A. Jay;1877408 said:
I'm thinking about getting into motorcycle riding, and this is what I'd like my first bike to be:
2013 Ninja 300
http://ninja300.kawasaki.com/
I've had two motorcycles: 1994 CBR 900RR, and the one before that, a 1989 Ninja 250.
My experience with the Ninja 250 can be summed up as follows:
I wasn't sure of whether I would really like riding, it looked OK, but I did not want to invest too much money into a bike that I wasn't sure if I would really enjoy or even crash.
A Ninja 250 seemed just right, not too pricey, and not too intimidating. I definitely would not want to learn how to feather the clutch on a bigger bike.
I was able to do 105 MPH on it, and with my friend on the back, I managed 95 MPH once.
I had it for a year, and even dumped it once (glad I didn't do that to a bigger more expensive bike).
So a year later, I sold it with 50% more miles than what I bought it for, and at the same price!
Bought it used for $1500, and sold it for $1550 (although I threw in a cheap helmet with it at the time of sale).
When I look back at that 250, it was great on gas, had plenty of power for everyday riding, was quicker off the line than most cars, I think I did right.
Of course if you ride with a sport bike crew/street racer crew, you will want more power.
But for legal riding, it is more than enough, and just right for a beginner.
All that said, I would not buy such a bike new, as it is likely that these bikes might be outgrown quickly, and you will lose if you buy new then sell a year later.
