NinjaDoc Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 My friend who has very minimal to no experience in riding is trying to look for a bike to start off. We are looking at some thing like used ninja 250. We just came across one 2006 model one, asking 2000, dont know about how the condition is or if it has mods on (from the looks i dont see any). if we "guesstimate" how much do u think a ninja 06 model price can range from, i mean a crappy condition to good one with enuff mods on it. And any advice on what to look for when we do a test ride, ? am a nooby in tech matter hence asking these basic questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 any EX250 that is not the new body style (2008+?) should be pretty damn cheap by now.$2k is the most I'd pay for an older gen EX250, and it would have to be pretty flawless.Basically though, just look for general upkeep and cleanliness of the bike. Check:- tire wear (cracking? due for replacement? that's $250 you're going to spend on top of the purchaseprice)- brake pad life- fluids: check where the bike was stored. fluids on the ground is bad news. a dirty engine case might be too.- mileage matters to me. I think there's definitely a price barrier at around 15,000 miles. - cosT-metic stuff. If this matters to your friend, fairing damage is damn expensive to properly fix. If he doesn't care, it's still a good way to tell the seller, "that's going to cost me $400 to repair! At least meet me half way and knock off a couple hundred bucks."- sprocket/chain wear. look for "shark-finned" rear teeth. a 250 shouldn't wear a chain and gears very hard. If it has, it's probably not aligned properly.- call ahead and ask the owner NOT to start the bike before you get there. Touch the engine cases when you get there to see if he has. a warmed-up bike starts much mroe easily than a cold one. - take a test-ride if at all possible. I like to go single-digit speeds w/o a helmet to hear things better, then take a "real" ride with my lid on once I've heard any valve chatter, or chain rubbing, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytriple Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I would say to also check out the ninja 650, and 500. Still user friendly and a bit better to grow into then the 250. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 i know there is a buell blast for sale here. Rode with him yesterday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 yeah, my first bike was my EX500, and although it FELT powerful at the time, it's definitely manageable for a new rider.cruises at around 5500 RPM on the highway, so a bit more 'relaxed' than a 250 would be on longer rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 save your self some pain and buy a dirtbike and hit the dirt a few times pavement is very hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytriple Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 ^^^ whoa he made sense??! LOL j/k I do love my dr 350 alot been riding it more thenthe triple since I bought it. More fun to ride a slow bike hard then a fast bike slow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 ^^^ whoa he made sense??! LOL j/k I do love my dr 350 alot been riding it more thenthe triple since I bought it. More fun to ride a slow bike hard then a fast bike slow.<3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedTriple44444 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I would agree... dirt bike, DUAL SPORT, or EX500 / Ninja 650, DL650 (if he's big) SV650. I used to think the 250 was a pretty good beginner bike, but after riding one on the highway, I was shocked by how underpowered it was... to the point of being dangerous. Your friend will outgrow it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellboy1 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I've been very happy with my ninja 500. Great power for commuting and occasional ride down the freeway. Only downside to either the 250 or 500 for a new rider is the plastics. If you drop the bike and break something it is expensive to repair. I just found that out recently and what I thought was a couple quick replacement parts was enough for my insurance to total the bike. I found that after the bike was less than perfect cosmetically, my riding skills seemed to get better at a faster rate. Dirt bike or Dual sports are good recommendations too when starting out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh1234 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 My friend who has very minimal to no experience in riding is trying to look for a bike to start off. We are looking at some thing like used ninja 250. We just came across one 2006 model one, asking 2000, dont know about how the condition is or if it has mods on (from the looks i dont see any). if we "guesstimate" how much do u think a ninja 06 model price can range from, i mean a crappy condition to good one with enuff mods on it. And any advice on what to look for when we do a test ride, ? am a nooby in tech matter hence asking these basic questions.i know there is a buell blast for sale here. Rode with him yesterdayThat's me! BTW, where's the GoPro footage!? We can play it at 2x speed to make it look like we were going fast Thanks again for taking one for the team and riding slowly enough that I could keep up Only downside to either the 250 or 500 for a new rider is the plastics. If you drop the bike and break something it is expensive to repair.NinjaDoc: If you or your friend is interested in a Buell Blast, let me know... I've used it for 1 yr as my starter bike and loved it, it's just time to move up to something with a little more speed on the highway. Youngstown isn't too far, if you want to meet in the middle so your friend can test-ride, let me know. OK, done salesmaning Regarding your original post and question... A 2006 for 2K is a decent deal if the plastics are in good shape and the title is original. 08 was the first year for the newer body style, as well as a few mechanical changes that made the bike a bit more friendly... Power range and such. Is your friend big, or will a 250 actually get up and go with him/her on it? The 07-and-earlier need higher RPM's to get more torque/power. A lot of the 08 and newer bikes KNOW they're more desired, and asking price is usually much higher to reflect this. If your friend doesn't care about appearances and just wants a bike to learn on, then 07 and earlier is fine mechanically & cosmetically and can be a great learner bike, but he WILL outgrow it and need to buy another bike. Don't spend more than 2K on a pre-08 250... Simply because if you don't care about the newer body style and minor mechanical changes, then you can (even now, and often) find them cheaper than $2,000. Frequently 1200, 1500, & 1800 for the older body style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBBaron Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I started with an `06 Ninja250. Paid $1600 for it with 1k miles in Nov `09. Traded it in to a dealer for $1500 with 5k miles in Dec `10.However I think I got a real good deal when I bought, probably because I bought in the off season.I would say $2k for a pre 08 in good shape is a decent deal, and they make excellent starter bikes. Light, forgiving and easy to ride, but are reasonably fast. Sure they are slow compared to the rockets you can buy, but they are faster than the average car and will do freeway+ speeds with ease. I would have kept mine except at 6'2" I'm a little cramped on the small bike. Though the stock position on a ZX-6 is even tighter.Nice thing is even if you do feel the need to upgrade you can sell for nearly what you paid, unless you destroy it. Its had to even ride own a larger bike for a year without losing more than you paid for an old EX250. