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Old April 21st, 2011, 11:42 AM   #1
CmichRider
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If not a Ninjette, what else?

Say the Ninja 250 wasn't on the market, what bike would be your second choice?

It's something I've been thinking about, since from looking on Craigslists around my area, I can't seem to find any 250's in my price range; I think I might have to broaden my "acceptable bikes" category, and I just don't know what else I'd want.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 12:14 PM   #2
voidrider
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Jacob,

This question comes back to "what do I want a bike for?"

In real life, I found my Ninja 250 for $1500. It got me back into riding, and has been a great bike. Lately, however, I have been wanting to explore more dirt and gravel roads, and while the Ninja is quite nimble, and does off-pavement quite well, I just feel like I am "beating up" my street ride.

So, at this point, I would like a dual sport, with an on-road bias. Considering my small stature, the KLR 250, Kawasaki Super Sherpa, or Honda NX 250 have a lot of appeal.

If I were to narrow down to street bikes, the only other 250 that is/was in the States that really is of much interest to me is the Honda VTR 250. I find a lot of appeal for ~ 400cc bikes. The old Suzuki Bandit 400s have a good following, and seem to be mentioned favorably on a lot of forums. If money is no object the Honda VFR 400 is very drool-some.

One of the more modern bikes that seems to be practical and economical is the Suzuki SV 650.

I'm just not too sure about the new Honda 250 thumper and a friend has a Suzuki TU 250, I've ridden it and prefer my old Ninja 250 in every consideration.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 12:28 PM   #3
Fly'in Ninja
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Quote:
Originally Posted by voidrider View Post
Jacob,

This question comes back to "what do I want a bike for?"

In real life, I found my Ninja 250 for $1500. It got me back into riding, and has been a great bike. Lately, however, I have been wanting to explore more dirt and gravel roads, and while the Ninja is quite nimble, and does off-pavement quite well, I just feel like I am "beating up" my street ride.

So, at this point, I would like a dual sport, with an on-road bias. Considering my small stature, the KLR 250, Kawasaki Super Sherpa, or Honda NX 250 have a lot of appeal.

If I were to narrow down to street bikes, the only other 250 that is/was in the States that really is of much interest to me is the Honda VTR 250. I find a lot of appeal for ~ 400cc bikes. The old Suzuki Bandit 400s have a good following, and seem to be mentioned favorably on a lot of forums. If money is no object the Honda VFR 400 is very drool-some.

One of the more modern bikes that seems to be practical and economical is the Suzuki SV 650.

I'm just not too sure about the new Honda 250 thumper and a friend has a Suzuki TU 250, I've ridden it and prefer my old Ninja 250 in every consideration.


What he said...also the Honda Rebel 250 as a starter bike
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Old April 21st, 2011, 12:59 PM   #4
patw
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Check for Ninja 500's, no one seems to love em' so they tend to go for cheap.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 01:44 PM   #5
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Check for Ninja 500's, no one seems to love em' so they tend to go for cheap.
GS500's are prettier and that would have been my 2nd choice if I couldn't land the 250.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:05 PM   #6
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I find all other bikes in its category rather bland...My only other option when I got my bike was the CBR125r, glad I didn't it... I would have looked like a fool on it. If I had to get an entry level bike I'd take a look at the Ninja 400, but it significantly more expensive and doesn't look as good as the 250.
If it wasn't for the Ninja 250 I'd probably not be riding yet...I most likely would not have gotten the 125r even if it was the only option I had because its really just too slow and dinky.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:16 PM   #7
patw
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GS500's are prettier and that would have been my 2nd choice if I couldn't land the 250.
I rest my case. Hated biked
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:19 PM   #8
CmichRider
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flashmonkey View Post
GS500's are prettier and that would have been my 2nd choice if I couldn't land the 250.
I actually saw a '93 GS500 for sale the other day, 1600 I think the guy wanted for it. I loved the look of the bike, super sharp I thought, especially for the age.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:49 PM   #9
Jesse8931
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For me it would be a 97-99 cbr600
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Old April 21st, 2011, 02:55 PM   #10
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thats the classic cbr600 look. my favorite by far. if I didn't have the 250, I'd probably be riding a honda 230cc supermoto or the kawasaki 250cc supermoto. I forget the model names. They look like fun
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Old April 21st, 2011, 03:07 PM   #11
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of course it would be a stretch, dropped, chromed out, custom painted 'busa
i would ride it in my birkenstocks, shorts, wife-beater and half cap



