Calling all bikers, advice wanted

D

D3x!

Banned
Joined
Jul 18, 2010
Messages
18,616
Reaction score
12
Location
pew pew pew
hi all,

so I want a bike again, last time I rode was 5 years ago I had a little Honda ls125, 2 stroke FTW!

so I am looking for a smallish super bike look starter bike to commute with, maybe a good ride on a Sunday etc.

so far I am very keen on the Kawasaki ninja 250r, they are pricey though, but that will give u an idea of what I want.

so any suggestions?

thx
 
D3x! said:
hi all,

so I want a bike again, last time I rode was 5 years ago I had a little Honda ls125, 2 stroke FTW!

so I am looking for a smallish super bike look starter bike to commute with, maybe a good ride on a Sunday etc.

so far I am very keen on the Kawasaki ninja 250r, they are pricey though, but that will give u an idea of what I want.

so any suggestions?

thx
Click to expand...


Dex, if you like the ninja - get the 300 instead of the 250.

If it is a 250 you want the CBR makes more sense :P

Have you considered joining us on the think bike forums?
 
D3x! said:
also why u reckon the cbr over the ninja?
Click to expand...

If you are buying second hand, I can guarantee the ninja is like buying a used STI or GTI - it would have had the crap riden out of it.

The CBR is a more sedate bike, much better to learn on, less of an underpowered racer.

What is your budget?
 
Animal111 said:
Have a look at the cbr600f. Looks great and they are on special for R65000 at the moment.

http://www.honda.co.za/main.aspx?id=72&pid=207
Click to expand...

eish bru too much and bigger than I would like for now

Pr⊕phet said:
Might be too powerful for the op :eek:
Click to expand...

lol

requiem said:
If you are buying second hand, I can guarantee the ninja is like buying a used STI or GTI - it would have had the crap riden out of it.

The CBR is a more sedate bike, much better to learn on, less of an underpowered racer.

What is your budget?
Click to expand...

ideally R25k but I will push a bit for a decent buy

on top of that gear is like R4k

the cbr's seem to resell for more even though the ninja has a better engine?

thing is really, either of these bikes will be more sedate than my little ls125 was I reckon so not too worried about that.
 
Last edited:
Aprillia RS 250. I am seriously tempted to trade my YZ450 and get one for me. Good looks, goes like stink and its legen, wait for it. . . dary
 
Isssshhh Aprilia 250 ??? Want the poor guy to break a Femur ?

Aprilia DOES go like stink... its fast, it's light, it will tank slap the hell out of you if you are not an experienced biker... And of course maintenance + cost of parts... Its European even though its running on a RGV powerplant.

Definitely legendary, but also totally overpriced thanks to that.

Depending on the OP's riding experience, I would suggest something like a VFR400 NC30 granted he can find one with low mileage, that has not been abused, they are out there, just have to look. Nimble, easy to ride 400 with handling like a BOSS.
 
The 250 2 strokes does go like stink. Probebly could get a steering dampner for it? Yes parts would be expensive I guess, but you get a piece of history that would give quite a lot of bigger bikes a proper hiding on a track.

I never trusted those LS125's. Front shocks waaaay to thin.
Not a big fan of 2nd hand 400cc superbikes either. My friend had one and I let him out on my 450. His legs were like jelly afterwards.

250 4stroke does that even get you past 140 kmph?
 
Dude there's no question about it... Get yourself a 400... Be it a VFR400 NC24/NC30, GSX400R, FZR400 etc... they really are GREAT bikes to start on again! You'll be bored of the 250 4stroke very quickly where as the 400 will still get your adrenaline going after owning it for a year!

PS: I used to have the LS125R too :P Had the LS125R then got a Bandit 250 and then had a VFR400 NC24 and absolutely LOVED that bike!!! Had to sell it when i smashed my car up though, unfortunately...
 
Marthinus100 said:
The 250 2 strokes does go like stink. Probebly could get a steering dampner for it? Yes parts would be expensive I guess, but you get a piece of history that would give quite a lot of bigger bikes a proper hiding on a track.

I never trusted those LS125's. Front shocks waaaay to thin.
Not a big fan of 2nd hand 400cc superbikes either. My friend had one and I let him out on my 450. His legs were like jelly afterwards.

250 4stroke does that even get you past 140 kmph?
Click to expand...

yeah it should hit like 170 abouts with my weight i reckon.

my ls125 was rocking, that puppy could hit slightly over 200 :p (can't believe i did that stupid crap on it but any way)
 
D3x! said:
yeah it should hit like 170 abouts with my weight i reckon.

my ls125 was rocking, that puppy could hit slightly over 200 :p (can't believe i did that stupid crap on it but any way)
Click to expand...
Are you on crack?!?!?!?!? I agree, that LS125R was an AWESOME little machine, and used to pull the Aprilia RS125 away, but i dont care what you say... that bike did NOT hit 200km/h! It topped out at around 170km/h
 
Hi D3x!

I have the 250 Ninja and it is a great bike. Very light and manoeuvreable, it has decent oomph to it but is not so powerful or fast that it will leave you behind. It has good fuel economy (I get +- 26km/L) and I can go 160/170 if I need to (Fastest I ever went was about 185kmph a few weeks after I bought it, then I chickened out and haven't gone that fast again). However, I bought mine as a commuter so I generally go 120 - 140 and my baby is quite happy with that, but still has that extra bit of power for if I need to pull away from a sticky situation.

It's also a lot more upright than a racer, so it is quite a comfortable ride. And I think it's quite pretty. Looks like a big sexy beast but it isn't. I have ridden my Kawa for almost 3 years now and it has served me extremely well. There have been no issues, no flat tyres, nothing. Just regular scheduled services and all has been well.

Only thing is that you can't really be much taller than 1.7m - as soon as you go over 1.7 you'll find yourself too tall for the 250 Ninja. It's more ideal for riders 1.5 - 1.7m in length, perhaps pushable to 1.75. Buying a bike that suits your height is important.

However, the 250 is a good choice and if you get a 2nd hand one with FSH (done by Kawa) then there shouldn't be any issues. Just be aware that the chain and tyres need replacement about every 25-30k so keep that in mind when looking at the km's of the used bikes.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X