- This topic has 36 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by roborabbit.
When should I …
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May 11, 2009 at 1:35 am #2807ryan207Participant
I do not have a motorcycle/ridden one yet, but I have some questions:
By this time next year, i will not be a cager anymore. (I want one now, but my parents won’t let me get one till I fininsh my 1st year of college.) I am dying to ride one, so I just want to run a few of my ideas by you people.
1. I will be starting off on a used 2008 ninja 250, and then three months later selling the bike. My idea is to either get the 2009 ninja 650 (used), or the 2008 suzuki gsxr600 because it has the modes to change the power. I am leaning twards the ninja, but I just love the look of the gxsr.
2. I want to learn to do wheelies and stoppies… How much expierence do you guys think I should get before I attempt to do one? I am thinking after 2 months of riding because I want to learn on the cheaper bike.
3. After the 4 month break, i am either going to ride the bike down to my college in Ft. Myers, Florida (I live in northern Jersey), or shipping it down. I want to ride because it seems fun, and would be a good expierence. Shipping it costs $550, plus I won’t be able to ride the bike for a couple of weeks. So, it would just cost a little more money to ride it down.
4. I have been reading about long distance rides, and it said after you you eat lunch, you should take a 20 minute nap… Where would you take this nap? On a park bench? It just seems a little awkard.Thanks a lot.
May 11, 2009 at 3:42 am #18324briderdtParticipant…you might want to take a look at the GS500F. Much the same look, but not race tuned.
Which bike are you thinking of riding south? If it’s the Ninja 250, then you’d be getting something like 60 mpg… Let’s say you pay an average of $3 a gallon. For the same $550, you could go 11,000 miles… It isn’t that far? Okay, so let’s say it’s 2000 miles (I have no idea how far it really is). That’s $100 in gas. Covering 300 miles a day (not too hard, especially if you’re slabbing it), you’d take a week to get there. How much would a cheap hotel be for 6 nights? You think it would be $450? Or load up a tent and sleeping bag and camp it (it’s not that hard to do). Eating? It wouldn’t cost that much more to eat on the road than at student housing, so that’s pretty much a wash.
Just some food for thought.
May 11, 2009 at 4:57 am #18325EliasParticipant1. Responsible decision starting on the 250, so a pat on the back there. IMO, I would graduate to the 650R. Why? Because it’s sexy, and I’m biased because I want one.
2. Don’t be a squid. I retract previously mentioned pat on back.
3. I’d ride it…but I’m a broke ass vagabond. I’d camp it too. But the average real world person will tell you that your ass is going to fall off after riding a sport bike that far.
4. Riding is not swimming. Of course I don’t get cramps when I swim after eating, either. I’ve never heard of this rule, but I could see people defending it for the sake of fatigue. Sounds like a personal choice to me.May 11, 2009 at 6:50 am #18329eternal05ParticipantFor somebody who’s never set butt on a bike, you seem to have an awfully strict timeline for graduating from your beginner bike. Truth is, after two months pulling wheelies and stoppies is a good way to eat pavement, especially on a Ninja 250. Like Elias said, don’t be a squid.
I’ve got both a new-model Ninja 250R and a gixxer 6, and while I can absolutely understand your taste, don’t rush yourself. To be honest, the hard part of riding a motorcycle (if you practice) is not learning throttle control, shifting technique, maneuvering, etc. The hard part is having enough experience and presence of mind to use the skills you’ve developed in a pinch. That can only be gained with time and mileage, so I’d really urge you to wait longer before upping your engine size.
May 11, 2009 at 5:04 pm #18339ryan207ParticipantOk, so I will wait till I have much more expierence to start attempting to do wheelies. Does 1 year sound fine? From what I’ve read, they said that the ninja 650 was tame enough to use as a first bike, whereas this website says no. So, I figure that I would compromise. I’ll start off on the 250, then 3 months later get the 650. I’ll still be a beginner, but at least I would have some expierence.
Also, I don’t want to ride a 250 down to florda because, from what I read, you feel more vibrations because the engine is reving higher. The 650 also has some additional vibration dampening features.
I do not really like the look of the gs500f, so that is why I did not mention it.
Also, is the ninja too small for me? I’m 6-4
May 11, 2009 at 5:59 pm #18340MunchParticipantToo small?…only you can answer that. The napping after eating rule…. I can understand that one. Kinda goes along with the 10-2&4 rule of days gone by. the “average” person will get a lil’ tired and ready for a nap after eating. That’s just a safety net to help keep you out of trouble. Not only that, would kinda suck to polish off a Chili Cheese dog jump on the bike to find out 10 mins later…. your gut didn’t agree with your choice… now your 10 miles into a 30 mile gap before the next off ramp.
I cannot see riding the bike from Up north to down south costing you $500+ thats insane. Well….maybe depending on the hotel you stop into.
As far as your “plans”. It’s nice to have a schedule to aim for a goal isn’t it? Honestly… toss it. You would do yourself a great service by putting some of that over excitement on the shelf about “stoppies” and “wheelies” for a long while. 1yr of riding….heck no…. 2yrs of riding? nu uh… its been said your going into a different danger zone there. 1st year is usually “I dropped my bike because…” kickstand was up, used front brake in slow turn, misjudged a turn etc etc. 2nd year…. you start getting a false sense of security and think you have a handle on things…then you get “Brain Farts” Next thing you know now its…. man I thought I was going slow enough to handle that hook… or I thought I had enough room to clear it. Or 65mph through the Dragon… aww man thats cake I take my exit ramps at twice that speed…. later you add a new piece to the tree.
