I just picked up a 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 650 & I absolutely love it. It's my second bike, I started out on a Honda CRF250L. Once I got on the Ninja, I felt I should I have started on it. The throttle is much better and much smoother than the Honda. It's obviously more powerful & heavier, but it's very manageable. It had 620 miles on it and I got it for $~5600 out the door. It already had it's 600 mile service. I still haven't decided what oil to put in but I have a good amount of time to decide. My plan is to sell the CRF250L since it's just not for me. I thought I would do more dirt riding & trails but since everyone I ride with has a sport bike, I figured it was time for one since I wasn't using the CRF250L to it's full potential. Pictures to come..
New(to me) Bike
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Rotella conventional 15w-40 for oil.
I agree that one should by the bike they want first rather than try to grow into one. Bad habits can be formed and if those habits carry over to the bigger bike disaster can strike.
I went from riding dirt in my youth til my 20s then worked on the road and lost interest
About 7 years ago a friend offered me an 1100 v-star so cheap only a fool wouldn't have bought it,which lead me to me harley.
Riding dirt made the transition easy however if I was starting fresh and green I'm sure some teething pains would have occurred.
I agree that one should by the bike they want first rather than try to grow into one. Bad habits can be formed and if those habits carry over to the bigger bike disaster can strike.
I went from riding dirt in my youth til my 20s then worked on the road and lost interest
About 7 years ago a friend offered me an 1100 v-star so cheap only a fool wouldn't have bought it,which lead me to me harley.
Riding dirt made the transition easy however if I was starting fresh and green I'm sure some teething pains would have occurred.
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Rotella conventional 15w-40 for oil.
I agree that one should by the bike they want first rather than try to grow into one. Bad habits can be formed and if those habits carry over to the bigger bike disaster can strike.
I went from riding dirt in my youth til my 20s then worked on the road and lost interest
About 7 years ago a friend offered me an 1100 v-star so cheap only a fool wouldn't have bought it,which lead me to me harley.
Riding dirt made the transition easy however if I was starting fresh and green I'm sure some teething pains would have occurred.
I'm very glad I started out on the 250. I probably could have started out on the 650 and been fine(I'm a very careful person, do tons of research, and rarely speed) but the faster the bike the less forgiving it becomes. The only thing I regret was buying a new bike & not buying a sport bike from the get go. I'm going to lose some money on it but it was a great experience nonetheless. All my friends tried to push me into buying a 600CC super sport but I know I'm not ready for that nor do I appreciate the expensive insurance!
Rotella conventional 15w-40 for oil.
I agree that one should by the bike they want first rather than try to grow into one. Bad habits can be formed and if those habits carry over to the bigger bike disaster can strike.
I went from riding dirt in my youth til my 20s then worked on the road and lost interest
About 7 years ago a friend offered me an 1100 v-star so cheap only a fool wouldn't have bought it,which lead me to me harley.
Riding dirt made the transition easy however if I was starting fresh and green I'm sure some teething pains would have occurred.
I'm very glad I started out on the 250. I probably could have started out on the 650 and been fine(I'm a very careful person, do tons of research, and rarely speed) but the faster the bike the less forgiving it becomes. The only thing I regret was buying a new bike & not buying a sport bike from the get go. I'm going to lose some money on it but it was a great experience nonetheless. All my friends tried to push me into buying a 600CC super sport but I know I'm not ready for that nor do I appreciate the expensive insurance!
My klr 250 was a great starter, so Much so I graduated from it to a klr 650. So much of the riding habits translated it seemed like a no brainer.
I don't have any friends with bikes so I use mine to commute and relax
Another vote for rotella or any hdeo. delo was one of my new favorites as well
I don't have any friends with bikes so I use mine to commute and relax
Another vote for rotella or any hdeo. delo was one of my new favorites as well
Those Ninja 650's are great bikes for new riders. Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes! Just don't fall into the trap of trying to keep up with your (perhaps) more experienced friends - ride at your own pace and hone your skills gradually.
Originally Posted By: hpb
Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes!
The guys at my local dealership told me they've seen people buy new bikes & crash them as they exit the parking lot. You have to go up a slight hill & then make a 90 degree turn onto a skinny road. They can't turn, go over the road, & crash into the ditch on the other side.
It's the price we pay for being the land of the free & the home of the brave-but-not-so-bright. God Bless America!
Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes!
The guys at my local dealership told me they've seen people buy new bikes & crash them as they exit the parking lot. You have to go up a slight hill & then make a 90 degree turn onto a skinny road. They can't turn, go over the road, & crash into the ditch on the other side.
It's the price we pay for being the land of the free & the home of the brave-but-not-so-bright. God Bless America!
Originally Posted By: grumpyoldman
Originally Posted By: hpb
Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes!
The guys at my local dealership told me they've seen people buy new bikes & crash them as they exit the parking lot. You have to go up a slight hill & then make a 90 degree turn onto a skinny road. They can't turn, go over the road, & crash into the ditch on the other side.
It's the price we pay for being the land of the free & the home of the brave-but-not-so-bright. God Bless America!
I know someone who went from a Honda CR 125 to Kawasaki ZX 14R...He kept telling me how the CR was wild & crazy on dirt and he could handle it fine (ya sure I know he putted around dirt roads). He rode the ZX 14 twice and is scared to death of the thing, guess he can't handle the wheelies and power slides on the ZX
Good thing he is still alive and can redeem himself by selling the ZX.
Originally Posted By: hpb
Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes!
The guys at my local dealership told me they've seen people buy new bikes & crash them as they exit the parking lot. You have to go up a slight hill & then make a 90 degree turn onto a skinny road. They can't turn, go over the road, & crash into the ditch on the other side.
