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Just bought my first bike! Thanks BBM!
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September 12, 2008 at 7:55 pm #2084dcJohnParticipant
As of two hours ago, I’m the very happy owner of a brand new 2009 Ninja 250! Total luck (or just some very nice karma I had due)–it was being unloaded from the truck just as I arrived at the dealer to poke around. The sales guys were floored that one arrived; everyone else in the area is out and expects to be for months.
It’s black. Still in the box when I left the dealer. It’ll be assembled this evening and delivered tomorrow afternoon. Woohoo!
I expect I’m going to have all kinds of newbie questions. I have my learner’s permit, but the earliest I could get in an MSF course is a month from now in mid-October (and that was the case back in July). I don’t intend to do any serious riding before the class, but I was planning to do at least some basic practicing in the meantime (learning the clutch and practicing slow speed handling around the block).
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for all the advice and information! It’s been a huge help in making what I think was a good decision on a first bike.
September 12, 2008 at 8:21 pm #12074WeaponZeroParticipantCongratulations on purchasing an awesome bike! Have fun and keep the rubber side down (though off to an angle )
September 12, 2008 at 9:10 pm #12076AndrewParticipantI can recommend http://www.ninja250.org for answering all sorts of Ninja specific questions. I printed out their page on things to practice in a parking lot. The friction zone will be where you will start unless you have riding experience.
September 12, 2008 at 9:11 pm #12077BenParticipantGlad you got a bike!
Be sure to post some pictures once you get it.
Ben
~Best Beginner Motorcycles AdminSeptember 12, 2008 at 9:53 pm #12079JimParticipantSweeeet! Congrats on scoring an awesome bike. It will be a blast to ride.
September 12, 2008 at 10:39 pm #12082Sangria7Participantso can I ask how much were you able to bag it for?
Just because I hear that the price has increased?!September 13, 2008 at 1:38 am #12086CBennettParticipantgood, I like my 1999 and my “upgrade” may be to a new model when i get the $$$.
September 13, 2008 at 1:42 am #12088megaspazParticipantAll the major dealers have raised their msrp prices by at least 500 bucks for street bikes. Don’t know if that’s smart or not though…
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If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…September 13, 2008 at 2:36 am #12092dcJohnParticipantMegaspaz is right. I paid MSRP, which was bumped up to $3,999 for the 2009s. I’m a prof in a graduate negotiations program, and I usually do well at negotiating deals, but there really wasn’t much reason for the dealer to budge here. The bike is incredibly hard to find right now, and they had a long list of people who wanted calls when the bike came in. I just lucked out that I was at the dealership right as the bike was delivered and was ready to buy it on the spot. I did at least get them to throw in a cover, drop the usual bogus dealer fee ($100), and deliver it.
September 13, 2008 at 2:45 am #12093dcJohnParticipantAndrew, thanks, Ninja250.org looks like a fantastic site! And yep, the first thing I’m going to do is start working on learning the friction point. I’ve always driven manual transmission cars, so at least I get the principle of it and what I need to get a feel for (I hope).
September 13, 2008 at 3:36 am #12097AndrewParticipantI second the call for pictures once you have the bike.
September 14, 2008 at 1:14 am #12128dcJohnParticipantHi folks. Well, today was a very good day . The new Ninja arrived at noon, and the guy delivering it spent a good forty minutes with me going over the bike and answering questions (of course, tipped heavily for the extra help and crash course).
Here’s the thing… I’d never actually sat on a Ninja 250 before. They’re impossible to find around here, and I had to jump on this one while it was still in the delivery crate. I just trusted all the great reviews here and elsewhere, and I wasn’t disappointed. Very comfortable, light, great seating position, and looks fantastic.
I was feeling good about knowing how to ride ride “in theory” — poured through Proficient Cycling, Twist of the Wrist 2, the manual for my upcoming MSF course, and everything I could find online. Moreover, a lot of what I learned from autocross racing seemed to apply to the advice on motorcycle handling. But knowing how to do something in principle and actually doing it can be miles apart, so I figured at most I’d just do some starting and stopping today.
Well, several hours and miles of riding later, and I’ve just got an ear-to-ear smile. I never stalled the bike. Road all around the neighborhood and some slightly faster surface roads. Did doughnuts and fairly tight figure eight turns in parking lots. All good! I’m still working on getting a better feel for smoothly matching revs when downshifting, and I never went faster than 45 mph, but all in all a great time and am feeling a lot more confident (don’t worry, I know I have a long, long way to go).
I had a small technical glitch: at one point while practicing doing lots of stop and go, slow-speed tight turns, and figure eights, the bike’s temperature warning light came on. I decided to gamble on it just being all the slow speed work and started riding home at a good steady pace, and the light went out. When I called the dealer, they said that it wasn’t anything to worry about, and that it just was from the slow-speed practice work. When I road it later in the day, the light never came on again. (Do you guys agree about it not being something to worry about?)
So, a great start! Folks asked about pictures, so here are some shots I snapped right when the bike arrived:
September 14, 2008 at 5:35 am #12134AndrewParticipantLooks nice. Keep the rubber side down and keep it shiny. I have had the temp dial get close to the red zone but never gone into it. You might want to double check the coolant level.
September 14, 2008 at 2:21 pm #12137BankParticipantIts liquid cooled
September 14, 2008 at 6:05 pm #12142dcJohnParticipantThanks for the advise on checking the coolant! It was right on the “low” line when I looked, so I added some coolant and went out for a good 2-hour ride in 90+ degree weather. No temperature warning at all, and when I got back home the coolant level was still topped off.
I’m glad they added the fuel gauge to the new Ninjas, but it’s too bad the temperature gauge got sacked in the process. It’d be nice to have more heat feedback than just an idiot light when things get serious.
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