Just my two cents being this as my first post and all. I learned how to ride on a 650R with a cousin (can there really be someone who's a good rider and bad teacher at the same time? I'd like to introduce you to my cousin) teaching me. After a year or so of riding on and off as this bike wasn't mine and I can only do this when I visited him downstate or he came up, I decided to enter an MSF class and buy my own bike.

My god, what a difference it makes! The bad habits I had picked up in "trying" to learn on the 650 was pointed out to me. In trying to "tame" the 650, all I was doing is barely riding it and ignoring the proper things I should be doing in riding ANY motorcycle.

I've since bought my own bike and it was a 2004 250R which I picked up for a grand. Since then, I've used the skills I've learned in MSF to be a competent rider out in the city streets, instead of playing bucking bronco in the suburbs. I've since sold the 2004 250R and moved up to a 2007 650R. This year, I actually bought a 2009 250R for city riding (yes, it's come to a point that I only use the 650R when I go out to the far burbs).

I can't stress enough for new riders not to overextend themselves in buying a bike they can't handle. Growing into it just isn't enough reason, in my humble opinion, for a newbie to buy that nice 1000 or 600+ cc bike. Don't ever think that little bike you have now will be your last bike; you WILL always want to upgrade...wouldn't it be better to pick up the skills you will need for the big boy bikes in your little bike now?

Again, excuse my pertinence as I'm new here (actually, been around, just been lurking and not really registering).

Ride safe.

P.S.
I just wanted to add: if you guys can invest in a bike, please invest in gear as well, and don't skip MSF!

 

Welcome to KF infamouzqq. sound advice

 

A lot of good sense there. On the first point, there are a lot of good riders who don't know what they're doing in a way that they can teach. That's why we developed the 'System of Motorcycle Control' as not only a system to ride to, but a system that could also be easily taught.

You won't always want to upgrade. After you've worked up to litre plus supersports and have owned them for a few years you start to realise that you're paying a lot of money and putting in a lot of work maintaining a performance level that simply isn't useable in everyday riding. Anyone who tells you he can ride a 'Busa flat out all the time is simply a liar. A lot of older riders come down to bikes like the 650 because you can actually ride it flat out in normal use, which is a hell of a lot more fun than constantly restraining the power of a faster SS bike.

The newer rider will not learn to ride propery on a 650, but will be able to enjoy riding flat out on a 250 with relatively modest experience and an MSF course.

Rob

 

Thanks Rob, I stand corrected on this one and can vouch for what you said (I rarely ride my 650R nowadays as much as my 250R).

 

Let me open your eyes for you. GET A NINJA 650R. Why? Because it's fuel injected. I have a Ninja 250R that I bought new back in 2004. It's twin carburetor, and carburetors SUCK! Let me humor you as to why.

1) If you don't ride your bike often, your carbs will gum up and fail. So you better ride it EVERY DAY or else, you'll spend $400+ on repairs, I can guarantee you that.

2) If you put poor quality fuel....see above....your bike will fail again...and again...AND AGAIN.

3) If you don't use up all your fuel in your tank, deposits will build up...and yes...your bike will fail again.

4) Even if you ride your bike often.......it will fail on you.


Whoever said that the Ninja 250 is a 'great' beginner bike plain lied. No one uses or cares about carburetors anymore. They are a pain to fix and maintain. But if you end up getting a 250, just be familiar with some terms that might be alien to you: 'syncing carbs'....'clogged pilot and main jets'....'rough idle'....'float bowls'...'fuel needles'...'carb rebuild kits'.....$400 cleaning/rebuild (and this is done every 2 years, whether you like it or not). Don't believe these people that tell you that carbs are simpler to fix and maintain because they are not.

Carbs have lots of mechanical parts that WILL (not can..WILL) fail you. With fuel injection....there's injectors, the computer that controls it....and that's pretty much it. A can of fuel injector cleaner will keep your Ninja 650 happy for many years.

Take it from me. Don't get a 250.. Or ANY carbureted bike. Most people (even some that belong to this forum) have no clue about how they work or how to work on them.

 

wow, 3 posts in KF and all are of your unhappy experience with carbed bikes. Sorry to hear.

 

joserpm - you're showing your ignorance of FI systems. I answered this in the thread above. Please don't come on to every thread railling about carbs. Most people have no problems with them. You have the problem, not the carbs.

Rob

 

Oh really now? If carbs are oh-so-wonderful...how come there are NO CARS since the mid 80s that have them? If you love carbs so much, that sure shows something.

 

Thats Not True.

 

Well, what I meant was...a good number of people do not know how to work on carbs and give erroneous advice. When my 250 kept shutting down unless I kept the choke on at all times, 5 days passed...no one gave advice on what it was. So I stand behind what I said. No one really helps out there....whether by choice, or by not knowing, the fact remains. And yes, I still have that problem. If I give it throttle or take the choke off, it dies....so I have a nice, useless bike sitting in the garage cause I am not paying $400 again for Bubba to work on something that didn't fix the problem. THAT is why I have been upset.