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Which bike do you recommend for a n00b

  • ninja 250/300

    Votes: 29 80.6%
  • Ninja 650

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • honda cbr 500

    Votes: 4 11.1%
  • ducati monster 696

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • street triple

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • BMW gs 650

    Votes: 1 2.8%

frist bike

9K views 78 replies 26 participants last post by  AquaMonteCarloSS 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok im starting to look for a first bike. I looked a year ago and something came up so I waited. now I need some opinions on what would be best suited for me. I have a few choices in mind. I want a bike I can keep for a few years before Ill want to upgrade. I have a lot of choices but I just wanna pick what is best.
By the way all bikes will be new.
Ninja 250/300
Ninja 650
Honda cbr 500 R/F/X doesn't matter
ducati monster
street triple (I feel like that might cause some backlash but I really like how it looks)
BMW GS650.
The only bike i have rode on the street is a 650 ninja in a group demo ride.
I have my license now I need help picking a bike, any and all advice is appreciated.
also if there are any other bikes I should look at let me know

Additional info
I'm 18
Going to use the bike to travel to and from college 70-80% city/suburb riding.
Insurance is a factor
I have sat on all of the bikes except the honda CBR 500 (it isnt out yet) and I fit on them all well.
5'9"
180 lbs (trying to lose some)

When i looked last year and was ready to buy I was gonna get the street triple hands down but now I'm having second thoughts, thats why I came here.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Additional info
I'm 18
Unless you are pissing rich and money is no object. If you are paying everything yourself, your financial situation most likely will dictate what you will be riding.

You are 18 right? Have you even attempt to find out how much you will be paying for insurance on those bikes you mentioned? In addition to the cost of the bike itself, tax, fuel and all the riding gear you may need.
 
#5 ·
The 250 class bikes are gona be your cheapest in insurance, matiance, and repair costs. Yea you my be thinking "but it's a 250" and Yea it my not be the fastest bikes on the market, but if your into the 100mpg stand up wheelie crowd you in the wrong place.

A 250 will not only teach you to ride better and faster but because your 18 it will probably save your life in the future.
 
#18 · (Edited)
You're more than welcome to do what you want, but I strongly recommend you don't finance expendable toys. The cons far outweight the pros.

I might just get it in my fathers name so insurance would be underneath him and I'd be a secondary rider.
"Secondary rider"? I also strongly recommend you don't commit insurance fraud.



Captain obvious says "If you can't afford it... then you can't afford it." Live within your means.
 
#7 ·
You are young and new, if I were you I'd buy a 250R Ninja used, invest in some proper full gear and some riding lessons, and go have lots of fun.

Low costs, lots of parts available, low insurance and maintenance. And you are new, man, you need to ride a bike that will forgive your mistakes to some extent. Even so, a 250R is nothing to look down upon; I rode a 12hp bike for 3 years, and had a blast.

nico
 
#9 ·
Ok so I guess that means everyone agrees ninja 250\300 would be best. Actually I was looking around at some of the stickys and there is a aprillia 125 I really like how that looks any where I can get Thoses. And also I'd rather buy from the dealer because I've had and heard about alot of bad experiences on Craigslist.
 
#10 · (Edited)
New Aprilia RS 125 (two stroke) aren't available at dealerships anymore. I think 2010 was the last year they imported them and even those were track only use (not DOT & EPA legal). Used street plated RS 125s rarely come on market in the US and when they do they command premium prices. The newer RS4 125 is overpriced and anemic (4 stroke) and not worth the hefty price tag. I'd strongly recommend sticking with a used Ninja 250 for many reasons.
 
#13 ·
i want to irresponsibly go into debt so that i can build a reputation for being responsible is not a well thought out plan.

unless you can afford to buy a 2000 dollar 250 +500 dollars in gear outright you can't afford a motorcycle.

buy the bike out right, then pay your own insurance.

go to school and rent a place, pay your rent on time.
put the utilities in your name, pay them on time.
have a job.
these will do a lot more for your credit than a 2000 dollar loan on a motorcycle you crash, then stop paying the loan on.
 
#14 ·
I can afford it. I didn't come for financial advice lol. I just want a bike that would be BEST suited for me to go back and forth to college on and just enjoy riding motorcycles. Forget I said about credit and financing and money. I might just get it in my fathers name so insurance would be underneath him and I'd be a secondary rider. It was like 100 a Month when I was gonna go through with it last year on the street triple so a 300/250 ninja will be a lot less. So I guess I'm set on a ninja 300/250
 
#16 ·
Is short..... Yes.
You wouldn't rely on power to make up for the mistakes you make. You can focus more times on your riding lines and less on throttle/clutch/brake input. It sounds kinda weird to a non-Rider but no professional racer got the job because he could slam the gas peddle down on the straights.

