a 500, I'm about 240# and 6' tall; and most of all, don't pay any attention to what a salesman has to say. It's far better to be an experienced rider on a "beginner's bike" than to be a beginner on an experienced rider's bike. You'll become a much better rider much faster starting on the 500.

Look for a year or two old 500. the price will be more inline with new 250.

The used bike will be cheaper to insure, and you wont lose as much sleep if you drop it.

Im 200lbs myself and the 500 has more than enough power for me. My 500 is definately fast enough to put a smile on my face, keeps up with traffic with ease, and doesn't notice hills.