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i ran into a guy who is willing to sell his 98' kawasaki Ninja 500R but didnt name a price. he said it only has 1500 miles on it and im not sure as to how much to offer. also is this a pretty decent bike? this will be my first bike ever and i have been doing some research and i think a ninja 500 would be perfect to start with. im just unsure about the 98'. if any of you could put in your thoughts that would be great. thanks.

that totally depends on the condition the bike is in. Brand new ninja 500 costs $5000 US. You can get a ballpark estimate for a used bike at http://www.nadaguides.com. Expect this price to be an under-estimate because the starter bikes, like ninja 500, are always in high demand. And yeah, it's a very good choice as a first bike.

I wish I had a Ninja 500 as a starter bike!!! As a first bike ever it might be a little scary, but go for it! I remember the first ride I had on a 500+ cc machine was a little intimidating, but fun as hell. It was a 2004 Honda CB550. Had to ride this beast for my motorcycle license test! Hell, never had so much funm despite the instructor being very scared I would wreck his bike

The Ninja 500R is a great first bike, IMO.

A 98 with 1500 miles... that bike hasn't been ridden much at all, which is not usually a good thing. You should have it checked out by someone that knows what they're doing, and/or learn what to look for yourself (that goes for any used bike, really). Unless the owner provided proper long-term storage, it'll likely need some work, especially with the (gunked up) fuel system, but quite possibly tires and other areas that don't like to just sit around.

It's really easy to work on, though, so even if it does need work, you can enjoy getting to know it with basic tools and a good book.

The ninja500 is a great bike. I was actually looking at one before I bought the FZ1. I know a guy who bought one on a whim and rode it from San Diego to Vancouver, BC. He said it was tons more fun and a much more capable bike then his ZX9R. To me, that's a ringing endorsement! He's ridden his ZX9R from SoCal to Philly and back and he said he'd have been better off riding his 500. It's every bit as capable as a big bike if you know how to ride it. I would suggest one...