Wasnt even talking about you lol:rofl
:lol
It’s only my opinion. But you (Ilya) seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and want to take the course and learn the proper way to ride. You also mentioned that the R6 is a dream bike of yours. If you are going to wait until next spring to get a bike. I’d ask that you try as many friends bikes as you can, hopefully there is one with an R6 as well. Ride whatever is available to you. If you take the course and grasp the concept of riding a motorcycle on public roads. I challenge you to try whatever bike that you can, however, obey every speed limit. Everywhere, 55 on a highway, 65 on the northway/thruway. Obey the law to a T and with the knowledge you’ve taken away from the course. A 35mph turn can be taken safely on any motorcycle you choose to ride. The speed limits are engineered for our safety. Within that limit, it is understood that we are to have enough reaction time/distance to avoid incidents/accidents. As you already know from driving a car, people travel at higher speeds than posted. That is the scary part of riding a 250 on the highway (IMO). There isn’t much performance left after 60mph and nothing left at 70 on the thruway… at least on mine. I’ve commuted on mine and believe my 1000 is much safer on I-890 during rush hour. It is also true that my 250 is more comfortable doing 40 on Rt7. Either way, after this has been done this summer? Reconsider what direction you’d like to take. I’ve been on both style Ninja 250’s and their riding is the same a 600 or 1000. Sure there are slight differences in ergonomics, but I feel they are all set up to be ridden by a 5’-8” to 6’ tall person. What I mean is, if you want to ride a lot and commute. There is no gain in comfort on a 250 on up in the supersport class. As you still have to lean over to reach the handlebars. Not as much for a 250, but it’s still there. If you state you want to commute, and enjoy putting miles on the bike. I’d also recommend an SV-650, F6, Ninja 650. With slightly different handlebars, they can be set up perfectly for the long haul (upright seating position)…or a day on the twisties. As far as mpg goes, I’ve gotten into the low 50’s mpg with my 1000 commuting to work.
Try as much gear on as you can while looking for bikes over the next year. Gear up man. I personally feel more confident when I’m suited up.
As you look and research this summer, you’ll know what prices are good and bad. I know I’ll take some heat for this, but if I see that the bike has been repainted, I walk away immediately. Don’t’ want somebody else’s patched up, garbage. For a first bike, you want to have something reliable to put some carefree miles on.
Ultimately, we can only express our opinions and you can weed through them to your liking. Get what works for you, as a 250-300 Ninja may perfectly fit your needs/wants… or perhaps an SV-650 or likes, fits them better. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
P.S., the reviews I’ve seen on the 300’s makes me think they are pretty good performance/handling wise. Much better over the older style 250’s Ninja’s. I just don’t think you’ll find any deals on the 300’s as they are relatively new to the market.
skimmed, but didnt really read, but heres the deal…
op your “favorite LOOKING” bike and “sporty” type bike is an r6… Your settling on a 250 because they LOOK “sporty” like the r6, without the power and lets be honest, without the complete sexy look a new r6 has…
We already know your not gonna act like an asshole on the bike, so the only way to get hurt is from loosing control/hitting something/getting hit, correct?
Also like someone else said, you can die on a 250 JUUUSTTTT as easy as a 600 from the reasons explained above… A smaller bike is needed when you ARE a stunt devil and want to avoid the urge of doing stupid shit, a reason IIII ride motards now instead of a street bike.
You drive an infiniti m, a car thats not cheap, NOT good on gas, NOT a beginner car, big bodied so easier to get into accidents when mixing with the elements, alot of power, easy to speed and easy to crash ext… WHY did you buy the car you wanted, but wont buy the bike you wanted???
a 250 gets boring as fuck QUICK…not only the speed, but the torque, the size, the cheap feeling of the bike, ext
wow someone that gets what im trying to say and not flip out like im attacking someone plus rep to both of you
id really like to know like i said before why is a 250 any safer bike then a 600 or even a liter bike? if you take out the moron factor…please for all you people saying its a much better option and one of your reasons is safety can you please elaborate on that?
Because having a good head doesn’t matter when you panic.
You better own a Zx14, as an R6 is a moped compared to it. If you can’t handle Zx14, you don’t belong on a bike.