any old bike in decent condition would do
insurance wont be high, you wont feel as bad when you drop it, and can sell close to what you paid for it
maybe use it to practice stunting
honda's might be the best choice since their engines are bullet proof
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Old April 21st, 2011, 03:11 PM   #12
Xoulrath
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Honestly, after riding street for a year, and finding out what I really want from a motorcycle, I am still a sportbike rider. I will say though, that researching a number of things MC-related over the past year and a half (more so than I already did prior) has definitely opened up my eyes more than I knew they could be.

I was looking at GS500F models and Ninja 500s last year for my first ride. The GS looks better, but I think it is ugly compared to the 250 and once I learned the 250 could haul my weight, I was on board. If I had to do it again, I would get the GS500F and I often recommend it to other new riders looking for their first bike if their weight is in my ballpark. Otherwise I shout Ninja 250. I'm sure you don't want to hear that, so I do apologize.

As far as other choices than those, and as for my eyes being opened, well hello supermotos. Seriously, go check out some YouTube videos of the Suzuki DR-Z400SM and others out there. I would seriously consider the Zook myself, though I do like the looks of the Kawi model.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 06:20 PM   #13
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Hmmm... I wanted a cheap, thrifty bike. I looked at the Rebel and Nighthawk first.

I didn't like the Rebel because I sat on it. It felt like a toy bike. Not sure why, exactly, but after 30 seconds on the saddle in the showroom, I had seen and felt enough. If I were given a free one, I would sell it quickly with exactly as many miles as I received on it.

The Nighthawk I liked a bit more. It seemed reasonable comfortable (more so than the Ninja did, actually) but the biggest two factors were these: Drum brakes, and an air cooled engine. I've owned plenty of bikes with these two features (most bikes I've owned had an air cooled engine.) But... I wanted something modern if I were buying something new, and drum brakes on an 08 model bike? Jesus... stone age, man. Drum brakes? Really? As far as an air cooled engine, I live and rider in Florida. It's beastly hot down here, and I want something with a more efficient method of cooling the engine than a heat sink. That said, drum brakes and air cooling work fine! But I wasn't buying a new bike with old tech. My father bought a Nighthawk 250 to ride to work on about a year and a half ago. When he had a knee replacement, he had me keep an eye on it and ride it every so often to keep it rolling. Honestly, it's not a bad little bike. It felt stone edge in many ways compared to the Ninja (which was 14 years younger, let's be fair) in particular the wooden feeling brakes, the lack of cornering clearance (spoiled on the Ninja) and the fact that it ran out of power. Low end torque was at least comparable to the Ninja, and it was fine around town. But... on a highway? Deathtrap! It struggled to keep up with 75 MPH traffic, whereas the Ninja, while not able to accelerate strongly on the highway, coped much better.

So I looked at the Ninja 250. It's a good looking bike, really nice with the new gen refresh. I was pretty much against a crotch rocket (or even a crotch rocket look) because they aren't comfortable, and it just wasn't my thing. However, after throwing a leg over it, and feeling how the seating position worked... I bought it that day. Easy decision, and after 3 years of good ownership experience... The right choice at the time.

If I were looking now, I would definitely cross shop the CBR250 as well. The Nighthawk and Rebel are still out for the same reasons as last time. The GS500 would be worth a look, but the Ninja 500 is out. Too dated looking. Time to replace or refresh it...

Honestly, when I was looking for something else recently, the two I was looking at was the Ninja 650r and the ER-6N. I didn't really consider any other brands because I'd had such a good experience with Kawi so far... why screw it up?

As far used bikes go... I'd toss half the above bikes for decent condition Hawk GT (NT 650) if anyone remembers those. Terrific bike, but outshined by the more powerful CBR600.
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Old April 21st, 2011, 06:32 PM   #14
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I rest my case. Hated biked
No, no...i didn't hate it...I just wasn't sexually attracted to it.
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Old April 24th, 2011, 07:26 AM   #15
coondog
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Brand new ninja 500 (2009) for $3k.
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