Questions about starting on street bikes?

Question

Okay. I am getting a street bike. I was looking at getting a 07 kawasaki 250 Ninja R or a 94 zx9r 900cc. Should I get the second one because it has lower cc's? Because I think the first one has too much power for me since Im a beginner..... right?

Where and what size do I get it lowered to because I'm 5ft. How much is it going to cost? around $400??

last question.... How long is street biking school and how much will it cost?

THANK YOU MUCH!!!

Answer 1

Howdy!  Always good to hear more people getting into bikes.   Now as to your first question 250cc Ninja vs 900cc Ninja? Umm...the question is better phrased "do you want to live or do you want to die"?  That 900cc Ninja may be old, but it is way powerful, and I do not think anyone who doesn't have riding experience should touch a large displacement sportbike.  I will give you a specific example.  My neighbor who has about 15 years of riding experience (now) and was test riding a 600cc sportbike (many years ago).   He gave a LITTLE bit of throttle to keep the engine running/prevent it from stalling, and ended up doing a wheelie through an intersection. That 900 Ninja is not for a beginner. The newbies aren't scared because they don't know any better, the more experience riders have enough knowledge that they would know that a bike like that needs respect.  So if the choice is between the a new 250 or an old 900, you should choose the 250.   You're talking about an 07 Ninja, but if you have seen the new 2008 Ninja, that is an incredibly cool bike.  But if it were me, I would choose the middle ground, with a 500cc Ninja, because it is not crazy powerful, and you won't get bored with it as quickly as you would with a slow  250cc.

As for lowering it, yeah you can.  There are a bunch of different ways you can do that, like adjustable shocks or shorter shocks.  Any bike mechanic can do it for you, and it should cost significantly less than $400 (my guestimate is around $200).

How long is biking school?  Depends on which state you are at.  In California it is like 3 days with two evening classes, and a weekend riding class. (I did not take it, my friend did.)  I believe he said the price was about $300 to $400, but if you are under 21 and/or a student it was like $100.  Good luck to you.  

Answer 2

The difference between a 900 and a 250 is quite a bit, but it's not so much power as it is weight.  A 900 is a lot heavier and harder to manage as a beginner.  The ZX9 has enough power to get you into trouble but I'd give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're not a total idiot and you wouldn't just pull the throttle out all the way. 8^)  But the 250 will be easier to learn on.

You want to be able to sit on a bike with both feet flat on the ground.  I've heard that bikes can be lowered an inch or two, but you'd have to find out about that.  At your height, you might consider a cruiser.  I'm not a cruiser person myself but there are some nice ones out there.

The school you're talking about is probably the MSF, Motorcycle Safety Foundation.  I believe it's two weekends, something like that.  They supply the bike for the beginner course and I believe even the helmet.  The bikes they use are Ninja 250s and also the Honda Rebel 250, which is sort of like a cruiser, it has a low seat.  I think it's something like $300 for the course, but check it out. It's money well spent because newbies get into much more than their share of accidents (and fatalities) so it's worth it to get started out with the right habits.

Good luck!  I hope you love riding as much as I do.

Answer 3

I would suggest taking the MSF or another approved course first.

Then decide on what bike to get. You will have a lot more (and more likely, accurate) information after the course. You get a chance to speak with people you KNOW ride.

http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/m...

This is the current 2008 information and schedule for the course offered through NH DMV.

Basic course: $110, Refresher: $50, Advanced: $60.

They provide motorcycles and helmets for the basic. You provide your own for the others.

Don't even think of lowering a motorcycle unless/until you decide that is the one you must have, and no other.

Good luck and welcome to a new world.

Answer 4

If your 5ft Id get the 250. and definetly take the motorcycle safety riding course, this price will vary by state for NH it is like $110 but the same course costs about $350 in other states so i suggest google searching " (Your State) + Motorcycle safety course "

As for lowering your bike that would depend on the shop and quality of the product you use to lower it.

Good luck