Important Question on a ninja 250

ethandk · 02-23-2009, 11:11 PM

Ok i am looking to buy a ninja 250 next weekend and i found a personal owner with a 08 black ninja 250r for 2600 and it has 832 miles... good deal???

thanks
EThan

greggdrews · 02-23-2009, 11:26 PM

if it's in good condition i'd say thats a god price fore sure. had a friend trade in her 08 250 a few months ago with about 1k and a little fender damage and she still got 3400 for trade in

Jetpilot07 · 02-23-2009, 11:30 PM

great beginer bike, go for it

ethandk · 02-23-2009, 11:57 PM

thanks guys

djpharoah · 02-24-2009, 12:08 PM

At that price I'd suspect that it might have been layed down. Check it out and take it for a spin.

ldavis · 02-24-2009, 3:29 PM

good price even if you need to repair some plastic.

Twincam · 02-24-2009, 4:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrn00b

At that price I'd suspect that it might have been layed down. Check it out and take it for a spin.

Ask the seller why he wants to sell her... Look to see if he is genuine and a safe rider (not a hooligan) and just make sure things feel right.

If it seems to good to be true, walk away.

shakey1378 · 02-24-2009, 8:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twincam

Ask the seller why he wants to sell her... Look to see if he is genuine and a safe rider (not a hooligan) and just make sure things feel right.

If it seems to good to be true, walk away.

bring a friend who knows bikes if you can. just to make sure all is well. the price is great

heyinternetman · 03-08-2009, 3:35 PM

you can usually find these bikes pretty cheap, people buy them as a first bike and then trade 'em for a 600 about 6 months later when they know they won't kill themselves on one. I think $2600 probably is about right the way most markets are around here.

On a personal note, I wouldn't buy the bike unless you really think that is all you want. Go take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and ride around on their 250's so you can get a feel for how to ride and then buy the bike you want. You don't have to buy a new one, but just one that you can ride for awhile and be happy on. Don't be scared of the big bikes, it's ok to be scared of the throttle but you can own a 1000 and slowly push it more and more as you want to. My wife started on a 1000 and 6 months later still hasn't gotten it over 40% rpm and 55mph. You can learn on any bike.

Good luck to you and you will be happy with any motorcycle you get as I was with my first bike!

shakey1378 · 03-08-2009, 5:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyinternetman

you can usually find these bikes pretty cheap, people buy them as a first bike and then trade 'em for a 600 about 6 months later when they know they won't kill themselves on one. I think $2600 probably is about right the way most markets are around here.

On a personal note, I wouldn't buy the bike unless you really think that is all you want. Go take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and ride around on their 250's so you can get a feel for how to ride and then buy the bike you want. You don't have to buy a new one, but just one that you can ride for awhile and be happy on. Don't be scared of the big bikes, it's ok to be scared of the throttle but you can own a 1000 and slowly push it more and more as you want to. My wife started on a 1000 and 6 months later still hasn't gotten it over 40% rpm and 55mph. You can learn on any bike.

Good luck to you and you will be happy with any motorcycle you get as I was with my first bike!

you sir are a moron! no one should ever buy there dream bike or even any 1000cc superbike as a first ride. your wife cant "ride her superbike" she can putter around town well between 3 and 6k rpm, she can merely operate it. the reason no one reccomends starting on fast bikes is because of the margin for error. quite frankly the fact that your wife hasnt been more than 40% up the tach in and never over 55 only makes that big monster a bigger waste of money. her learning curve on that beast will be slow. but hey it says 1000 on the side so people may think she knows what shes doing. i dont understand what the big deal is with starting small. first bike i rode was a 80cc yamaha crosser. i would definately advise you to not advise beginners, motorcyclists as a group should emphasize learning through the proper channels. this is why the uk has restricted licensing so people dont run out buy a 150-180 bhp race replica and kill themselves or hurt anyone else.

best of luck to your wife i hope she does well. who cares if you upgrade fast from a 250 most who upgrade in 6mo. probably shouldnt. part of the fun in riding is owning different types of cycles. my father tought me to ride very young and he always used to say just because you can make it roll doesnt mean you can ride it.

besides its more embarrassing being at the track with a 1krr and guys on 250-650cc bikes are passing you on the outside...

oh and being scared of the throttle really helps one learn...

heyinternetman · 03-08-2009, 6:27 PM

Im glad you think your the only person with an opinion on how to learn how to ride. Also I'm sure I'm not the only person on this forum who doesn't have the money to buy a new bike every 6 months.

PS. Do you really think you would call me a moron to my face? Watch your netiquette.

shakey1378 · 03-08-2009, 9:12 PM

showing even more intelligence, i never said upgrade in 6 months. all i state is learn to walk before you run...

quite frankly i feel someone should spend at least a year or better on something not so rediculously fast.

btw, i would call you a moron to your face. it is what it is...

im sure your saying that as if i was in your face you would do something about it. really shows your character if you would fight over being called stupid

i think most here would disagree with you about a newb on a liter bike or better.

muddysteel · 03-09-2009, 2:09 AM

Before the thread gets detoured - a Kawa 250 is a great beginner bike..

