I am trying to buy my first bike. I don't really have a lot of cash to blow on this and that is why I was thinking about the new 250r. My wife likes to ride 2 up though, My wife is a little on the heavy side and I am about 180. A guy asked me if I wanted to buy his Kawasaki KH400 from him it's like a 30 yr old 2 stroke 3 cylinder for $1000 So should I just get the 250 or get the older 400?

 

I started with a 94 ZX600E, I got it for $1500 bucks and it was already rashed on both sides, I knew that my first bike was going to get dropped so i bought a cheap crappy one. I eventually wrecked it after putting about 6000 miles on it, the engine blew up at 145mph. I now have a new 07 zx6r and i love it! some ******* kicked it over in the parking lot though, 1 week old and already scratched

 

The first time I twisted a throttle was on a 600. First bike was a 636. I believe that if a person is mature enough to practice restraint, understand and have respect for the power of a bike and has enough self control than they can learn on a 250 or 1100 with ease.

 

I started on a Suzuki Marauder 800

 

I started on a Kawasaki K5-100cc when I was 12 years old. Next was a Honda MT250Elsinore, 1972 Honda CB350, 1972 Honda CB750, Honda CR125R, 1978 Kawasaki Z1-R, 1980 KZ1000, same KZ1000 modified to 1075cc with cams etc., Honda XL600R, Yamaha FZ750, and currently 2009 Kawasaki KLX250s. I left a few bikes out, I believe. I must say that starting young in the dirtbike scene is a definite advantage to riding on the street. In the future, I can see myself on a bike similar to a new comfy sportbike such as a Kaw ZX14 or Hayabusa. It would just depend on what I would like at that given time when I decide. If I had to make a decision tomorrow, it would be an 08 Hayabusa.

 

Im not to familiar with the street bikes,,, But I would like to say the 250 yes probably is the best beginner but I voted for the 500 cuase thats what I would start on,, and besides everyone knows your gonna want more.. So there for in my mind the 500 is probably the ultimate opinion.. But like I said Ive only ridden one once so just throwing that out there

 

You need a small bike that doesn't have too much power, partly because it's safer, and partly because as you gain confidence a small bike will make you work hard, which will ultimately make you a better rider. For US riders a 250 is ideal. Riders who start on 650 usually never really learn how to ride properly. For those who start on SS bikes that's even more true, if they don't wreck.

I can hear the screams of disagreement right over here, but it's true.

I'd also suggest a bike with no bodywork to scratch when you drop it, a used bike that you'll take no financial loss on when you trade up after about a year and 10,000 miles, and a bike that perhaps hasn't been too well looked after, which will make you learn something about the bike.

It's also a lot more fun to ride a small bike hard than it is to ride a big bike at half throttle all the time. Anyone who claims that they can regularly ride a 130 mph or faster bike hard on the road will soon be dead. There are good reasons to have these bikes, but riding with restraint takes a lot of the fun out of them.

Rob

 

As someone returning to riding after 20 years I can say that I've put a lot of thought into this exact same question... twice. Most recently over the last couple of months before I picked up the bike that I'm getting back into riding with.

It's funny that every single person I asked; friends, dealers, people online, ALL said that 250s were too small and that I needed to get at least a 500 or maybe a little bigger. But here's the weird thing... I can't find a single expert that agrees. Google "best beginner bikes" and see what the articles say. Every one I found said start on a 250.

So, i found a great deal on a 2007 Ninja 250 and picked it up a week ago. Because it had been so long since my last ride, I asked a friend of mine to come with me and ride it home for me. He was one of the people that told me I needed at least a 500. He tried to talk me out of the 250 all the way there. His tuned changed completely after he test drove the bike. He came back and said, "Wow, that thing even put a smile on my face." His regular ride is a HD Vrod.

No, it's not super fast. But if you know what you're doing you can get it up to 60 in under 6 seconds. Depending on how much you weigh, tops out between 90-110. I'd like more torque in first and second gear. It's a little weak in the lower ends of the power band. But once you get it up into the higher RPMs, it's pretty responsive and quick. On the one hand, I do sometimes wish I had more power, but then at others, I'm glad I don't. It's harder to make a stupid mistake when you have to shift gears 3 or 4 times to get up to speed. But on these more powerful bikes, 60 mph is just a flick of the wrist.

And as has been said many times already, you'll probably learn better riding techniques on a 250.

That's my 2 cents. Good luck with your choice and ride safe.

 

Remember that dealers make bigger profits on bigger bikes, and that most people on line are fuelled more by testosterone than experience. Riders who start on a big bike won't admit that they were wrong.

I've been riding for over 40 years and spent a lot of years instructing. I've owned litre plus and SS bikes and ride a 650 from choice now as it's a great all rounder and small enough to ride hard on the road when the mood takes me. If it wasn't for regular 400 - 500 mile highway trips I'd probably have a 250 or 400 from choice.

I've got no personal axe to grind - just a lot of experience in teaching people to ride up to IAM standard.

Rob

 

I'd actually like to have one of the new 250's, but i learned on a zx6r because i got a really good deal on it and knew myself well enough to know that i would have good throttle control to not kill myself and focus on learning to handle it first before using any of that power.

i still think a 250 would be more fun on the daily commute because i'd get to wring through the gears instead of topping off 1st gear at the speed limit, letting off the gas and clicking through the gears to cruise along.