View Full Version : New noob wanting advice
Luker
12th February 2008, 23:26
Hey guys nd gurls,
Im new to bikes and hoping to get one some time in March I have a few in mind, still deciding weather to get the 08 ninja 250r or something abit cheaper as I have never ridden a bike before. like ZXR or RGV or something.
Anyway my first post, nd any advise would be awsome, =)
EJK
12th February 2008, 23:28
Lets see....
CBRs are alright I heard. Bullet proof engines lol
98tls
12th February 2008, 23:29
Welcome,consider a road legal trail bike to start off on,dirt is generally softer to land on and in the middle of nowhere theres not so many to laugh at you when you do.Seriously though,a great place to start.
onearmedbandit
12th February 2008, 23:34
Have you ridden at all before?
Luker
12th February 2008, 23:35
Hmmm, not sure on a dirt bike but will have a think, have ridden scooters few times but guess a mtr bike is alot diff to handle.
I do shift work in the city and need it as parking is getting harder with all the road works / cost of gas etc etc, and allways wanted a bike :2thumbsup
Flat mate has an old ninja 650cc but think thats way to much to learn on
HungusMaximist
12th February 2008, 23:37
At this stage I'd advise you to test as many bikes as possible, but preferably your mate's or somebody your know very well.
Set yourself a strict budget and keep prowling the 250 market.
We can recommend a heap of bikes but there's no point in telling you how good they are if you haven't tried them yourself.
Go out there and keep an open mind and ride some bikes eh.
Personally, what we think doesn't matter, is what you think at the end of the day.
Luker
12th February 2008, 23:41
Cheers guys, some good advise.
Budget thing is something I really gotta look at, specially with all the gear I will be needing to get.
Big Dog
13th February 2008, 00:19
Cheers guys, some good advise.
Budget thing is something I really gotta look at, specially with all the gear I will be needing to get.
Buy all the gear you need and use the change to buy a bike.
You are most vulnerable when learning.
Some people on here will hate this next statement.
Riding a bike is not much different from riding a scooter.
You just have better equipment speed and handling wise and have a wider range of inputs you can make.
I recommend you don't get anything too shiny unless you have already ridden something with gears. Free your mind to try stuff.
If you already fell pretty confident trying not to drop it because it is pretty helps some riders (but hampers the learning of most).
skidMark
13th February 2008, 03:39
Buy all the gear you need and use the change to buy a bike.
You are most vulnerable when learning.
Some people on here will hate this next statement.
Riding a bike is not much different from riding a scooter.
You just have better equipment speed and handling wise and have a wider range of inputs you can make.
I recommend you don't get anything too shiny unless you have already ridden something with gears. Free your mind to try stuff.
If you already fell pretty confident trying not to drop it because it is pretty helps some riders (but hampers the learning of most).
Agree with BD here.
All well and good to have a pretty shiny toy, but without a doubt you WILL drop it/crash it.
so if you find a mechanically good 250 with scraped up fairings go for it...then later one once you fell you are better slap it a paintjob if you want.
mechanically good is always better than cosmetically good...engines etc are expensive.
ital916
13th February 2008, 07:37
Don't get an RGV, the 150 or 250cc versions. A the rgv 150 is a crap version of the earlier RG150. If your going learner two stroke get a RG150. An RGV250 is not a learner bike, it may be in within the cc restriction but is definately not a learner bike. It's a fantastic bike but not for people just learning. It's not about power mate, the ninja 250r will be a great bike :niceone:, pay something close to it's price for a 17yr old bike if you want, but the new ninjas I reckon would be spot on for learners.
Hitcher
13th February 2008, 07:56
Anyway my first post, nd any advise would be awsome, =)
"And" is spelt with an a.
Advise means "recommend or take counsel". The word you should have used is advice, which is "an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action".
"Awesome" contains an e.
That's my advice.
babyblade250rr
13th February 2008, 08:20
Yes as some have stated, don't going buying a brand new bike if you have never ridden before, it won't look brand new for long trust us, if money is an issue perhaps you may not consider a fully faired bike as when it does go down fairing really likes to damage and break, if you don't mind riding a sport bike with damaged fairing then by all means thats ok.
Personally i wouldnt reccomend a 2 stroke as first bike especially a 250cc i.e RGV/NSR/TZR for the simple fact (And this is my opinion there are some dedicated two strokers out there)
1: They are allot more difficult to ride-Their power range is up high and commuting is biatch
2: There is allot more maintenence with them in comparison with a twin or inline 4
3: Reliabilty in comparison to a four stroke could possilbly be somewhere near half
4: It will cost you allot more money to own then a four stroke
So i would reccomend a twin or a inline 4, Honda are well known for build quality and reliability but it truely ends up being your preference in bike, if you just want a bike thats reliable cheap to run doesnt damage so much when dropped, and relatively cheap on parts you cant go past a GN250 but as i say depends what bike style you like
Good luck anyhow
Rosie
13th February 2008, 08:21
The new ninjas look like nice bikes, but, when you are learning, there is a good chance the bike will decide to have a little lie down at some point. Even dropping the bike from stationary is going to scratch up those lovely shiny fairings.
I agree with the road-legal chook chaser suggestion, they are great for cruising around town, sneaking over traffic islands etc, and are pretty good on the open road as well (especially with the gravel and pothole infested highways we have). Unfortunately, they tend to be a bit more expensive than a lot of other 250cc options.