“Moron factor” Taken out the R6 and liter bike have something in common. They are not forgiving of mistakes. A responsible rider will be fine, but a responsible inexperienced rider is still in danger of S.R “Survival reactions.”
The bigger bikes have far less room for mistakes vs the 250. I figured the R6 wouldn’t be any different than the 250 I had grown used too. I was wrong my first day on the r6 I spun out the rear in a turn resulting in a near highside.
I realized then and there I had to relearn everything with this bike.
The throttle was a power house vs the 250
the brakes don’t take kindly to you grabbing a fist full
You had better Commit to a turn once you start one on the r6, S1000RR whatever.
Now how many guys have died in the past 2 or 3 years of riding seasons in our area on bigger bikes. I doubt any of them took the time to learn on a 250 & thought the 600 or 1000 is fine, further more how many of them say “I’m actually not a good rider I need to learn more about riding.”
What I heard in my short time of stopping at D&D is how fast everyone thinks they are or how many times they out ran the cops.
not one of them admitted to any faults in their riding style. Don’t even get me started on the
“I don’t need to wear this in this because I’ll never crash” rap.
All I am saying is you can start on a bigger bike yes, your lack of experience will catch up with you trust me on that.
You can die on a 250, but you are far less likely to do so.
I respect the OP for his clear thinking.
so your saying the trottle responce is alot better on the r6, the breaks are better on a r6 and there is more power to move out of the way of someone or something that didnt see you in their blind spot on the highway… and you had to relearn how to ride a bike even after you rode a 250 for how long?.. i really want to make it clear that im not trying to be a dick in any sort of fashion here, just to get my point across that a 250 might be a waste of money, he clearly thinking like a responsible adult and doing this the right way unlike all the idiots that do buy an r6 or r1 or even a 250 and go do stupid shit… he seems to do alot of highway commuting to and from work… (from his ticket questions he posts hehe) and i think some sort of vtwin be it a sv650 or ninja 650 or f6 would be a better bike for him to commute on…
Is climbing Mount Everest any more dangerous than climbing a smaller mountain with similar cliff faces? Gravity is still the same but overall one is a much more challenging task.
Regardless I for one love to rip through the gears. When a liter bikes first gear goes to 102mph I can’t ever go from red lining first into second without risking losing my license on the spot ANYWHERE. That’s not a fun toy to own, hence why I love my dinky 400cc Motard that can barely do 100mph. I rarely have a need to do 100.
Ilya, out of all the times you see super sport on the street what do you see them do other than simply follow traffic and get upto the speed limit for 95% of their miles? Get on it every once in while and go really fast from a light? The r&d on those bikes never gets applied unless you track them.
I would say 50% follow the rules as you suggested and the other 50% usually wheelie by me or are doing something dangerous :lol. The ones that seem to behave the most are usually the ones that have a girl/passenger on the back.
That being said…I think a 250/300 with some mods will be plenty for me.
Trust me, the 250/300 will be plenty for you. Morons in this thread talking down to the 250’s/300’s.
I own an R6, and a Ninja 300. When you become a good rider, I guarantee you will leave everyone who claims big bikes are best behind carving up mountain roads.
No matter how much fun my R6 is in regards to acceleration, speed, and hell - even cornering, the Ninja 300 can be just as fun, if not more fun carving a good set of twisties than a 600+cc bike.
Don’t believe me? Even on the R6 forum where I posted about my Ninja 300, people who were track day regulars, and even a few who have their racing licenses and legit race, were talking about how they were downgrading to a 250/300 because they are just a load of fun.
Lightweight, and easy to throw around!
:IdiotsI can’t believe people in here are comparing cars to motorcycles. :gtfo
Ilya, you need to join a real motorcycle forum where there is logic. The handful in here who are knowledgeable clearly get drowned out by nonsense.
I started out on a Honda CBR900RR, and from experience, I can say it wasn’t the smartest idea. Bigger, heavier bike, never felt confident on it. I rode around with the biggest chicken strips like 95% of the local riders, that don’t know what the difference is between a Shinko Sport Touring tire and a Dunlop Q2 tire.
