Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2008 Kawasaki ninja 250r

I haven't ridden one but they have a good reputation.
A 600 would be too much if you are just starting to ride.
If you are looking for your first bike, another option is to get a used bike a few years old. Chances are you'll come off once or twice (most people do when they start riding) and it's cheaper to do it on an older bike.

Post some pics when you get it.
 
I'm jealous, I'd love a bike.


I'd go with the 500R, just so you can grow into it, but take my opinion with a grain of salt as I haven't ridden either one.
 
I have a ZZR myself and will be going for another Kawasaki as the next one.

600s are the ideal engine size IMO. You can have fun on them and ride long distance, yet they don't suffer too much if all you're doing is riding them around town. If you feel you can trust yourself with the extra horsepower, skip the 250 and go straight for the 600. Not the 650 though. That bike's a bit of a beast on the irresponsibility front :D
 
well the thing is the 250 looks awesome ( like a 600 class)

also the 250 does a 0-50 iin like 5.5 sec and a quater mile in mid 14's at 88mph.


the big thing is the price as its 3500

another bike id consider is the suziki gs500f but thats 5100 dollars

part of me thinks a 600cc bike may be overkill, esp for a beginner and if i got a 600 id want an r6s or the cbr version from honda
 
Thinking about it, if it's your first bike you'll probably be better off getting something second hand. Believe me, you WILL drop it at some point, and with a new bike it's going to upset you a lot more. If you went for something low-mileage under five years old you would save a bundle on the outlay too.
 
dynamicv said:
Thinking about it, if it's your first bike you'll probably be better off getting something second hand. Believe me, you WILL drop it at some point, and with a new bike it's going to upset you a lot more. If you went for something low-mileage under five years old you would save a bundle on the outlay too.
Click to expand...

would you still reccomend a larger bike though for a beginner?

any particular model?
 
dukebound85 said:
this is one sweeeeeeeeet looking bike. im looking at getting a bike and came across this one

http://www.kawasaki.com/products/Detail.aspx?id=263

i think this would be a great beginner bike for me as i think a 600cc would be way too powerful for me

who else has seen or ridden this bike? what do you think?
Click to expand...

seems like a nice bike to me, and the price isn't bad either.

in fact, i could see myself starting out with that bike
 
dukebound85 said:
would you still reccomend a larger bike though for a beginner?

any particular model?
Click to expand...

No don't get a bigger bike. Well... most 500cc is ok for a starter, but it would be best not to get a 600cc because they're usually more aggressively tuned (except from the ones on the list below and few others).

It is true that you're likely to crash your first bike so you might want to start with a used bike. That being said, I would still recommend starting out with a new 250 over a used 600cc sport bike.

Some other good starter bikes:
Kawasaki Ninja 500r
Kawasaki Ninja 650r
Suzuki GS 500
Suzuki SV 650
Honda 599 (used only)

Ninja 250r is sexy though.... you should get it :)
 
I'm a bit prejudiced. Have had two hondas, a BSA, two Triumphs and a Norton.

The new Triumphs are quite nice and have excellent reliability ratings. Mine weighs under 450 lbs and has 865cc's. If you're just going about town the low cc, high rev's are fine but if you ever plan on taking a real road trip, a wee little more bike would be nice. They've got a nice Speed Triple @ 675cc's and only 360lbs or so. Well easy enough to control for a new rider. Only 60lbs more than the Ninja.

If you have a learners permit many dealers will allow you a test drive of sorts to help you decide. Good luck and watch and ride defensively;)

My baby:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2094.jpg
    IMG_2094.jpg
    13.6 KB · Views: 2,445
So I look away for 10 years and what do they do?! I wanted a Kawasaki Ninja when I was at school. Some teacher used to park this lime green one just behind the science block and I'd spend break times just fawning over it. Now I want one again. Only this time I'm allowed to drive!
 
It really depends on your size. I would look ridiculous on a bike that small- note the pic shows a female riding it. My 1st bike was a used, tricked out Honda CBR 6000 F2 SuperSport. It had high miles- 14000, and a couple scratches, but was cheap, mechanically sound and I wasn't too upset when I laid it down and banged-up the fairing. I took a 2 week beginner course, then a 4 week advanced riding class. After 6 months, I bought a new Honda 900 RR.

dukebound85 said:
whelp i got the 250r. what a sexy bike so excited. gets delivered in may!

any helmet reccomendations?
Click to expand...

