Buyers remorse

[istreefitty]

Ok so long story short I am attending a MSF riding portion with a friend because I can and it gets me out of work. I am scheduled to take an advanced sports bike course ( which includes a closed course track day) so what could it hurt. In his class there is this girl who just bought an 07 R6 for 6000 from a friend that ensures her it is a great starting bike. She did understand that it was not the best bike to start with but she wanted a bike that she could grow into. Now she makes a great point as to wanting to grow unto a bike, instead of growing out of one like many 250 owners do ( how many people trade their 600+ cc bikes for our ninjette??? And viceversa???). So at the start my friend and I were the only 2 peeps with <600 cc bikes but after we discussed our payments, maintain, insurance....... Let's just say there were some serious cases of buyers remorse. Don't get me wrong going fast is cool, but going to jail for going 80 + is not cool.

I especially liked how the instructor ( who owns a busa) would rather take out the ninja with his wife to go riding ( they have 2 ninjettes). Heck I got pulled to the side by the second instructor and was told to call him asap when I decide to upgrade ( IF I upgrade). It was nice to see the snickering turn into envy at the end of the day.



Ohh BTW the girl with the raven payes over 400 dollars a month for her toy and insurance!!!!! Give me a 250 any day over that noise!!!!
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[kkim]

the 250 is more bike than 90% of it's owners can handle. most trade up well before they have mastered the 250 and most likely would have had a steeper learning curve had they stayed on a 250.

I'm one that has moved from a 600 to this bike and I could not be happier with my choice. I do look at other bikes, but never give any a serious thought of owning. The 250 is perfect for my needs and I hope to be able to ride it to it's full capabilities some day.

you're just learning this now??? I thought you were smarter than that and already knew this?

[Sound Wave]

man, i thought you were going to say that you had buyer's remorse. hehe.

i think the people who disrespect the ninja 250 have never ridden one before... or have never even ridden a motorcycle before.

like i had said before, i wish i could have kept both the ninja and the interceptor. i haven't picked up the interceptor yet (hopefully tomorrow after work ), but i am kind of thinking it won't be as fun to ride as the ninja was.

[Snake]

In my case I went from a 750 to this bike and have not regreted it one bit.

[tjkamper]

The most recent bike I had before the 250 was an SV650. I liked the power the SV650 had, but I love the feel of the 250 much more than I did the SV650. Plus, it is cheap to own cheap to maintain and cheap to insure. I think the 250 is a great little bike and I really enjoy riding it more than I ever did the SV650. I also prefer the style. I don't need to go 130 MPH. 80 MPH is pleanty fast enough to get me killed. I especially like the 250 more in traffic as it is more nimble and lets me avoid idiots a lot better than the SV650. Also I'm not holding myself back being bored, because of cars slowing me down.

Of course occationally I get the itch for power, but it goes away after a few days. I still love seeing amazing superbikes, but I don't think I would ever own a litterbike, unless if it was a touring bike.

The Ninjette is a great bike. Simple and Fun as Hell.

[BlackRain]

I owned a 250, now ride a 600, and am going back to a 250. The 600 was for the track anyways, but I love the ease of maintenance and low cost of ownership of the 250. It can get you in trouble as well. 80+ is rather easy on the 250.

They are very fun to ride. It is true that most people that ride can not outride any street bike. They seem to think they can; bored with it, not enough power. But anyone can drive any type of vehicle in a straight line. Power is only important for a specific purpose; that purpose is not going to the corner mart, or to Starbucks.

[sofo]

There have been a couple of times recently that I thought it would be nice to have the gearing and torque of a bigger bike but then one corner on my 250R or the way it revs high for that race bike feel without being at "go to jail" speed makes me love it even more.

I don't think I'll outgrow this bike anytime soon, and those that do move too soon should think about what's better, going fast around a track, or just going fast between corners. I know which one I like.

BTW kkim, I'll concede that the '08 green *may possibly* be a hair faster than the '09 SE green, but the latter has a head of hair more head-turning factor IMO.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by sofo

BTW kkim, I'll concede that the '08 green *may possibly* be a hair faster than the '09 SE green, but the latter has a head of hair more head-turning factor IMO.

i don't argue the "which bike is better looking" with owners... they are so blind and just see theirs as the best looking. The only statement that I make is that the green bikes are faster... because they are. It's true!

[cifex]

Honestly of all the overly expensive sports and hobbies I partake in.....climbing, beer brewing, mountain biking, snowboarding..... My 250R has been the cheapest, by far. And I do it the most. While there are times when it would be nice to have a little more oomph at highway speed, or in the wrong gear. I love the flickability that I would be missing out on had I gone the SV650 way.

