convincing my parents and choosing a bike

[lostsurf]

hello everyone - i'm 17 and have been really interested in street bikes for a while, and now that i've had a job (landscaping) i've realized i should be spending my hard earned money on something worthwhile so why not get a bike!?  my parents are against it but i've been trying and trying to make them understand and allow me to get one for the past couple months.  i don't want to get one until i'm 18 cause they definitely wouldn't want me getting one right now.  i turn 18 in october so i plan to wait after winter and save up more and more so with time i should have enough for a bike.  i tell them im going to take MSF and i've given them all the specs and stuff - but when they see a bike they immediately think speed, police, crashing, broken bones, dying, and immature stunts.. thanks to all the dudes ridin wheelies on the road in tee's and jeans.  but with time i think they'd let me haha well maybe.   i've also tried showing them the difference between like a 250 500 600 750 and 1000 cause i just think they see a bike and dont care what it is.  one of my questions is have any of you been in this same situation? what'd you do?

and like i said i showed them the differences between bikes but i also showed them the two i've been looking at the kawasaki ninja 250 or the suzuki gs500

i would obviously rather have the gs500 cause of power and looks, and bigger engine.. butttt with me only turning 18 and not having a lot of cash.. the ninja 250 really kind of makes more sense to have... brand new starting at $2999(used its probably cheaper) while the gs500 starts at about $5,000 (BIG difference) but if i found a sweet deal on a gs500 used i'd definitely take it but what about insurance? with it being a 500 its probably more than the 250... and 250 is better on gas too..  the ninja goes up to 100mph and gs gets to 110mph, doesnt really matter i dont think i'll be trying to die with my first bike anyways.. what do you guys think?



thanks in advance!

[The Buddha]

Bwaaaa ... buy neked GS ...  ... fairing is $$$, insurance is $$$ and its a biatch to fix when its busted.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Alphamazing]

Srinath is right. Go with the GS500. In my personal opinion, a 250 doesn't seem like enough bike for combined street and highway riding. Sure the Ninja will get up to 70, but it is a lot harder to get it there.

A naked GS500 is a great first bike. When you drop it (and you will drop it) the farings won't get smashed up because they aren't there. Try and find a used one, they show up on Craigslist and CycleTrader and eBay fairly regularly so keep an eye out. Prices will range from $1000 to $2500 for a naked one in great condition, typically.

I'm 19 and pay $145/year for minimum liability with Dairyland, so insurance is miniscule at the very least. I paid $170/year when I first got the bike.

However, have you factored in all the costs of owning a bike?

Example:
Initial purchase price: $1500
--Need new tires?: $200 mounted and balanced
--Need a new chain?: $90
Registration and tags: $50
MSF course: $150
Insurance for a year: $170
Helmet: $150+
Jacket: $100+
Gloves: $50+
--Boots: $150+
--Pants: $100+
--Planning to ride year round? More gear: $300+
Maintenance every 4000 miles: $400+ unless you do it yourself
Oil changes: $20+

So you're looking at an investment of probably around $3300 or so. It might be more and it might be less, but that gives you an idea of how owning a bike can nickle and dime you to death.

Want to mod the bike? Better have some more money! 

[chrisalberts]

Firstly, don't buy a new bike.  You'll save a bunch of money and you won't want to stab yourself if you drop the bike or have a small off.  Also, many dealers charge "build" fees and freight for a new bike on top of the MSRP - so that $2999 Ninja might end up at over $4k with fees + TTL.  Buying a used GS500 for $2500 will get you a very decent bike for a lot less money.  You can put the extra cash towards gear (helmet, jacket, gloves, proper moto boots and pants) or your next bike.

Nobody here can tell you how to deal with your parents.  Only you know whether a) their views can be changed, b) you are willing to defy them etc.

Be open to the possibility that they are right, and you shouldn't have a bike (yet).  Learning to drive a car and building up good road sense and maturity might make you a more successful rider (go ahead people, flame away, it's just my opinion).

C.

[Altephor]

People say that 250 is harder to get to highway speeds.  I don't understand this.

The 250 runs the quarter in what.. 14s?  My civic does it in 16 but I have no trouble accelerating to highway speeds.  The 250 surely out accelerates my civic.

[rangerbrown]

save your money for school

[TragicImage]

I just rode with a Ninja 250 on sunday, it had no real problems hanging with us... might of been ALITTLE slow on the acceleration... but it wasn't all that horrible.

[GS Jenn]

I'd also say go with the GS, but, we're all biased here! And definetely used so you won't feel so bad about getting dings and scratches.

