Advice on moving up from Learner 250 restriction

[shflbm]

Helloooo I'm new here. I currently have a Yamaha Scorpio 225 for my first bike. As I will be able to get my full in July-ish, I've been thinking lately about which bike I might want to get...

One of the biggest questions is whether to stay with a 250 but something with more hp, or whether to go bigger. Advantages to staying 250: easier to handle (me being quite short - 165cm), cheaper, less petrol. Disadvantages: might get bored, not enough power on open road (?), not very good for touring. What do you think?

I'm looking for a sports-style bike but have never ridden anything other than my scorpio and a friend's second-hand Kawasaki ZXR250. My favorite to look at is a Ninja (so... 250 or 650?)... and haven't really got a chance to look at much else.

Another thing I'm considering is whether to go naked or not... I think that fairings would make me more nervous as a first 'proper' bike since I've been told how expensive they are to replace.

A Honda salesperson recommended the Hornet but I thought a new one was *kind of* out of my price range. Looking for max ~$10k new.

Also, in the Wellington region any advice on which store has good customer service with regards to recommending bikes?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Howsie]

Welcome to KB!! Good onya for posting as you will find many answers to your questions. I would recommend the search function as your friend first as no doubt most things you want to know will have already been covered in detail. Onto your q....

I ride the Ninja 250, great bike for a learner but seeing as you can get your full I would be tempted to get a 400 or 600. You will need to find something that suits your frame so i would suggest sitting on all the bikes in the bike shop and find one that fits.

If you want to go fast stay with a faired bike, dont worry bout the cost of the farings, insurance does that. (As long as its not your fault ) Cruiser speaks for itself.

I dont think you can get a bigger cc bike for under 10K new, might have to be a year old or similar, shop around. One small piece of advice that will help you immensely is TEST RIDE!!

Happy Shopping

[prettybillie]

I had the same thoughts when I got my full. Interestingly enough, moving to the 600cc sports bike makes me feel a lot more comfortable on the road. I feel that I've got enough grunt to get me out of the way if I need to and being a bigger bike is size I feel a lot more visable. All round feel a lot safer on the 600 compared to the 250

[MsKABC]

As a lady of about your height, I was confused as to whether to go from a 250 to a ~600. I've ended up on a 400 and I'm really glad I did. I find it very confidence inspiring and easy to handle at slow speeds.

But I'm not aware of many (any?) 400s available as new bikes. Any particular reason you want brand new? Think of the $$ you lose in depreciation!

Your situation may be quite different from mine though - I don't ride a lot and we are not sure if our family is finished yet or not, so it suits us to have a small, cheap bike taking up space in the garage.

The best advice, as always, is get out there and test ride as many bikes as you can. At the end of the day, the decision is yours.

Good luck

[Jally Bean]

I had a similar dilemma last year when I wanted to get a bike after over 8 years off having children. My husband threw a spanner in the works by announcing he wanted to get his licence too and we only had enough cash for 1 bike and it had to be a 250 so he could ride it too. He's not really into bikes and would've settled for a GN250 (not that there's anything wrong with them but I wanted something that would be a bit more fun). Anyway to cut a long story short we both rode it for 6 months then he managed to write it off before he completed his restricted. Another dilemma - do I buy another 250 for him??? I didn't, and feel much happier for the decision - I didn't have the cash for the 600 I wanted but my 400 is great for now while I'm saving. I didn't realise how over a 250 I was until it was gone - hubby did me a favour. Definitely step up to at least a 400 as soon as you can. Looks like you're into a different style of bike to me but I think whatever you choose you have to be happy with! Good luck finding something in your price range.

[shflbm]

hey thanks for all your replies, this is such a cool way to get heaps of different opinions and fast.

I liked how prettybillie said she felt safer all round on a bigger bike... I never considered it from this point of view especially the greater visibility slant.

I'm getting excited now about shopping for 450+ cc but it's still a little wait away. I can't wait til I can go on weekend rides with hubby So many road trips await!