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suggest a beginner motorcycle in the 250 range

H

hellokeith

Golden Member
For some years I've been thinking about getting a bike. My Integra is getting on up in age, but it's such a reliable car (and paid off long ago) that I shutter thinking about a new car purchase. So perhaps now would be a good time to get a motorcycle as a second vehicle, backup, and pawn off some mileage on the bike so my car will last a bit longer. And of course, to get a bike because I want one. 😀

Looking at the 250 range. The Ninja 250r gets rave reviews and is suppose to be the best trainer bike if one wants to go into a bigger sport bike. The Virago seems to have the most consistent positive reviews for a small touring bike. I can't find much good feedback about the Rebel, though I like its styling/design best of these 3.

Suggestions? Recommendations?
 
Ninja 250R

It's no contest. It outperforms every other 250 on the market in the US by a wide margin (the only one I would recommend for freeway use), and it has a standard upright seating position despite looking like a sport bike.
 
How tall are you? Rebels are pretty small and if you are any taller than about 5'6" it won't be comfortable.

Ninja 250 might be more expensive to insure because of the name, doesn't matter if it won't break 80mph...just something to keep in mind.
 
No doubt about it, the Ninja is highly rated but would you be willing to possibly consider a 250cc scooter and save even more bucks????
 
i was thinking about getting one in the fall of next year. but i want to do my homework first. would a 250 hold up well for a guy that is 6'1" and 230 pounds?
 
I'm 6'2" and 165, probably ~180 with all my gear on. The bike tops out at 110mph with me on it... but of course I've never had it over the interstate's 70mph speed limit 😀 It's especially fun to ride around town, because you can get through a couple of gears in all of the RPM range and still be in the speed limit (not to mention under triple digits)

The bike is pretty small, but it's not cramped at all unless you're trying to lean forward and ride it like a race bike. But the ninja250 is by far the best bike in the 250cc class. The cruiser style 250s will barely do 75mph, might as well be on a scooter!
 
Originally posted by: Vetterin
No doubt about it, the Ninja is highly rated but would you be willing to possibly consider a 250cc scooter and save even more bucks????
Click to expand...

Yeah but if he wants to really learn how to ride a motorcycle it would be best to get a motorcycle. A scooter is kind of a poor substitute in that regard, IMHO at least.

I'm glad the OP is being smart about this, too many people jump right into a 600 or larger and end up dead.

Which reminds me of something funny I saw recently on the show Pinks.

The host of the show was trying to find out what happened to one of the drag cars out on the opposite end of the strip and wanted to get there quickly. Well there was a sport bike parked nearby and he asked the owner if he could borrow it, quickly followed by a "is it fast?" question.

Well the host(whose name escaped me) jumped on the bike, started to roll, then gassed it, the rear end fishtailed and he ate it big time. All on HIS show in front of a bunch of drag racing spectators as well, I almost blew beer through my nose. He tried to play it off like a tough guy saying he has ridden bikes all his life but mostly big cruiser types, still looked like a total clown, and laid down what looked to be a pretty new bike just to try and look like a badass.


here is the link, pretty funny:

YouTube
 
The Ninja 250 is the best value if buying new (or used). It is cheaper then any major brand 250 scooter you will find with a LOT more performance. The Ninja 250 will hit 100+mph even with plus sized riders which is plenty of grunt for the highway.

Here are the current MSRP numbers on bikes/scooters in that range

Ninja 250R - $2999
Kawasaki Eliminator 125 - $2649
Honda Rebel - $3199
Yamaha 250 scooter (Morphous) - $5299
Yamaha 125 Scooter (Vino) - $2649
Yamaha Virago 250 - $3499
Honda 250 scooters - $5300-6K+
Suzuki GZ250 - $3249
 
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