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digital speedo on it? oh sweet, 10,500 rpm redline, and a fuel gauge? That's nice.
 
Hyosung GT 250R!

Thats a nice bike but.... lack of parts and a new market for them. It would be a bad buy for a starter bike. Ninja 250s hold their value, so if you buy a used ninja 250 for $1800.00 chances are 6 months from now you could sell it for $1800.00 If you buy a Hyosung for $3700 6 months from now the used market on those bikes might be $2000.00 I could be wrong but a ninja holds its value with out a doubt, the Hyosung would be a big "maybe"
 
that is true, resale valueon ninja 250's and even ninja 500's is always high. theres always a demand for them, they are pretty much THE standard beginner bike. the hyosung would depreciate more, so thats something to consider if youd plan on selling or upgrading later.
 
Again, I'm thinking long term here. I've owned the Civic for four years and a 3900-4000 dollar loan on a bike isn't going to take more than 3-5 years to pay off. It is a new bike on the market, but I'm a new rider in the market so modifying isn't really cost effective or within the realms of what I want a bike for anyway.
 
Again, I'm thinking long term here. I've owned the Civic for four years and a 3900-4000 dollar loan on a bike isn't going to take more than 3-5 years to pay off. It is a new bike on the market, but I'm a new rider in the market so modifying isn't really cost effective or within the realms of what I want a bike for anyway.

I don't care if you're under 140lbs anything less then a 600 sucks major balls.
the Ninja 250/500 is a great start bike but if you had to spend more then 3-4 months on it... oh boy would that suck.

a really wonderful all around bike is a SV650. they're cheap both to buy and insure.
Something if you were careful you could start out on but again you'd have to be careful, the twin motor makes some nice torque down low.
 
I second the SV650 comment. Cheap, cheap, cheap, and parts are plentiful.

Another great bike, riding-wise, is a Buell Blast. It's a bit small (dimension-wise), but then again, I'm almost 6'2". I rode my buddy's yesterday. It has good low-end grunt, excellent handlebar leverage, which I value over power for everyday riding. and gets around 70mpg according to my buddy. He picked it up for 2300 with low mileage and a V&H pipe, which is LOUD. If you ride a dirtbike, you'll get a feeling for the power delivery of the Blast. My friends yz450f rode very similarly to the blast, except the yamaha was obviously a faster bike with a WAY better suspension.

Those would be my recommendations. A ninja 250 is lame and they look lame. I'd rather ride a vespa or a honda elite. Sure, they hold there value alright, but I wouldn't be caught dead riding one, well I certainly wouldn't pay for one.
 
I don't care if you're under 140lbs anything less then a 600 sucks major balls.
the Ninja 250/500 is a great start bike but if you had to spend more then 3-4 months on it... oh boy would that suck.

a really wonderful all around bike is a SV650. they're cheap both to buy and insure.
Something if you were careful you could start out on but again you'd have to be careful, the twin motor makes some nice torque down low.

I don't think I'd care about spending time on a 250 bike honestly. I want to get used to it, and I'd only have 4-5 months to ride it anyway.
 
you have 2 choices
you can start on something like a ninja 250 and then you'll want to upgrade
or you can get a 600cc to start with and be content for a while

250 ninja is decently peppy, very light weight, and lots of fun
probably get around 70-80 mpg, insurance will be dirt cheap

or you can look at the kawasaki 500's
a little bigger, will be cheaper than the 600's
not as likely to kill yourself on it
i have a 2006 250 ninja. it gets 60mpg. i had dirt bike experience so it was easy to get use to.
but then again a ninja 250 looks like dog shit and it sounds like you dont care about the performance of it.
that is total bullshit. the 250 doesn't look like shit. most people think it's a 500. The flames come off hella easy.
P1040130.JPG

that is true, resale valueon ninja 250's and even ninja 500's is always high. theres always a demand for them, they are pretty much THE standard beginner bike. the hyosung would depreciate more, so thats something to consider if youd plan on selling or upgrading later.
resale is high. i paid 3200 for mine last year and i'm going to sell it with gear for 3300.
I don't think I'd care about spending time on a 250 bike honestly. I want to get used to it, and I'd only have 4-5 months to ride it anyway.
if you don't care about rolling on a 250 then do it. heres why i bought mine.

