ninjette.org - View Single Post

mrlmd · February 20th, 2010, 02:46 PM

The first thing before you go out and buy a bike is to take the MSF course. Not saying your friend's not taking that course helped him have an accident, but maybe if he took it, he wouldn't have had an accident. Maybe he would have known what to do when his rear wheel let loose and then grabbed and he highsided. Maybe he would have learned how not to get into that situation.There's nothing like learning it right the first time and being supervised in your training by good instructors, instead of learning from someone else like your father and going out for a ride only with a permit. It's much harder to unlearn bad habits later then to learn them right the first time. Not that his father is bad at teaching, but there are things in that course that most older riders still do not know, are not aware of, and just because you have ridden for years and haven't gotten into an accident, doesn't necessarily mean you were well trained or you have been doing it right.
At an MSF course you will get a chance to ride on a few bikes, or at least see a few different bikes and sit on them. They are usually all 250cc's - either Honda Rebels, Suzuki GZ250's, Yamaha Virago 250's. Don't get fixated ONLY on the Ninja 250 as a starter bike. The Ninja is a good choice (I have one), but it is a sport bike, and that's the reason I bought it (for something different than my larger Suzuki S50) - the others are more mini cruisers/street bikes, and have different riding positions (more upright), and different handling characteristics that may suit a newbie better (are more forgiving). They also have many more aftermarket options available - crash bars/engine guards. saddle bags and luggage, windshields, etc., so you have to think about what you want the bike for and how you are going to use it. Don't sell any of them short, don't avoid looking at any of them. They are all excellent starter bikes and are almost bulletproof reliable if properly maintained. I started out on a GZ250 and it is an incredible bike, 65 mpg, reliable, simple to maintain with only 1 air cooled cylinder, easy to handle, looks like a much larger bike. For a first bike, look at a good used one of any of those I mentioned, or the newer Suzuki TU250 (fuel injected single cylinder) - you will save a lot of money, (especially if you drop it or dump it early on,) and you will probably look to trade up in a year or two if you are still interested in riding long term. And if you do decide to get a bike, budget for a good full face helmet, armored jacket, good pair of gloves and boots, and maybe armored riding pants.
Get educated, get trained, get safety gear and a good smaller bike, then go out and have many years of fun, knowing you are doing it right.Don't let somebody else's bad example put you off.

February 20th, 2010, 02:46 PM	#26
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	The first thing before you go out and buy a bike is to take the MSF course. Not saying your friend's not taking that course helped him have an accident, but maybe if he took it, he wouldn't have had an accident. Maybe he would have known what to do when his rear wheel let loose and then grabbed and he highsided. Maybe he would have learned how not to get into that situation.There's nothing like learning it right the first time and being supervised in your training by good instructors, instead of learning from someone else like your father and going out for a ride only with a permit. It's much harder to unlearn bad habits later then to learn them right the first time. Not that his father is bad at teaching, but there are things in that course that most older riders still do not know, are not aware of, and just because you have ridden for years and haven't gotten into an accident, doesn't necessarily mean you were well trained or you have been doing it right. At an MSF course you will get a chance to ride on a few bikes, or at least see a few different bikes and sit on them. They are usually all 250cc's - either Honda Rebels, Suzuki GZ250's, Yamaha Virago 250's. Don't get fixated ONLY on the Ninja 250 as a starter bike. The Ninja is a good choice (I have one), but it is a sport bike, and that's the reason I bought it (for something different than my larger Suzuki S50) - the others are more mini cruisers/street bikes, and have different riding positions (more upright), and different handling characteristics that may suit a newbie better (are more forgiving). They also have many more aftermarket options available - crash bars/engine guards. saddle bags and luggage, windshields, etc., so you have to think about what you want the bike for and how you are going to use it. Don't sell any of them short, don't avoid looking at any of them. They are all excellent starter bikes and are almost bulletproof reliable if properly maintained. I started out on a GZ250 and it is an incredible bike, 65 mpg, reliable, simple to maintain with only 1 air cooled cylinder, easy to handle, looks like a much larger bike. For a first bike, look at a good used one of any of those I mentioned, or the newer Suzuki TU250 (fuel injected single cylinder) - you will save a lot of money, (especially if you drop it or dump it early on,) and you will probably look to trade up in a year or two if you are still interested in riding long term. And if you do decide to get a bike, budget for a good full face helmet, armored jacket, good pair of gloves and boots, and maybe armored riding pants. Get educated, get trained, get safety gear and a good smaller bike, then go out and have many years of fun, knowing you are doing it right.Don't let somebody else's bad example put you off.