- This topic has 19 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 3 months ago by Sean_D.
750 Ninja to big to learn on?
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January 3, 2010 at 6:46 pm #3633papidoomParticipant
Im very interested in learing to ride , have been for a while. the opportunity has come up with my cousin riding again and is willing to teach me.
ive never ridden a motorcycle. i have ridden one of those 250cc scooters and i tought it was easy as cake. but i realize a motorcycle is a whole different animal.
i am 6ft 160lbs or so.
i recently got on a friends Yamaha R6 i believe and it felt very small and light under me. i dunno if it was cuz its a new bike and there all like that now or what.
ive read alot of the advice given on this site about even a 600cc being too much. ive watched alot of learning videos online and i feel like im ready.
my cousin does have a dirtbike that he suggest i ride to learn the clutch and stuff of that nature. he was telling me its good to get on the dirtbike first as if your not good with the clutch the bike instantly dies and stuff like that.
but why im asking about the 750 ninja is because a friend of my cousin has one for sale. i believe its in the 1995-98 range. i can get it for less than $1000. its obviously used , its been dropped before but it runs perfect. i honestly feel comfortable buying something used and old because i’d be afraid if i dropped a new bike that i just paid alot for you know?
my intentions on getting a bike are simply to ride. i dont plan popping wheelies , i dont plan on speeding , i just wanna learn to ride and a sportsbike is what i’d like. im not a crazy person lol , im very cauitous. i believe i can attempt to learn on it because most of its power i will not use and prolly never see and thats fine.
wouldnt mind some opinions on this. have any of you ever learned on a 750 or something bigger?
thank you
January 3, 2010 at 8:48 pm #23876Gary856ParticipantDue to it’s riding position, a sportbike is harder to balance and maneuver at low speed, so that makes learning more difficult for a new rider. Beyond that, it depends on what kind of riding you intend to do.
If you ride on open roads and freeways, with high speed and sweeping turns, a sportbike is in it’s elements. I love the look of sportbikes, and love the exciting feeling of the in-line four revving up.
If you end up riding on steep and twisty roads, where slower speed balance and maneuverability is more critical, a sportbike does not work as well due to its ergonomics. The tighter the road, the more so. You’ll feel much more in control on a standard bike with the upright riding position.
To me, riding a sprotbike is more of a challenge, which is a part of the fun of riding it. But I’m glad that I learned to ride on a standard – GS500.
January 3, 2010 at 10:48 pm #23878IxecapadeParticipantcan’t comment much on the too big CC’s based on the fact I went with 600cc sport and its not easy for a first bike for sure. I love mine and I’m committed to my parking lot practice as much as I am to getting out there and riding. I’m pretty sure riding a 250 would have been easier- but I’m stubborn as hell and I wasn’t going to buy a bike twice.
BUT if you don’t know how to drive a manual transmission in a car I totally suggest you learn that and then learning a bike won’t be a big deal cause you can focus on riding not the mechanics of shifting. (girl in my safety class didn’t know how to drive a manual or any of the side issues that present itself with one (i.e. starting on a hill etc etc) so she struggled a little bit more. But you can learn just out of the MSF what you need to get you through.
January 3, 2010 at 11:20 pm #23879IBA270ParticipantYou need to get some professional training through the MSF. Riders who are self taught or taught by friends represent 92% (or more) of fatal accidents in the US.
Read these stats (they are a few years old, but still very relevant)
http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html
If none of these stats convince you, then remember this; depending on your state, you probably cannot get a license without the MSF course. If you plan on learning to ride on the street unlicensed, then you’re not only heading for a crash, but also a ticked.
It ain’t worth it.
Here’s another suggestion; Go take the MSF with your cousin. If he hasn’t taken it before, the odds are even that you’ll do better in the class that he will!
Promise.
Allen Dye
MSF Rider Coach
Track Day Instructor
435,000 miles (and counting) accident freeJanuary 4, 2010 at 1:08 am #23883briderdtParticipantPlease, PLEASE take the class. You may think that it’s easy, and at first it most definitely WILL be easy — that’s the point. But it’s critical to get the professional training in a SAFE environment. I went into that class already having taken my SV650s out on the road… I’d bike raced for years. I thought it would be a cake walk, and the reason I took the class was to get my endorsement on an easy bike. Well, I did pass the class, but I definitely learned things that have saved me a lot of grief (and possible injury).
Please, take the class.
January 4, 2010 at 1:09 am #23884eonParticipant+1 on the MSF class. It’s your life we are talking about here so it’s best to do all you can to stack the odds in your favor.
Can you learn on a Ninja 750? It’s not a simple yes/no answer. The more you move away from the recommended 250 class the more difficult you make things for yourself. Can it be done? Of course it can. Is it recommended? No, probably not.
The other thing I would say is you have to be honest with yourself about your self-control. The one person guaranteed to get hurt if you ride outside your limits is yourself. I’m a 40 something who has never given a crap what other people think (I ride a 3 wheeled scooter for chrissakes). The first time someone gave me a compliment at a light I cracked that throttle open to show what it could do and nearly face planted into a concrete wall. Will you be able to control yourself when riding with your cousin? Will your ego be okay eating his dust? Just saying it’s easy to get suckered into riding outside your limits. If I had been on anything more powerful I would have had a painful crash that night.
