[Matt]

Welcome.
I’m up in Ottawa, so not exactly close. You can check out the GTAMotorcycle.com forum, should be some goodfolks in your area.

If you get the chance to head North for a weekend, I highly recommend riding up aroudn Haliburton and Algonquin Park.

[Matt]

You see no reason why a 600 is a bad idea?
https://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/why-600cc-motorcycle-not-good-beginner-bike-updated

There are serious dangers in starting on a 600cc machine. Yes, some people do it. You’ll also notice that many people who do don’t stay in the sport.

As for the power of the Ninja 250, have you driven one on the free way?
Yes it is light, and yes it does get blown around. I’ve ridden larger bikes that get blown around just as much. And I’ve never lacked for passing power on the 250.

[Matt]

I’ve read a little on Johnny Pag. Despite the sound of the name, the guy running it (Johnny) is American, and has been around bikes a long time. All the design work is in the USA, but teh build it in China. Quality and dealer networks are still an unknown. But man, I LIKE the way that FX-3 looks. Very clean and simple. A great looking little street fighter.

[Matt]

I did this.
My sister wanted to ride, so the four of us (Mom, Dad, Sister, and myself) all took the MSF together.

It was a really great weekend. And now everyone except my sister rides!

[Matt]

The Thruxton isn’t a terribly good starter bike simply because of its cost and weight. Simply put, you’ll never find one worth riding for your budget.

If a cafe racer asthetic is your goal, I suggest looking at the smaller naked bikes or “streetfightered” bikes. The modern street fighter is in many ways similar to the original cafe racers, and pretty similar to the new “retro” cafe racers like the Thruxton.

You can mount clip-on or lower bars on any bike. Putting a sportbike bar on a Buell Blast really transforms it. Ditto for putting lower bars on a GS500 and raised pegs.

I would look seriously into “converting” a good starter bike like the Ninja 250/500, GS500, or Buell Blast into a cafe racer if that is the way you want to go. If nothing else, it’ll be “authentic” (All the original cafe racers were street bikes with converted riding positions for as much speed as possible through britians twisty backroads).

[Matt]

“‘m going to be the devil’s advocate here and suggest that the Ninja 250 might not be the best bike for you. You said you’re planning on being “on the hwy alot”. While the Ninja 250 is capable of highways speeds, that’s a little outside it’s ideal operating environment (twisty secondary roads). On the highway, the little Ninja is really going to be thrashing at high rpms. Everything I’ve heard about that bike indicates that while it can do it, it’ll be buzzy and reving really hard. That can get tiring for the rider, especially if you’re on the highway for any length of time.”

Have you ridden one on the highway?
I have, plenty.

Trust me, the Ninja 250 is not “thrashy” on the highway. It spins high, but it isn’t work hard. I’ll happily argue that a Ninja 250 is happier and easier going at 80mph than a Rebel at 65mph, despite the 11000rpm it’ll be spinning.

Vibration, yes. A high frequency vibration that is only really intrusive when you are hanging on tight. I find an hour at speeds above 65mph to be my comfort zone where I get off, stretch for a few minutes, then continue my ride. I doublt many new riders will be putting in longer stretchs than that safely on any bike.

Textile is not, pound for pound, as safe as a good leather. But it is significantly more versatile. I wear a quality textile suit for commuting and feel it is adequate for my level of risk aversion. A track day would require leather; but as a commuter and all-weather-rider the lower protection is offset by practicality and a conservative riding style.

[Matt]

Granted, I’m not your target audience; I’m no speed demon (I’ve never had a speeding ticket). And radar detectors are illegal here, so both of those heavily bias my answer.

my two cents:
Relying on a gadget to keep you safe from trouble is rarely a good idea.
If you ride with the mentality that around every corner, over every blind crest, could be trouble, you will ride safer.

If you depend on a gadget to save you from one of those troubles, will your mind be more focused on the remaining troubles (road condition, pedestrian, stopped vehicle, pot hole, muffler, etc) or will your total focus on troubles be less?

That is more or less a philosophical question, I suppose. And obviously I feel that it makes you more complacent, maybe you don’t.

But you certainly can’t beat the price advantage of “eyes, ears, and ever vigilant mind” over any radar detector on the market

[Matt]

As an owner of the SV650… I think going with a 500 is the right choice.

If you haven’t taken the MSF and feel very comfortable controlling a bike, I really think the SV650, while a great bike, will hinder your learning. It is a far more reactive bike than the smaller ones, and it takes more care/attention to ride (attention that you will need to be spending on other parts of learning to ride for now).

Have fun and ride safe.

[Matt]

Welcome to the site

[Matt]

Man, I got into this sport one year too early… When I got into it the Canadian dollar was low, and the distributors were gouging canadians way above and beyond the exchange rate…

I paid (all in cnd):
$500 for Arai Quantum 2 helmet
$40 Icon gloves
$100 for work boots
$300 for a Joe Rocket Jacket
$200 Alter-ego pants

roughly $1140 for my gear…
If I bought now, knowing what I know, having cheaper good gear available, I figure I’d do it for half as much.
If only I knew about newenough at the time

[Matt]

The difference in protection between poorly assembled gear and well assembled gear is significant.
The plus side is that cost does not always translate (as other things that add cost, fashion for example, can increase the cost of an inferior-safetywise product).

When it comes to jackets and pants in particular, pay close attention to the stiching. Is the stitching looks shoddy, but the cost is high, it is no better than a cheaper shoddy stitched jacket.

From the little I’ve seen of them, a good Shift jacket should protect as well as a much more expensive fashionable brand.

