hey guy great site just registerd today. I have a question here i have never rode a motorcycle before and i really want to get one. The closest i have rode was a pocket bike. Now i plan on going for my m1 when i get a job i dont even have one yet. after i have my m1 i will be taking a motorcycle course. So when i have my licence i will be looking to get a bike. i'm 16 5'9 160 lbs. Like i said i never rode a bike before so what would be the best bike for me without me killing my self. I was lookin at the ninja 250 and the gs500. So im asking you riders what would be best for me and insurance. Thanks Guys appreciate it.
You're 16, and you haven't mentioned whether you have your driver's license and/or a car. If not, you may consider doing so first, and picking up a dirt bike to ride for a couple of seasons. In a year you'll be able to safely operate a motorcycle and know the ways of the cagers around you.
I've been driving for nearly 10 years, just bought a bike. Being able to anticipate the things that other drivers do, what they can and cannot see from inside their car, etc. is invaluable IMO. Regardless, the GS500 has been a great bike thus far for me, enough power to put a smile on my face but tame enough not to bite me when I make a newbie mistake.
Good luck, happy shopping, and welcome to the forum!
Well, first off you're very smart to be looking for a 250-500cc motorcycle. There have been too many stories of new riders buying 600cc and up bikes, then soon after are either dead or badly injured. My suggestion would be to learn how to drive a car first, get a year or two of experience under your belt then get the bike. At that point you'll know better how to react to situations on the road and be less likely to have an accident. If you're dead set on getting a bike now, take the motorcycle course then spend lots of time in parking lots and quiet side streets practicing your maneuvers before heading out into traffic.
As far as what bike to choose? Well I'm sure that most people here are going to be a little biased and say the GS500. It's a great bike, has plenty of power, but is forgiving enough for someone starting out (eg. a slip of the wrist isn't going to flip you on the back of your head with the bike on top of you).
Quote from: drvmystckYou're 16, and you haven't mentioned whether you have your driver's license and/or a car. If not, you may consider doing so first, and picking up a dirt bike to ride for a couple of seasons. In a year you'll be able to safely operate a motorcycle and know the ways of the cagers around you.
Damn drvmystck, you beat me to it!
Quote from: drvmystckYou're 16, and you haven't mentioned whether you have your driver's license and/or a car. If not, you may consider doing so first, and picking up a dirt bike to ride for a couple of seasons. In a year you'll be able to safely operate a motorcycle and know the ways of the cagers around you.
I've been driving for nearly 10 years, just bought a bike. Being able to anticipate the things that other drivers do, what they can and cannot see from inside their car, etc. is invaluable IMO. Regardless, the GS500 has been a great bike thus far for me, enough power to put a smile on my face but tame enough not to bite me when I make a newbie mistake.
Good luck, happy shopping, and welcome to the forum!
I agree.. I live in a VERY high traffic city (atlanta) and you almost gain a '6th sense' about what other drivers are going to do. You don't get this until you've driven a car for about 3+ years in the area.
Good advice, knowing how the cagers perceive the different situations first, but it can become a chicken-egg thing. Being a rider makes you a better driver and vice-versa. In the car you have some protection.
Remember that either of those bikes you mentioned can get you killed easily. You might consider something even a little slower. If you're stateside and can find a used CB250, it will have several advantages.
(1) Very mild. You won't be tempted to get on the highways for quite a while.
(2) Front drum brake, keeps you honest and keeps you from flying over the handlebars.
(3) Good torque curve, compared to the Ninja, which revs high for power.
(4) Very easy to learn good motorcycling skills on.
(5) Easy maintenance.
(6) Cheaper insurance.
(7) Nobody will steal it.
(8 ) 75mpg.
(9) May be able to get a slightly used one from MSF. (May ride them in MSF.)
(10) Better suspension than the Ninja.
If you do a bike like the CB250 (or Rebel 250, Virago 250, GZ250) you will learn a lot, have a bunch of fun at sane speeds, not invest too much, and keep honest, and probably sell it for not much of a loss when you're done. It's the cheapest, safest way to go. And I know a couple old bikers who've ridden everything, but got bored of the superslab and track and are back to their CB250's.
The GS is a VERY good bike to learn on, assuming you're a bit older, but I'm going to take the old beginnerbikes.com approach and advise you to go smaller. The Ninja would be OK because you have to try to get it up to high speeds, but it just isn't as smooth and therefore as easy to ride as the other 250's. It does have more highway capability (speed), but in town I'd rather have any of the others.
If you were 37 (hmmm....my age...coincidenc?), the GS is a fine first bike. At your age, if you want a street bike, go 250 class. Then a couple years later go GS500 or Ninja-500, unless you're going to throw caution to the wind and get a race bike (in which case, nice knowing you in your present form). If you start out on a 250, it probably won't be your last bike. Start too big, and you may never ride again, for reasons I'd rather not go into.
--Mike D.
