thinking about getting a motorcycle - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

camaroracer1992 · 03-30-2005, 01:25 PM

Im thinking about getting a motorcycle cause of hte gas mileage and my commute to work kills my mileage in my truck. Im 6 ' 4" and weight 230 and im looking at getting a Kawasaki Ninja as my starter bike (250 cc). From what ive read on reviews theyre great bikes for starter riders liek myself. Im also going to be taking the motorcycle classes from Penndot (offered for free with cycles to ride!!). Let me know your thoughts.

joe

Untamed · 03-30-2005, 02:24 PM

My personal opinion is, bikes don't make good commuter vehicles. Like many of our F-bodies, they're great for weekend rides. However I wouldn't rely on them to get to school / work / stores, etc. Setting the whole weather issue aside, they don't hold anything except what you put in a backpack, are easily scratched or dented by other bike riders who inevitably hit your parked bike with a helmet or backpack, and have a higher accident rate as other inattentive NJ motorists just dont look for them.

If you want a bike for weekend rides, thats great. Dump the truck and get a car for your beater if the costs are piling up.

PBodyGT87 · 03-30-2005, 08:31 PM

my dad was very into racing motorcycles back in the day, full track. but not only that, he drove by motorcycle from central jersey out to college at University of Colorado when he had rakes and whatnot. So it really just depends on how hard core you are about it. Yeah, they aren't so great in the rain, but my dad had no problem taking it everywhere. You just have to like it enough, yeah, they are more susceptible to accidents and such, you gotta be careful, but when are you not? it's the consequences you accept when owning a bike.

Koll · 03-30-2005, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBodyGT87

my dad was very into racing motorcycles back in the day, full track. but not only that, he commuted by motorcycle from central jersey out to college at University of Colorado. So it really just depends on how hard core you are about it. Yeah, they aren't so great in the rain, but my dad had no problem taking it everywhere.

Yeah, He was a white leather racist right/

PBodyGT87 · 03-30-2005, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koll

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBodyGT87

my dad was very into racing motorcycles back in the day, full track. but not only that, he commuted by motorcycle from central jersey out to college at University of Colorado. So it really just depends on how hard core you are about it. Yeah, they aren't so great in the rain, but my dad had no problem taking it everywhere.

Yeah, He was a white leather racist right/

i dont really think that's funny. white leathers, yes, he had them, racist no.

Koll · 03-30-2005, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBodyGT87

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koll

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBodyGT87

my dad was very into racing motorcycles back in the day, full track. but not only that, he commuted by motorcycle from central jersey out to college at University of Colorado. So it really just depends on how hard core you are about it. Yeah, they aren't so great in the rain, but my dad had no problem taking it everywhere.

Yeah, He was a white leather racist right/

i dont really think that's funny. white leathers, yes, he had them, racist no.

You thought it was funny thisafternoon.....or mebbe you didnt. I forget. I just remember everyone laughing. you mighta been trying to defend yourself tho.

sikbyrd350 · 03-31-2005, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camaroracer1992

Im thinking about getting a motorcycle cause of hte gas mileage and my commute to work kills my mileage in my truck. Im 6 ' 4" and weight 230 and im looking at getting a Kawasaki Ninja as my starter bike (250 cc). From what ive read on reviews theyre great bikes for starter riders liek myself. Im also going to be taking the motorcycle classes from Penndot (offered for free with cycles to ride!!). Let me know your thoughts.

joe

I dunno about a 250cc, with your stature you may want something a little bigger. The ZX-6R is a great bike because it's tame enough for a beginner and you won't outgrow it in 6 months(ie-badass enough for a experienced rider). Why bother buying 2 bikes in 1 year?

Mike · 03-31-2005, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sikbyrd350

I dunno about a 250cc, with your stature you may want something a little bigger. Â*The ZX-6R is a great bike because it's tame enough for a beginner and you won't outgrow it in 6 months(ie-badass enough for a experienced rider). Â*Why bother buying 2 bikes in 1 year?

i was about to post the same thing.

i had an 03 cbr600rr as my first bike, and never once felt over my head at the begining. its all in the brain of the rider, not the size of the bike.

i used mine to commute to work and school, and pretty much all over the place on nice days, right up to thanksgiving weekend. worked fine for all my commuting (and the 600rr has the smallest "trunk" of all sportbikes)

just make sure you buy the right gear, take the classes, and respect the power and your surroundings and you will be fine

oh yeah.......screw the no helmet law, WEAR ONE

sikbyrd350 · 03-31-2005, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrrmike

