[///M Power]

Mainly its going to be used as a commute bike so I think that the Blast will be a better suited bike for my needs. I am not crazy on the aesthetics but it will serve a need. My commute is only 14 miles so I think that I can get away with the 250r, which looks a crap load better.


There is always the option of a 400cc scooter....it has storage
http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products...8/Default.aspx

[snorky]

I'm pretty sure you have to be 70 years old and get your drivers license taken away to be allowed to drive one of those.

[Rdrcr]

Originally Posted by ///M Power

I have narrowed my list to two bikes: Buell Blast and the Ninja 250r. I am going to and look at the bikes this weekend. Does anyone have any insight on these two bikes?

Smart man, both are excellent starter bikes and will help you improve your skills.

Mike

[TuffStuff]

buell blast advertises 69mpg!!!!!!! I'd rock that as my first bike...actually I think I may buy one of those instead of a 600 lol.

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
I averaged 70 MPG in my '04 Buell Blast. It was not fast, but it proved to be a very good, reliable, and fun bike for the time I owned it.

Mike

[Hitman83]

Just get the bike you want because it's all about throttle control. Heck I got an 08 GSXR 750 and was scared of it the first couple days and am very comfortable with it now. I know the bike can easily outride me but you know what? who cares! I make a point to ride within my limits and just have fun. Most importantly, I'll have the bike for years to come and won't have to upgrade because I bought some lame ass "learner's bike". I think you'll be disapointed with anything less than a 600. Heck, I know the 750 rips and it already feels anemic when i get on it. had I bought a 600 I'd already be wishing I'd bought something with balls. The bottom line is that if you've got self control just buy the bike you want. :flame suit on:

[Wolverine 250R]

Originally Posted by Hitman83

Just get the bike you want because it's all about throttle control. Heck I got an 08 GSXR 750 and was scared of it the first couple days and am very comfortable with it now. I know the bike can easily outride me but you know what? who cares! I make a point to ride within my limits and just have fun. Most importantly, I'll have the bike for years to come and won't have to upgrade because I bought some lame ass "learner's bike". I think you'll be disapointed with anything less than a 600. Heck, I know the 750 rips and it already feels anemic when i get on it. had I bought a 600 I'd already be wishing I'd bought something with balls. The bottom line is that if you've got self control just buy the bike you want. :flame suit on:

If you are riding the 750 hard enough after a week of ownership to think you'd be "disappointed with anything less than a 600," you obviously don't have "throttle control."

To the others thinking about a first bike- Don't let this joker give the impression that you won't get respect riding "some lame ass learner's bike." Anyone who looks down on you for starting on a beginner's bike is trying to make up for something. You'll get more respect from Veteran Riders riding the balls off a 250 through the twisties than being a poser on a 750 who maintains 2" strips.


Edit: Read this:
Evolution of the Sportbike Rider

[300hp@6000rpm]

Originally Posted by Hitman83

Just get the bike you want because it's all about throttle control. Heck I got an 08 GSXR 750 and was scared of it the first couple days and am very comfortable with it now. I know the bike can easily outride me but you know what? who cares! I make a point to ride within my limits and just have fun. Most importantly, I'll have the bike for years to come and won't have to upgrade because I bought some lame ass "learner's bike". I think you'll be disapointed with anything less than a 600. Heck, I know the 750 rips and it already feels anemic when i get on it. had I bought a 600 I'd already be wishing I'd bought something with balls. The bottom line is that if you've got self control just buy the bike you want. :flame suit on:

Anything above a 600cc is too much for a beginner IMHO. You're hampering the development of your riding skills by riding a bike that you're not ready for. People who started on 250's and 500's will be riding circles around you at the track because they've actually learned how to ride. They know how to brake, turn, lean, etc. the right way as they didn't have to worry about pushing their bike to the limit. Having your bike outgrow you is a moot point. There's a large market for beginner bikes and you'll easily be able to get rid of it when the time comes. I'd rather spend a little extra money getting a beginner bike to ensure I actually learn how to ride my bike the right way and keep myself out of the hospital.

A lack of self control is not what's going to get you into an accident, although it plays a big role. Eventually you're going to be put into a situation where you're going to have to react quickly. Whether its an old lady veering into your lane, you hitting a patch of oil/gravel, or you having to make a panic stop, you're going to have to react and if you don't react the right way you're going down. As a beginner you WILL NOT know how to react the right way and since you're riding a super sport that mistake is going be amplified by 1000x.

And while you say you have self control, all people are tempted once in awhile. You're eventually going to get carried away one night and it may cost you your life. When buying a begginner bike, don't by a bike based on how it looks, how fast it is, etc, etc; buy it because you'll learn how to ride the right way while staying relatively safe. Learners on 250's and 500's also don't have to be worried about pushing their bike, as they can be fairly confident that its not going to kill them if they screw up. Nobody starts at the top. What you're doing is the equivalent of throwing a 5th grader into a college classroom. As Wolverine said, your 2'' chicken strips will be in plain sight to all and a constant reminder that the bike is too much for you.

[Hitman83]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 250R

If you are riding the 750 hard enough after a week of ownership to think you'd be "disappointed with anything less than a 600," you obviously don't have "throttle control."

To the others thinking about a first bike- Don't let this joker give the impression that you won't get respect riding "some lame ass learner's bike." Anyone who looks down on you for starting on a beginner's bike is trying to make up for something. You'll get more respect from Veteran Riders riding the balls off a 250 through the twisties than being a poser on a 750 who maintains 2" strips.