P.s. I am not advocating street racing. Just stating my opinion.
 
#17 ·
I see you're from PA. Check out Rider insurance, as it is available here. They had the lowest insurance rates by far of any of the insurance companies I got quotes from.

I also suggest a used 250. If you buy it used for a decent price you can reasonably expect to most of your money back when you sell it (assuming you don't beat it up too badly). I bought a used 2008 Ninja 250 for $2500. I had it a year and rode it for a bit under 15,000 miles then sold it for $2600. It was an easy sell too. It sold within days of me listing it.
 
#19 ·
I financed my used :gsxr I had.... I'm just really lucky both the crashes I had didn't do any frame damage.

If you do end up financing a used bike get full insurance and a crash cage/race rails. They offer the most crash protection. The race rails I had were $160ish and I could just lay my bike down in a parking lot because I didn't feel like putting the kick stand down and there would be $0 damage to it (see attached photo) frame sliders would do the same thing but the rails seemed like they could take a harder hit (never tried it tho). Like everyone has said your welcome to do what you want I just don't recommend financing a used bike. Put the extra money into gear.
 

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#21 ·
Ok I guess I need to explain why I can't get a used bike, might be sort of a long post sorry. So since I live with my parents still they do have a say in what I buy, my mother is the one who isn't letting me my a used bike 1. She wants it to have a warranty (bad experience on a few different bikes and cars in the first few months of owning them) 2. She doesn't understand it is gonna get dropped.(she was a rider herself a long time ago so I'm not sure why she doesn't understand this.) 3. She just has this thing against used stuff.
4. I don't really have a say since I still live there.
5. If it is used it has to be from the dealer same reason as #1
so I don't want you to think I'm arguing, I completely understand where you guys are all coming from, when they got me a car the same thing happened. Hopefully that makes sense to everyone I know as crazy as it sounds. Also if no one buys the new beginner bikes who is gonna be there to sell them to new riders?


Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#23 ·
Gman5001, years ago when I bought my first bike on my own my father was very insisting on the "new" bike thing. To me it didn't make sense, and to be honest, it ultimately doesn't make sense today either, but his point was that I would get something new with a warranty, and that gave him some peace of mind, since I didn't know much about working on motorcycles. This would also mean I would HAVE to take it to the dealer for services, instead of ruining something on my own (we lived in different countries back then).

It also meant that for my money I would be finding a very small bike (125cc, about 12hp).

What did I do? I agreed to start on something this small, even though I'd ridden and raced enduro and motocross since I'm a little kid. BUT I did thorough research on the models available, chose the optimum one in my context, and went searching for a barely used bike which he could help me look at in person. That's it. Saved a few hundred dollars and everyone was happy. Oh, and the bike's warranty was transferred to me.

But most of all, I learnt how to manage myself on the street on a motorcycle that wasn't trying to kill me at every corner, learnt to have fun and ride around the bike's limitations, and today, several years later I feel confident in being able to ride my "big" bike :)
 
#35 ·
OP, you are in for a rude awakening.
 
#37 ·
You're at least better off than the kids financing a $9000 GSXR600 for their first bike.

What you've got going for you
#1 MSF and desire to be well-read
#2 Willing to start on an actual beginner's bike

Insurance on a used 250 isn't that much, so I'm not sure what kind of awakening you're in for, but I don't think it'll be all that rude.
 
#41 ·
I guess the ninja 300 since I read somewhere starting small will make you a more skillful rider and starting on like a 848 will make you afraid of the bike and not develope skills as well or as quickly. Plus the ninja 300 looks amazing.

And thanks I joined the forum last year when I was 100% set on a street triple then some stuff came up so I had to wait another year. But now I don't have that my dream bike has to be my frist bike mentality.
 
#47 ·
If your serious about riding go ahead and start buying your gear. Craigslist is a good place to start. Motorcyclecloseout.com, motorcyclegear.com are both good places. Also make sure your buying the gear to crash in. Not just to look cool. I have a bell star white and black helmet, icon Daytona retro white/red/blue jacket, both icon black pants and gloves, alpine* smx plus black and white boots. Yea im mismatched like crazy but I only spent $500 on the whole set.
 
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