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250 or 600 to start out on?


chevysoldier

what should she start on?  

41 members have voted

  1. 1. what should she start on?

    • Ninja 250
      30
    • 96 FZR 600, I upgrade
      11


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Ok, gf signed up for the msf course. I want to see what you guys think. Should I start her out on a Ninja 250 or give her my 96 fzr 600 and I trade up to a newer 600? I started on a 250 and only rode it for maybe 6 months before getting my fzr.

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Is she learning to ride because you are, or because she has had a lifelong passion for motorcycles and she is is going to "wanna go fast"? The pro's for the 600 are that its an older model so the 600 stigma isn't as valid and you already have it. The con's are that it will take a bit more babying and might scare her from wanting to learn. I was trying to teach someone on my old 97 zx6 and they took off and nearly crashed while I was just teaching them how to slip the clutch and find the engagement point (no throttle involved). The pro's of the 250 are that its smaller and lighter (probably better suited for a girl) and it is less powerful so its less likely to accidentally be abused. The con's are that it will need to be upgraded (but they hold value) and that's about it.

My recommendation would be the 250 if she has never had bike experience before. If you aren't making her try to keep up with you in the twisties, I doubt the lower power would be a bother. If she has ridden dirt bikes or has other experience and would get bored on the 250 too quickly then let her use yours.

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She's always wanted to learn but never had the courage before I started talking to her about it. Zero experience on riding other than being on the back of mine lol. I already told her I won't push her limits at all, it's always at her own pace.

I've been thinking that a 250 would be better but thought I'd ask.

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My first two bikes were a 1981 Honda GL500 and a 2003 Suzuki GS500. I'm glad I started small - loved the Honda so much I bought two more in the course of my riding, and would gladly buy another. A newer 250 is an excellent choice. She'll outgrow it within a year or two, which is fine, but in my opinion it's much better to learn the fundamentals on something that's a little less powerful.

On a side note - I remember being at Alum Creek practicing for the endorsement I never got and saw another guy there practicing too. He was riding a Ninja 750 or some nonsense and was clearly a newer rider like me. He almost dumped it several times, and couldn't come close to running the course. It may not be a bad idea to get her endorsement on a light, easy to maneuver bike like the Ninja 250. I still kick myself for not getting mine when I had the GS500. That was about the easiest bike to ride I ever owned.

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She's always wanted to learn but never had the courage before I started talking to her about it. Zero experience on riding other than being on the back of mine lol. I already told her I won't push her limits at all, it's always at her own pace.

I've been thinking that a 250 would be better but thought I'd ask.

If she didn't have the courage to do it on her own then I wouldn't have pushed it. People get hurt in this sport and no one can ever say that I pushed them into it.

Just my opinion so take it for what it is.

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You may be able to do both. Let her learn on a 250. When she is ready, let her upgrade to your 600. Then you can upgrade using the $ from selling the 250 as a down payment. Fwiw, when my mom learned how to ride, she learned on a VLX600 cruiser. She ended up upgrading about a year later to a 750. The small displacement vtwin cruisers don't have a lot of power.

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If she didn't have the courage to do it on her own then I wouldn't have pushed it. People get hurt in this sport and no one can ever say that I pushed them into it.

Just my opinion so take it for what it is.

You've never had someone behind you saying "Just do it" and it never inspired you to do it? And then you enjoyed it?

I doubt he's forcing her into it or anything even near that.

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Having owned and rode that particular year and model bike for a year I can say that its fine for a beginner. Its pretty fast for what it is but only if you flog it above 6k. Its got no middle but a decent low end that she will be able to use to get aquainted with the controls. She's not a 17 yr old boy so I doubt she will try anything too stupid, and the bike only gets maybe 80 or so hp to the rear wheel, making unintended whoolies pretty impossible.

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You may be able to do both. Let her learn on a 250. When she is ready, let her upgrade to your 600. Then you can upgrade using the $ from selling the 250 as a down payment. Fwiw, when my mom learned how to ride, she learned on a VLX600 cruiser. She ended up upgrading about a year later to a 750. The small displacement vtwin cruisers don't have a lot of power.

As the proud owner of a vt1100 I can tell you the larger displacement ones don't either.

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I started my wife out on a pitbike. She wanted to learn, so I taught her on a small dirt bike so if she wrecked it wouldn't be as bad. Once she was comfortable with that then I slowly put her on a 250. She's content on it. She's in it for the ride, not the gutsy crap most of us do. And I agree with what most people are saying. A 600 will only terrify her and shed be too scared to pay attention or grasp it.

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Have her take msf course before ever getting on one... They will teach her basics on a tiny bike, and then she should be able to slowly step into yours

This is what I did. I tried a cruiser afterwards and it turned me off of riding. Then i got the 250 now I love it best thing I have ever did.

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I started my wife out on a pitbike. She wanted to learn, so I taught her on a small dirt bike so if she wrecked it wouldn't be as bad. Once she was comfortable with that then I slowly put her on a 250. She's content on it. She's in it for the ride, not the gutsy crap most of us do. And I agree with what most people are saying. A 600 will only terrify her and shed be too scared to pay attention or grasp it.

I highly doubt an old 600 fzr will "terrify" anyone.... It's not a current model r6 or something

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