I recently got my permit and plan on taking the MSP ASAP. What’s a good bike as a starter? I was looking at some ninja 250r’s but EVERYONE insists that it’s too small and that I’ll want more. I’m looking for something to have fun on and drive around pittsburgh… take it out to BeaveRun every now and then too. I’m looking for a nice sportbike… and possibly engine sizes.
any recommendations?
id say a 99 or so 600 like a cbr. they are quick enough to have fun. and not totally grow out of in the first 2 days. you will be sick and tired wtih a 250 and 500 with in the first month. gaurenteed.
i bet those ppl that actually say those bikes are too small to start on cant even ride. im willing to bet on a 250 i out ride alot of them in the twisties on there larger bikes.
but for beaver run a larger bike or a moto 250 would be ideal. but start small then go large. and dont step up to you feel you are ready. it took me years to actually step to my currenty bike. im not the best but i’d say i can hold my own in the twisties.
this question is asked a million times and you always get the same answers. ppl like me will tell you go small. then you got others that say start large. some ppl can control themselves with larger bikes. some ppl are fucking idiots and dont know the first thing about riding so they large the size of thier bike to make up for size of man hood.
i started small and worked my way up. i got over 20k miles in riding over the past 3 yrs or so. thats not really much tho compared to some. but i started small and worked my way up. i suggest doing the same
and yes the MSF is ideal. i took it just to get my license. i was actually helping the instructors show ppl what not to do when they needed demostations. like dont do a stoppie. this was done on a cruiser lol. dont drag pegs in corners and etc.
for a bike to learn on a older 600 is a good place. anything in the 90s is good since low on hp and plenty of bike to get out of ways.
also a ex250R is a 14second bike if ridin HARD and right.
That’s what I thought too – all of the people telling me to get bigger engines couldn’t drive their bikes to the limit, but so many people said it.
I really like the look of the ninja’s… are there any competitors that are similar in look/price/performance?
that ninja ex250R has had the same design and etc since 1987!!. they wont change it cause its so basic… honda used to make on and it was the VFR i believe. but ninja is the basic. now you can get i think a Falco 250 made by aprilla but they cost money. and stay away from a moto 250 since they are track bikes.
and dont let the year worry you. i can walk up to jenns bike and also compare it to the 89 i sold and everything will be identical except the paint colors. so dont worry about the years. hell the numbers on everything say 87 anyways lol.
Quik, I;m going to contradict you right now. Yes starting on a zx-12r like me is pribably not the best for everyone…lol
BUT a 250 is too damn small if you are a bigger guy like me. Now that I have my wife’s 250 in the garage and I ride it regularly to get the break in miles on it, I’m so glad I didn’t get one. It was slow and didn’t want to haul my ass.
Other than that, you really have to sit on bike and get a feel for them.
Oh yeah and they chanded the safty class. Now you only get two days of riding at 5 hours a day.
Before it used to be 4 days of riding 4.5 hours a day.
I personally think its horse shit they cut the hours.
wow that sux
thought the class was great the way it was setup.
This is one of the event dates on pamsp.com
Friday, May 5 6:00 PM To 9:15 PM
Saturday, May 6 8:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Sunday, May 7 8:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Is that just 2 days of 5 hour driving, the rest of it in class instruction? That seems like a lot of in class instruction.
How many miles is a ninja good for?
Yes,
Its two nights of class instruction (second night you have to pass a 50 or 60 question test). Then its two days of riding (second day towards the end you will take your skills test for your licence (unless they changed that too).
It used to be two nights of clas and 4 days of riding which is a lot better.
As for the miles. It all depends on how you take care of it. I know guys on the ZX-12R board that have 30k, 40k, 50k miles on them and still going. That pretty much goes for any bike or vehicle for that matter.
i am one of the ASSHOLES that would say start on a 600 or if you are starting on a 250 or something dont spend over 1000 dollars finding one. i dont know much about you personally height weight and all that stuff but im 6 foot tall 220 lbs and i have riden a lot of bikes from ninja 250r - gsxr 1100 i would say that the 600s are great for starting on and they can be found in great condition around. just take your time looking and find yourself something you feel comfortable on… i personally perfer the yamaha r6 early 00 late 90s they are really comfortable and i have actually had girls riding with me fall asleep as im doing 80-90 miles an hour down the roads (no that its recommended)
but anyways back to your question its a mix of what you are looking for and insurance what not i would try to find a nice used bike from either a friend or something that you can learn on and drop.
as stated before and has happened in the past this thread really has the possibility to blow up huge because as quik said everyone will recomend something else.
250s are nice no doubt if you are a smaller guy ie under 150 but for a heavier guy like my self im pushing those bikes to do high way speeds.
500-600 decent and tons of room to play with personally i will always recommend a 600 to a guy around 6 foot and 180 or over
learning on a zx12r well mad props to sight and sound i have been riding for a while and im not exactly sure i would have a need or even want to get on one of them …
but go to a bunch of shops and just sit on them (with permission) and see what feels right dont buy the first thing you see its definatly worth shopping around for
LOL,
Yeah my situation is deffinatly unique. I had the money to pick it up with only 2700 miles one adult owner, and was able to pay cash for it from selling my car. I knew I wanted a big bike but it was also a comfort thing. Orginally they were holding onto their last 05 Busa for me until I sold my car. I got a little less for my car then what I asked so this 12 was sitting up there as well.
When I went to sit on bikes I sat on everythig from a 600 to a 750, 1000, the busa and so forth. The busa and the 12 had a lower more comfortable seat without having to lay all the way over the tank. So with them being big and comfortable I was sold. Also due to my age and having some riding experience (they counted dirt riding) I didn’t get ass raped on insurance to much, and It has already dropped significantly in the 8 months I have owned it.
Other than that, I have riden/owned dirtbikes as a kid, so it wasn’t totally new to me. I knew there was going to be a bit of a learning curve, but I think I’m doing ok. 
I just got Jenn registered for the MSP class this morning. I clicked registartion right at 8 and got her a guarenteed spot. At 8:05 all 12 spots and 6 alternative spots were filled for both classes that opened for registration today. :eek:
Damn thats fast.
yea that safty class goes quickly the nice thing about it is you get your license when you are done with it… however you obviously can learn a lot from just plan fucking up and hopfully not hurting yourself to badly… but i would recomend the class never took it myself but i have 2 brothers who both went threw it
we will be offering the callas at the 911th air force base soon as weather breaks prob end of april
i can see if i can get some budies in…
i got buddys that work at the 911th not that ad of a place … i leave for the army in 2 weeks from today i got no need to take the class nor time…
I REALY DO RECOMMEND THE CLASS FOR ANYONE THAT IS THINKING ABOUT GETTING A BIKE THOUGH
i can teach you exactly what they offer as in riding. my book for the class was taken by an EX. i just cant say you ahve a license. you would have to go to the DMV to do that. but i can show you how and what not to do
i already have my license i just never took the course i know taking the course would save me money on insurance thanks for the offer though
it doestn really help. i know with progressive it didnt
you will when you deply to your base!
govt regulations for motorcycles. must take state safty course before you can ride your bike onto a federal instillation… even if you have ridden for 20 years! everyone is required to take the course before they are issued a base sticker for there bike