January 4, 2010 at 2:47 pm #23887IxecapadeParticipant+1 on MSF….
best decision ever- I’m looking to take the experianced one next summer. That or a track day- but you can’t ever have to much professional help… pun intended
January 5, 2010 at 8:26 pm #23900papidoomParticipanthey thanks for all the feedback , i really appreaciate it.
i do not intend to learn to on the street or on the fly. open parking lots , infront of my house , just small steps. im not trying to get on the bike and instantly take off , i know it takes time.
i actually planned to take the riders edge program i believe from harley a couple months ago , but lacked the money and time.
you know to be honest with all of you , i want to start on a 250 ninja or hyosung GT.
but my dad doesnt want me to start on something small. hes a mecanic and a racer.. hes been doing 8sec’s drag racing car’s all his life.
he believes i will just waste money buying something that small. alot of people and friends who told me the same. sooner then not you will want something a little bigger.
all i know is , i have $800-1200 to spend on something. ive seen a couple suzuki 600’s around that range that i thought were suitable.
either way , im defenitly looking into the MSF training program.
January 5, 2010 at 10:49 pm #23901BouncingRadicalParticipantThe MSF put on by your state is probably waaay cheaper than the Harley. I know in LA it was, I think I paid 30 bucks and the ‘Rider’s Edge’ was a few hundred. I couldn’t have asked for better instructors either, I guess at a Harley dealership you gotta pay for the brand still.
January 5, 2010 at 10:52 pm #23902JackTradeParticipantMost of the popular beginner’s bikes can often be later resold for what (or very close to) you paid for them (assuming you buy used). There’s always demand for them. Ninjas in particular sell like hotcakes.
So you’re not really wasting any money if you buy a small displacement first bike like the Ninja 250…you’ll likely get most if not all of it back when you sell in a year or whatever when you move up.
Just think of your first used bike as a rental.
And agree with Bouncingradical…check out your local community college to see if they offer the MSF courses. Where I live, they are significantly cheaper than doing the Riders Edge. Also, at Riders Edge, they only have Buell Blasts, but at community colleges, there’s usually a plethora on bikes, from cruisers to dual sports to even one or two Ninjas.
January 6, 2010 at 2:25 am #23906IBA270ParticipantRiders Edge rider training is the same MSF course that everyone else offers, but Harley throws some extra pieces in like the store tour, gear intro and the like. The actual riding portion is identical however.
January 6, 2010 at 3:37 am #23907IBA270ParticipantGenerally, the each state sets the maximum price that a school can charge for the course. There are LOT’S of private groups that teach the MSF, and most community colleges contract with these groups. It pays to shop around because just like a seat on an aircraft, what you pay and what your neighbor pays aren’t neccesarily the same even though you’re going to the same spot!
Oh…why is riders edge more? It’s because of the “value added” stuff that they add in. I’m not knocking it…it’s good stuff especially if you’re moving towards the Harley crowd/bikes/gear.
January 6, 2010 at 5:28 am #23908MunchParticipantnot to mention generally shorter wait times…..
I took the riders edge because at the time the CC had a 6 month waiting list. Riders edge…. the next week end. It all depends on the value to you and your excitement about getting started …. and safely!January 6, 2010 at 7:23 am #23910eternal05ParticipantIf you want to live, be happy, and learn to really ride, you’re going to want to get a reasonable first bike. If you want to look cool, make your buddies happy, or make up for less-than-satisfactory anatomy, well, that’s a different story…
Everybody’s given you good advice so far, but it seems like they need more reinforcement, so here I go.
I’m a guy who IS really into going fast, taking turns on the very edges of my tires, and trying to find the limit of my bike. I do it exclusively at the track, where things are controlled and as safe as possible, but I do it nonetheless. I tell you for two reasons:
1. I did not think I would be here when I first started riding. I was just getting a motorcycle to have some fun riding around on 25-50mph twisties. You do not know now what you will want later, and you cannot underestimate, as eon was saying, the impact that others’ influence and your own fantasies will have on you.
2. As somebody who really loves a super high-performance bike, you might be surprised to know that I don’t ride my GSX-R on the street. I ride a Ninja 250R and a Suzuki DR-Z400sm around town almost exclusively. Why? Because they’re more comfortable to ride, and far more fun at street-legal speeds.
My point? Your dad is involved in drag racing. He’s so far removed from being a beginning motorcyclist that his advice is just about useless for you. If you have the skills to control a car on the way to an 8 second quarter mile, you’ve forgotten how hard it is to brake and accelerate smoothly when you first start driving. Do NOT get wrapped up in the macho advice of your peers. Don’t get wrapped up in your own ego or your desire to meet a certain image. Think honestly about what you want, what you SHOULD get, and make the right choice. If you want a Ninja 250, get a freakin’ Ninja 250. If you want a bit more pep, but still want a reasonable beginner bike, you have options there as well.
January 7, 2010 at 4:11 am #23925CBBaronParticipantThe Ohio BRC is $25 through the state run program, however there is usually a 3-6 month wait to get in a class. The Harley Riders Edge and a few other private programds are around $300 but spots are available within a few weeks. I think the course is easily worth the $300 but if your cheap like me $25 is hard to pass up.
Starting on a Ninja 250 was not a hard decision for me when I look at used prices for these vehicles. Based just on Blue Book values it should cost me a couple hundred in value to ride my ’06 for 2 years and 10000 miles. That and its easy to ride, cheap to insure, cheap to buy and very capable of highway speeds.
The 750 for $1000 is a good price if nothing serious is wrong, but if you are young insurance will cost you and it will be a much steeper learning curve. You have to do whats right for you but my choice would be a used smaller bike.
Craig
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