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Choosing My First Motorcycle

by Elizabeth
(Anchorage, AK)

I just took an MSF course this past weekend with my husband. He has a Honda CBR 600RR. During the course though we were both on Kawasaki Ninja 250R's. I'm a total beginner but I passed the course and am headed to the DMV this week to get my license endorsed. I'm thinking of getting a bike for me next spring but am not sure what to get. I fell a little in love with the Ninja but my husband is worried that I'm going to outgrow a 250 pretty fast. And I'm actually a little worried about that myself. I'm just that kind of person. But to be perfectly honest I'm scared to get anything any bigger. I love the CBR's but I can hardly set one foot flat on the ground on my husband's. Not good for stopping. I almost dropped it. I'm just barely 5'6" and the Kawasaki had the perfect seat height and it just felt good. I'm definitely a sport bike girl but they all seem to be too tall for me to ride safely. My husband said that it is possible to have a bike lowered but I just don't know. Any advice would be much appreciated! -Liz

ps- please forgive any bad spelling. My phone has a bad habit of auto filling while I'm typing and sometimes I miss typos.

Comments for Choosing My First Motorcycle

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Jul 21, 2010

Choosing my first motorcycle.
by: 'Skitta'

Hi!

My first bike was a 1982 Suzuki GS400e. I rode it for about a month and then purchased a 2007 Honda CBR125r. Much better!

You *must* get what feels comfortable to *you* :)
I'm not worried right now about outgrowing my CBR125. I'm enjoying the bike and just trying to concentrate on becoming a better rider. Considering a bigger bike right now is not even an option.

Jul 01, 2010

first motorcycle
by: Anonymous

Good advice from both Judy & Fiddler.

I also started on a Ninja-250. Great bike to start on.
As my 2nd bike I got a Yamaha FZ1600. Little shorted that the CBR600, great handeling, little more up-right sitting position. a;sp the seat is a more narrow which puts more foot on the ground.

As fas as resale on the Ninja i sold mine for $500 less than what I paid for it and very quickly.

Good luck...have fun
From another sport bike girl, after 5 seasons I now ride a Yamaha FZ1

Jul 01, 2010

I vote for the 250
by: fiddler

Why not plan on getting a used NInja 250? They are easy to sell, and when/if you decide you need a bigger bike you won't take the financial hit. Even if you only ride it for a few months, you'll acquire so many skills and gain so much more confidence on a bike that makes you feel comfortable. This is an EASY bike to ride and a great bike to learn on. Or to keep!

I had a bigger bike but decided to sell it as my skills weren't really developing. It was gorgeous, i always got tons of complements on it, but it felt too big for me and it could not be lowered. Riding around town in tight cornering situations, it worried me. I never dropped it, but i always worried about dropping it. After a year of finding reasons NOT to ride, i sold it and bought the ninjette. After five months of riding i already have more miles on the bike than in a year of riding on my previous bike. I ride this thing everywhere.

If you like everything about the CBR but the height, they can be lowered. But not more than a couple of inches - otherwise you'll sacrifice handling and the ability to go over things like those speed bumps in the parking lots. Please note that you don't need to flat foot a bike, but you should be able to maneuver it well on the balls of your feet, since you'll need to move it around in parking situations, garages, etc. I'm not even tall enough to flat foot my ninja 250, but i can still duck walk it around a parking space if i need to. I sat on a CBR the other day and it was really tall for me too, but i'm only 5'4.

It's an ideal bike to ride around town, easy to maneuver in small spaces, lotsa fun on the twisties, and yes, i take it on the highway often. It'll run 80mph all day if you want it to, and get 60-65mpg doing it.

Jul 01, 2010

Ninja All the Way
by: julie

I too was in your situation. I started on a Honda 500 and I was imitated because I am small. I have a 2007 250 ninja and I luv it. They are quick, easy to control and a blast ! Yes it is a smaller bike and yes I may upgrade but if I do it will be to a 600 ninja. The Ninja's always sell. Maybe consider getting a good second hand and when you are ready to upgrade the bike is sellable. I received my license 3 weeks ago and when I am on my ninja I feel so in control. They are the best little bike and they can do the highway no prob.Give it some thought and good luck in finding the bike for you. Happy and safe riding:)

You can check out my Ninja zzr 250 under your bikes:) Metallic blue

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