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So I have just begun riding this year, took my MSF and bought a 2010 Ninja 250 with 4,600 miles on it in January. Absolutely in love with it, and just got it to 6k miles this weekend. However, I am already feeling the 'I need a bigger bike' itch, and I think that when I finish grad school in the fall of 2015 I will treat myself to a Ninja 1000, preferably 2011 or newer. I have talked with some of the guys at the bike dealership, and some other friends who have more experience than I do, and their biggest piece of advice is 'go easy on the throttle because the 1000's will throw you in the turns if you go too hard'. Is there anything that you CA guys can offer as advice for a new rider looking to upgrade to a more powerful bike?
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Aug 2, 2014 18:22
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:52 |
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Take your time. A year isn't a magical period of time where you are a good enough rider to handle a bigger bike. Experience can take 6 months of non-stop riding or a decade of 'only when it's sunny on a saturday where the ex-wife has the kids and me and skeeter aren't goin huntin'. Ninja 1000's are pretty sweet. Get the ABS model. Take it easy.
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Aug 2, 2014 18:26
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Thanks. I ride almost non-stop, I've wanted a motorcycle since i was very young and impressionable, so this has been a pretty exciting year. One thing working for/against me is that until school is over, buying a bigger bike would be very financially foolish, so for at least the next 18 months, I will be on my 250. Already done plenty of highway riding and I feel very secure and in control.
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Aug 2, 2014 18:54
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Keep in mind that for the first few years of riding, your confidence generally increases much faster than your skills do. What you should really do is some track days first on the ninjette, then you'll really see how much you've got to learn  Yousomuscle posted:Already done plenty of highway riding and I feel very secure and in control. Ehh, that's not something to measure yourself against, highway riding is the easiest type there is.
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Aug 2, 2014 18:58
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M42 posted:Ehh, that's not something to measure yourself against, highway riding is the easiest type there is. This, the learning and the mistakes come in the rayels. Ride some mountain roads.
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Aug 2, 2014 21:09
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You've had it for about 8 months and put 1,400 miles on it, mostly highway? I'd suggest riding it a lot more, taking some advanced roadcraft and cornering courses, and then some track days.
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Aug 2, 2014 23:32
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TREAT YOSELF
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Aug 3, 2014 00:10
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1400 miles is nothing, you've barely gotten started. I do 2-300 miles in a weekend, and I certainly wouldn't consider that a lot, just a few hours on some decent roads.
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Aug 3, 2014 01:06
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Yousomuscle posted:Thanks. I ride almost non-stop. Already done plenty of highway riding and I feel very secure and in control. Errr I live on a tiny island and put the same amount of miles on my brand new bike within 3 weeks.... Snowden isn't kidding about mountain roads. I been doing this loop below for the last few days and Jesus Christ those switchbacks are kicking my rear end. Secure and control is something I'm not feeling right now and I done that road hundreds of time on my R6. 
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Aug 3, 2014 03:24
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Good for me that I've got a couple years still before I upgrade, then. I'm mostly looking to find out what I'll need when I do make the switch, so all of this advice is stuff that I can spend the next 18 months or so working towards. Thanks!
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Aug 3, 2014 03:36
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Go do a track day or two on your 250.
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Aug 3, 2014 04:46
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You should also be aware that a 1000 will go through consumables (primarily rear tires) faster than a 250, and of course drink more fuel. And insurance will be higher. These will drive a higher cost of ownership. I'm not saying that to discourage you, but since you say you're finishing up grad school I imagine you'll be needing to keep a close eye on expenses for a bit.
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Aug 3, 2014 05:35
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Ride a 600 first then decide if you really need that liter bike.
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Aug 3, 2014 05:42
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Minkee posted:Ride a 600 first then decide if you really need that liter bike. Yeah, I've only been riding for somewhere around six years and am perfectly happy on my 600. It has a top speed I'll never reach (unless I end up doing a track day at some point), is nimble enough for street cornering, small enough for city navigation, comfortable enough for every day riding and still has good fuel efficiency. This doesn't mean I don't want an FJR or large displacement cruiser, though.
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Aug 3, 2014 06:23
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Minkee posted:Ride a 600 first then decide if you really need that liter bike. That only really applies if you're talking buying a race rep / trackbike. The Ninja 1000 is pushing into sport-tourer range, and there's no real smaller-displacement option for those sorts of bikes. (Unless you're talking aftermarket kitting up something like an FZ6, and, well, ehhh)
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Aug 3, 2014 06:27
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Do you want a ninja 1000 or a zx10? Cause those are 2 very different bikes. The Ninja 1000 is more of a sport touring standardish bike, the zx10 is a monster. If you're going for the ninja 1000, give it 10k miles and accept that you're going to slow your bike handling progression by moving up so soon. If you want the zx10, buy a used 600 and take it to the track instead. Give it a year of constant trackdays and you'll realize how pointless moving up to a zx10 is.