Lets watch R1’s and other big bikes beat the 250 on the straight, and then lets watch the 250 pass them in the turns…
[ame=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz03sQeX02c”]Ninja 250 vs. the big bikes at Laguna Seca - YouTube[/ame]
Sorry, you’re not going to be doing wheelies like the cool kids (Even though my father has successfully wheelied the 300, so, I guess you can if you want), you’re not going to get all the girls who chill on the corner, and you may even have some squids laugh at you … but after all that, you’ll know you’re on track to being a much better rider than them.
Ben Spies, Valentino Rossi, Kevin Schwantz and all of them will never be caught saying “Yeah, go buy a 600cc, you’ll be awesome!” :facepalm
Why I even wasted my time typing this, I don’t know. Ilya, you seem smart. You don’t need me, RocketPunch, Gundam, HiSpeed, Vlad…etc to sit here and tell you what to do. Common saying is, new rider on a bigger bike means cheaper parts.
Be smart, ride safe, and have fun.
On a side note, I don’t mind people who stunt. 91teg can practice wheelies on the whole ride, and wear whatever he feels comfortable wearing, or speed off in to the distance - I don’t care, I’ll still ride with him, and others just like him. I ride my ride, they ride theirs. Motorcycles are supposed to be fun, and I have fun with everyone I ride with. It’s the people who call the lightweights pussy bikes and what not are the people I despise.
You don’t need a big bike to enjoy this awesome hobby. You’re best bet is to start small, at least for a year - see if you really like it. Most people will buy a bike and decide it’s not for them. Might as well start small, understand the bike, attempt to master the bike (Which I can nearly guarantee nobody here has “mastered” a 250 or 300, except maybe RocketPunch who will also probably say he can’t), and then decide if you want to go bigger.
The issue isn’t even the size of the motor. It’s a race replica bike.
And if you think that riding around town to your local dunkin donuts on a race bread performance machine in your shorts and a tshirt makes you anything less than a poser, you’re in a serious case of denial.
Thanks man. I just signed up on the KawasakiNinja300 forum…and I thought I saw you on there (was wondering if it was the same GenPatton).
After watching loads of videos, I think I’ll go with the 300 (when the price goes down a bit) but get my license in the mean time. Buy a helmet in the mean time too as I’ll need that for the BRC.
Ilya, do you man. Being comfortable and confident on your bike is key.
When you get your bike feel free to take a ride with us. :beer
:tbu might be a bit but will definitely take you up on the offer!
Yeah that’s me. I don’t frequent the forum much these days, but it’s a good source of info, especially for newbies. You’ll feel at home there … people don’t have huge e-peen’s on a 300 forum. :lol
May find some threads where I look like a douchebag though. I try not to be, but on a lightweight bike forum, you get a lot of newbs, and newbs tend to think they know everything because they rode for 100 miles. :retardclapI try to help, but as this thread is a prime example, everyone has their own opinions and ideas.
Me and Gundam will take you for a nice ride. Don’t follow Gundam though, he decides to pass cars in blind turns. :crackup
:skid gtfo? dudes not concerned about safety or speed in the slightest bit in his car and has had no issues, what the fuck is the difference?? the ability to EASIER-LY get out of the way on a bike!?? Yeah, ill absolutely agree, its alot easier to die on a bike… but its also alot easier to get out of someones way…
im an idiot, but I just sold my second 250… I bought the first one, had fun for about a week and then sold it… couldnt find a 400+ motard so I convinced myself the 250 would do again… needless to say, I sold the second 250 yet again after 3-4 rides lol… But yeah, im an idiot… If I got tired of a motard, a bike that is set up for mixed use, hopping curbs, hitting up the railroad tracks then the pavement im DEFFFFF getting tired of a bike that is soley a street bike and gets passed my grannies in there buicks…
Vlad rode my 250 to my road test… Vlad (dont fucking lie) how fucking slow and boring was the 250?? Fucking IMPOSSIBLE to speed up to switch lanes, gotta wait for the person 300 ft in back of you to pass before you can switch.
dont know why im spending the time either, I gaurentee hell be tired of the 250, but hopefully hell buy a used one cash so he can just get his money back when he sells it to get a 600 lol… BTW, im not sure if you can adjust the ride height of the 250’s, but im a fucking midget and I felt like goliath on a ninja 250 I sat on at phibbs that my girl was looking at.