Noob questions
 

Hello!

Thinking about getting a 250R soon, it will be my first bike. I know the 08's can run on the highway fine, how do earlier models do? Probably going to try for an 00-05. How do bikes handle mileage? Can you run a bike up to 100k miles? A lot of the bikes I see for sale have no more than 30k miles on them. What safety gear do you recommend? Helmet, jacket, gloves is all I can think of. Boots or tennis shoes for riding? I know boots would probably be better but are they as necessary as a helmet? As far as maintenance goes I know you have to grease the chain and change the oil. Anything else?

Any other tips would be great!

Thanks in advance!

RE: Noob questions
 

I have ran on the highway with mine but not for more than 30 miles and i was cruising at about 75-80 mph. I have an 01 and it was doing just fine. I have yet to take it on long trips. My mileage has been between 55-65 mpg so far I have heard people say 70 bu i have yet to see it. I recommend a good brand of helmet. I prefer HJC. A lot of the guys I ride with like Vega helmets. Go to a dealer try differient ones on and see what you think. Remember it needs to protect the noggin. Another think I would say is a jacket. Check out newenough.com they have nice jackets at reasonable prices. I wear shoes but again some guys I ride with wear riding pants and boot made for riding. Atleast wear jeans when you ride. Some guys on ninja 250.com say they have heard or have gotten 80,000 outa there bikes. it is all in how you take care of them. here is a link to some faq.... http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page

RE: Noob questions
 

First and formost dan, take the motorcycle safety course before you go and buy a bike. This will show you all you need to know about starting out for the first time in the world of motorcycling. It'll also give you most of the answers you're looking for as far as gear and suggested maintenance. I will tell you one thing is that when taking the course they won't let you ride unless you have at least full fingered gloves, over the ankle boots, long sleeves, and good sturdy pants that are not loose, and they want you to bring your own helmet but they can let you borrow one for the course.

Also the best advice to follow on maintenance is follow the owners manual. As for how the older ones do on the highway. They do just fine as deminstrated by 2 different riders who did IBA (Iron Butt Association) challanges on them. One of them did 1k miles in a day and the other did over 2100 coast to coast in less then 50hrs. As long as you take care of them properly they are known for not letting you down.

RE: Noob questions
 

Wow. That is a lot of questions for one post![8D]

Do not be afraid of taking the 250R on the highway. Even thoughthe 250Ris not the bestchoice for prolonged trips, they are reliable, and can easily keep pace. I will be running a 400 mile trip this Friday on mine.

In my opinion, buy the best gear from head to toe that you can afford if you care about your body.Jeans are going to be absolutely worthless, and will tear instantlyif, or when you crash. Boots are a must if you don't want to break orsprainyour ankle(s) in a crash. Buy a mesh jacket as minimal upper protection. Leather is preferrable, but let's be honest, when its over 100 degrees outside, most people just wont wear a jacket at all. At least with mesh, it will flow a lot of air while still providing some sort of protection. And for helmets, lighter weight is best. You'll probably need to spend over $200 for a decent helmet.

RE: Noob questions
 

Thanks for the quick and helpful replies!

Safety is definitely #1. I have a lot of plans for my life and plan to live for them :) I can't tell you how many people I see with jeans a t-shirt and no helmet on riding around.

I'm kind of reconsidering it now do to all the gear cost and maintenance cost. I'll probably just save up some money for a little while and put in some more hours of work.

Definitely the answers I was looking for though!

RE: Noob questions
 

I can't add anything more to what Mark and Sombo have said...that's about it. :)