[madjak30]

First, I would suggest a basic riders course…most schools that offer the course will provide a bike for the training (always better to drop someone elses bike when starting out), and most will allow you to use one of their bikes for the test…they also usually have a few different types of bikes for the class…try them all out, you might find that you don’t like the sporty bikes after riding one for more than 20mins…although the Ninja 250 is more of a standard with farings…

As for new or used, my suggestion is always go used on your first bike…maybe buy one from a dealer, but let someone else take the depreciation and put the first scratch in it…getting a good deal right now shouldn’t be a problem right now being winter and all…and the security issue…well, a 250cc bike isn’t going to be a theifs first target…

Just remember, this is all about having fun…so keep safe (wear the gear and get trained) and the fun will take care of itself…

Later.

[madjak30]

We’d love to tell you what to…ummm…I mean answer any questions you may have…lol

Later.

[madjak30]

I wish I had started on something like that…would be a complete blast around town…great on fuel, light, easy to handle, upright seating (good vision)…what’s not to like…just remember, it isn’t a dirt bike…it’s meant for the urban jungle, not the single tracks in the back country…graded gravel and hard pack dirt would be okay, but street tires and off road don’t mix…

Have fun with it…

Later.

[madjak30]

Very nice toy…not for me, atleast not yet…

As for the GSX650F…yeah, I like that one…Rab actually suggested it to me about 6 months ago, and I kinda brushed it off…I was pretty sure I was getting a cruiser at that point, but over the summer I got more used to the riding position of the GS500 (which is pretty tight for a 6ish footer)…so now it is back in the mix…I always liked the Katana bikes…old school air/oil cooled and carbs…translation, easy to work on…and they have proven to be quite reliable, if not cutting edge…but 90Hp is plenty for me, which is about 10 up on the GSX-F…but fuel injection would be nice…

We’ll see what kind of deals are out there in a month or so…there is a Katana 750 on Kijiji right now asking $3450 w/32,000kms…who knows what will pop up in a month when guys are starting to see the snow melting…or atleast start thinking of the snow melting…-21C + wind right now…no riding for a while yet…lol

Later.

[madjak30]

I didn’t know they were in Canada…that’s the F3 isn’t it?

My cheap side is starting to kick in with my bike upgrade…not sure I want to spend $7-8000 on a bike…thinking about an old sport touring 650-750cc…

or…

The GSX650F is a little more money than the Katana…$5000ish for the GSX-F, $4000ish for the Katana…

Should have more leg room than the GS500 and similar to the MT-01…both are faster, more fuel efficient and cheaper to insure…the faring would be nice for touring…

It must be getting close to time to buy, I’m getting nervous about it…lol

Later.

[madjak30]

That’s really what it boils down to…a Honda Shadow 650 (V-Twin) or a Suzuki S40 (650 single) will get to 80mph (130kph) but it doesn’t happen fast…a Ninja 650R (Twin) will do it pretty quick and keep going…a Suzuki GSX650F (inline 4) will do it even quicker and keep going farther…then you get into the CBR/GSX-R/R6 type bikes (race inline 4) they will do those speeds in second gear, maybe even 1st…and they have less engine to work with…compression of the engine, restriction in the air intake and exhaust, design of the heads, grind of the cams, weight of the crank/piston/con rod assy…that will apply to 250cc bikes just as easily as a liter bike…

I know the guys in here all harp on about 250cc being the ideal bike to start on, but even at that there can be big differences…a Honda Rebel vs a Suzuki DR200 vs a Kawasaki Ninja 250…the cruiser would be the most beginner friendly…low seat, low power, low speed…the DR200 would be a step up (no pun intended)…a higher seat height, similar power but the gearing is lower so it will seem to have more, and it will get to top speed quicker (but probably similar actual top speed…fastest I could get one going is 55mph-90kph)…then the Ninja 250…it would seem like a race bike in comparison with the other two…seat height in between the two, twice the power and almost twice the speed…so in reality…a 650cc cruiser with mild tune is comparible to a 400cc dual sport which is comparible to a Ninja 250…and all this is assuming you are average height, build/weight…

There are so many variables…there is no real “right” answer…since the answer will be different for almost every person.