I use a Shoei X-11.
http://www.shoeihelmets.com/X11multis3.htm
 
stevegmu said:
It really depends on your size. I would look ridiculous on a bike that small- note the pic shows a female riding it. My 1st bike was a used, tricked out Honda CBR 6000 F2 SuperSport. It had high miles- 14000, and a couple scratches, but was cheap, mechanically sound and I wasn't too upset when I laid it down and banged-up the fairing. I took a 2 week beginner course, then a 4 week advanced riding class. After 6 months, I bought a new Honda 900 RR.



I use a Shoei X-11.
http://www.shoeihelmets.com/X11multis3.htm
Click to expand...

Yeah, the 250 is tiny. I was considering it 15 years ago because a few friends had them. I saved up and got the Honda CBR600F2. It was a great bike. I had to sell it because my car died and it's hard to drive a motorcycle in the Wisconsin winters....:rolleyes: I put on 10k miles in 2 summers. God I miss that thing.

I'd say if you can afford it and you can drive a manual transmission (just the coordination and timing), get a 500-750cc bike. It will last you much longer than a 250. You'll get bored on that toy real fast.
 
dukebound85 said:
whelp i got the 250r. what a sexy bike so excited. gets delivered in may!

any helmet reccomendations?
Click to expand...

I always buy Arai helmets, they are comfortable but you really need to get out and try a few on see which you feel comfortable in, both AGV and shoei are good brands too.

my Last Arai is blue,black & white, Matched the colors of my last bike, Suzuki GSXR1100

good luck, remember your head is worth spending a few bucks on, also get a good pair of gloves ;)
 
Congrats! Ride safe and always assume others don't see you.

I've had Arai and Shoei. My preference is Shoei.

They last and I can personally attest to Shoei performance since one saved my mellon.:D
 
dukebound85 said:
whelp i got the 250r. what a sexy bike so excited. gets delivered in may!

any helmet reccomendations?
Click to expand...

Nice bike. Take care of it!

As for the helmet, it's only good if it fits. Find a good helmet shop, and, if possible, make a test ride. It should feel tight all around your scalp and cheeks, but not press badly anywhere. In a way, it's similar to finding well-fitting shoes - after testing different models, you'll know which one is best.

I hope you have some money left also for protective gear. Over here, large skin abrasions due to motorcycle accidents are also called "morbus kawasaki" by the medics. :rolleyes:
 
NC MacGuy said:
I've had Arai and Shoei. My preference is Shoei.
Click to expand...
I've had two of each and can easily recommend either company. Arais feel lighter to me but are noisier on the motorways. Right now I have an Arai because the Astro R is the best fit of both companies' current designs. Getting the best possible fit is the most important thing.
 
yea i do need to get gear. Thanks for the helmet reccomendations as I now know what brands to look for!

As far as gear, there is jacket, pants, gloves, boots and helmet. DO you reccomend going all the gear? I ask since I know I will be say going to the park to play basketball and pants arent the best for that. Same with the boots, do most just wear tennis shoes?


Another question I have is security. When you park your bike, how do you secure it? Seems like it would be pretty easy to walk off with it if you really wanted to.

Thanks for the suggestions and I will definitely post pics once I get the bike!
 
Most important are decent helmet, gloves and boots. Although I never ride unless in full bike kit if you're on a budget make sure that your extremities are covered first. Think about which parts of your body you instinctively stick out to break a fall and make sure they are protected.

I have Sidi Black Rain Evo boots at the moment, which are extremely good and waterproof.
 
dukebound85 said:
yea i do need to get gear. Thanks for the helmet reccomendations as I now know what brands to look for!

As far as gear, there is jacket, pants, gloves, boots and helmet. DO you reccomend going all the gear? I ask since I know I will be say going to the park to play basketball and pants arent the best for that. Same with the boots, do most just wear tennis shoes?


Another question I have is security. When you park your bike, how do you secure it? Seems like it would be pretty easy to walk off with it if you really wanted to.

Thanks for the suggestions and I will definitely post pics once I get the bike!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if your bike will have one or not but some come with helmet locks.

You can also buy one on ebay or your dealer can sell and install one for you if you want a handle bar/frame lock.

A good helmet is an investment so you should lock it to the bike.

Oh, a little tip, when parking, don't rely on side stand on hot asphalt without putting a piece of wood under it or preferably use the center stand. I had a bike fall over once after sitting w. side stand on hot asphalt all day!!:eek:
 
Helmets, gloves, jackets, boots are the most important in my opinion.
I would never leave home on a bike w/o those listed above.
I usually only wear riding pants for longer/ highway rides but I would recommend wearing it all the time if you could.

Invest in a good set of gears, you'll be glad you did.

Congrats on the bike.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back