New Rider, First bike: Which one??? (Guide to choosing your first ride) | Page 10 | GTAMotorcycle.com

New Rider, First bike: Which one??? (Guide to choosing your first ride)

Good read. A lot of good info, but...

I'm pretty sure this thread increased the price of the used 250 market all by itself.

Supply and demand did it all on its own lol. Someone's ALWAYS looking for a 250, and few people keep them long enough to rack up mileage.
 
wow what a great read this was for a beginner and first time buyer.I was debating between a CBR250 and a Ninja 300 because I am not at all interested in racing performance or speed, but to learn the skill over a few years and enjoy cruising. But I had a question. I wanted to be able to ride my bike on the highway about 50K one way to work (I go to this office 1 - 2 times a week). Will a CBR250 or 300 ninja be a suitable bike for this - I am hearing it may not be safe due to its inability to keep up with Highway traffic. AND NO I am not going to jump onto the high the first day I have the bike, but eventually I probably will - any comments on that.Someone mentioned to me it maybe a better option for me to go with a 4 cylinder 500CC bike as it will be lower on the torque compared to a 2 cyl. any comments thoughts or advise? much appreciated
 
Tried searching about the Hyosung bikes here but not much info. Is a gt 250 or comet mechanically fair bikes to start off on ? The only reason I look at them is budget, they are much cheaper then a ninja/cbr what have you
 
Tried searching about the Hyosung bikes here but not much info. Is a gt 250 or comet mechanically fair bikes to start off on ? The only reason I look at them is budget, they are much cheaper then a ninja/cbr what have you

If you're looking into a Comet, make sure it's at least an '08. There were major revisions made that year (i.e. Fuel injection, better paint job, higher quality build materials, better fit & finish etc.) . Is it on par with the cbr250r or ninja 250r? I would say so (as of '09+ models) . The engine is from the same guys who did R&D for Suzuki, it's pretty bulletproof.

If budget is your main concern for a 250cc , look into some older bikes (i.e. Suzuki GZ250/Marauder, Virago, ZZR Ninja).

Cheers.
 
If you're looking into a Comet, make sure it's at least an '08. There were major revisions made that year (i.e. Fuel injection, better paint job, higher quality build materials, better fit & finish etc.) . Is it on par with the cbr250r or ninja 250r? I would say so (as of '09+ models) . The engine is from the same guys who did R&D for Suzuki, it's pretty bulletproof.

If budget is your main concern for a 250cc , look into some older bikes (i.e. Suzuki GZ250/Marauder, Virago, ZZR Ninja).

Cheers.

Does the same go for the gt250 ? 08 and up is the better years ? Same engine I assume as well ? Thanks
 
Does the same go for the gt250 ? 08 and up is the better years ? Same engine I assume as well ? Thanks

All Comets improved quality after '08, and kept on improving every year after that. So yes the same goes to the GT250. The engine is exactly the same as the GT250R. Cheers.
 
Awesome thanks, Also so does that mean the Suzuki motors are half Korean ?:)

More like Hyosung's motors have a taste of Japanese inspired engineering :) . Hyosung and Suzuki were partners up until the late 70's , with Suzuki designing engines and Hyosung doing the parts development. They sold bikes under the Hyosung-Suzuki name in Korea only.
 
More like Hyosung's motors have a taste of Japanese inspired engineering :) . Hyosung and Suzuki were partners up until the late 70's , with Suzuki designing engines and Hyosung doing the parts development. They sold bikes under the Hyosung-Suzuki name in Korea only.

Thanks, your like the bike genius here eh lol
 
wow what a great read this was for a beginner and first time buyer.I was debating between a CBR250 and a Ninja 300 because I am not at all interested in racing performance or speed, but to learn the skill over a few years and enjoy cruising. But I had a question. I wanted to be able to ride my bike on the highway about 50K one way to work (I go to this office 1 - 2 times a week). Will a CBR250 or 300 ninja be a suitable bike for this - I am hearing it may not be safe due to its inability to keep up with Highway traffic. AND NO I am not going to jump onto the high the first day I have the bike, but eventually I probably will - any comments on that.Someone mentioned to me it maybe a better option for me to go with a 4 cylinder 500CC bike as it will be lower on the torque compared to a 2 cyl. any comments thoughts or advise? much appreciated


Have a '11 cbr250. I commute to work 50 km one way...can take the highway or back roads. Haven't had any problems on the 400, but wouldn't want to be on the 400 series all day. Fun bike.
 
Go with what your heart tells you.
Just make sure you try out as many makes and models before making your final decision.
It's like a love from first sight thing. You feel instant attraction and the bike responds back...

The two of you must become ONE.
 
