[dcJohn]

I’ve been visiting several dealerships in the DC area, and at all but one I’ve had the exact same experience you are describing… lots of apathy and what little advice they offer is vague and off-base for beginners. Fortunately, I found at least one dealer that was fantastic. A friend and I are both getting into riding, and they spent a ton of time with us talking about bikes, encouraging us to sit on lots of the bikes as they pointed out what to look for in finding a bike that’s comfortable, fits our skill level, and matches the kind of riding we’re interested in doing.

They also were incredibly helpful with picking out helmets–explaining head shape differences of the manufacturers, safety features and stats, finding the right size and fit on different options. The same attention and information with jackets.

It was like the Holy Grail of dealership experiences. I bought my helmet and jacket from them, but sadly there’s a good chance I won’t be getting my first bike there, since my top three choices are Ninja 250, Vulcan 500, and Versys, and they only carry Buell, HD, Yamaha, and Ducati. But, at least it’s nice to know that a good experience with a dealer is possible.

[dcJohn]

Thanks. I’ve been checking CL daily for the past month to get a feel for what used Ninja 250s are going for. Unfortunately, the market works, and with dealerships out of stock sellers are asking some pretty high prices for 250s and still finding a buyer in just a day or two.

I’ve also been pretty underwhelmed with the local dealerships, where I’ve found many salespeople to be apathetic and, when they do offer ideas, are clearly just trying to push the most powerful bike they think they can nudge me into (beginner rider concerns be damned). I did manage to find one local dealership with fantastic service–incredibly knowledgeable and helpful staff–but they only carry Yamaha, HD, Buell, and Dukati, which doesn’t offer many options in beginner oriented rides (Blast, Sportster, and FZ6 really weren’t on the top of my list).

[dcJohn]

Thanks for the advice! I sat on a Ninja 650 and wasn’t crazy about the riding position–more weight leaning forward than I’d like. My understanding is that the Ninja 250 has a more neutral (more like a standard) riding position than the 650, is that right? And if there is a difference, is the riding position of the 500 more like the 650 or the 250?

[dcJohn]

At 1:06 there’s a nice example of it doing a countersteer.

[dcJohn]

My MSF course starts October 15th (yay!). Is that usually around the time that new bikes start trickling into showrooms? I’m hoping to find a Ninja 250 or Vulcan 500, and they’re nowhere to be found at local dealers right now.

[Author]

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