[Clay Dowling]

http://www.kbb.com/kbb/OtherVehicles/PricingReport.aspx?VehicleId=231948&VehicleClass=Motorcycle&PriceType=Retail&ManufacturerId=213&YearId=1997

1640 is expected retail, but with the various tax & title issues, $1700 is probably okay.

The lack of graphics almost certainly means that the fairings have been replaced, which would intend to imply a crash. My advice is to get an experienced rider to test ride it, see if they can tell anything obvious.

[Clay Dowling]

But not so bad on my Magna. A lot of that I attribute to the smoother throttle response than the little Kawasaki 125 they had me riding. Come spring I’m going out to the high school’s driver training lot and going through all of the exercises again. It’s as good an excuse as any to fool around on the bike.

[Clay Dowling]

While I was trying to dig up safety recommendations on the XElement boots, I kept running into references to Redwings boots. I like the look of these: http://www.redwingshoes.com/productdetails.aspx?prodid=1067 Most importantly, I ran into comments by people who had come through crashes with these boots and escaped with their feet in good shape. I’m buggy about my feet; the idea of being housebound is terrifying to me.

It’s a 10 inch pull-on boot, looks decent in the photo. There’s a Redwings store near my house, think I’ll check them out tonight or this weekend.

[Clay Dowling]

As 250s go, that Ninja sure is pretty. I don’t care for the bug-guts-green color scheme, but their other colors look really nice. Someday, when I get my wife to ride, maybe I can get her on something like that. And of course, I would need to take it out on the country roads, just to make sure that everything was okay with it….

[Clay Dowling]

If you’re not into chrome, you won’t like it. And if you don’t wash the chrome it looks kind of bad. Still, doesn’t take much more than a quick dowsing and a wipe with a wet towel, and everything is shiny again. More serious guys go after it with chrome polish and naptha, but this isn’t a show bike for me, just my daily commuter.

We’ve got two of them sitting in the parking lot at work during the summer.

[Clay Dowling]

I found the class moderately stressful. I was very tired at the end of each day. But since I knew I already liked riding, and I needed the skills, I didn’t pay it much mind. Besides, actually being on the bikes was very enjoyable.

[Clay Dowling]

I was thinking more of the ’94-’03 models, which is the third generation. They’re mechanically very sound and new enough that there are still a lot of them around.

The v45 is the first generation. You can definitely get them on the cheap, but they’re old enough that you might run into mechanical issues, and they’re a lot harder to find.

Look out for the super magnas, the 1100cc model. There aren’t a lot of those out there, and I’m sure the price tag will tip you off that you’re looking at one, but those are definitely more bike than a new rider should have. The 750 is already pushing the upper bounds.

[Clay Dowling]

That stuff is going to be real cheap now.

I bought my bike before taking the class too. But a friend had taught me how to ride on his beater bike, so I already knew I liked it, just needed to get some skills.

[Clay Dowling]

The Yamaha is probably a good idea. A friend of mine did exactly that (same bike and everything) when he wanted to get back into riding. Once he established it as a good fit for his business (he travels to customer sites all day), then he bought a new 250 (because it’s all city traffic).

Another option might be a third generation Magna. It’s what I started on, and what I still ride. She’ll probably drop it at least once-I certainly did-trying to do something at low speed she’s not ready for. But they can be had for about $3k, they have very even response to the throttle, and they have the reliability you expect from a more recent metric bike. Also, the seat is low enough that even a short person can ride it. My daughter is diminutive of stature, and she can flat-foot two feet on my bike.

She won’t have trouble keeping up with you either, unless you really decide to open up the throttle. The Magna engine is plenty zippy in experienced hands.

[Clay Dowling]

The power of the bike is really only relevant in a speed competition. But as you pointed out, a skilled rider can make the most of the agility of the smaller bike.

Some day I’ve got to go and see a track day. They sound pretty cool, and seeing a little bike dust big bikes would be a lot of fun.

[Clay Dowling]

If your intention is to take it to track day and compete with 600cc bikes. Which you probably aren’t going to be doing right out of the gate. I know big guys who ride 250s. If people laugh, they’re doing it as his back as he passes them in traffic.

[Clay Dowling]

and a jacket. Somebody bites it in most of the classes. If you’re the one, you’ll be glad you had the gear. Also, get the full face helmet because the crashes often involve the face and the pavement meeting. Certainly the one in my class did. The woman’s full face helmet kept her from getting a nasty case of road rash on her face.

They’ll tell you for sure everything you need on the first day, which is usually just an evening classroom session. But getting to a shop to buy gear can be a real nuisance between when you got out of class late on the first night and when you show up early the next morning.

[Clay Dowling]

But I doubt they’re going to get it. HD’s historic problems with reliability hurt them, and their price hurts them a lot. With most of their bikes selling for over $15k, I’d have to think long and hard about buying one. Especially when the top of the line Honda VTX sells for less than $15k.

[Clay Dowling]

That 250 is a really good first choice, because you won’t lose anything on the resale value. You can ride it until you decide to move up and you’ll be able to recoup your investment very quickly.

Don’t waste your time thinking you’re going to outrun speed demons. You can probably outrun most of them even on the 250. But you don’t really want to outrun them, you want to get out of the way and get them in front of you, where it’s easier to keep an eye on them. Any motorcycle excels at that role, and a nimble 250 in particular.

Also, the 250 Ninja looks like a lot of fun. I see them tooling around on the twisty country roads in my area and they look like a blast.

[Clay Dowling]

I’m hoping my step-daughter will be willing to ride with me, as least for delivery to school. Not sure if I’ll be ready for two-up at that point though.

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