1)i paid cash for it. didn't have to get a loan.
2)it was cheap, if i wrecked it i wouldn't be as upset as if i wrecked a 10k bike.
3)i wanted to get use to riding and learning technique.
4)i wasn't sure how much i would ride it and i wanted to get the most use out of it.

it's a good bike and you wont go wrong. i'm trading my this year for an R6. and i'll be ready for it.
 
that is total bullshit. the 250 doesn't look like shit. most people think it's a 500. The flames come off hella easy.
P1040130.JPG

beauty is in the eye of the beholder man. sorry, but i think that bike looks like ass.
 
yea i think the 250 ninja looks like ass also, heres a pic of what i started with,
 

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Gimme a rundown on the basics of bikes.

I think that most bikes are going to be different from each other, but generally where are the clutches, brakes, etc. I'd like to go in with a basic knowledge, at the very least.
 
clutch left hand, front brake right hand, rear brake right foot, shifter left foot, trottle right hand,
 
You dont Need a Madd expensive helmet to get the same protection, the more price of helmets only go up because they add stupid crap like 50 vent holes or a better design, there all DOT approved

But Check out the icon domain decay helment, its sick looking, its cheap
 
You dont Need a Madd expensive helmet to get the same protection, the more price of helmets only go up because they add stupid crap like 50 vent holes or a better design, there all DOT approved
i'm gonna highly disagree with you there
while a cheaper helmet might have sufficient strength to keep your skull from splitting open it might also be 10x heavier than a more expensive helmet
weight is a huge factor in both comfort, range of motion, and the amount of strain that will be put on your neck if you ever do wreck
it doesn't take much force to snap your neck, and an extra 5 pounds added to the weight of your brain skull can make a huge diffrence in the threshold of your neck popping

and i STRONGLY recommend you don't buy some off name chine made shit bomb bike
my ninja was tried and true
liquid cooled and could hit the red line all day long
resale value is awesome, and they have a good power band and good power out of the box, it will keep you happy for a while
stick with the brand name if you plan to keep it for a while and want it to be worth something when you decide to upgrade

i personally liked the look the the 250, its kind of flat compared to the newer curvier bikes, but its good for a 250
 
Power for the Ninja 250R comes from a high-revving, liquid-cooled, in-line twin-cylinder four-stroke engine featuring dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. It delivers smooth, predictable power that’s perfect for new motorcyclists, yet its 13,000-rpm redline and six-speed transmission will put a smile on the face of the most experienced sportbike rider. As if the Ninja’s excellent engine performance wasn’t enough, its rider will also be amazed by the nearly 70 mpg average fuel economy.

MSRP of $2999
you can't go wrong with this bike
i loved mine
 
MSRP of $2999
you can't go wrong with this bike
i loved mine
yep. i loved mine to. i would rather look stupid on what people call "an ugly bike" and learn how to ride the right way then look REALLY stupid on a scraped up bike and having road rash.
 
What years were ninja 250r's made? Any major differences or quirks between the years? I can't for the life of me find any Hyo... whatever... dealers anywhere near me, and I'm not driving over 100 miles to get a bike.
 
The Ninja 250 faces very little direct competition within its class inside the United States. The main competitors are the other 250cc "beginner bikes" priced around $3,000, namely Honda's Rebel 250 and Nighthawk 250, the Suzuki GZ250, and the Yamaha Virago 250. With the exception of the Nighthawk (a standard), these bikes are all cruisers. The disparity in style between a cruiser, a standard, and a sportbike is frequently the buyer's deciding factor, given that one's choice in bike is often as much about self-image as objective features. None of these bikes can match the Ninja 250's much greater power, 14,000 rpm redline, 6-speed gearbox, tachometer, and centerstand, nor do they offer both front and rear disc brakes. All of them have an advantage over the stock Ninja with their rear suspension preload adjustability, although the Kawasaki "Uni-Trak®" system is more advanced and may be upgraded. The cruisers also offer relatively low seat heights in the 26-27 inch range, an issue for some riders.

I might try for an older (mid 90s?) Kawasaki Ninja 250r. I'd probably end up filling the bike up once a summer if it gets 70 mpg.

I'll enjoy 14k to mess with on a 6 speed gearbox.

Aside from this being a semi-promo description of the Ninja, are the other bikes mentioned worth looking at as well?
 
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