Hello,

I have a M2 license.
My experience of riding bikes of my entire life is just one day M1 Exit class.
I've been through this thread for getting an idea as to what type(kind) of bike I should buy.
I learned Ninja 250 or CBR 250 is the best choice. And SV650 would be second.
Funny thing is I ended up buying another bike.
I knew I was not gonna buy a 600cc SS but I didn't want to move up in a very short time from small class to middle class.(I heard many riders tell that they sold their first 250s sometimes even before 1 season.)
So I was looking for an used SV650 expecting I can keep, learn and enjoy the bike for several years and that's exactly when my friend recommend a BMW F800R. He's been riding bikes for more than 10 years. He rode many kinds of bikes and currently own F800R and S1000RR. He told me F800R is easy for me to learn and worth to keep for years.
I picked up one on last Saturday. My friend brought it to my home for me and taught me how to ride.
It's been a week and I love the bike so much!
The optional low seat helps me as well since I am short.
F800R is not as ideal as Ninja250 or CBR250 for beginners but it could be a good choice along with SV650 in my opinion.
 
Hello,

I have a M2 license.
My experience of riding bikes of my entire life is just one day M1 Exit class.
I've been through this thread for getting an idea as to what type(kind) of bike I should buy.
I learned Ninja 250 or CBR 250 is the best choice. And SV650 would be second.
Funny thing is I ended up buying another bike.
I knew I was not gonna buy a 600cc SS but I didn't want to move up in a very short time from small class to middle class.(I heard many riders tell that they sold their first 250s sometimes even before 1 season.)
So I was looking for an used SV650 expecting I can keep, learn and enjoy the bike for several years and that's exactly when my friend recommend a BMW F800R. He's been riding bikes for more than 10 years. He rode many kinds of bikes and currently own F800R and S1000RR. He told me F800R is easy for me to learn and worth to keep for years.
I picked up one on last Saturday. My friend brought it to my home for me and taught me how to ride.
It's been a week and I love the bike so much!
The optional low seat helps me as well since I am short.
F800R is not as ideal as Ninja250 or CBR250 for beginners but it could be a good choice along with SV650 in my opinion.

An F800 is probably not a bad choice if it compares to the G650GS I rented. A bit expensive as beginner bike is all.
 
FeelsSoGood, Last summer I got a BMW f800ST. The main reason was that I thought whatever bike I bought I wanted to keep it for several years. So I think the 800 is a good choice, don't see much reason to change it for awhile. Enjoy!!! I'm also a newbie and found the bike easy enough to learn on. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the article...this will really help me save $$$ and broken bones when i get my first ride.

Cheers!!!
 
I picked up my first bike in the fall and chose a Yamaha WR250X over the 250 CBRs and Ninjas because:

1) Wicked fun go anywhere bike
2) If I drop it (which I have no plans on doing but may at some point) the damage will be in the tens of dollars, not hundreds.
3) If there is a better city bike, I have yet to find it.
4) I ride limited highway miles - supermotos are not great for highways - no windscreen and they vibrate.
5) Im a hooligan at heart, I think.

For those of you who are thinking about starting on a 250 (like I did) you may want to remember the supermoto option instead of feeling confined with CBR/Ninjas.
 
I recently bought my first bike and it is a honda cb500x. I sat on some 250s and liked the riding position better on the 500. I know it's bigger than I intended, but I have been on a 250 as well. I really think it's the right bike for me and my needs. I know it will take some adjustment time, bit that is the fun of becoming a rider!!


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Mind is set on 2011 Suzuki GSX 650F, brand new at a dealer at Dunnville, Haldimand, ON. Brand new bike with 1 year warranty on it. Will go and see it in a week's time. I like this bike due to the fact that it is more upright sitting and not over-whelming power. Plan is to ride mainly in weekends. Any advice/suggestions for me when I go there to see the bike?
 
Mind is set on 2011 Suzuki GSX 650F, brand new at a dealer at Dunnville, Haldimand, ON. Brand new bike with 1 year warranty on it. Will go and see it in a week's time. I like this bike due to the fact that it is more upright sitting and not over-whelming power. Plan is to ride mainly in weekends. Any advice/suggestions for me when I go there to see the bike?

First things first....have you checked insurance? Have you sat on this bike before? "Overwhelming power" is relative..the bike still has enough oomph to out accelerate most other vehicles out there but then again so do the 250s, the bigger problem for a beginner though could be the weight depending on your size. The bike is nice, I like the touring style of this one and looked at some before I decided on a kawa z750s (that bike was my 3rd though). If it's a brand new bike but from 2011 you don't have too much to worry about except your tires are 3 years old. If the bike has been stored properly it's not going to be an issue but you should probably check the rubber for cracks.

If you're young and haven't really ridden before I'd still recommend a smaller displacement bike though. You'll learn more and faster with a smaller bike to start on than you would with something like this.
 

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