I am going to be getting a motorcycle obviously and I first thought I had it figured out and wanted the ninja 250r, but with my weight and wanting to be able to take my sister and girlfriend for a ride I thought the zx -6r would be perfect. I can't afford the insurance for that model so I said well there's only 1 other I would want and that's the 650r. I have several questions and forgive me for the long paragraph. My first question how much weight can the 650 hold? Secondly, would the bike be good for driving to work each day which is a 45-60 minute drive. Lastly, I really would like to know if the 650r is worth the money because I plan on keeping it for a long time. (oh and my weight is 250 lbs! lol see my dredge...) P.S. Thanks for the patience!
~Caseman~

 

1. The bike according to the manual says it can hold about 400lbs, safely.

2. I ride my bike on a daily basis and it is more than capable of keeping up with highway speeds. As for the comfort of the bike, the seat has a little to be desired but I have gone on the interstate on my bike an hour each way with no real comfort problems. I can get about 50-55mpg while riding on the highway and about 40mpg riding around town.

3. The 650r is a popular bike and many people have alot of miles on theirs and are very happy with it. You will probably end up changing things like everyone else does to make the bike more personalized to your style.

 

okay Thanks a ton!

 

Too fast. Too powerful. Either you'll wreck, or worse, you won't and you'll never learn to ride properly.

Don't even think about carrying a passenger until you've got 12 months and 10,000 miles under your belt.

Go with the 250. You'll benefit in the long term and it'll handle your commute.

Rob

 

take a rider safety course and you'll be fine starting on a 650... i agree with jperkins 100%. as long as your sensible about how you ride you'll be fine. i dont understand the 12 months 10,000 miles thing, i took my g/f out after i had 3,000 miles. i've never wrecked or had any close calls... the worst thing thats ever happend to me was a car that was following way to close and would not get off my a$$. accents are either rider error or other vehicles. as long as you can read the road and anticipate what stupid drivers are going to do you'll be fine.

 

I sent you a private message Dan petersen86 and thanks a lot I agree with you and Jerkin that I should be able to handle it as long as I keep my cool and be smart.. I live in Florida and as of July 1st 2008 they made it so it's manditory to take the MSF class which is fine I wanted to anyways for cheaper insurance and learning how to even ride... lol so it'll be fun thanks a lot though really!

 

If you really think that you can do that properly with 3,000 miles you're wrong. Riders who kill their passengers never seem to recover.

Come back and re-read this post after you've been riding for about 5 years.

Rob

 

thanks for the advice rob. but as i said i've never had ANY close calls and i can't even count the times cars have pulled out in front of me and i've never once had to lock up my brakes or swerve to miss them. it's all about how you ride in town i always slow down at intersections and when cars are trying to get onto the streets so please tell me again that i can't anticipate the road and what drivers are gonna do. as i write this i have over 10,000 miles and 3 years of riding under my belt with no accidents.i realize this is not a lot compaired to other people but i get maybe 3 solid months of riding a year. so am i just lucky or a smart careful rider?

 

Riding in town is more dangerous than ever riding on the highways in my book, and it is because while in town there is more of a chance for an accident. You can be as careful as you can, but you can never fully anticipate someone else's decisions. I would say that you are as lucky, and I wish you more luck on keeping it on two wheels for years to come.

MY 650r was the first bike I ever rode, and I probably should have started off on something a little smaller to begin with. As far as the thing about a passenger, I personally do not want to be responsible for anyone else's life other than my own with my limited riding experience of about 2 years now.

 

Lot of bikes, lot of miles, lot of time as an instructor. I make several mistakes on every ride.

Dan's 3 years and 10 k miles is not unreasonable, so why he's so upset about comments really meant for newbies is a little puzzling, but never mind. I did misread his earlier post and read it as 3,000 miles, so maybe that's why.

Point is, however good you are (or think you are) something will always come and and bite you. Cars pulling out is a good example. It very rarely happens if your positioning is good Outside peak times. On the once every 20 or 30K miles when it does happen (and the driver would probably have pulled in front of a truck if there'd been one there), you need to be able to cope. One time I was bitten literally, by a mad dog. At peak traffic times, drivers trying to get out into the traffic stream and taking a chance, drivers peering through fogged up screens in pouring rain, drivers just not thinking as they rush home from work, it happens much more often. It happens to drivers of cars vans and trucks as well as motorcycles and we all learn to live with it. These occasions don't usually need any emergency avoiding action - just an awareness.

That said, the stats show that you're much more likely to kill a passenger misjudging a bend at speed - not in an accident in town.

If Caseman was an experienced rider the 650 would be a perfect bike for him. It's my own choice, but it won't let you learn how to ride properly in traffic, as in making the best possible journey times, and it won't let you learn how to use the bike's full potential to get you out of trouble.

Rob