[SpyderGirl]

I went from a Nighthawk 750, to a Rebel 250 (hubby's bike now), to a Vulcan 800, and now I have my Ninjette and the Spyder. I am happy with the current arrangement and don't see it changing soon. The hubby wants to bigger bike, like a 500...I guess I can't say I blame him. The Rebel is kind of a drag to ride.

[TrueFaith]

More than likely that 600 will scare her so much she'll quit riding. One blip of the throttle hitting a pothole will be all it will take. Most of the people who buy a 600 as their first bike, especially a bike like a CBR or R6, never "grow into it" because it either kills, maims or scares them so much they give up riding. You have to know what a bike like that can do and respect it and most people who buy an RR without experience never do. I'll never forget the dweeb where I work who bought a brand new Gixxer 600 because his friends all had them. He showed up at work with it one day and decided to show off for his friends in the parking lot. The throttle got completely away from him and the only thing that stopped him was hitting a curb and landing into a chain-link fence like it was a safety net. Ruined the fence, trashed his brand-new bike and got laughed at by his buddies for his trouble. "Grow into it" my ass, that's some dumb thinking. Was she blonde too?

[SpyderGirl]

A young friend of mine just bought a 1995 Kawi 1100 sportbike as his first bike. He doesn't plan on taking the MSF and plans to learn from friends. Probably the same friends that told him an 1100 would be a good bike for him. But he won't listen to me. I wish him well....
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[SpyderGirl]

He was supposed to come by last Friday with it but haven't heard from him since...maybe he killed himself already
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[Sailariel]

Seems everybody wants to start big. I went from a 750 Norton to the Ninjette. The Ninjette is a lot more fun to ride and certainly handles better and stops faster (not the fault of the Norton--It was a 1972) Got a similar problem with my son. He bought a superfast new Corvette as his first sports car. What has ever happened to starting with a Miata, maybe later finding an MR-2, maybe a used Porsche, and then graduating to a Nissan Z. Oh well, us "Old Fahts" are just too slow. I like to take it easy and enjoy the machine for what it is and improve my skills. It is always sad to see a person get a new bike, car, boat, or whatever, and hear them talk about what the next one will be.

[istreefitty]

Well I know that the 250r is enough for me (specially since everything is sooo cheap) but my best friend learned on a 02 CBR 600 and now owns a suzuki liter bike and has never been down and rides very well. He was my inspiration for getting into bikes and he def was not the typical squid. He has tried his hand at stunting (in a controlled environment not on a road) and is a great rider. So just for everyones information, there are people that dont kill themselves by starting on a bigger bike. In fact people do it all the time. I dont like the initial reactions I get when people realize I ride a 250, but I dont ride for them now do I??....In short to each their own right


Now the Corvette thing, I would have to disagree. It does everything WAYYYYYYYY better (including going faster) than every other car you mentioned. Non of those cars compare to the vette. In fact, if you are rich enough, the vette is def a great sports car for a driver at any stage in life. (we are talking about track days right??)

[MasterProcrastinator]

I, like the girl in your story, thought a bigger "manlier" bike was good to start with so I wouldn't outgrow it. But I'm much happier and much safer "downsizing" to my 250. I don't really even notice all that much of a power difference from my GS500 but it could be because that had 10,000 miles on it as opposed to my brand new Ninja.

[Finder]

Why all the talk about upgrading and downgrading? Over the years, I've finally found the solution. The trick is to keep what you have and buy another! If only I knew this when I started! When you get to the point where you have a different bike to ride each day of the week, that's the time to start thinking about trading the wife/husband/partner in for a bigger garage.

You all can thank me later for this valuable bit of advice.

[SpyderGirl]

If there is room in your garage for a car, you don't own enough motorcycles!

[sharky nrk]

I have remorse - honestly

I love my 6R, it has many plus marks in its column over my little brothers 250R. Its the cost that gets to me. I do not get 3 times the enjoyment over his 250 with my 600, but I do pay 3 times as much a month.

[sofo]

Originally Posted by Finder

Why all the talk about upgrading and downgrading? Over the years, I've finally found the solution. The trick is to keep what you have and buy another! If only I knew this when I started! When you get to the point where you have a different bike to ride each day of the week, that's the time to start thinking about trading the wife/husband/partner in for a bigger garage.

This is my thinking as well. I don't know what other bike(s) I'd want at this point, but if I can afford it I will keep my 250 along side something else. The thought of the 250 for street and a supersport for track makes a lot of sense IMO.

