Need Help Deciding Between 2 Bikes

[ARc]

I am currently looking at a

$1,800 Yellow 2003 250 w/ 6775 miles.
$2,000 Red 2007 250 w/ 7.5k miles.

I took a look at the Yellow bike today, it was flawless cosmetically, ran well, started well, idled well. Laid down once by previous owner, so minor scratch on exhaust and right fairing.

Gonna take a look at the red one on Tuesday. But based on the information here, which one would you recommend?

[aloh]

hm....id say go for the newer one. Its only a couple hundred more but its four years newer.

[Viper-Byte]

Also, based on the info you have supplied, I would go for the newer bike. Sure it has done a few more miles, but everything is newer. And really it is not all that much more.

[Cling]

2007 hands down. Did you use to have a 600rr or something? You should come ride with me and my bud up in Malibu one of these days, we'll cut it up with the 250's.

[TrueFaith]

Only $200 more for a bike that's 4 years newer? That's a no-brainer.

[kkim]

If all things are equal, go for the newer bike, but the kicker for me would be the bike with substantiated maintenance records.

[KJohnson21]

They're basically the same price and the same mileage, so the only real difference is the age. Of course, how the newer one looks when you check it out is very important. And like Kelly said, maintenance records are nice to have a look at (has the bike ever been to a dealer for maintenance?).

[ARc]

I had gone to look at the newer bike that you guys recommended that i get last Tuesday, and almost bought it. Snapshot from OCmoto came down to look at the bike, and we discovered that it had a lot of problems.

First off, the bike came from Fast Lanes in Huntington Beach. For those that don't know, this shop has a reputation for stealing bikes, chopping them up, welding pieces from the different bikes together, and then selling those Frankensteins to the public. They are dealing with a grip of lawsuits and investigations right now.

Second, there was what Snapshot thought was excessive cam chain noise. I listened and realized, yea, this bike doesn't sound like a lawn mower. It sounds like its gonna explode. The other 250 that I was looking at the other day sounded tame, and this was NOT a sound that a new 2007 bike should be making.

Third, we checked the oil level window and...there was no oil in it. 2nd Red Flag. Does this guy know what he's doing? How do I know he took care of the bike?

So all in all, I decided to go with the yellow 2003 Ninja 250 with 6.8k miles instead. Olga was a much nicer person to deal with, and obviously took care of her bike more. I had the chance to ride it yesterday to a private lesson seminar, and learned a great deal about leaning, throttle control, and being smooth. I'm really happy with the bike

[kkim]

cool!!! Congrats, Jeff! You did the right thing in checking out the bikes thoroughly and making a decision based on facts.

Bike looks great!

[KJohnson21]

Great to hear that you spotted the flaws before you committed.

We'll have to do a SoCal group ride some time soon.

[OldGuy]

Congratulations Jeff - nice looking ride. As Kelly said, you did your homework. Now use the same common sense in getting all your gear and in your riding and you will do great.

Enjoy the new found freedom

[ARc]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I have invested in quality gear as well. The only thing I'm missing right now is riding pants, but only because I'm low on cash right now. I have an interview with Cycle Gear coming up later this week so hopefully I can afford a pair in the upcoming months.

[noche_caliente]

great job - sounds like you made the right choice! and maybe if you get the job, you'll get a discount too?

[Sound Wave]

nice looking bike! love yellow!

love the stance of the bike in the 3rd pic. i guess that is an aftermarket windscreen, huh?

on the 4th pic and the others in your folder, how fast were you going to be leaning over that far? looks like you had fun.

[ARc]

Thanks! And yes, I held off on buying some gear because I knew that if I got the job I'd get some sick discounts. Sh... haha.

Yea, that's an aftermarket windscreen. I thought it was supposed to be black but my friend pointed it out while we were looking at the bike. I took the private lesson in a parking lot, and we were going around the corners at around 15-20 miles an hour around that specific turn, and 25 on the other one. At first I was scraping pegs on the ground due to bad posture, and in doing so, leaned the bike to the maximum angle. Damn near killed the chicken strips on my tire.

My instructor told me that I should be leaning FAR into the turn and leading with my chin in order to save some lean angle and get tighter turns. I've observed that I could bring my chest to the rearview mirror and still be comfortable turning, though later on in the day we went even further than that, with my ass actually hanging off to the side of the seat. I had so much fun, and learned so much in the process. I really need to save some money and go attend some trackdays, haha.

Anyone from the SoCal area should definitely give Snapshot a ring and go to one of his Skillz Days. The difference in the level that I got there and when I left is astounding. Granted, I was a complete noob that just took the MSF, but he covers what they SHOULD have done in the MSF. He taught for about 7 hours for only $50 o.o

[Alex]

Good post. As a newer rider, I wouldn't worry about hanging off much yet. All you need to be concious of is that you are not leaning the wrong way (pushing the bike down in corners while your body is leaning away from the bike). Best way to do that is exactly what you were taught. Make sure your helmet is always on the inside of the bike during a turn. If it is, then your body simply can't be leaned the wrong way.

For a full-tuck/track riding position, what I've always heard is that your helmet should be in a place where it looks like you're checking your teeth for broccoli (if the mirror was still there). Put your helmet right in front of where the inside mirror would be, in other words.

For street riding that's not necessary most of the time (and perhaps even all of the time), just make sure you don't develop bad habits, rather than trying to emulate good track habits right off the bat.