[madjak30]

If you ask whether or not a 250cc bike will be adequate, you will get a unanimous YES. But ask how it would do riding two up, and you will get varied answers from “yeah, it will be fine” to “if you are planning two up riding, I would consider a bigger ride” to the ultimate “you shouldn’t even be thinking of going two up until you have a few thousan miles under your belt”…

You have to realize that most of the guys in here are under or around the 200lbs mark, and if their significant other is around the 100lbs mark…you do the math, we are riding two up at all times…you could also look at it as incentive to loose weight…as you loose the weight, the bike would get noticably quicker…but to get down to the 200lbs range will take quite an effort, so I don’t know if it would be advisable to use your bike as incentive. It may end up being more discouraging than helpful.

Just read through past posts to see the responses to the question of will a 250cc bike work for me, and pay attention to the two up riding responses given. That helped me decide on a GS500 as my first bike…I’m 5’11 and 275lbs…and it was just right for me…

Just my two cents…

Later.

[madjak30]

These are personnal opinions based on personnal experiences, but I don’t feel that I am an exception to the rule. Now, I do have more weight to carry so that may have impacted my perception on the smaller bikes…but I also thought about the type of riding I will be doing, commuting on the hiway and rides to the mountains and lakes around me…I wanted the extra stability and power of the bigger bike. If I was going to be riding in the city mostly with just a few hiway runs, the smaller bike would have been the better choice for learning. The hardest part of riding a bike is going slow, parking lot and stop and go traffic. In these situations the lighter the bike the better off you are. If that was the case for me, I would probably have gotten a super moto bike…they would be an absolute blast in the city. The 250cc bikes (other than the Ninja) are best suited for upto 80-90 kph, after that they run out of breath. The Ninja has a top speed around 160kph, so definately don’t rule it out…you just have to get the revs up to get there.

As for the pics, I will send you an e-mail after I take some current pics of the bike. I will fill you in on the details in the e-mail.

Later.

PS..definately get the rider training, it was the best thing that I did…saved me from learning some bad habits that I would have to break later.

[madjak30]

Take ear plugs and wear them…it will dull the noise and make it easier to think about what you are doing…the wind noise in the helmet will be reduced, but you will be able to hear everything else more clearly…if the traffic is really busy when you pick up your bike, take the hiway and just ride at your pace in the slow lane…if you are really nervous, it may be a good idea to rent a trailer to take it home…

As for counter steering, it is best if you don’t try to think it through…like you said, turning will come naturally and when you are in the corner, take notice of which hand is pushing and you will see that you are already counter steering…if you want to steer faster you use counter steer…just don’t over think it.

The best advice is to relax, take a minute and plan your route home. Take the way of least traffic, since you will already be a little nervous. Before you ride off, practice some slow moves and practice braking. Learn how the bike reacts to you inputs…does it react really quickly, stopping immediately or turning quicker than you expect…you are better off to figure this out in the parking lot than in traffic. Ask someone to give you a ride down to pick it up, then get them to follow you home so that you don’t have to worry about someone honking at you from behind…

Good Luck!

[madjak30]

Probably not a bad idea to spray at the end of the season, so the helmet and the rest of the gear is fresh for the next season…

Good call.

[madjak30]

After reading up on what that is…I’m still a little murkey here, does that mean you are gifted in some way? Otherwise, you probably only come across as shy…I think most of us can see some of those traits in ourselves, and like others have more eloquently stated…it is part of who you are, there is nothing you can do about it so…move on…nothing to see here…maybe I see more of myself in the description too, being I am a Quality Control Advisor at work…basically I show and tell people what paperwork needs to be done, perform audits on their execution of a plan and repetition is my life…and I love my job…

So don’t let it change you, it’s just you…

Later…

[madjak30]

Here is my bike with some spare tires from the garage…they fit 17″ rims, so it should count…but I didn’t think I could put both on the bike…

and here is my bike next to a lifted truck with oversized tires…

I know, I cheated a little…they are all in my driveway, but I couldn’t resist…hehehe

Good luck!!

[madjak30]

I’m in no rush…I will be upgrading in February, and was planning to sell in the spring…but if you would like I can send you some pics and what I paid for it…repairs done, maintenance, etc…

As for suggesting a 500cc, well like Gary, it is from experience…I have not regretted getting the GS500, except about three weeks after getting the bike I wanted more power off the line, but soon realized that you need to get pretty confident in the corners before you can claim to know how to ride (actually still learning there). I do a lot of hiway riding and the bigger bike does it easier than the smaller 250cc bikes could…so the only question I had when buying was “what style of bike do I want?”…I decided the standard bike was the way to go for me…I didn’t want to be hunched over the tank on a sportier bike, and a dual sport wouldn’t be as stable on the hiway.

