[Andrew]

I have the 07 Ninja and I’m 5′ 4. I can’t flat foot it with both feet but I can with one. Normally I’m just using the balls of my feet when I’m stopped. Comfort is the big thing in your first bike. If you feel like you need to flat foot it then you do for your own comfort. If the Rebel is the easiest to sit on and the most comfortable then go with that.

[Andrew]

I’ve heard the bored with a “250” before and I’m not bored with mine yet. Put 1K on her before the winter break and a couple of rides since the weather cleared up.

[Andrew]

The Ninja was not an option at my MSF class.

If the used Ninja’s are 4K and you can’t find an ’08 then that should tell you that they are a high demand bike. Based on that your chances of dealing on a new one are slim to none. Most bikes here last summer were selling fast and the local dealers didn’t have to negotiate at all. Most Ninja dealers have long lists before they get the bikes so a deal on a new Ninja won’t happen while demand is so high.

Check out the used market you may get lucky.

[Andrew]

It’s about time to pull the bike out of the garage. The freezing mornings are starting to ease off although the snow yesterday scuppered my plans for some riding. I rode through December 15th and once I can ride into work at a consistent 40 degrees I’ll be happy.

Going to have to un-winterize the bike and do all the boring stuff soon. I may even hit the Church parking lot to make sure my skills are still up to riding to work with the cages.

[Andrew]

LEO here will ticket loud pipes on sport bikes but not on cruisers. As a Ninja owner it’s good to know the local bias.

[Andrew]

My Mother was ok with me getting a bike this year since her brothers rode them when she was young. I’m 35 now but if I had wanted a bike at 17 it would never have happened.

[Andrew]

I think Ben has mentioned using a 10 year rule on bikes and that works for me. If the bike is more than 10 years old don’t but it unless you want to be doing work on it. How much work depends but in general you’ll spend more time wrenching on an old bike than a new one.

[Andrew]

Nice post Matt. The only thing I would add is that as has been discussed here and elsewhere the engine type does matter. A noob can handle a 600cc bike that’s a twin although it’s more weight to deal with. IMO a noob should not be learning on a 600cc inline 4. If you have some riding experience then that changes but then your not a noob.

[Andrew]

If your worried about comfort and your height you might want to look at a dual sport.. Best thing you can do is sit on as many bikes as possible to get a feel for comfort. We are just warning you that the bigger you go in bike the harder you are making the skill learning curve. It’s not impossible but it’s harder.

[Andrew]

I’ll pick one up in the spring I think. I almost picked one up last month but I suspected that the IL weather wouldn’t let me do to much riding and I was right.

[Andrew]

My problem with the powering out of trouble theory is that if a cager wants to overtake you then thats whats going to happen. You can’t stop them. You can’t block them either. If the guy/gal wants past you then they will find a way.

[Andrew]

You do have to be flexible to tank hug and I don’t thing I could do it on a long ride but it’s useful when going directly into the wind. Once you are low you are more streamlined and your chest is not getting hit. With the angle I had my helmet at I didn’t get col air under the chin piece either. I’ll probably play with a windshield mod in the spring to make life easier.

[Andrew]

Check out the recommended reading articles on the right. Specifically look at https://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/why-600cc-motorcycle-not-good-beginner-bike-updated

It’s harder to learn the basics and figure out everything you need to be doing as a noob if your on a bigger more powerful bike. The smaller bike is more forgiving of your mistakes. The thinking that you can speed out of trouble on the road is a bad one IMO. You should be avoiding trouble or dealing with it defensively not trying to out speed it. Thats asking for trouble on 2 wheels.

[Andrew]

Congrats. I haven’t been able to ride in for 2 weeks now due to the cold stuff starting early here in IL.

[Andrew]

I’m 5’4 and 130 lbs and I have the old Ninja. I can’t quite flat foot the bike but I can get one foot flat and the other tip-toed. That’s plenty of control for me. Hardest thing is parking the bike in the garage as I have to make a tight 3 point turn.

[Author]

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