I've never owned or rode a motorcycle before but its a dream to one day own one especially a Ninja 300 for my first bike.
Would like to hear from experienced riders on which bike is great for a first timer.
L-Plate Rider
Kawasaki Ninja 300 for a first timer?
I've never owned or rode a motorcycle before but its a dream to one day own one especially a Ninja 300 for my first bike.
Would like to hear from experienced riders on which bike is great for a first timer.
Learning
It's got to be right for you.
Go around the dealers, test ride everything they'll let you out on, get some actual on-bike-and-rolling experience under your belt before making any solid decisions.
Keep weight to what you can manage on an angled driveway... ability to handle while parking counts. Avoid older than 10 yrs + unless you're handy and have a garage and a pretty decent disposable income.
But yeah, the ninja 300 is a great little learner.
Moped rider
Buy a road legal 250 enduro, the best learner type of bike. Do not listen to anyone telling you to get a Suzuki GN, an absolutely terrible bike to learn on. If you are short and worried about getting feet to the ground a Honda VT250 (Ducati Monster style) is a great learner.
I would advise against a brand new fully faired bike of any sort until you get some riding experience
Scooter boy
My first road bike was a kr250 2stroke light and stop very well for its time, but now 2 strokes are few and expensive, the advise from Kawasakikid I would agree %100, plus i really hate gn's and all those jap 250 wanabe low riders.Originally Posted by KawasakiKid
L-Plate Rider
i looked around before deciding on wanting the ninja 300 and did a brief read on the reviews (which im happy with). Do i need a bikers licenses (have none) to test drive a bike at a dealership?
I plan to buy a second hand bike can you tell me some tips on what to look out for ie KMs, Age or other important info.
L-Plate Rider
I'll keep looking around for something that'll suite me better but i'll be hard because im pretty hooked on the ninja 300. Thank you for the heads up about the Suzuki because that was my other choice.
L-Plate Rider
i'll be happy with a kr250 too if i couldnt get my hands on the kr300. Whats a fuel injection? i heard its a pain/expensive but i don't know exactly what it is and how it affects the bike.
Forum whore
Get into it.
It will add at least a inch to your dick and women will swoon as you dismount.
Smarty pants... since ages ago
Nah ... you need an FJ1200 for that to happen ...
When life throws you a curve ... Lean into it ...
L-Plate Rider
nah man i don't need it
Just chugging along...
Brilliant riposte...nah man i don't need it
Learning
Biker's License for test ride: YEP. They will want to sight your license, there will be a form to sign, etc etc... oh and insurance excess is likely to be high, too. Several grand high.
Get that license. Yeah, I know it's a pain to go through the license process before even test riding to buy your own bike... do it anyway, you need those basic handling skills courses in carparks before you do anything on the roads.
Buying used: try to find something that hasn't been mucked around with. Bone stock, as the yanks would say... it might be a bit boring but it's quite likely to be reliable.
Check Carjam for finance owing and odometer trickery, try for younger than 10 years, high kms may or may not be a problem depending on how well the bike has been looked after. Most Jappas just keep on going if they're looked after. If it's cheap then ask why.
Good luck out there!
Learning
Fuel injection: pressurised fuel pump supplies petrol to injectors, these spray into cylinder heads or intake manifolds. Injectors are directed to open, at the right time and for the right amount of time, by the on-board computer, the ECU. Fuel is sprayed into engine while it gulps air, and then spark, fire and power follow. The ECU can be mapped for best possible engine response over a huge range of conditions and variables. Awesome.
It's higher tech than the old carbies, which were fussy mechanical devices depending on the gods of vaccuum, float level, and jetting, in order to sort of work... most of the time. It was messy, smelly, rich, lean, clogged, dirt got in the jets, that sort of thing, but when it went wrong it was within the ability of mere mortals to fix it themselves in their own garages. Getting it running better was nigh impossible though. Carb tuning was a black art practiced by wizards in caves.
That said, it was simple. Carburettors didn't need a computer, or a high pressure fuel pump, or feedback via an exhaust O2 sensor, or a knock sensor, or a throttle position sensor... or... etc etc. They were always approximate though.
The short answer is that injection's way easier to live with day to day but when something packs a sad and the dash gives some shitty computer error message, well, it's fucking difficult to sort it out. Off to the dealer, out with the wallet. That said, it's highly unlikely that you'll have issues with injection if the bike's Japanese, younger than 10, and not tweaked by a Rossi wannabe.
Forum whore
Sports bike are more challenging gong to manoeuvre at slow speeds due to their forward riding position and their lower bars.
Contrast the MT 03 and the R3. If you are a beginner the MT is a better bike to learn on.
The Enduro idea is a good one too. Upright position, wide bars, likely less expensive to lie down.
Just get a licence. Life's simpler once you have one.
Sent from Outer Space
Well, this is awkward...
If you've got the money, you could eventually look at a Versys 300 - same engine, more upright, easier to manage riding position (apparently). But you really should get the basics down first on something more disposable (i.e. cheap and easy to repair).
http://www.kawasaki.co.nz/catalog/st...00CHF/overview
Moe: Well, I'm better than dirt. Well, most kinds of dirt. I mean not that fancy store bought dirt. That stuffs loaded with nutrients. I...I can't compete with that stuff.- The Simpsons
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