As for your parents. Do you have a drivers' licence for a car yet? How is your driving in the car? If you are getting into accidents and getting speeding tickets, then it's hard to blame them for their stance. Showing them that you are a safe, respectful driver in a car will probably help. In general, behaving like you are a responsible adult as much as possible will probably help convince them. (I never had any issues with my folks... my dad rode bikes forever and he and my mom used to tour 2-up in their younger days).

I would also suggest, go ahead and sign up for MSF and do the course. Even if you don't get a bike right away it shows that you are serious about being safe.

[3imo]

+1 

Sound advise GS Jenn. 

being your 17. if you were my son I would highly suggest going used.  and most definetly take the course. even if your parents won't let you get a bike. You can still get take the course.

Then next year it won't matter what they say. 

[06GSowner]

Ya know everyone says don't buy a new bike, I say buy whatever you want. I had never been on a bike let alone drivin one and I went out and bought a new gs500. Havent regretted it a bit. If I drop it then I drop it, nothing to be pissed about. and to all those of you who say "everyone new to riding WILL drop their bike", thanks for giving confidence to new riders. I personally would like to think I wont drop it. On the insurance note, I am 20 and was also looking at the ninja 250 and the gs500. The insurance for me is actually about $40 a month cheaper for the gs500 than the ninja 250. I think the insurance companies see Ninja name and raise the prices. And if you are worried about droppig it, get some good insurance and not that bs liability coverage. People will tell you that if you get too confident on a bike it may kill ya, I have very high confidence in everything I do especially driving a car in what most of you would state as "not safe", but lemme tell you i'm a helluva lot safer than some of you slow "safe" drivers out there on the rode in cars and have saved myself from many wrecks from being over confident and not being afraid to do anything to make my skills better as long as i am not endangering anyone else. Am I saying go buy a bike and do 110 down the interstate the first day, no. But don't be afraid of anything you do on it or it will bite you. You just have to make sure you know your limits until you get to that point on anything you do. Take baby steps until you get good. And pay attention instead of daydreaming.

[lostsurf]

thanks for all your responses so far, great stuff - i've had my drivers license for about a year and half but have been driving almost 2.  no speeding tickets or anything.. i'm a responsible kid, get really good grades and stuff so i thought i'd try to play that into the mix and i know that when i'm 18 i COULD go out and buy one butttt my dad 'jokes' telling me i won't have a place to live either.. so that joke might turn into reality.. haha

[JonC]

I feel for you when it comes to convincing your parents. My parents always told myself and my brothers that they dont care if we choose to ride a motorcycle, however as long as we were living at home they would not allow us to own one.

In a way I'm kinda glad they did that because at 18 I probably would have killed myself on a motorcycle. 

Its mainly a matter of that they are your parents and if you live with them than it is their rules.

Honestly the best thing you could probably do is try to get your dad or mom to take the MSF course with you. Best case, they end up loving riding so much that they want to get a bike as well. Hopefully though it will show them the real aspects of riding a motorcycle, not the aspects that all the non-riders and media choose to see and convey.

Otherwise you just need to wait til you are on your own to get one. Its easier to hone your on-road skills with 4 wheels than it is with 2. Any extra time you spend driving on the street benefits you in the end.

Don't give up on wanting to ride... just realize that it might take a bit longer for you to lose the extra 2 wheels 

Everyone else has already touched on the used, not new part, so I'll let you read what they have to say there.

Good luck, and keep the shiny side up, regardless of the number of wheels. 

[06GSowner]

I cant really give any advise on the parent thing either because i have had fulll time jobs since I was 16 and I moved out and to the city when I turned 18 so I havent had as many problems with things as most kids. My parents always respected the fact that I worked my ass off and thought I could do what I want as long as I was responsible about whatever it was I wanted to buy or do. I would say that 99.5% of parents will not kick you out for doing anything they don't like though. They might be mad for a few days but thats about it. Sure does work to scare ya when they say it though right?

[Altephor]

06GS.. experienced riders tell new riders that they are going to drop the bike because they probably will.

I've had my bike 2 weeks, have not even left the parking lot, and I've almost dropped it once.  If I wasn't in decent shape from going to the gym I would've dropped it.

And being overconfident (in anything, really) will get you killed.