[komohana]

for the record, i rode bigger bikes before riding the EX 250 that i own AND love AND appreciate!
i WAS in the market for something bigger, but the 250 test ride showed me more than i needed to know.
i'm proud to own and ride one by choice thank you very much

[Bill N]

Originally Posted by Finder

Why all the talk about upgrading and downgrading? Over the years, I've finally found the solution. The trick is to keep what you have and buy another! If only I knew this when I started! When you get to the point where you have a different bike to ride each day of the week, that's the time to start thinking about trading the wife/husband/partner in for a bigger garage.

You all can thank me later for this valuable bit of advice.

I like your advice...I have a 1100 Moto Guzzi with 110,000 miles, a 1200 Bandit with 60,000 miles and my 08 Ninjette with about 6,000 miles. They all have their purposes but the little Ninjette is my commuter of choice. To ride with my sport bike buddies my modified Bandit does well. For a 3,000 mile trip the Guzzi wins every time.
Cheers, Bill

[edwinmcq]

It was 90+ in downtown DC yesterday. I saw a dozen folks on big machines including one guy on a huge BMW in a suit/tie who told me at a light , "I think I'm gonna die". My 250 is a great machine for the city, I don't feel like I'm holding up a frig in the sun, I don't fear slipping the throttle and splattering myself all over a bus and it still looks damn sexy.
The 250 is both a "toy" and a tool. Used correctly, it serves both purposes well.

I have also found that there are two types of people, those who think that bikes come in only "600 and 1000" and those that actually ride.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by kkim

i don't argue the "which bike is better looking" with owners... they are so blind and just see theirs as the best looking. The only statement that I make is that the green bikes are faster... because they are. It's true!

Scientists have proven that viewing bright green objects slows down mental processes, making things seem to happen faster from the point of view of those so affected.

Really.

Hey, have I ever lied to you?



Seriously...

It has been conclusively proven by physicists that red-shifted light means an object is moving away from you at high speed, while blue-shifted light means an object is moving towards you at high speed, both phenomena being due to the Doppler Effect. Astronomer Edwin Hubble (the guy the telescope is named after) observed that the light from distant galaxies is red-shifted to a degree directly proportional to their distance from us, and thereby discovered that the universe is expanding...which led directly to the currently accepted Big Bang theory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshift
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hubble
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

Therefore both red and blue indicate high speed, relative to the observer. This is a fact.

Green, on the other hand, indicates....

.... Kermit.

[kkim]

ribbit...

I'm not talking about light color... I'm talking about the more potent motors installed at the factory going into the green bikes.

[Finder]

Originally Posted by SpyderGirl

If there is room in your garage for a car, you don't own enough motorcycles!

Hear, hear!

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by istreefitty

Well I know that the 250r is enough for me (specially since everything is sooo cheap) but my best friend learned on a 02 CBR 600 and now owns a suzuki liter bike and has never been down and rides very well. He was my inspiration for getting into bikes and he def was not the typical squid. He has tried his hand at stunting (in a controlled environment not on a road) and is a great rider. So just for everyones information, there are people that dont kill themselves by starting on a bigger bike. In fact people do it all the time. I dont like the initial reactions I get when people realize I ride a 250, but I dont ride for them now do I??....In short to each their own right


Now the Corvette thing, I would have to disagree. It does everything WAYYYYYYYY better (including going faster) than every other car you mentioned. Non of those cars compare to the vette. In fact, if you are rich enough, the vette is def a great sports car for a driver at any stage in life. (we are talking about track days right??)

I absolutely agree with you about the Vette. I love them. Had a 61,a 58, and a 63 Coupe. I did have some smaller sports cars before that which made me appreciate the Vette all the more. The new C-5 is an incredible machine.--fast, well engineered, exceptionally well handeling, and worth every penny. It is also Made IN USA. Actually, my son lives in CA and drives on the road--quite fast, I asssume.

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by Finder

Why all the talk about upgrading and downgrading? Over the years, I've finally found the solution. The trick is to keep what you have and buy another! If only I knew this when I started! When you get to the point where you have a different bike to ride each day of the week, that's the time to start thinking about trading the wife/husband/partner in for a bigger garage.

You all can thank me later for this valuable bit of advice.

LOL yea this is my plan. My 250 is absolutely perfect for my downtown commute, and me getting anything larger would just screw up that experience for me. On the other hand, something a little roomier and more stable on long distance highway runs would be welcome as well....I wouldn't mind a ducati either. Yup...i'm screwed....I'm gonna be one of "those guys" with like 20 bikes lying around in his backyard.

[sofo]

Originally Posted by kkim

I'm not talking about light color... I'm talking about the more potent motors installed at the factory going into the green bikes.

I've been hearing rumors that the pistons in the green bikes have rings made from recently uncovered Samurai sword fragments which makes them move smoother through their stroke for that little bit more power and speed.

But I could be making that up.

[cifex]

Maybe so.....but there can be only one!