Quote:

Originally Posted by sikbyrd350

I dunno about a 250cc, with your stature you may want something a little bigger. The ZX-6R is a great bike because it's tame enough for a beginner and you won't outgrow it in 6 months(ie-badass enough for a experienced rider). Why bother buying 2 bikes in 1 year?

i was about to post the same thing.

i had an 03 cbr600rr as my first bike, and never once felt over my head at the begining. its all in the brain of the rider, not the size of the bike.

i used mine to commute to work and school, and pretty much all over the place on nice days, right up to thanksgiving weekend. worked fine for all my commuting (and the 600rr has the smallest "trunk" of all sportbikes)

just make sure you buy the right gear, take the classes, and respect the power and your surroundings and you will be fine

oh yeah.......screw the no helmet law, WEAR ONE

yeah, WEAR A HELMET! my friend was riding and a lady didn't see him and pulled out of her driveway. He t-boned it, flew about 25-20 feet, and landed on his face(bike landed 5 feet behind him)...walked away with roadrash on his knees and a little whiplash.

Mike · 03-31-2005, 10:08 AM

same thing happened to me almost, only i lowsided and laid it down to avoid the car and getting airborne.......head never hit the ground..tore up my hip and knee a little through the jeans, forearm because i had no jacket but face, hands (thank god alpinestars) and everything else was fine

was riding again the next day after installing some zip ties, rear blinkers, and a brake lever

sikbyrd350 · 03-31-2005, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrrmike

same thing happened to me almost, only i lowsided and laid it down to avoid the car and getting airborne.......head never hit the ground..tore up my hip and knee a little through the jeans, forearm because i had no jacket but face, hands (thank god alpinestars) and everything else was fine

was riding again the next day after installing some zip ties, rear blinkers, and a brake lever

that's lucky, his bike landed with such force it cracked the block! He had only been riding for 1-2 months, WASN"T doing anything stupid(good head on top), and the bike was a 2 month old, brand f'n new, 03 ZX-6R. He has been on a bike since(1&1/2 years ago).

I've ridding with no license in my younger days and plan on getting my license this summer. Prolly gonna save for the ZX-6r or ZX-6RR for it;s smaller stature.(I'm only 5'6")

JPiZZiJP · 03-31-2005, 07:53 PM

camaroracer,

I own a '01 Kawasaki Ninja 250... got it last fall. I did the same thing, NJ offers the free course too.

I weigh more than you (not going to say how much more :P) but you will quickly outgrow a 250cc bike. Only took me about 2 weeks... plus I like overall top speed. This is why I drive a Z28. lol A Ninja 250's top speed is only about 105 mph, and it takes god awefully long to top out. So, if you're looking for speed, this isn't the best of bikes. However, in the short run, the 250 supposedly runs 15's at the 1/4 mile (I personally have never taken my bike to the track, but this is what I've heard).

I bought the bike cause I drive a lot for work (I do 30K+ a year). Economically speaking, the Ninja 250 is THE CHEAPEST 250cc bike you can find, MSRP @ $2,999. I got my Ninja 250 from a guy off eBay...2001, with 2100 miles for a little over $1000. Not bad at all. The bike cosmetically wasn't all that great, but I could really have cared less. As for gas mileage, I have an aftermarket gear with 13 teeth (instead of 12).. or was it 12 instead of 11? I can't remember. All I know is I have 1 extra tooth on the gear, giving you lower RPM's, and I get between 60 - 75 mpg (compared to the 15 - 20 mpg I get with the Z28).

At this point, I would probably buy a faster bike, like a 600cc perhaps... but I'm just gonna run this bike to the ground first before I buy another one. I'm actually content with the speed of this bike... I haven't grown the balls yet to speed on a bike as much as me speeding in the car.

If you wanna talk more bout bikes, just e-mail me. I've only been doing it for a few months, but I absolutely love it. If you want a ton of info on the Ninja 250 bike itself, http://www.ninja250.info/ is the main forum/source fo 250 riders.