[The Buddha]

Ya know everyone says don't buy a new bike, I say buy whatever you want. I had never been on a bike let alone drivin one and I went out and bought a new gs500. Havent regretted it a bit. If I drop it then I drop it, nothing to be pissed about. and to all those of you who say "everyone new to riding WILL drop their bike", thanks for giving confidence to new riders. I personally would like to think I wont drop it. On the insurance note, I am 20 and was also looking at the ninja 250 and the gs500. The insurance for me is actually about $40 a month cheaper for the gs500 than the ninja 250. I think the insurance companies see Ninja name and raise the prices. And if you are worried about droppig it, get some good insurance and not that bs liability coverage. People will tell you that if you get too confident on a bike it may kill ya, I have very high confidence in everything I do especially driving a car in what most of you would state as "not safe", but lemme tell you i'm a helluva lot safer than some of you slow "safe" drivers out there on the rode in cars and have saved myself from many wrecks from being over confident and not being afraid to do anything to make my skills better as long as i am not endangering anyone else. Am I saying go buy a bike and do 110 down the interstate the first day, no. But don't be afraid of anything you do on it or it will bite you. You just have to make sure you know your limits until you get to that point on anything you do. Take baby steps until you get good. And pay attention instead of daydreaming.

OK now we know how you knackered that head gasket ... 
Cool.
Srinath.

[rangerbrown]

well you know what bike, but what about the rents

[lostsurf]

well i would THINK they'd have to agree with me on my choosing the bike i want - because i'm not one of those kids who want the baddest fastest thing alive.. i want something that looks good, has some power but not very intimidating to a new rider and is capable of both regular street and highway.. enough speed to get the job done but not enough to just spit me off.. which i think is the low entry level bikes i've been looking at (ninja250 and gs500)

[vengeful]

Why not add the EX500 (Ninja) to the list, too?   Comparable to the GS500 in specs, and a little larger (dimensions wise) than the 250, so it would be slightly more comfortable, and since it has the larger motor, would be able to handle the freeway a little better than the 250.

Convincing the parents is going to be your biggest challenge.   The bike will fall into your lap - sorta.   You need to focus all of your efforts and energy towards convincing your parents.  Which parent is more against you getting a bike?  Try to convince that parent to take the MSF course with you.  You might just change their minds.  In the mean time, do everything in your power to make them trust you 110%, make them see that you are responsible, etc.

Also...though you'll take the MSF course soon - hopefully, you may not get the bike for several months.   The old addage of "If you don't use it, you lose it." when it comes to learned material is very true.  In 3 months, if you haven't practiced, you will have lost almost all of what you learned in the MSF.  Tell your parents that you will take the MSF course AGAIN when you get your bike as reinforcement for what you learned the first time.  This time, convince the OTHER parent to come and take it with you - who knows, they may offer to help pay for it.

But, most importantly, before you get in the big arguement with them, be sure you collect as much ammunition and evidence for your case as you possibly can.  But, don't tell them something stupid like "There are 200x [made up number] as many fatalities annually in cars than on motorcycles." because then, they'll probably just take away your driving privelages all together!  And we don't want that. 

I'm kind of in the same boat, but I'm 22, so I can do whatever I please, but I would rather not have my family disown me and cut me out of their wills....if you get my drift...haha.

[rangerbrown]

but do they now the difference, well really it makes none, you can get hurt on a 50 cc bike. which is the point you rent will make, be prepared.

[Unnamed]

As for price, I looked a bit back when I was looking for a beginner bike and wasn't able to find a lot of used ninja 250s. The ones that I found didn't end up being much cheaper than the used GS's, which are more plentiful. I'd say that it would probably be worth it to get the GS unless you can find a used ninja for $400 or more less than a used GS. Keep in mind that the ninja might not fit you, it would be a good idea to try sitting on both before you decide. Both would suit you well, and of course we're going to recommend the GS, but if you can get a really good price on the ninja, its better than nothing. I'm among those who recommend against getting a new bike. Right now you're going to be learning to ride, and for that you don't need anything very spiffy. If you really like the GS and decide to stick with it then maybe you'll buy a new one later, but until you know what you want (and even if you like riding), I'd stick to used. As Alpha pointed out, the nickle and dime stuff is gonna kill you. I just bought a used GS for $1200, then spent $80 making it run properly, $300 on gear (and i'm not done yet), $128 on title and registration, and a bit more on tools and gas. So, I'm at $1700, and I'm sure I'm not done spending. I don't have pants, boots, or a lock yet!

As for convincing the parents, if you can get them to take the course with you, that would definitely help. Otherwise you just have to prove that you're willing to be safe. Decide what gear you want, and tell them about how well it will protect you. Find the Hurt report statistics and tell them about how people who die on motorcycles are usually things you'll be smart enough to be careful about, i.e. not wearing helmets, riding drunk, things like that. Good luck!