Later.

[madjak30]

That is exactly my experience with the GS500…strong head wind, steep hill…75mph (120kph) is all it can manage, and I found that you sometimes need 5th gear to maintain…if you drop it to 4th you can accellerate, but not quickly…and you are revving the nuts off it…I wouldn’t want to maintain that for any length of time…that’s the limitations of 47bHp (I think it is near 38 RW Hp). I think it is a perfect bike for commuting and around town, but on the hiway you “hit the wall” so to speak. On a calm day you can rip through traffic and pass decently on the hiway, but wind and hills show you the limits of the bike quickly.

I thought if I had an F model it may help with aerodynamics, but I don’t think it helps much…

Later.

[madjak30]

You would have to categorize it…

My first reaction was 400cc, since the Ninja 400R is quite hiway capable as was the old Bandit 400…if you are talking cruiser, a 650cc twin will do it, but to pass quickly you probably need 750-800cc…and if it is a single, probably a 650cc…the KLR does okay on the hiway…but maybe not with good passing power at 80mph…

@Trials: was that Fireblade available in North America, or was it a European only model?

Later.

[madjak30]

When I am going through an intersection with the possibility of a left hand cut off…I position in the right side of my lane, watching the drivers eyes…then I usually wave to make sure they see me, and it comes across as a friedly gesture…

If nothing else, I’m all about keeping up relations…

Later.

[madjak30]

After I get the wifey used to the fact that I bought another bike, I need to start planting that seed…it would be nice to have a bike that was dirt friendly…even if it is a dirt bike that I would have to trailer, but I may push for a sled for winter before the dirt friendly bike…

Oh well, a guy can dream…I wanna be like Gary…

Later.

[madjak30]

What kind of bike was it? I hope I keep my second bike that long, which I should be able to…the first bike was bought specifically to learn on, knowing I would be getting something bigger for my hiway riding that I do…my GS500 can do hiway and easily keep up with traffic, but it is out of power at those speeds…so if you want to pass someone quickly, you need to plan it and get a run at them…not really the safest way to ride.

I sometimes wish I had gone with something a little more powerful, but when I think back to the first street ride on my bike after my BRC, I thought it was a rocket and couldn’t see needing anything more…and that wasn’t too long ago…it was a great bike for commuting and going into town (and if that was all I did with the bike, I wouldn’t need anything more), but I started touring with it and that is where it shows it’s limitations.

Later.

[madjak30]

You don’t think this seat has hours of touring capability??

I think it would be great, you know, if you want to be crippled ;-P

How do you like the custom guage in the tank…pretty different if you ask me…

Later.

[madjak30]

I’ll be going to check it out with cash in my pocket, so if it fits what I am looking for…I will have my new toy…then I will have to sell my GS500 in the spring…maybe put an ad up at the riding school I went to last year…it was a great bike, I just feel I’m too big to tour on it…commuting and riding around town is a blast, but going for longer rides is where I found it lacking a little…

To me, the MT-01 looks mean and sounds the part as well. It’s not the fastest bike, thankfully, but it has all the torque you would ever want…so no slowing down in a strong headwind or on a steep hill…

I’m kinda pumped that I have made the decision…

Later.

[madjak30]

Going to check this one out on the 15th…

It’s an ’07 MT-01 with 8000kms (5000miles)…almost half the mileage of the ’06 I was looking at…

All black, corbin seat, aftermarket cans, K&N filters and a power commander already tuned…all for about $600 more than the ’06…steal of a deal if you ask me…woo hoo…says he also has a windshield for it…

Later.

[madjak30]

I know guys that have picked up GS500s for $400 running…and with some imagination, time and material…

All of those are from the same model of bike…the “learner” GS500…I think they are pretty cool interpretations of a beginner bike…

Later.

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