Helmets: the difference between two Shoei helmets with similar features will come down to the shell, foam, and resin used. Presuming both meet the same standards, the more expensive one will last (wear) longer. Remember, get one that is comfortable. If it isn’t comfortable, the ride won’t be as fun.
I find the cheap Icon helmets to fit me nicely, and I may get one when it comes time to replace my Arai. But my Arai is down right luxurious. It feels like a Lexus around my head. Hard to move to a cheaper helmet after that.

You don’t have to pay for the most expensive to get great protection. But don’t go cheap.

Do not look at it as “It seems silly to spend $1000 when the bike I want is only $3500”. The gear is not there for the bike, it is there for you. And I’m sure we’ll all agree you are worth more than $3500. Secondly, with proper care most your gear (helmet withstanding) will out last your bike. Proper leather gear can last a life time. Helmets, due to the resins and foams degrading over time, need to be replaced every 3-5 years regardless of crashing.

Lastly, in regards to the MSF – there is an old saying in mountain biking (and probably lots of other high risk sports) “Bike skills or Medical bills”. It is completely worth every penny.

Edit:
I’m not trying to say “skimp on gear, buy the cheapest stuff that looks good”.
I’m saying that paying more does not always get you more, especially when so many other things affect the cost of gear beyond protection ability. Good gear does not have to be the most expensive gear.

I should also point out that the sale price of my first bike was $800. I spent $1200 on gear. That bike is long gone. I’m on to my third bike now. I still have all the gear I bought for my MSF.

[Matt]

The tank has a cut out where your leg “should” go. It helps you hug the tank better with your knees. For me, the top edge of the cut out is right in the middle of my leg, so squeexing the tank is uncomfortable. You may actually find that if your lower leg is long enough it’ll raise your leg above that edge, and you can grip the tank comfortably above it. I dunno, you’ll have to try.

I do know that I’ve seen some fairly tall guys (6’4″ish) on 250Rs and they didn’t look like clowns. Really, very few people will ever actually notice how you look on the bike, or its size in relation to you. Frankly, if you never point it out, most people won’t think twice about it.

As for the power of the Ninja 500. I haven’t ridden one. I can’t comment on its power delivery or throttle control. I’ve ridden an Interceptor 500, which made more power, but was still forgiving with the throttle control. It had other issues, the biggest one from a learner’s perspective being the confidence it instilled. My ZZR-250 was happy doing slightly more than the speed limit. The Interceptor wasn’t happy until it was laughing in the face of the law… The ZZR-250 was certainly a better bike for the longevity of my license.

If you are concerned about the power, consider a Suzuki GS500 as well. It makes slightly less power than the Ninja 500.
The new ones look pretty hot in full fairing (imo). I haven’t ridden a GS500, but I’ve spent a lot of time on its ancestor, the GS450 (which made abotu 10 less horsepower). The 450 is quicker than it looks, but incredibly easy to manage the power on. I *think* the GS500 also has more leg room than the Ninja 500- but again, I haven’t sat on one.
It really should be on your list of bikes to sit on if the 250R doesn’t work out for you.

[Matt]

Good point about the centre stand!

Many new bikes do not have a centre stand, but you can still sit on them as you would riding, it just takes the help of an experienced salesman. A good salesman can hold the outsides of the handlebars from the front and help balance the bike. I’m not sure I’d want to have both feet on the pegs like that, but certainly one at a time is far better than sitting on the bike with both feet flat on the ground.

On a side note, if you ever have to park on asphalt in the sun, or worse a dirt/sand parking lot, a centre stand is worth its weight in gold.

[Matt]

Yea, sounds like an idle problem. Your idle is set too low. Check your manual, I’m not sure what it is on a blast. But the important thing is that it has to be set when the engine is a full operating temperature – if it is set when the engine is colder, it’ll be off (or if it was set at a different altitude from you it may be off).

If that is the case, it’ll be a really easy (and free) fix.

[Matt]

If a 600cc sport bike will fit you, frankly, so will the Ninja 250. The ninja is a more relaxed position than most modern 600cc sport bikes.

The answer is of course, sit on as many bikes as possible. When sitting on sport bikes, remember: Your hands are NOT supposed to support your weight. Your back/abs and wind have to support your weight. So think about that when sitting on them.

At 6’1″, you are an inch taller than me. I have a 32″ inseam and I find the cut out of the *new* Ninja 250 to be too low for my legs. Sit on it, see if you can comfortably grip the tank with your knees. If you can, you won’t regret that bike at all. Failing that, the 500 has more room for longer legs in the tank cut out, but still has fairly bent knees due to peg position (if your goal is a sport bike, no problem, that is relaxed compared to any 600cc sport bike). The older (far less sexy – and less expensive) Ninja 250 is also an option.

In regards to the SV650 Naked. I just took mine for a 30km ride yesterday (I’m moving up from a ZZR-250, very similar to a Ninja 250). The different in power and throttle response is HUGE. A small turn of the throttle produces a very abrupt increase in speed. Letting off on the throttle, even a little, produces pretty heavy engine braking. The 250 is a WAY easier bike to learn throttle control on.
Some people think the SV650 is a fine first bike. My experience says I would have learned much slower on that bike – it would not have been any more fun than the 250 for my first year. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to it for my second year, but I have much better control than I did this time last year).

Don’t look down on the 250cc dual sports / super motos. They have a lower top speed, and smaller fuel tank (so less range), but they’l fit you very well, and are plenty fun. And despite the odd looks, they handle in a manner much like a proper sport bike (due to the high centre of gravity) which makes them a good learning ground for future supersport riders. The fact that you can ride down any road, of over medians and across the neighbours lawn is just icing on the cake

The MSF is a GREAT course. You’ll enjoy it. Don’t worry to much about shifting, you’ll pick it up pretty fast at the MSF.

Ride safe and have fun,
Matt

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