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1995 era Ninja 500R

PapaGeno21

PapaGeno21

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Anyone here know if that is a good bike? My girlfriend really likes riding, lol, and she has mentioned how she would love to get one. So I am enrolling her in the class in January which teaches you how to ride and its also the only way in this state to actually get a license for a bike anyways.

However, I am looking around at good cheap starter bikes that can do 80 on the highway without blowing up, and I am thinking a 95 ish year Ninja 500R would be good.. I am going to be buying her the bike, as well as insuring it. Insurance on that is 6 dollars a month so I'm not really too concerned about the cost as the bikes are running from 1000-1500 bones. The bike will stay in my name and my insurance. My plan is to get one in Mid spring so she will have her license by then and the weather will be getting better and I can save some loot for it.

I got an 04 Suzuki GSXR-600 I am going to be selling and I will most likely use a grand from that to get one of these.

Is that a good starter bike?
 
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They're great bikes, ugly, but great. They are surprisingly quick and have great range and economy as well as being quite reliable and so ugly that nobody would ever steal it

Good choice :)
 
Yeah I don't think anyones going to be robbing that bike for parts or for sale on the black market lmao.

She likes the looks of it and budget wise with around 1500 max to spend, its not bad looking compared to other older bikes in that price range lol.
 
My first bike was an 04 Suzuki GS500F w/ only 8k miles and I paid $2k for it... you can get higher mileage or slightly older ones for under $1,500 easily. They have a bulletproof drivetrain and are lightweight and have a relatively low seat height which is a plus for beginners. It easily cruised at 80 on the interstate and got 50-60mpg and had a 5.5 gallon tank, meaning it had great range and could go about 300 miles between fill-ups.
 
Another good suggestion! Thanks!

I'm making a list of bikes that will work for her lol.

Edit:

Also looking at the Suzuki GS500F's those seem to be awesome as well!
 
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I taught my X to ride on my Suzuki SV 650. I still say that was a fantastic bike to ride because it is so easy to maneuver. She weighed about 120 and was 5' 6". She had no problem handling it and it is a very attractive naked bike. I had the 2001 model and was very pleased with it. In fact the only reason I traded in was to get the added power of the FZ1.
This will also double as a good second bike for you when she is not riding.

2001_sv650.jpg
 
PapaGeno21 said:
Anyone here know if that is a good bike? My girlfriend really likes riding, lol, and she has mentioned how she would love to get one. So I am enrolling her in the class in January which teaches you how to ride and its also the only way in this state to actually get a license for a bike anyways.

However, I am looking around at good cheap starter bikes that can do 80 on the highway without blowing up, and I am thinking a 95 ish year Ninja 500R would be good.. I am going to be buying her the bike, as well as insuring it. Insurance on that is 6 dollars a month so I'm not really too concerned about the cost as the bikes are running from 1000-1500 bones. The bike will stay in my name and my insurance. My plan is to get one in Mid spring so she will have her license by then and the weather will be getting better and I can save some loot for it.

I got an 04 Suzuki GSXR-600 I am going to be selling and I will most likely use a grand from that to get one of these.

Is that a good starter bike?
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I am pretty sure this is the year that they added rear disc brake rather than drum and stiffened up the front forks. EX500 was my first bike and I tore that thing up. It just kept running. ;)
 
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I would actually say the Ninja 250 is a better choice. Still easily does 80 on the highway (at 9K rpms).

Lighter, and more desirable when it comes to resell. You can pick up a nice 2005 or so for $1,500 no problem. Basically same architecture as the 500 only a bit smaller and totally unintimidating.

Having just gone through this with my wife, I looked hard at the SV650 and the Gladius 650. Both were nice but just a hair intimidating for my wife, and she's 5'9" tall.

After all was said and done, it was the Ninja 250 she liked, had no fear and no problem handling it, and moved on to a newer one once she learned. There's nothing worse for a new rider than putting them on a bike that makes them nervous, no matter how light or powerful (or not).

Better to start too small in my opinion than try to buy something they can "grow in to". Plus, the 250 insurance might be only $4 a month instead! :)

Here's a couple of pics of her 2005 and then her 2009. The Ninja 250 is the best selling motorcycle in the US for a reason, and you will get your money back if you take care of it and shop carefully.

As decent a ride as the 500 is, they are dead in the water and will be VERY hard to get rid of when she's done with it. Why take on the extra weight?

Keep us posted on what she likes - because that's a factor, too. Keep it super simple for her first time. She'll do great!

Good luck, and it's great to imagine another new rider joining the group!

Brian
 
I just personally feel that the 250 is going to be too slow?

We dont have the money to upgrade once a year, this is already going to be rough for me to do this for her, so I figured why not get the 500 and just call it a day.
 
PapaGeno21 said:
I just personally feel that the 250 is going to be too slow?.
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It's all relative. The Ninja 250 is still faster than most vehicles out there & it's got plenty of power to do anything anyone would want. It can travel at highway speeds with lots in reserve to pass, it accelerates well off the line and the engine has good response I've heard. Hell, I've done huge solo road trips on a CBR125R, and that only has 13hp--it was perfectly capable of keeping pace 90% of the time.

