might buy a ninja 2008 250r

[integra938]

This would be my rirst bike,thay look really nice and thay have alot of getup to be a 250 check,em out and tell me what you think .. keep in mind im looking for a starter bike.
http://www.kawasaki.com/PRODUCTS/de...&content=photos (http://www.kawasaki.com/PRODUCTS/detail.aspx?id=263&content=photos)

[Elbow]

I daily drove one for a while. About 3k miles. It's a very fun bike, great starter bike...BUT..slow. I was used to it in a day. It can do wheelies though ;) It's great to learn to knee drag on and stuff it's very forgiving. I never had a problem with it.

[yogi08]

looks like a fun starter bike

[Tarzanman]

As to what simontibbett said:

'Slow' is a relative term when it comes to motorcycles. A 250R will still hold pace with a Corvette off the line till ~50-60mph.... which isn't slow unless you are comparing it to 600cc sportbikes (which aren't good for new riders).

[EJ25RUN]

The Ninja is a great bike overall and not just for starters. Anything that is that easy to flick around is great for riders to really get a good idea of balance points and how to control not just the bike but your body on it as well.

Simmontibbett: Knee draggin already :goodjob:

[Gutling]

Lol its a great starter bike, and tons of fun for advanced. I want one to track, they are a great bargain for the price

[The_ CaneCorso]

riding a 250 is like this

[bigdare23]

LOLOLOLOLOL

[Justin.]

I rode one, my thoughts.

Forks/suspension are weak.
No adjustment in the suspension.
Brakes are weak.
Bike felt sloppy, not tight like the former 250's
Power was no different then the previous 250's
I'm 5'9" 155lbs and I felt huge on this bike.
My little sister would get tired of this bike after a week of being her first bike.

I liked the seat.
Handlebars felt good placement for my size.
The power band of the bike is good enough that only rider error would cause you to wad it up.
Cheap.

[Justin.]

also they don't make the 2008's anymore, they canceled all pre orders cause the 09's are around the corner, also come with a price markup cause of the popular demand.

[apex]

don't let the haters dissuade. i'm 5'8 130 lbs and had a 600rr and it was too much bike for me. i learned on a 250 ninja and found it to be a very enjoyable and fun bike to ride. a 250 suits me and my riding needs perfectly.

like others said the 08's are gone, i've talked to many dealerships and the 09's are the exact same bike as the 08's but there will be a 500 price increase to 3999 b/c of demand, they also dropped the green color from the 09 line up. tax/title/dealers charges it'll be 47xx...which is ridiculous if you ask me...5k and you can get a used 600

that 500 increase killed it for some people.

[EJ25RUN]

riding a 250 is like this

Yamaha TZ250 vs Suzuki GSXR1000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekyfy4XxLvs)

[apex]

Yamaha TZ250 vs Suzuki GSXR1000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekyfy4XxLvs)

i'm all about the ninja 250 but a 2 stroke 250 is entirely different than a 4 stroke parallel twin.

[EJ25RUN]

i'm all about the ninja 250 but a 2 stroke 250 is entirely different than a 4 stroke parallel twin.

Yes, i realize this. A modern 125cc 2stroke can compete with a 400cc 4stroke. But that was a generic joke so i made a generic response. There are people that will just not be satisfied with the 250cc performance (4 stroke) vs a 600. But in all truth, a modern 600 is faster than the 1000 of 4-5 years ago and it is not a machine for a beginner. I feel like many people that are not educated about motorcycles just get this 600 -> 750 -> 1000 -> Hayabusa :mad: step ladder. That is why so many deaths result. People need to start small and learn how a properly ride a motorbike and move up from there.

[integra938]

thanks for all the help guys :P

[Tarzanman]

[QUOTE=Justin.]I rode one, my thoughts.

> Forks/suspension are weak.
Probably very true

> No adjustment in the suspension.
True.

> Brakes are weak.
Its a single front caliper/rotor. Its not going to feel like a dual-front rotor bike (as most are), but the brakes are still good enough to do stoppies with.

> Bike felt sloppy, not tight like the former 250's
Thats vague. In what way? Flicking? Holding a line? Acceleration? What?

> Power was no different then the previous 250's
> I'm 5'9" 155lbs and I felt huge on this bike.
Just because the seat height was low?

> My little sister would get tired of this bike after a week of being her first bike.
There are a lot of folks tracking and racing these 250's stock that would disagree with you.

The bike has plusses and minuses... but even the bad aren't things that a new rider are going to notice or care about as they are learning.

Too bad that they are raising the price... its going to lose them some customers, but the 250r is still the best bike in its niche.

[Elbow]

I thought the 08 250 handled pretty well like I said above. It was easy to just toss wherever, knee drag, get on the throttle VERY early, it was a fun bike and I learned a LOT on it.

[Z33_kid]

yea looks like a great starter bike i was thinking about getting one my self

[90_ACCORD]

i think thats a good choice of bike. if i had the money i would be getting on myself. good luck finding one tho. there hard to get now

[mp5o]

If anyone is looking for a nice and cheap starter bike, I got one for sale! 1800 check out this link: http://www.importatlanta.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192330