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Aug 3, 2014 06:56
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Z3n posted:Do you want a ninja 1000 or a zx10? The regular 1000, I am not looking to get into the insane psycho racing bikes. Minkee posted:Ride a 600 first then decide if you really need that liter bike. I'm also thinking of doing this as well, due to: Snowdens Secret posted:You should also be aware that a 1000 will go through consumables (primarily rear tires) faster than a 250, and of course drink more fuel. And insurance will be higher. These will drive a higher cost of ownership. I'm not saying that to discourage you, but since you say you're finishing up grad school I imagine you'll be needing to keep a close eye on expenses for a bit. And keeping my expenses down is a great idea. A 650 would be fine with me as well. The real difference, I guess, is how much maneuverability does a 250 have over a 1000/650, in a city setting? In an open road setting? I really like how nimble my bike is, and I don't want to 'upgrade' into something that I might find to be an unfavorable tradeoff of power vs. agility.
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Aug 5, 2014 03:54
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Yousomuscle posted:And keeping my expenses down is a great idea. A 650 would be fine with me as well. The real difference, I guess, is how much maneuverability does a 250 have over a 1000/650, in a city setting? In an open road setting? I really like how nimble my bike is, and I don't want to 'upgrade' into something that I might find to be an unfavorable tradeoff of power vs. agility. The difference in agility between a ninja 250 and a 600 (street triple r in my case) is ludicrous and that weighs 80lbs less than a ninja 1000. If you want lightweight you shouldn't be looking at the ninja 650/1000 sort of bikes, a ninja 650 is like 460-470lbs wet and touring focused. A zx6r is 420 something (putting aside whether going to a peaky i4 with > 100hp is a good idea as a second bike), even then it's going to feel heavy compared to a ninja 250. If you're not averse to buying new I'd really consider an FZ07 or similar, under 400lbs wet and a nice chunk of horsepower (75 or so I think?), I wish that had been an option when I bought my second bike. edit: also, it's a twin so the power curve is flatter. astropika fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Aug 5, 2014 |
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Aug 5, 2014 04:11
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Thanks for the info! I was wondering if a 650 feels 'big' and would be good for long journeys. If what you say is the case, then I would probably be very happy and better off with a 650 instead of a 1000.
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Aug 6, 2014 00:33
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Yousomuscle posted:Thanks for the info! I was wondering if a 650 feels 'big' and would be good for long journeys. If what you say is the case, then I would probably be very happy and better off with a 650 instead of a 1000. My ninja 650 doesn't feel particularity big around town and starts to feel a cramped after a couple of hours. A better seat might help with that, but if still want something with more leg room for long rides.
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Aug 6, 2014 01:39
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M42 posted:Keep in mind that for the first few years of riding, your confidence generally increases much faster than your skills do.
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Aug 6, 2014 14:23
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I've been riding for 7 years and put many thousands of miles on my 600. I built up a lot of confidence. This past Sunday, I rode a few hundred with a better rider than me on a challenging road and now feel less confident than I did two years ago. Confidence can be one of the most dangerous things. Dunning-Kreuger and all that.
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Aug 6, 2014 16:17
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slidebite posted:This is true. Lots of people have been riding for 10-15+ years and are confident but have virtually no skills.
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Aug 6, 2014 21:46
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Riding classes and coached track days.
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Aug 6, 2014 23:43
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Yousomuscle posted:Thanks for the info! I was wondering if a 650 feels 'big' and would be good for long journeys. If what you say is the case, then I would probably be very happy and better off with a 650 instead of a 1000. A KLR 650 feels just about perfect. Just saying...
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Aug 14, 2014 03:30
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You could always get a Suzuki SV650S. At least for me personally they've been a great introduction to middleweight sportbikes. Handles like a dream and has enough power to do pretty much whatever you want. I am a bit biased though as I've never been much of a Kawasaki guy and frankly I think the SVs look better.
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Aug 16, 2014 14:59
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I did the very same thing, rode a Ninja 250 for a year and a half and got a good deal on a used R1. Just be very careful. I ended up selling it after a year because it was just excessively fast. I couldn't play with the throttle nearly as much as I wanted to, because even the slightest hint to a 1000cc supersport that "Hey I wanna go fast" will put you at "go to jail and lose your license" speeds in the blink of an eye like it's nothing. As others have said, there are plenty of middleweight options that I think would more than quench your thirst for speed. Have you ever ridden anything other than your 250? I don't think you really know what you're about to get yourself into, really. All in all, if you're gonna do it, be very careful (think surgeon's touch) and try to restrain yourself on public roads, get a race suit/boots/gauntlets and hit the track. And be careful there, too. fake edit: 1400 miles? lmao dude please don't get a zx10r or you'll die an early death. Highway riding is mind-numbing. Go tear through twisties with a high pace (with leathers on!!) for several thousand more. I think I put 13,000 miles on my Ninja in a year before I moved up. I'd get a 600/650/750 if I were you. A best friend of mine just got a brand new Ninja 650 as his first bike a week ago and he's not dead yet, and I went on a two hour ride with him today to teach him some cornering and better shifting techniques. Seems to be handling the power fine but he's also not a colossal retard who would get a 1000cc after riding a 250 for 1400 miles ymmv
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Aug 18, 2014 04:52
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Yousomuscle posted:Is there anything that you CA guys can offer as advice for a new rider looking to upgrade to a more powerful bike? FTP! If you read that and think file transfer protocol you'll probably be alright on a liter bike.