Let me know if you want that info on the bike, or if you are going to wait…and maybe explore your choices further…

[madjak30]

Your right, the obvious answer is the 250cc bikes that are available. I’m 5’11 and 275lbs with a 33″ inseam, so you would probably feel pretty comfortable on the same bikes as me (other than the weight…)…I am riding a GS500, which is considered a standard, but leaning toward the sporty looking. I have really enjoyed riding mine and have learned a lot over this season. The performance will seem much better to you being 100lbs lighter, so I would look at the Ninja 500 or the GS500. They are great bikes to learn on, not too heavy and have plenty of power for hiway use…not that the 250cc bikes can’t, but it is easier to do on the 500cc bikes. Unless you have previous experience riding dirt bikes, I would stay away from the Ninja 650/ER-6n/Versys, the Gladius/SV650 or any of those bikes…they just have more performance than you may be ready for…you will want one, but I would fight the urge…learn to ride the smaller bikes to their limits before you look up the ladder, and not just straight line accelleration…cornering is what you need to learn and emergency braking…try the slow stuff first, then move on. One of the guys in here, WeaponZero, started on a SV650 and has stated that he would have learned to be a better rider faster if he had made a better choice of bike to start out on.

I would also look at dual sport bikes or super moto bikes, they would also be great for learning on. They are lighter and more upright, so better for the learning process. Anything from 400cc to 650cc in the single cylinder bikes would be a good starter bike for a taller guy.

Anyway, have fun shopping and sit on all bikes you can to get a feel for what you may or may not like.

Later.

[madjak30]

That is my first bike, which I have put over 8000kms this year. It is great for learning to ride, without felling like it is way too small of a bike. I don’t know if you have gone in and sat on the CBR125R yet, but it is a smaller bike than the GS500 (physically smaller)…I’m 5’11 and the GS is about as small of a bike as I would suggest for a taller person…I don’t know about the physical size of the Ninja 250R or the 500R, but I think they are similar to the GS…my 11yr old daughter can almost get her feet down on the CBR, she was very excited about that…only you will know what fits and what doesn’t, but at 6’2 you will be in the same boat as me at a minimum…the 500s have enough power to do hiway travel without any problem, just remember these are sporty looking commuter bikes, not sport bikes…so don’t expect powerful accelleration at hiway speed (that was a problem I had at first…)…I have decided that I will be upgrading my bike next season to a cruiser for more comfort (I’m getting older…lol)…if you are in Canada you could also check out the Ninja 400R that is brand new this year, and fuel injected…woo hoo…

If you are looking for a GS500 and you are in the Red Deer, Alberta area…drop me a note in here…maybe we could talk…lol

Good luck!!

[madjak30]

Either Haynes or Clymer make pretty good manuals that will help you through any repairs that you feel you can tackle yourself (including tune up procedures)…I am doing some similar work on my bike right now…had a small oil leak that was just one or two drips everytime I parked the bike…so I have been playing the find the leak game…started with a seal that looked like it was weeping, but that wasn’t it…then I found the main leak, the gasket for the left side crank case…ordered the part and picked it up yesterday…doing an oil change at the same time…replaced the oil filter and the seal for the cover…but the old gasket material is giving me some head aches, I need to get a razor to scrape it off before I do damage to the aluminum case cover…good luck on yours, and I will let you know how I make out on mine…

Later.

[madjak30]

I would think a 200-400cc supermoto would be the best choice for that tight of urban setting…in Canada we don’t really have that tight of living…Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver might come close, but I think there is still more open space in those cities than there would be in Hong Kong…when the traffic and commuting issues are that tight, I wouldn’t want to be learning on a sport bike…get good at riding first, then chase the “cool” bikes…

Later.

[madjak30]

I know the BRC course that I took had the full assortment of types of bikes…cruisers, dual sports, sport, and super motos…the Honda Rebels were good, the Yamaha 250cc cruisers were good, but they were really impressed with how they Hyosung 250cc bike held up…and it was a little heavier, more like a 650cc sized bike and felt pretty good…the dual sports were Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki bikes, 200cc I think…the sport bike was one you can’t get in the States…Honda CBR125R…and the super moto was a Chinese brand Konker 200SM, and they were really impressed with that one as well…I really don’t know if there are any really crappy street bikes anymore. I could be wrong, but they seemed to be more impressed with the bikes that everyone is afraid to buy…so I don’t know if I would be too concerned about it.

My two cents…

Later.

[madjak30]

I know my 500cc bike has problems maintaining 75mph if there is a strong head wind or a steep hill, I have to gear down to keep that pace and drop another gear if I wish to speed up…as for the buffeting, I have an after market wind screen that is fully adjustable (with some wrenches)…if I have it adjusted incorrectly (like last week), I got more buffetting than when I had the wind screen removed…sounds like the wind from your wind screen is hitting your body just below your helmet, which will cause lots of buffetting…also being a lighter bike, the bike itself is probably bothered more by the wind….so it depends on the terrain, weather and whether or not the wind screen is set up correctly for your body…

I’m not trying to say that a 250cc bike is too small, but saying it will easily do 80mph may be a little miss leading. I’m a firm beleiver that the smaller the bike, the better the learning experience…and anything will be pretty decent upto around 60-65mph…even a 250cc dual sport would be fun to that pace (an excellent choice for a beginner)

Later.

[madjak30]

That is a bike that has been tuned for the new sport bike rider…not the new rider, there is a difference…It has the sport bike style, but not the SS craziness…it is more along the lines of the GSX650F or the Honda CBF600…these are also good bikes to look at for someone with some street experience…they will have about 10-15 more Hp than your Versys had…and they have a more standard riding position…but give you the more sporty looks…

Later.

[madjak30]

Not an easy thing to do…not that I am trying hard, but the hard part is breaking old habbits…

Keep it up and your bike will seem twice as fast…lol

Later.

[Author]

Posts