I have plenty of throttle control but I'm just saying that the "OMG this thing is fast" feeling isn't the same as it was the first day. As for chicken strips I've got them but they're well under and inch and would be gone if it weren't for me respecting the bike, local laws etc. As you know, it takes a lot of speed to wear the entire tire and I know I'm neither ready to push my limits nor and I willing to drive at the speed required to do so. I've had the bike less than two weeks and know dragging a knee comes with time. Why force it? Again, this goes back to respecting the machine and LEARNING the bike first. Currently I'm doing both.

As for what i said about the anemic feeling, what I meant is that it doesn't take long to get used to the power. It's kinda like the guys who have a methed out 35r and want more power. It feels really really fast at first but will eventually feel "normal" when in fact it's ridiculous.

My point is that with proper throttle control one can enjoy any bike without facing imminent death and you shouldn't let some dude who dumped his 250r deter you from getting the bike you want. His points are valid and should be listened to but don't think it's impossible to learn on a sport bike. Many do it. Just keep in mind that many crash trying. The difference between those who wreck and those who don't comes down to self control and respect for the bike. Having both I'm confident that i can learn on my bike (which is why I bought it) and based on your posts I feel you (OP) can too.

[TuffStuff]

Im getting the buell to learn on and get 70mpg lol.I will probably outgrow it very fast but I will NOT be selling it due to the fact that 70mpg is pimp so it will always be useful to me even after I master the basic riding skills.
Oh and the comment about the bike being too much in an emergency situation...my friend lost his life to a 02 gsxr1000 due to some girl leaning the wrong way when he tried to correct it the bike had to much power and spun doing dough nuts into a concrete pole. That is the reason I want to start on a 600 or less.750 may be alot of fun for you in a straight line but thats not what it was made for and watch those corners.

[STiSubyMan]

just get a 250R.

[pharo]

drool 08 ninja 250r.... comes with 17s so you can get some good rubber and looks soo sexy... you can see my bias haha. Now, if only I could find one that doesn't have a hefty markup.

[KruxSTi]

First and foremost I myself am a non Rider. I'm terrified of motorcycles so this may make me biased but here is my take on the whole thing. You started this thread so people would give you advice on what to do as a new rider, and though some of them have given a bit harsh they're right.

When you learned to ride a bicycle did you use training wheels? If you parents weren't worthless a-holes I'm sure you did. So why would you skip A to go to B? It's not going to kill you to ride around on a smaller bike for a while and get your obligatory first wreck out of the way.

Another fact is you're 20 year's old and you drive an STI so it's quite obvious you aren't afraid to spend money so it's not gonna be a big deal if you drop a G on a used 250 and roll on that until you REALLY have the skill to upgrade and then spend a bit more and get another and hell maybe even keep your old 250!

Start small man. My first car was a 90 HP Buick Skylark... It sucked ass. Then I went to a 120 HP car then a 230 HP car and now I have my STI... And I can tell you right now if I had my STI at 20 (my street racing days, not a shot at you) I would be dead. So just bite the bullet, take the lessons and start small... You won't regret it.

[Mi_Black_Pearl]

true...tho just to clarify everyone thinking about the fact that im only 20 with an sti, it is not my first car so i know what everyone means by starting our right by learning through the correct step-by-step basis. There are some really solid points in this thread of which I have seriously considered into all of them and am truly appreciative. It's even prolonged my decision buying because i want to make sure im doing the right thing (like when i was deciding to sell my previous car for the sti which i dont look back to at all now and simply have really benefited from the situation. i absolutely love and respect my sti being the perfect car for me.)

back to riding, now i know all about the steps and whatnot, and maybe hitman may be taking a risk, but in a way he's right in that not everyone is doomed for "making their own steps" into the learning process. The best and only method for learning is through time, not necessarily following the same path as someone else. Time gives way to practice and everything else for a particular individual. Then comes taking the advice from that someone else into consideration. With that said, I have been riding for years (off-road) and (with the flame suit on), it's not like riding on dirt is less difficult to control than to ride on pavement. There's a certain degree of talent to acquire with controlling the much less traction and whatnot. So it indeed was harsh for some of the attacks on me for me having to consider a 600cc bike when no one even knew that i already took my own steps into knowing the sport of riding already. Not to mention the power band is exactly the same in a 600 as with the off-road bike i've been riding with for years. So i know throttle control for strong power, reactions, traction control, and whatever other elements that coexist and relate between off-road to on-road riding.
I'm not saying im going out to get a 600 now, just mentioning that to cool the steam of those thinking im riding for the first time and already jumping the gun with something "i cant handle." Again, everyone is different to their own unique way so just let it be.

[Wolverine 250R]

^^ I have been riding quads since I was 6. You are correct in your assumptions that it will help you ride on the street. You will be able to judge traction better and have better throttle control than most riders. But this will only make you more at risk.

You will start pushing the limits much sooner than most riders and, as a result become, overconfident. You will know how to ride close to the limit, but won't know how to react if you cross it. Riding at the limit on the street is much less forgiving than in the dirt. Small corrections lead to big changes. Plus there isn't oncoming traffic in the dirt.

The biggest thing you have to be concerned with is how you treat the bike. On a quad or dirtbike, it was a toy. I'm sure everytime you take it out, you go as fast as you can and constantly push the limit. Anything else seems boring. This does not translate well to street riding. You'll want to constantly push the limit. Being stuck behind cars doing the speedlimit will feel boring. You'll need to change this mentality if you want to ride safely (I couldn't).

Buy a smaller bike, then take it to the track. The odds are astronomically against you if you push the limits of a sport bike on the street.