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Review of the Genuine Blur
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CBBaronParticipant
That looks like a great choice for a city motorcycle.
Cheap and readily available, so should be easy to repair cheaply.
Enough power for city speeds, as long as the gearing is decent you should have no problem with hills.
Light and easy to handle.
And it looks nice too.
Just get a decent cable or chain lock depending on your crime rates and if you park on the street over night, because a light bike is easier to pick up an carry away.Craig
CBBaronParticipantI’m 6’2″ 220# with 34″ inseam and ride an ’06 Ninja 250r.
Its a great bike and a lot of fun.
The seat to peg placement is a little tight but not unreasonable and there are aftermarket adjustable pegs that can lower the pegs some. Plus a seat pad is also an option. As of yet I am still stock on my bike.
The ’08 and newer Ninjas have a similar cockpit but a new fairing. The new fairing shape does interfere with my knees some. It was one reason I looked for the older model in addition to the much lower prices. The aftermarket pegs can be a solution for this also.Either one is a great bike and an even better deal.
Other good options are supermotos. These bikes are very light and said to be lots of fun. They are easy to handle and much less cramped than sport bikes are other small bikes.
Craig
CBBaronParticipantThe Ninja 250 is more of a faired standard than a sport bike. However the little water-cooled twin does like to rev. Still the power is a faction of the power of the 600 or 1000cc rocket ships usually considered sport bikes.
Dual sports and super motos I think would make great starter bikes. They are very light and not usually damaged if you drop them and you can play around off-road to work on skills without cars. The main disadvantage I found was price and seat height. The cheap dual sports like the TW200 and DR200se are still usually more expensive than a 250 street bike and will struggle with speeds much over 55mph. The water-cooled 250cc bikes are fairly capable road bikes but are considerably more expensive.
Dual-sports are often fairly tall. This can be a problem if you have a short inseam. However if you are tall they probably fit better than the other 250cc bikes.Craig
CBBaronParticipantI don’t wear ear plugs for my commute as I don’t get over about 40 mph and that speed is not often on my urban commute. But I definitely wear them for anything else. The difference at 70mph was huge. Even a few miles at 70mph felt like I was beat up badly. With plugs it was no problem.
If you are having trouble with comfort try one of these
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/unfoamtrialp1.html
58 different ear plugs for pretty cheap. Once you find your favorite order a bunch. The generic ones from the hardware store were much less comfortable than most of the ones I’ve tried so far. Still have many to go.
Craig
CBBaronParticipantAdditional fairings will only make the problem worse, especially any fairing mounted to the handlebar/fork.
One of my early rides was a long ride through north central Ohio on a windy day. The winds and gusts were unnerving at first but I quickly adapted to them and soon it was no problem. It helps that I was riding straight empty roads, meaning I could learn how to deal with wind without adding additional complications.Craig
CBBaronParticipantSeafoam may work. Atleast I would say it is worth the <$10 try. I’ve seen alot of good reviews on the product though havn’t needed to use it yet myself. Another suggestion is to learn how to do the work yourself. Carbs are not very complicated and they don’t take many tools to work on. Learning how to work on them can save you significant money as you have already seen. Craig
CBBaronParticipant+1
Secure your motorcycle to an immobile object with a heavy chain or U-lock. Cables are too easy to cut and if it is not tied down it is too easy to move.Now you have to go scouting around for a good tie down
I have seen some nice anchors that can be attached to concrete but if you are in an apartment that may not be an option.Craig
CBBaronParticipantThe Ninja 250R is very different from most of the other 250s like the Rebel and TU250X. The Rebel and TU250x and most other 250s are air cooled and very small. Great for the smaller rider but may be too small for longer legged. In addition the air cooled bikes have considerable less hp. They are fine on most roads but will struggle at highway speeds. The Ninja feels much bigger, is heavier and has 30-50% more hp. It is very capable at any legal speed limits.
I think the Ninja 250r makes a good starter bike for most riders, especially a used one. TU250x and Rebels are good for smaller riders as they are lighter and lower. Dual sports and supermotos are good for taller riders as these keep most of the advantages of the other 250 bikes but are less cramped.
Craig
CBBaronParticipantMy first choice for transporting a laptop is a trunk. Lots of options there for the SV650.
If you must use a backpack, just find a good water proof backpack and laptop sleeve. I don’t see why you would be concerned about your laptop surviving an accident on you back. Thats what insurance and backups are for.
Craig
CBBaronParticipantThe FZ6R is an inline 4 600cc motorcycle but it is not a supersport. It falls into the same category as the Ninja 650r and SV650. Good sporty motorcycles that fall into the upper end of recommended motorcycles for beginners.
However I think every other 600cc motorcycle available and the ones getting the most attention are supersports so it is easier just to steer most noobies away from 600cc I-4s unless they particularly mention an exception.And I totally agree with your assessment. I love riding my Ninja 250r. I don’t think I will ever get bored with it because it is too small. I would consider other motorcycles just for the change.
Craig
CBBaronParticipantI much per full face or atleast a modular.
In an accident half helmets provide no protection for road rash on the face and chin, and no impact protection to those areas. Statistics show that head impacts in a accident happen more often to those locations.
In addition full face helmets provide protection to your face for insects and rocks kicked up by vehicles at high speeds. These can cause minor injuries but more importantly getting hit in the face at high speed can lead to an accident.Craig
CBBaronParticipantIf you are on a budget you will be hard pressed to beat a 2007 or earlier Ninja 250R. An older GS500 or Ninja 500r may come close. These “entry-level” bikes are easy to find for under $2k and are very capable street bikes. An SV in comparable shape will usually be well over twice the price.
If you get a good deal then it won’t be hard to sell for what you paid if you feel you have to upgrade.
Budget reasons for getting a bigger bike just don’t really make sense. Even if you do get bored with the smaller bike in less than a year you will still likely come out ahead because you can put off the bigger expense and you won’t lose much on your first bike.
And if you are getting bored on a Ninja or GS in less than a year you probably are not riding the bike hard enough.Craig
CBBaronParticipantThe fact that you were considering the 600cc fours tells me you either have not done any research on good beginner bikes or you are not as responsible as you think you are.
I think getting a used 500cc or smaller bike to learn on is the best way to go. As mentioned they are easier to learn on and less likely to get you into trouble. And by buying used you can sell it after you get some more experience for nearly what you paid.
The SV is a great bike and something you can learn on but its not the easiest bike to start on. I think the SV650S will just make the process harder as it has a more aggressive riding position.Craig
CBBaronParticipantThe Gladius replaced the SV650 in Suzuki’s line up. There were a number of changes but the bike is very similar.
The 650 twins like the Gladius are the upper end of what is recommended for beginners.
I still like starting out on a used 250 before deciding to spend serious money a new bigger bike. It is not hard to find a good used 250 for under 2 grand and if you do upgrade you will get nearly all of that back. Being able to buy my first bike with cash really helped seal the deal for me with the concerned wife.
Craig
CBBaronParticipantBased on those ratings I’m guessing those are modifiers on some other numbers.
I don’t quite figure out the TW200, DR200, XT225 and KLR250 as being C ratings while the DR650 and KLR650 are A. And I know my Ninja 250 was quite cheap to insure. So I have to guess that is a modifier on other parameters like displacement, power, price, etc. some or all.
But perhaps I am wrong, maybe bikes like the DR KLR and 650R do cost less to the insurers than TWs and XT225. I just don’t believe it.
Craig -
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