Use your head and logic …not your ego and expectations to get you through motorcycling safely.May 11, 2009 at 6:59 pm #18341CandiceParticipantAs I was reading the comments of ryan207 I was thinking you were joking, are you? I was laughing and then I realized there was no JK at the end and everyone seems to think you are serious so, here are my thoughts:
Good idea about starting out on the 250
Can the strict schedule
Forget wheelies and stoppies
Not sure about riding to Florida, I thought I would ride to Canada from Chicago but have decided I’m not ready
Napping on a park bench after you eat???? No, you don’t need a nap.LOL, this one really just made me crack up! You are too funny!
AND – YOU ARE DYING TO RIDE????? Holy shit! This should be on a wall of quotes somewhere.
May 11, 2009 at 8:16 pm #18342Clay DowlingParticipantA Ninja 500 might be a happier choice if you’re planning to ride it north to south. Most small bike owners I know can take it on the highway, but they don’t enjoy it. As for the stoppies and wheelies, your a year or three away from that. Learn to ride the bike first. That will take longer than you’re thinking.
For the long ride, you can’t figure pulling 12 hours in the saddle. Those kinds of long days are reserved for bikes with seats designed for touring. You can’t afford one of those bikes right now, and they aren’t appropriate for your skill level. Find a friend with a truck and a motorcycle chock (harbor freight sells very inexpensive chocks). That’s how you should get your bike to Florida.
May 11, 2009 at 8:36 pm #18343roborabbitParticipant,so warn me before you take your trip so I can avoid the traffic you’ll create after failing to preform a stunt on the turnpike / parkway.
May 11, 2009 at 9:07 pm #18344EliasParticipantHAHAHAHAHA…
…squids
May 11, 2009 at 9:12 pm #18345eonParticipantParents can be such jerks. After maken you wait a year you should go straight to the gixxer. You know you wont want to wait another 3 months, and come on, it just looks so cool and the chix will totally dig you on it. You really wanna spend the summer on a little 2fiddy?
You can spend the next 12 months learning how to do stoppies and wheelies on uTube. You should be one of the stunta boyz within a month I would think.
Ride the bike to FL. You can do it with in one day and join the Iron Butt crew. Dont eat lunch, just drink Red Bull and you wont need to nap. And I-95 is the perfect place to practice your wheelies. You gotta practice to get good.
You’re only young once you know. And some people just never get to be old.
May 11, 2009 at 9:17 pm #18346MunchParticipantSensing some sarcasm ^^
May 11, 2009 at 9:33 pm #18348eternal05ParticipantIf one was ever warranted, now is the time. Then again, we’re not internet meme douchebags here.
May 11, 2009 at 9:47 pm #18350eternal05ParticipantCould be an issue. As Munch said, you need to sit on the bike. I’m also 6’4″, and I definitely had to get adjustable footpegs (ask me if you want to do this; I’ll help you out) and adjust my rear brake and shift lever to their lowest setting to make riding the Ninja reasonable. I did make it work, however.
Honestly, the comment about riding the bike on a long road trip is true. You won’t be comfortable on the 250. Period. This is especially true given your height. Then again, sport bikes (even though the 250 is semi-standard) are not made for long-term comfort. The 650R might be a little better, especially with respect to wind protection and ergonomics, but it still won’t be too comfortable (at least not compared to a cruiser).
Also, I do think it’s possible to be ready for say, the Ninja650 after 3 months on the bike. If you put in a ton of practice time on the 250, get your throttle control, body positioning, and general control of the bike down, the 650 won’t be a huge hurdle. What people are worried about is you: if you don’t have the patience to put in the time on a reasonably beginner-oriented bike, are you really going to be ready for the bigger bike when it comes along? Are you just going to spend your time gassing it up without ever learning how to take a corner at speed or brake at the threshold?
If I were you (which I’m not, so make your own decision), I’d get the 250. I’d keep it for at least a year. I’d spend free time in parking lots learning how ride in a straight line at 1mph, getting your body in the right place on turns, learning to put your weight on your knees and feet and not in your hands, reading books, watching videos, etc. At the end of a year of serious practice, you’ll be a pro, and you’ll be ready to START doing the same thing with a GSX-R. I guarantee you that the longer you spend on a 250, the better you’ll be as a rider. You’ll be able to use the full capabilities of the bike, and really learn how to ride. That won’t happen if you jump too soon.
May 11, 2009 at 9:51 pm #18351eternal05ParticipantI just re-read my post and realized I was misleading about something. If you don’t know me and can’t hear my “virtual intonation,” you don’t realize the following was meant VERY sarcastically:
“At the end of a year of serious practice, you’ll be a pro…”
No, you will not. You won’t be anywhere near it. BUT, you will potentially have enough skill not to get yourself killed on a bigger bike, IF you’ve put in the time.
Don’t jump the gun.
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