[purplesheen]

Hey folks,

I’m a 28 y/o guy in the Seattle area who is considering getting a bike for the summer and beyond (if only I can assuage the concerns of people who care about me!). I’ve always thought that I wanted the lightest, least powerful, cheapest, yet decent looking bike as my first bike . I tend to be accident prone… so just looking at reducing the odds of a severe accident. But I’m not ready to go get a scooter

My intended usage of a bike would be mostly for commuting. I’ll admit that given the right road and a lack of traffic and passengers, I tend to be fast in a car (old bimmer that I love to bits). But I’m afraid enough of the severity of bike-crashes that I’m hoping I’ll keep myself in check and only cruise for the most part. I even intend on avoiding freeways as much as I can.

My ideal bike would be: Naked, slightly upright but definitely sporty looking (not a Honda Rebel in other words), 250cc, reliable, cheap and plentiful parts (I work on all my own autos), only around 300 lbs in weight, great gas mileage (> 50 city), good stability and most importantly… GOOD BRAKES!!

I can only see the Ninja 250 as a real option to fit these needs. Is the riding position (I’m 5’10”) comfortable? Are there naked bikes that are comparable to it? What’s this Hyosung brand all about – just came across it. The GT250 (not R) looks to be the exact form-factor I’m after. Are they reliable and with good city-fuel-economy, tires and brakes from the factory?

And lastly, what are good options for safety gear in terms of well ventilated jackets and gloves? Do I need specific shoes and trousers too? How much am I looking at spending on safety gear?

Thanks!
Karthik

[megaspaz]

Welcome! I’m about 5’10” and riding my buddy’s ninja seems perfectly comfortable to me. But everyone’s idea of comfortable is different. I can only say see if you can find a 250 some where and sit on it for a while. Afaik, the ninja 250 gets excellent mileage and is light. Not sure how you go about guaging brakes though… everyone likes their brakes differently, and as long as you slow down or come to a stop when engaging the brakes, that would seem to me to be good brakes…

Not sure about the hyosongs. There seems to be a lot of negatives on them though in regards to reliability.

There’s a couple of reviews on this site for a variety of bikes. Give them a read and look at the comments as well. Should give you somewhat of an idea at least.

Again, welcome!

—
If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…

[ShannonG]

The 250 market seems pretty tight if you don’t like the cruiser look.
How about a GS500f?

http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/bike/gs500f/

[shaggles]

I bought my bike from the Pacific Northwest Motorcycle Safety Foundation in Seattle after taking the msf course there. I wasn’t interested in cruisers at first either but after taking the course on one I didn’t see being comfortable with my legs tucked up underneath me. I guess my point is don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Although I haven’t tried a sports bike so maybe that’s not a very good point. A better point is don’t pick out your bike before you even learn how to ride. Here’s the url to PNWMSF: http://www.pnwmotorcyclesafety.com/ I highly recommend them for rider training and I think they still have a couple Viragos for sale.

[uncle_bernie]

From this site I found The Motorcycle Superstore. They have great prices on gear. Be prepared to spend at least $400-500 to outfit yourself “inexpensively”.

~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…

[RydRy]

I just had to add as uncle says- 500 is even on the lowside- youll need all the things all the time as he and all say- so think boots, pants, jacket gloves helmet- I went inexpensive and spent 700 with newenough and ms- I have to say newenough ships so fast and is very personable, whereas motorcyclesuperstore ships wayyyy slow (unless you pay insane amounts for express) and they are a large store that doesnt seem personal- but again local is always better!

[ShannonG]

I spent $600 to outfit myself in gear, and that was with me already owning boots and gettng a deep dish discount from the store I bought the bike from. That being said, I am as safe as one can possibly be riding a bike by having the proper gear.
And I look freaking fantastic!

Armored nylon is way cheaper than leather clothing, although I can’t speak to abrasion resistance comparisons.

[shaggles]

I got 15% off my helmet at University Honda and 10% off my gloves at Aurora Suzuki just for having completed the msf course. I think most shops around here do that for riders who have recently completed or are scheduled to take the new rider course.

[Author]

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