I don't know what's a good price (I'd know a good motor), so you want to cover both bases (price and the bike itself). shakey1378's advice about having a knowledgeable person check it out is right on..

On the price - it's real simple to find out: If you're a member of a credit union, or have auto insurance, contact either of those organizations, and ask them to supply the wholesale and retail blue book value. You can even try your local motor shop..

good luck!

LoopyLee · 03-09-2009, 5:54 AM

I really think that ethandk has got the right idea by looking at the 250cc bike. Its lighter, small enough to chuck around easily, has manageable power and is a wicked bike to start out on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyinternetman

Don't be scared of the big bikes, it's ok to be scared of the throttle but you can own a 1000 and slowly push it more and more as you want to. My wife started on a 1000 and 6 months later still hasn't gotten it over 40% rpm and 55mph. You can learn on any bike.

I know that this is a controversial and hotly debated subject on here but I'm afraid I agree with Shakey here. A 1000 is NOT a good bike for a new rider. Yes, your wife can operate it, but I really don't think she is 'riding' it. I am a new rider, I learned 2 years ago and passed my test just over 1 year ago and there is no way on this earth I would have got myself a 1000 straight off.

There have been others on here who have said they felt that buying a litre bike first off actually held them back as it was too much too soon for them and they, in retrospect believe starting on something smaller would have been better for them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakey1378

this is why the uk has restricted licensing so people dont run out buy a 150-180 bhp race replica and kill themselves or hurt anyone else.

We have two ways of getting your bike licence here in the UK.

Complusory for ALL riders under 21, and anyone over 21 for whom this is the best choice.

You learn and take your test on a 125cc bike and can then ride one restricted to 33bhp for 2 years. After the 2 year period you can buy any bike you want, or have your bike de-restricted and keep it as its like having a new bike without buying one.

DAS - For riders aged 21 and over

For this you learn on a minimum 47bhp 500cc bike, over a period of 5 days, and take your test on it. If you pass you can ride any size bike you want straight away.

I went the 125 route in the end. I started on the 500cc bike but found the weight too much too soon for me so took the decision to finish my course on the 125 and take my test on it. I passed on a 125 and so I'm on a restricted licence for 2 years, of which 1 year has passed already

My choice of first bike after passing my test was a CBR400, which was restricted for me. Small enough, fast enough and handles great. She is the perfect bike for me to find my biking 'legs' with and continue my education. I'm now at the stage though where I want to move up to something else, maybe a 600 or a 750, but due to the licence restrictions I have to wait a year.

I know people on here from the UK bitch about the restrictions but at the end of the day its a graduated learning curve, which in all honesty I reckon is a really good idea for new riders, especially the younger ones who want to go as fast as possible right from the start.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyinternetman

Also I'm sure I'm not the only person on this forum who doesn't have the money to buy a new bike every 6 months.

Because of the demand for the smaller bikes the prices tend to stay fairly buoyant. So you may pay out $??? for a 250cc bike to start with but chances are, unless you trash it, you will get practically the same money when you come to sell it and upgrade to something bigger. In effect your learning stage would have cost you practically nothing.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting out on something smaller, like ethandk is doing. It's sensible really, starting with something manageable and then as your ability increases buying something larger. The trouble is people want to go and buy the biggest bike they can, regardless of whether it matches their ability or not, as it's 'got to be done'.

ethandk gets the

from me..

shakey1378 · 03-09-2009, 10:14 AM

thanks loopy! the biting off more than you can chew trait happens to be a little more common here in the great ole usa...

HondaGalToo · 03-09-2009, 10:21 AM

Agree with Shakey and Loopy on starting on a smaller bike. Kudos to ethandk for starting on a smaller bike, excellent choice, and he'll be a better rider for it in the long run!

The Gerd · 04-11-2009, 12:44 PM

Sigh...

It sucks hearing other people give advice so late in my riding experience that I wish i followed years ago. I fully agree with buying a decent small bike to learn on then move up...if only when i was buying my first streetbike someone would have pulled me aside and told me the stuff I read here everyday...I might not have bought that 130hp firebreathing 96 GSXR 750...it was an extremely touchy bike that honestly scared the bejeezus out of me...I wrecked it at the track about a year later when someone tried to cut in on me early in a turn...nothing i could do but watch as it tumbled in the dirt.

Now i own an 09 CBR1000RR and I have no intention of taking it to the track anytime soon, I know that i am nowhere near good enough as a rider to pilot it around the track with any confidence, even though on the street i feel more than adequate to own the bike and ride it in the mountains. So now im looking at 600's so I can learn how to really ride a bike...gotta make up for 8 years of lost time