The Baby GS is a good first bike, second bike, only bike. You just have to use your head and learn to ride before you get out in traffic. As far as the 250 or 500, the GS is air-cooled; no cooling issues. It's easy to maintain and for what it's worth, my insurance company wanted more to insure a Ninja 250 than the GS 500. I love my little Baby GS, Sudan, and the forum.
C.......
Yep.... I drove a car for 12 years before I bought a motorcycle. I know that I've developed defensive driving skills over the years and it has come in very handy on the motorcycle! There have been several times in the last month that I've anticipated a stupid move by someone in a car before they even did it. That's the kind of "defensiveness" you need when you're on a bike. You have to look out for yourself, because nobody else is.
I know it has been said before:
Don't get a faired bike for your first ride. Especially if you have no experience with motorcycles at all. Fixing that crunched plastic sucks.
Welcome to the two-wheel world :cheers: (that's root beer)
Yea i have been driving for a year now and i just really want a bike. Im lookin in the sport bike because i dont like the cruisers much. I dont want to get a car because i will NOT be able to afford the insurance and i just love bikes because my dad has one and i want to ride with him. Becides i can always drive my moms car if i need to. Yea so i think im going to lean toward the ninja 250 i like the sporty look to it. I like the gs alot better but some of u guys said to start with the 250. Also my friend has a bike and he dosnt even have his g1(driving permit), Im getting my g2(full car licence) june 4 so i will probably go for my m1 after that and take the course in the summer. Save money during the winter and drive a car during winter then get a bike next spring, Sound good?? But when spring comes 250 right? Sorry bout the long post.
Dont let these con-men convince you of something...
Go get a brand new GSXR600, hell even a R1 and go ride and stop being afraid of "dying" and "hurting" yourself, man you only live once, plus dont wear a helmet cuz then the chicks cant see your pretty face, and buy the best "looking" jacket cuz when you crash at the speeds over 100MPH not even the best protecting jacket will save you.... :lol:
But really, I would first check insurance on the bikes your intrested in, second ask MOM if its okay, yeah I know your dad will say it is, but trust, you better make sure mom is cool with it or you will never hear the end of it.
Between the Ninja and the GS500, for your case,cuz you are not familiar with driving in general, I would go with the smallest bike you can look at and not think it looks like an oversized powerwheels.
If I was you, I would hold off and focus on a car, cuz I know if I was your age, and had a bike, I am sure I would be dead.
Just wondering...Where are you from? all this m1 g1 g2 stuff is weird to me. But, I would have to say that a ninja 250 would be the better bike to learn on. My friend's got one and it seems to be MUCH less powerful than my GS. And it's even more forgiving than the GS. If that's what you want.
Just to add a note about the 250.
I met a guy last summer who had bought a used one a few days earlier. He needed my wrench to adjust the rear preload (yep the funny looking wrench works on both bikes) and we got to talking. A n y w a y the guy tells me he had the 250 up to 180km/h. :roll: My jaw kinda dropped at that. So I don't know if my leg was being pulled out of its socket or not .... anyboby know the truth?? If it is true then pick the bike you like ninja or GS. Notta lot of difference in the engines - they both deserve respect.
Ride Safe (when you do)
Dandy D
I'll respectfully disagree that there's not much difference between the 250-Ninja and the GS as far as speed, in the following sense. Sure the Ninjette can go really quite fast. But it makes its power way up there on the tach, with a redline of what, 14K? But the torque is low, so you're more likely to wheelie on a GS than on a Ninja. If you're going fast on the Ninja you know it from the engine and your wrist. You have to want to twist the throttle far enough to get hurt, in other words. Now I had a Ninja doing 80mph indicated on the highway with my 6'2", 220lbs, and it was in fact quite smooth up there, though running 10K rpms in sixth. When I got back to town I was then used to having it up that high on the tach, and found myself wanting to skip gears. So you can ride it either very conservatively and use all those gears in town, keeping revs low but your torque is then low and you don't accelerate real fast, or you can shift where the power is and skip a gear most of the time. It can be rather confusing for this old boy. Before I took it on the highway I was Mr. Conservative and found the torque "adequate" (as the motorcycle mags say when they don't want to say "stinks"). Coming off the highway I was Mr. Rev. The main reasons I suggested a CB250 are that the torque and power curves are more natural, and the suspension is better (but not great), top speed is probably 70-75mph (some do say Ninjas top out over 100, don't know for sure and I wasn't trying to find out), and the riding position is much more comfy.
But anyhow I'd take the Ninjette over the GS for a newb.
OTOH, remember that we are all giving you very generic advice. We don't really know your personality or needs. Make sure the ergos and functions work for you, whatever you buy. (Ninjas, BTW, can be hard on wrists, with rather underdamped fork dive that quickly runs out of travel from potholes or hard braking.) If you plan to do highway commuting everyday, a GS might make more sense for you. If you plan to stay clear of the highways, the Ninja makes more sense, and can even get on there here and there when you need it. It _is_ one of the better deals out there, being not too expensive new. Unfortunately my beloved CB250 has an unreasonably high MSRP and is hard to find.
Good luck.
Mike D.