Swoop
13th February 2008, 08:26
"but without a doubt you WILL drop it/crash it."
Absolute bollocks.
ManDownUnder
13th February 2008, 08:33
Get something cheaper to start with - learn on it and make your mistakes on something that won't cost you the earth. Get your licenses on it then when you and your licenses are ready use the money you saved (buying a cheaper bike instead of a brand new latest of the greatest 250...)...
and buy a 600 or whatever comes next.
250s are a rip off in NZ. Take a quick look on trademe at what you can buy (lets say a 600 or 750) for the same price at that new 250 you want.
Spend a couple of grand on a CBR or similar... a few years and a few miles won't hurt (don't buy a heap of shite - but you don't need the absolute whizzbang best)... then upgrade later.
Oh and ignore Hitcher - he's hypotheticating
Rosie
13th February 2008, 08:39
A few things in defence of 2-strokes...
From my understanding (and I've never been on one), the 2-stroke 250's you can buy are primarily designed as race/track bikes, this means that they tend to be higher maintenance, quite powerful, and peaky (the power arrives all at once). A lot of fun, if you are into that sort of thing, but suboptimal for learning to ride.
Most of the 2-stroke 150's you can buy were designed (at least my KRR was) as commuting bikes for Southeast Asia. They aren't as highly-strung as the 250's, meaning less maintenance, and more even power delivery. They have a moderate amount of power, but you have to go looking for it, if you want it to be fairly sedate, it will be. I was a pretty timid learner, and I never had the KRR get out of hand. Reliability-wise I did have engine trouble with it, due to it running out of oil at some point in it's past. I suspect a 4-stroke run without oil wouldn't have fared much better (or been any cheaper to fix).
McDuck
13th February 2008, 10:23
Dont be to upset if you do drop it. AS IN mess up puting it on the sidestand or while turning into a gravle drive way. These sorts of things you jest need experiance. I would deffently go for a twin or a newish (post about 1998) inline 4. I say this because the older inline 4s CAN, SOMTIMES be a bitch to get running right.
breakaway
13th February 2008, 10:43
There are post 1998 IL4s in NZ?
McDuck
13th February 2008, 10:49
There are post 1998 IL4s in NZ?
Dont know, all i know is my pre 1998 IL4 is a pain in the arss to get running well.
avgas
13th February 2008, 11:12
Absolute bollocks.
We cant all be Mr Perfect.
Some of us ride fast.
Swoop
13th February 2008, 11:17
We cant all be Mr Perfect.
Some of us ride fast.
It is not about riding fast. As a learner, one is expected to make a few mistakes. If a person isn't riding at the bleeding edge all of the time, there are possibilities that some bikers will not go around binning at every opportunity.
Learn to ride correctly from the beginning, may help in the future?
Some of us ride a Honda, so we cannot ride fast anyway!:rofl:
EJK
13th February 2008, 11:49
Yes as some have stated, don't going buying a brand new bike if you have never ridden before, it won't look brand new for long trust us, if money is an issue perhaps you may not consider a fully faired bike as when it does go down fairing really likes to damage and break, if you don't mind riding a sport bike with damaged fairing then by all means thats ok.
Hes got a point there and I can tell you that!
I felt gutted (totally) when I wrote off mine. Eventho it was a sub $4k brand spankn new bike, still it was a BRAND NEW BIKE. I felt totalled ey :shit:
What I should've done was buy an old bike and learn to ride.
It's my 2c. Some people buys a new GPX, GT250R etc etc and it's their choice really.... I don't dis them :shifty:
avgas
13th February 2008, 12:46
It is not about riding fast. As a learner, one is expected to make a few mistakes. If a person isn't riding at the bleeding edge all of the time, there are possibilities that some bikers will not go around binning at every opportunity.
Very true, but likewise you do not have to ride to drop your bike. Sidestands are as reliable as the titanic. Learners dont realise this all the time. I would be pretty pissed off at myself to walk in to the shed and find my bike resting on $$$'s worth of fairings.
In my experience if ya learn on a 125 trial bike with road kit.......stuff comes alot slower eg speed, bills and the tarmac!
Swoop
13th February 2008, 13:14
I would be pretty pissed off at myself to walk in to the shed and find my bike resting on $$$'s worth of fairings.
In my experience if ya learn on a 125 trial bike with road kit.......stuff comes alot slower eg speed, bills and the tarmac!
Also very true!
Well said.
Tank
13th February 2008, 13:43
What I should've done was buy an old bike and learn to ride.
No EJ - you were already learning to ride (and doing well BTW).
What you shouldn't have done was fall off - that's where you went wrong.
martybabe
13th February 2008, 15:18
Welcome,consider a road legal trail bike to start off on,dirt is generally softer to land on and in the middle of nowhere there's not so many to laugh at you when you do.Seriously though,a great place to start.
Top advice here mate, They are great things to learn your craft on and very forgiving if you do have a little whoopsie daisy. A year on one of these then pick something sexy dude. :scooter: Take it easy and have fun.:yes:
Luker
13th February 2008, 22:33
Yea thanks guys,
Thinking ill get something cheaper 2-4k.
No dought knowing my luck lol It will fall over in the wind or something...
:yes:
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