The only time a 250 Ninja is too slow is when you've already been jaded from having a huge power bike, but the kind of power the FZ1 makes is really not suited for public roads anyway! Don't get me wrong, it's fun! The reality is that it's just totally unnecessary. ;)

People that bitch about 'lack of power' are often the point-and-shoot riders who rely on power to make them look like superstars at the Starbucks. That said, the Ninja 500 is definitely faster with more top end, so take a look at both and see which fits her better. If you can arrange demo rides, go for it.

Also, what was said about resale is definitely right. In the end, it's all about finding the right bike at the right price.

May the best bike win :)
 
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It really comes down to whats available when the time comes and whats in my wallet. Right now there is some pocket lint and 12 pennys in there lmao.

So in reality, even say a 2002 Ninja 250, you think that could move enough so that cruising at 80 the bike isnt dieing?
 
PapaGeno21 said:
So in reality, even say a 2002 Ninja 250, you think that could move enough so that cruising at 80 the bike isnt dieing?
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I think the Ninja 250R can do 80MPH @ ~10,000RPM with a 14,000RPM redline. I can't see there being any problem as long as you use a quality oil.

Hell, even my CBR125 could maintain 70MPH on a flat and that thing had 13hp
 
If I may stick my :2cents: in for a sec. First off, the bike is for your girlfriend who has never ridden in a real world sense. The last thing I'd be thinking about is whether the bike could "cruise at 80mph". I would want her having 2 solid seasons of learning the ropes before I'd have her tooling around at 80mph. You could sell your Gixxer and get a late model Ninja 250 and have a good chunk of change left over. There are 06's and 07's with less than 3,000 miles on them all over Craigslist that are in Mint Condition for $2,000 dollars, give or take a couple of hundreds. Not only are they a great bike, easy to learn on, very flickable, exceptional on gas, but can easily take my "fat azz" to 80mph with no problems at all. I had taken my son's 07' out a few times and had a blast. Geno, don't worry about "top end" numbers. Worry about teaching her right on a safe bike. Again, thats just my two cents.

Oh, and by the way, I'd bet that it's way easier to get more money back on your purchase price by selling a 250 Ninja as opposed to a 500. I sold my son's 07' for $200 more than I paid for it and only invested $50 bucks in a shock upgrade. Good luck in whatever you decide to get.:tup:
 
Billy and I agree 100%. I bought a 2005 Ninja 250 (in the pics) for $1,300 and sold it for $1,500.

If you buy a 500 you'll own it for life.

Additionally, there's only one bike that's wrong for your new rider - the one she can't or won't ride - and she NEEDS the LIGHTEST thing you can find.

Also, as Billy said, I'm over 200lbs and the 2005 cruised for 100 miles with me on it at 80mph at exactly 9,000 rpms from Cape May NJ to West Chester, PA. It also gets 60 mpg.

Remember, if what you're saying is this bike is truly for your girl, don't worry if it can do 80mph. Worry if the clutch is easy to slip, won't fry, the bike is light, and ham-fisting the throttle won't hurt her. All are true with the Ninja 250, and again, you'll get all your money back.

Good luck!
 
Well now your all making me think differently.

I will be looking at the 250s.

Thanks for the help guys!

And it was nothing against the 250's I just dont know becuase I have never been on one. I learned how to ride on an 800CC Cruiser which was my 01 Suzuki Marauder. Great little cruiser lol
 
PapaGeno21 said:
Well now your all making me think differently.

I will be looking at the 250s.

Thanks for the help guys!

And it was nothing against the 250's I just dont know becuase I have never been on one. I learned how to ride on an 800CC Cruiser which was my 01 Suzuki Marauder. Great little cruiser lol
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Glad to help. You will be pleasantly surprised should you go the 250 Ninja route for sure! Look for an 07' with low miles. Try and start looking now before Spring. This time of year is great for bargains on bikes.
 
I'm buying a new 250 soon and I know it's going to be a TON of fun and it is listed to run out at 92 mph. I'm sending my daughter off to the BRC course and she will use it ONLY with us on weekends if we want to go out riding. Otherwise, I'll be on it commuting daily to save a lot of fuel and mileage on the FZ1. :D

She will do fine on the 250 for a few years. Then bump her to the FZ6R which my wife LOVES!!! And it can be lowered. My wife is 5'2" with a 29" inseam. Her MC boots give her almost a 30" inseam. With the link installed, she can flatfoot the 600.
 
PapaGeno21 said:
And it was nothing against the 250's I just dont know becuase I have never been on one. I learned how to ride on an 800CC Cruiser which was my 01 Suzuki Marauder. Great little cruiser lol
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You might find the performance of the Ninja 250 isn't too far off that Marauder! 30hp/340lbs vs 50hp/500lbs + the Ninja has an aero advantage.

I think they are pretty similar to 60mph and in the top end
 
Dustin said:
You might find the performance of the Ninja 250 isn't too far off that Marauder! 30hp/340lbs vs 50hp/500lbs + the Ninja has an aero advantage.

I think they are pretty similar to 60mph and in the top end
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You could get a job bike testing at MCN Dunstin with all those facts & figures your pull out of your .....
 
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