- Oct 9, 1999
- 15,031
- 14
- 81
Just kidding! 
I've been toying with the idea of a motorcycle for a while now. After reading reviews and opinions online, I'd settled on trying for a Ninja 500. I decided that it was time to actually go and sit on a bike, since I hadn't actually even done that yet. Last night I stopped in to a local small bike shop with the intention of doing just that - sitting. Well, they had very few bikes there, they dealt mostly with minibikes, but they did have one 2003 Ninja 250, with 1500 miles on it, for only $2,199. Bike is in almost perfect condition from what I could tell - everything is still very clean looking, the hoses are all in good condition, the electricals all work well, the brake pads and rotors looked fine, etc. The owner of the shop was helpful and not very pushy at all. He pushed a little bit, but nothing like the car salesmen I've dealt with.
I told him I'd think about it, and went home to do some more research. $2,199 is below KBB retail value for this bike, and indeed, even searching through the completed Ebay auctions for the 250, there were very few that went for less than $2,000. My mind was made up, went back there today at lunch and gave him a check for $2,199. He has to replace the battery then he'll deliver it to my place. I still have to get my license and insurance and all of that jazz, but I don't expect any problems there. I have a helmet and some riding gloves, but I need to get a jacket and boots before I do anything else. Anyone have any recommendations for a jacket? I'd like to get something synthetic with armor, instead of just straight up leather. Any good websites for equipment?
I've been toying with the idea of a motorcycle for a while now. After reading reviews and opinions online, I'd settled on trying for a Ninja 500. I decided that it was time to actually go and sit on a bike, since I hadn't actually even done that yet. Last night I stopped in to a local small bike shop with the intention of doing just that - sitting. Well, they had very few bikes there, they dealt mostly with minibikes, but they did have one 2003 Ninja 250, with 1500 miles on it, for only $2,199. Bike is in almost perfect condition from what I could tell - everything is still very clean looking, the hoses are all in good condition, the electricals all work well, the brake pads and rotors looked fine, etc. The owner of the shop was helpful and not very pushy at all. He pushed a little bit, but nothing like the car salesmen I've dealt with.
I told him I'd think about it, and went home to do some more research. $2,199 is below KBB retail value for this bike, and indeed, even searching through the completed Ebay auctions for the 250, there were very few that went for less than $2,000. My mind was made up, went back there today at lunch and gave him a check for $2,199. He has to replace the battery then he'll deliver it to my place. I still have to get my license and insurance and all of that jazz, but I don't expect any problems there. I have a helmet and some riding gloves, but I need to get a jacket and boots before I do anything else. Anyone have any recommendations for a jacket? I'd like to get something synthetic with armor, instead of just straight up leather. Any good websites for equipment?
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