Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey Guys.

Im new to the riding scene and am looking at buying my first bike!!!

I have been lookng at the Ninja 250r just wondering if this is a good starter bike. i have also been told to buy a naked bike as i will drop it a few times is this correct or should i ignore that advice.

Thanks guys (also any suggestions on different starter bikes are more then welcome.)

Cheers

Your first bike you are bound to drop a few times, it's part of the learning curve, I certainly wouldn't be looking at a brand new bike if I was in your shoes but that's your call. Ninja 250r not a bad bike to start out on, if you really want a faired bike something like a ZZR or GSX/GPZ 250 would be my recommendation (assuming you want a 250) both have been around for ever, plenty out there and plenty of spares available.

Ninja twofiddy is a great starter bike but don't go past the gpx and zzr 250s which all share the same engine depends on how important shiny and new is to ya! naked bikes generally do handle falling over easier, have a look around for ER5s very dependable and capable of going well beyond 100000km also ER6n has many fans its a relative newcomer on the scene but be prepared for a big purchase price even for 2nd hand ones, heaps of options for ya to ponder!

If you do go for a new ninja 250 consider getting crash knobs put on which can save ya from costly reapirs in a whoopsie, and lastly leave enough $$ for proper riding gear

Thanks guys,
I dont need a new bike i am more then happy to buy a 2nd hand one so i wil be looking into the bikes you suggested. would you have a suggestion on how much i should spend for my first bike.

thanks

If you have say a 5k budget then that would let ya spend 3 on a bike which would definately get a good gpx,zzr or maybe a ninja 250 then spend a grand or so on ya riding gear then ya got on road costs like insurance n stuff hopefully some change left you could go cheaper but usually the budget offerings need some attention depends if ya mind spending some weekends tinkering on ya new purchase

ok cool, i have a 5 - 6 grand budget for the lot so thats good. so far everything seems good cant wait to get riding haha!

GPZ_Jim wrote:If you have say a 5k budget then that would let ya spend 3 on a bike which would definately get a good gpx,zzr or maybe a ninja 250 then spend a grand or so on ya riding gear then ya got on road costs like insurance n stuff hopefully some change left you could go cheaper but usually the budget offerings need some attention depends if ya mind spending some weekends tinkering on ya new purchase

I totaly agree with this statement!! Make sure you get good riding gear first as it will be the one saving you to a major degree..

If I had to start all over again, I would bypass the 2fiddy category & go with a used ER6L or Ninja 650L (both LAMS), one because its better to learn/get used to a bigger bike, extra torque is handy for longer journeys and you wont get bored as quickly with a 2fiddy; which you will experience especially if you have to do 3 years of P's.

Welcome by the way and happy hunting......

blackster wrote:If I had to start all over again, I would bypass the 2fiddy category & go with a used ER6L or Ninja 650L (both LAMS), one because its better to learn/get used to a bigger bike, extra torque is handy for longer journeys and you wont get bored as quickly with a 2fiddy; which you will experience especially if you have to do 3 years of P's.

Welcome by the way and happy hunting......

Agreed. A lot more comfy as well

cheers guys i like the ER6 nd the ninja 650 but both are a bit out of my price range! sadly! haha.

Basslover wrote:cheers guys i like the ER6 nd the ninja 650 but both are a bit out of my price range! sadly! haha.

HYOSUNG GT650's

Well i'm going to copy paste my remarks from another forums thread I posted in but having gone through my L,P's & Blacks on a De-restricted Hyosung GT650RL over 4 years it may be relevant.

Just another bike to consider They can be had for a great price. The fairings help in a crash (trust me ) This bike in LAMS form has the ability to have all the power unlocked I'm not saying you should but its a good option when you get more experince.

Having 65RWHP I think the 650's full power is perfect for a learner I had a zzr250 briefly and it was dangerously slow.

Depends on the person riding you will die just as quick on a 250 as a 1000.

Anyway lazy posts FTW

"Well just to add my opinion if your rocking a 130kg frame then a Hyosung GT650 is the way to go, get one between 06 & 09 LAMS approved Carby models restricted to 33Hp. You can have the full 80Hp unleashed if you buy a Suzuki SV650 Carby sliders for the carby and swap them.

This is exactly what i had on my L/P's great bike full weight (200hg wet) 65RWHP 240kph top speed, Could double very easily . Mine was reliable just had to change the cheese brake pads on it. Had mine for 4 years sold for $500 less than what i bought it for. These can be had for 5k are under 5years old and have good resale/power.

The only thing against them is the bad name HYOSUNG inherited due to the valve failures in the 04/05 models."

"I recokon there alright too here is my old one and you cant tell me that's not a nice bike for your L's that has 80Hp for 5k





"

It's only my opinion based on my ownership. People get lemons but that happens with all brands. I get sick of people bagging out Hyo's, most have never owned one let alone rode a bike or touched a spanner.

""

My first and only question is 'how big are you'? If you're a small fry then the advice will be completely different than if you are a big unit.

Nelso wrote:My first and only question is 'how big are you'? If you're a small fry then the advice will be completely different than if you are a big unit.

I'm 5"7 and tippy toe on all bike this was my biggest struggle on my L's (still is ). Slow speed confidence is hard when you barely touch the ground the 250 are generally lower and more confidence inspiring.

cheers man

thats a nice looking bike and i have been told by number of people now to go with a 650. i will be putting this bike into my list for sure thanks man!

My first and only question is 'how big are you'? If you're a small fry then the advice will be completely different than if you are a big unit.

Im 6ft and still growing haha, and just incase weight has something to do with it aswell i weigh 80kg.