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 That's me! BTW, where's the GoPro footage!? We can play it at 2x speed to make it look like we were going fast Thanks again for taking one for the team and riding slowly enough that I could keep up either the batteries are dead or there is a setting that kept shutting the camera after a short period of time. Not to mention all the footage (maybe all 2 mins of it) was upside down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh1234 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 either the batteries are dead or there is a setting that kept shutting the camera after a short period of time. Not to mention all the footage (maybe all 2 mins of it) was upside down Nonononono, we had our bikes on the anti-gravity setting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaDoc Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 hey thx for the tips guys, i will certainly keep this in mind, he is average guy around 5'7 and i fel sorry that i am pushing him to get this bike a little bit. Coz i dont have any close friends riding a bike. But he is lvl headed and hope he will take it easy will try to haggle about the price, he is still 50 50 on getting a bike, unless it comes in for less than 1500 ish hey josh i will keep an eye out for the BB, if nothing comes along lol at bad what happened with the footage? was it on that snap shot mode with intermittent timing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStump Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 you can definitely find a 250 for under $1500. I bought mine with some minor scuffing on the side in january for $1700 and sold it in June for $2100 so I ended up making a good profit on it. Since the season is about over just wait till november to february to find one because they will be a lot cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod38um Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 The ninja 250 and the new Honda cbr 250 are both designed to learned on. They are under powered so they wont get away from you while you're learning to use the clutch. If thats what you need, then its a great place to start. If you have previous riding experience then you may want to start bigger. That being said, there is a very good market for these bikes and if you buy a used one a few years old, you most likely wont lose a dime on it when you sell it. At 77 MPG........ you may want to hang on to it.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 lol at bad what happened with the footage? was it on that snap shot mode with intermittent timing?its an old school SD Motorsport version so the instructions I found online apparently were a bit off. It would record for a little bit then just cut out. The batteries in it are from the original owner so I'm also wondering if maybe they were dieing and it wouldn't stay on very long due to the factor. Hopefully this week I'll be able to try it out again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfloydgad Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 You didn't mention if your friend has taken the training course offered by the State. Does he have his permit yet, and if so, he should take the class on a 1 or 2 day session. He will know after taking the class if he really wants the resposibility of owni ng and maintaining a bike. Hopefully, my points here are not necessary, but if he is just wanting to ride without any class time with experts, he is asking for trouble. And not knowing what size bike to start with, tells me he needs to do more research and training. Just trying to get him off on the right foot with these suggestions. It's a long learning curve, get it started the right way.And his first purchase before a bike should be the best gear he can afford. Period.Just my 2 cents.Ride safe all, and ATGATT please, remember, someone loves you.Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 i fel sorry that i am pushing him to get this bike a little bit. Coz i dont have any close friends riding a bike. (...)he is still 50 50 on getting a bike, unless it comes in for less than 1500 ish I'd tread lightly here. Have him take the MSF course before buying anything.My brother and I are way into riding. Convinced our dad to buy a bike. He sold it about a year later at a $400 loss. Probably rode it 10 times at most. Anyway, my point is that you can't make your friends love riding. Of my really close friends, none ride. My brother rides, but we lived 100 miles apart. You're better off making friends who ride than making friends ride. I catch shit from my buddies when I go a couple weeks without seeing them ("you're always at the track"), but it is what it is. I wish they were interested in bikes, but I can't make them love it any more than they can make me like golfing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaDoc Posted August 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 So true, well I decided not to push him to make hasty decision and asked him to attend the msf course to start off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buildit Posted August 22, 2011 Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 We are looking at some thing like used ninja 250. We just came across one 2006 model one, asking 2000, dont know about how the condition is or if it has mods on (from the looks i dont see any).Here you go under $1000, found on CL;)http://dayton.craigslist.org/mcy/2559609237.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh1234 Posted August 22, 2011 Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 The OP said he was "a nooby in tech matter."Why would you point him at a link that has a non-running bike in it?From the ad: "will start wont stay running dont really kno anything about bike" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaDoc Posted August 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 hehe i noticed it this bike would have been great for some body who like to work on them. Un fortunately it will be ridiculously funny if i go with him and get it, like 250 miles away from were we live " starts fine... but it stops soon " at least he was honest there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buildit Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) The OP said he was "a nooby in tech matter."Why would you point him at a link that has a non-running bike in it?From the ad: "will start wont stay running dont really kno anything about bike"Well, if you read the add it also says' it starts but won't stay running. So in my mind I calculated a likelyhood of at most $300 repair at a good shop and $1000 for gas to get it plus bike to be a $1300 learner bike. That's a cheap learner bike in my book.So I'll stop trying to help now, I can tell when I'm not wanted. Edited August 23, 2011 by buildit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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