~Joe

CrAsH · 04-01-2005, 02:45 AM

yah 600s r good begining and u wont out grow them.Ive been wanting to get a bike license for a while jus to lazy to go get one. once i know how to ride i wanna get the Suzuki Hyabusa 1300(

Fastest stock bike ever produced

) but for now ive been lookin at the suzuki gsx-r600 or 750

Mike · 04-01-2005, 06:34 AM

if you want to turn....stick with one of the 1000cc bikes from any of the big manufacturers, they will easily take hyabusas on anything other than a dragstrip

not to mention how uncomfortable and cruiserish they feel....just, too big to be that fast

sikbyrd350 · 04-01-2005, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrrmike

if you want to turn....stick with one of the 1000cc bikes from any of the big manufacturers, they will easily take hyabusas on anything other than a dragstrip

not to mention how uncomfortable and cruiserish they feel....just, too big to be that fast

Kawasaki Z1000 "naked" bike comes to mind

my friend who got the Z6-6R wanted that as his first bike cause he thought the 636 wouldn't be able to pull wheels

the rest of us told him he was insane, after months of not listening to us, he gave in. he was SOOO glad he did, the 636 keeps up with the 750's as scared the poop outta him.

Fasterthanyou · 04-01-2005, 04:48 PM

Honda CBR600F4i.
The fuel injection is excellent and the price is down because of how long it's been out.
Also, if you ever need help rebuilding it I can do a full rebuild in a day with a few tools and all the parts pre-ordered. The amazing thing about the Honda engines is their tolerances on the bearings. They're so precise that they've got like 9 different bearings just for the crank! Because they measure the tooling wear to like a tenthousandth. It's insane. Don't get the 600RR, complete waste of money, friends got one and it was a HUGE mistake and he'll be the first to admit it.

BigAls87Z28 · 04-01-2005, 05:13 PM

Thats gunna be my next pleasure vehicle, some sort of crusing bike.

Mike · 04-01-2005, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fasterthanyou

Honda CBR600F4i.
The fuel injection is excellent and the price is down because of how long it's been out.
Also, if you ever need help rebuilding it I can do a full rebuild in a day with a few tools and all the parts pre-ordered. The amazing thing about the Honda engines is their tolerances on the bearings. They're so precise that they've got like 9 different bearings just for the crank! Because they measure the tooling wear to like a tenthousandth. It's insane. Don't get the 600RR, complete waste of money, friends got one and it was a HUGE mistake and he'll be the first to admit it.

i dont think i wasted my money one bit.....please go into more detail

Fasterthanyou · 04-01-2005, 05:54 PM

More detail, well for a 1st bike it's a waste of money. If you need the name then fine but the extra 10hp and longer trailing arm isn't worth the $$$. Everything is more expensive and for the street the benifit of the longer arm is hardly noticable. I'm just saying the CBR is a lot more cost effective, kind of like a f-body vs vette. For the price it's not much bang for the buck.
Don't get me wrong, the RR is very nice but it's almost too nice... especially for a squid

.

Mike · 04-01-2005, 08:28 PM

ahh.......forgot they cost more now.

i had the first one that went through coopers honda in 2003 and i got a pretty good deal because of past purchaces ( only 250 more than what my buddy got on a 03 f4i)

it may only be a 10 hp difference, but riding both bikes in the same night is a huge difference, demensions, the feel, everything....

and.........it had no gaudy graphics

Wasted Youth · 04-02-2005, 05:50 PM

i got hit on my bike by someone who didn't see me and i slid right under a car...person that hit me was a cop and they got away with everything...but i still ride...i nearly died but im still alive and im going to do what i enjoy..i shouldn't change my life into something if i won't enjoy it...so it all matters on how much you enjoy riding...btw im looking at a new busa...lol its like riding a canoe but i like it alot better..feels like riding a drag bike and i love the way they look...

my82roc · 04-02-2005, 07:46 PM

I have a 1984 Kawasaki GPz750.....Galaxy silver in color which is uncommon as most gpz`s are firecracker red.I am the 2nd owner and have had the bike since 1989.It was a leftover model and was still in the crate till 1987.I bought it from my buddy for 2500.00 because he couldnt make the payments.This the 1st and only bike I have ever owned and I still love it even though i ride it less and less as the years go by.At one point between 1990-1995 I rode all year round after my 1986 Iroc z got totalled.I had no car and the bike was my only form of transportation.I used to ride my buddies bikes... 360cc and 400cc before i bought mine but i wanted something bigger with a bit more power that i wouldnt outgrow in a short time.My 84 750cc still has enough power for me even though it wont compete with todays sportbikes with less cc`s.I was only in 1 accident.Back in 1992 a girl pulled out from a side street and i couldnt stop.I ended up on her hood and was able to ride the bike home without a problem.The police gave me a 376.00 ticket for no insurance and i lost my license for 3 months.

.I never wanted a bike till i rode one,then i had to have one.Its a great feeling being out in the open air and you cant beat the gas mileage.