I might be purchasing a new bike here soon and i was wonder if i should get a good old kawasaki 250cc(kinda ugly IMO) or should i go right off and get an old honda cbr600 or a kawasaki 600cc(better looks more power). I thought about waiting till i was 18 so the insurance would be lower, but weve decided insurance wouldnt be a problem$$. I wanted to get a bike late spring early summer. what do you guys think?


[Modified by phamthaman1, 9:38 PM 1/2/2003]

 

EX500. It's balsy, cheap both initially and for parts if you drop it (design hasn't changed much in years), easy to work on, and cheap (relativly) insurance for someone of your age. And when you outgrow it, you can turn it into a race bike if you want, or sell it to someone who'll do the same.

Just make SURE when you call for a quote you say "EX500" and not "Ninja 500". My friend has an Ex250, and when they first heard "Ninja" they freaked and quoted him $1500 a year. I laughed. I think he's paying like $120 a year right now when the same quote was "EX250".

 

Most insurance companies go by cc's not by name. The 250 or 500 is a good choice. A sv650 is also a good bike to start off with but I would go wit the kawi 250 and 500 first just because you can find them cheaper. Just buy used and save yourself some money for when you drop it. Notice I said when not if you drop it because its going to happen. All 3 of these bikes are great beginner bikes and have enough power, especially for a 16y/o. Everyone thinks their first car is badass hehe.

 

is anything over 500cc safe for a 16yr old to drive as their first bike? im in the same situation and im lookin for bikes also

 

The Ex500 is IMO the best sport starter bike assuming you're at least 5'4". If you're shorter, then I'd go for the Ex250 or Aprilia RS-50 (just don't take it on the highway unless you upgrade it) until you got used to balancing on one foot.

If you don't want a sportbike. You can't smote the price and reliability of a used low-end nighthawk.

As for the SV, I love it, but it's not as good a starter bike as people say it is.

1.) It's SUPER twitchy, and it will throw you on your butt if you hamfist it. It's has a lot of low end torque. Of course, some of that might be due to my pipe & jetting, I don't know how the thing ride stock.

2.) The forks are kinda sloppy until you get them resprung and valved, and a paniced stop or unexpected acceleration will probably lead to bigger problems when the front end starts shaking.

This isn't to say you can't learn on an SV. You can learn on whatever bike you want too, succesfully, given sufficent respect. It just means, you can learn to push your bike to it's limit and become a better rider if you start out with a bike you really kinda NEED to push to it's limit to get the most out of it. The difference between the EX500 and the EX250 is, a good rider can make the EX500 keep up with the big-boys on the twisties (assuming they're also not good riders). An EX250 is just too under-torqued.

Anyone can drive a fast car fast, the the best people and make a slow car fast.

 

Here is a EX500 for sale... https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=360497

 

I'm selling the ex. Picking up my new 6r this weekend so let me know if you're interested. If not its going winter project for 498cc track next year and I know I can't afford to run all season long

EDIT: Btw, I paid 337 a year as a spanking new rider. Those were good days. I hate winter


[Modified by tonydatyga, 3:13 PM 1/3/2003]

 

I bought a brand new 2002 ex250 last year in june, and wrecked it 7 days later, luckilly with ebays help I got it back on the road for 200 bucks. That was 6000 miles ago and I think it is plenty fast, but I would like a little more passing power, but I wont be able to trade it in ANY time soon, as I am swamped with lots of bills, mainly from repairing my hatch and other things. Maybe next year I'll be able to get a zz600 or something.

 

Ex-250
Ex-500
Rz 350
Fzr 400
Honda Hawk( if you can find one)
Honda CB-1(400)
Sv 650

 

Seeing that you asked this question simply tells me that you have not done any research on getting a starter bike before, If I were you I would start off on a at most a 250 and get all the gear necessary. Also are you a responsible kid or do your parents just not care about your life?

 

haha yeah, my parents know im not dumb, and my dad used to have a motorctycle when he was young

 

if you think you will be under control (mentally) then any bike is ok, if insurance lets you.
but most teens (including myself) loooove to speed, and hey, i htink thats natural for the age. if you are that kind of person, get something small for now, IMO

 

There is a lot of grasp. Not only do you have to learn about how traffic works and the idiot drivers out there, you have to learn to control your bike on top of that. Definately get some quality gear and stick with a small bike. IMHO, id wait at least until you were 17 and had a year of driving experience to start riding.

 

ive had my license since i was 15

 

i just got my permit not too long ago.. and tonight i rode a cbr 600... that bike scared the living **** out of me.

when you get your bike be safe... dont be an idiot and kill yourself

 

BTW do you need a permit to take the motorcycle saftey course?

 

No you don't. You take the MSF class before you go to the DMV to take the test for your M1 license. In California, and some other states, the DMV will wave your riding test if you have completed the MSF course.

 

My first time on a Polini scared me shitless... and that was right after a 929rr. Those little ******* are so much fun it should be illegal

 

if you have never ridden before i suggest getting a beater a cr80 or something like that ride around the yard and crash a few times and see how much it hurts them just pretend like your on the pavement crashing doing twice the speed you will get some respect for bikes the only bad thing about a ninja 250 is it can barely get out of its own way. get some riding time in the dirt first learn the basics maybe ride on the back of a bike a few times. i suggest starting off with a 600 enough power to ride safely and handle good you can get a f2 or f3 for cheap ride around get comfortable. and remember almost all accidents are not caused by the driver they are caused by the other people on the road not paying attention just something to think about i work at a bike shop and this is just my own experience with other people and myself

 

Have you owned one? I do maintenance on my best friends EX250, and that thing will dust any non-sports car up to about 100mph if you ride it right. It's super light, it's cumfy (other than the weak wind protection.. and I'm 6'4"), and it's really stable with you throw it into a corner. Agreed, you have to keep the rev's up, but that's not any different than any other bike.

No, it's not a speed demon, and no it won't keep up with most other bikes, but if you contrast it against the majority of the cars on the road, it's still superior in the performance department.

 

Last year I bought my 1st streetbike (been riding dirt bikes for 15+years), a 94 yamaha seca 2. Its faster than most cars, but definitely not as fast as the "real" 600cc sportbikes. In my opinion, it is a great starter bike, and I would guess its pretty close to a ex500 in performance, so there is definitely enough power to learn on and grow for a while- especially if you are 16 and just learning to ride.
Riding on the street is a whole different ballgame than on dirt- you will be AMAZED on how careless others can be driving cars around you. If you are just learning, I would choose a bike that is not intimidating, since the ignorance of most drivers (in cars) will be intimidating enough. In the short time I've been riding on the street I've had some close calls and if it werent for my prior experience riding bikes then I know I would have dropped the bike by now. Either way, be safe and good luck!

 

the main thing i suggest learning on a dirtbike for is wheelies and crashing i dont care what anyone says wheelies saved me a few times learn your gravity balance yes cornering will be alot different and to your answer i have never owned a ninja 500 or 250 because i wouldnt waste my money on one you can buy a f2 or f3 for just as cheep and it will be a whole lot beter of a bike better suspension brakes just a all around better bike. and i work at a bike shop so i ride alot of bikes i am 6'1 roughly 200 lbs havnt been wieghed in awhile and the most comfortable bike for me is a gsxr 750 just my 2 cents