It's the price we pay for being the land of the free & the home of the brave-but-not-so-bright. God Bless America!
I know someone who went from a Honda CR 125 to Kawasaki ZX 14R...He kept telling me how the CR was wild & crazy on dirt and he could handle it fine (ya sure I know he putted around dirt roads). He rode the ZX 14 twice and is scared to death of the thing, guess he can't handle the wheelies and power slides on the ZX
Good thing he is still alive and can redeem himself by selling the ZX.
Originally Posted By: FastGame
Originally Posted By: grumpyoldman
Originally Posted By: hpb
Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes!
The guys at my local dealership told me they've seen people buy new bikes & crash them as they exit the parking lot. You have to go up a slight hill & then make a 90 degree turn onto a skinny road. They can't turn, go over the road, & crash into the ditch on the other side.
It's the price we pay for being the land of the free & the home of the brave-but-not-so-bright. God Bless America!
I know someone who went from a Honda CR 125 to Kawasaki ZX 14R...He kept telling me how the CR was wild & crazy on dirt and he could handle it fine (ya sure I know he putted around dirt roads). He rode the ZX 14 twice and is scared to death of the thing, guess he can't handle the wheelies and power slides on the ZX
Good thing he is still alive and can redeem himself by selling the ZX.
Big-bore Sportbikes aren't for everyone, that's for sure.
Originally Posted By: grumpyoldman
Originally Posted By: hpb
Crazy how you guys are allowed to go straight onto supersport bikes!
The guys at my local dealership told me they've seen people buy new bikes & crash them as they exit the parking lot. You have to go up a slight hill & then make a 90 degree turn onto a skinny road. They can't turn, go over the road, & crash into the ditch on the other side.
It's the price we pay for being the land of the free & the home of the brave-but-not-so-bright. God Bless America!
I know someone who went from a Honda CR 125 to Kawasaki ZX 14R...He kept telling me how the CR was wild & crazy on dirt and he could handle it fine (ya sure I know he putted around dirt roads). He rode the ZX 14 twice and is scared to death of the thing, guess he can't handle the wheelies and power slides on the ZX
Good thing he is still alive and can redeem himself by selling the ZX.
Big-bore Sportbikes aren't for everyone, that's for sure.
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Its long past time for tiered licensing.
I still prefer the freedom of choice we enjoy in this Country.
As an Adult, I don't need some self-important bureaucrat, who has never ridden in their life, telling me what I can and can't ride.
Its long past time for tiered licensing.
I still prefer the freedom of choice we enjoy in this Country.
As an Adult, I don't need some self-important bureaucrat, who has never ridden in their life, telling me what I can and can't ride.
Originally Posted By: 02SE
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Its long past time for tiered licensing.
I still prefer the freedom of choice we enjoy in this Country.
As an Adult, I don't need some self-important bureaucrat, who has never ridden in their life, telling me what I can and can't ride.
+1 It's not like the bike is going to go faster than it was commanded to do. Tiered licensing could go for cars and firearms too, but that isn't going to happen. I wouldn't be scared of any bike, respect it, you bet. Some people just don't possess good self preservation skills.
In a way we do have tiered licensing, ever check insurance rates for lets say a 22 year old riding an R1, or a ZX14?
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Its long past time for tiered licensing.
I still prefer the freedom of choice we enjoy in this Country.
As an Adult, I don't need some self-important bureaucrat, who has never ridden in their life, telling me what I can and can't ride.
+1 It's not like the bike is going to go faster than it was commanded to do. Tiered licensing could go for cars and firearms too, but that isn't going to happen. I wouldn't be scared of any bike, respect it, you bet. Some people just don't possess good self preservation skills.
In a way we do have tiered licensing, ever check insurance rates for lets say a 22 year old riding an R1, or a ZX14?
Originally Posted By: 02SE
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Its long past time for tiered licensing.
As an Adult, I don't need some self-important bureaucrat, who has never ridden in their life, telling me what I can and can't ride.
It's not quite as oppressive as you might think, and is designed to stop new riders killing themselves, so they hopefully go on to become old riders. We use the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS), a quick Google will bring up the list of approved bikes, newbies are still allowed to have some pretty cool stuff. Back when I started, you were restricted to a 250 or smaller for the first couple of years!
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Its long past time for tiered licensing.
As an Adult, I don't need some self-important bureaucrat, who has never ridden in their life, telling me what I can and can't ride.
It's not quite as oppressive as you might think, and is designed to stop new riders killing themselves, so they hopefully go on to become old riders. We use the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS), a quick Google will bring up the list of approved bikes, newbies are still allowed to have some pretty cool stuff. Back when I started, you were restricted to a 250 or smaller for the first couple of years!
Well I see new riders crash right away on high performance sport bikes, or in some cases just bikes that are too big to handle such as a full dressed heavy bagger.
The price of being free is the less bright and sensible people often end up becoming a victim of natural selection.
The price of being free is the less bright and sensible people often end up becoming a victim of natural selection.
Originally Posted By: JetStar
Tiered licensing could go for cars too, but that isn't going to happen.
Ha, well, we have that too actually! In some states, novice drivers can't drive a V8 or performance turbo vehicle for the first couple of years, and there are also passenger restrictions. It's not all bad though, we're allowed to drink at age 18!
Tiered licensing could go for cars too, but that isn't going to happen.
Ha, well, we have that too actually! In some states, novice drivers can't drive a V8 or performance turbo vehicle for the first couple of years, and there are also passenger restrictions. It's not all bad though, we're allowed to drink at age 18!
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