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Aug 18, 2014 16:50
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Zool posted:FTP! If you read that and think file transfer protocol you'll probably be alright on a liter bike. World's most accurate litmus test.
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Aug 18, 2014 17:30
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Yousomuscle posted:Thanks for the info! I was wondering if a 650 feels 'big' and would be good for long journeys. If what you say is the case, then I would probably be very happy and better off with a 650 instead of a 1000.
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Aug 18, 2014 18:37
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Thanks for the more posts and info! I went for about 500 miles this weekend, lots of highway riding and it was indeed agonizing, but I did very much enjoy going on the trip. After reading all these posts, I am probably not going to go for the 1000, but rather a 650. I don't want to be killed/kill myself, but I would like a bike that can be on the highway and not be running at an rear end-shattering 9000 rmp for hours. It wasn't very comfortable. I found a track near where I live, and I'm going to be looking into going to a novice event in the near future as well. Thanks for all the advice, guys, I appreciate it.
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Aug 20, 2014 18:59
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For realsies though if you can find a good deal on a used SV650S around your area I'd jump on it. I cruise at around maybe 4-6k RPM on the highway depending on variables and the thing is really a dream to ride I can't recommend it enough.
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Aug 21, 2014 05:22
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ArbitraryTA posted:For realsies though if you can find a good deal on a used SV650S around your area I'd jump on it. I cruise at around maybe 4-6k RPM on the highway depending on variables and the thing is really a dream to ride I can't recommend it enough. Something like that is exactly what I'm looking for. I've been doing some 5+ hour highway rides lately to see friends and family, and going at 9k rmp and higher is a new dimension of pain.
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Aug 25, 2014 13:17
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If you want an ST bike that can do almost anything, the Honda VFR 800 from like 98 -> present, can't really go wrong there, ABS was an option for 02 onwaards which is a nice bonus. If you're getting a brand new one, the new ones come with a lot of options like the ABS as standard I believe.
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Aug 25, 2014 19:52
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infraboy posted:If you want an ST bike that can do almost anything, the Honda VFR 800 from like 98 -> present, The same can be said of Striples, FZ1s, and SV650s except they're all cheaper and more fun and the first two have much more modern engine and chassis, more character, and in the case of the Striple R's, vastly better suspension. E: and really, right now the best two middleweight all-rounders are the FZ-09 and FZ-07, the latter of which is nearly half(!) the price that Honda is asking for the VFR. Militant Lesbian fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Aug 25, 2014 |
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Aug 25, 2014 20:42
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A gen5 VFR is <$3k and the first gen FZ1 is a steel frame and carb'd. I've owned two VFRs and currently have an FZ1 and you've gotten smoke some funky poo poo to think the FZ1 has more character than a gear driven v4. Also comparing naked budget bikes against what has always been a flagship bike for Honda on price is silly.
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Aug 25, 2014 23:02
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n8r posted:A gen5 VFR is <$3k and the first gen FZ1 is a steel frame and carb'd. Sorry, I was talking new for new, not used. My coworker rides an 02 VFR. He likes my FZ better and kinda wants to get rid of the VFR and get an FZ-09 now. 
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Aug 25, 2014 23:09
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See, when I was looking at my first big bike I really liked the SV650s but I just couldn't get over the 160 rear tyre. It just didn't look right to me. I went for a Kawasaki Z750 in the end and I loving love it. Cheap as chips insurance too.
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Aug 26, 2014 00:16
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Motsew posted:See, when I was looking at my first big bike I really liked the SV650s but I just couldn't get over the 160 rear tyre. It just didn't look right to me. I went for a Kawasaki Z750 in the end and I loving love it. Cheap as chips insurance too. If there's one thing that has ever turned me off from a bike, it's a 20mm too thin rear tire.
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Aug 27, 2014 02:46
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HotCanadianChick posted:The same can be said of Striples, FZ1s, and SV650s except they're all cheaper and more fun and the first two have much more modern engine and chassis, more character, and in the case of the Striple R's, vastly better suspension. Never had an Fz1 but I do have a Speed Triple, it's a hoot with pretty nice adjustable suspension and brakes but my VFR is way better as an all-rounder. Sure the VFR doesn't have fully adjustable suspension but Honda did quite a good job of the stock settings, linked brakes are nice for street riding, center stand, single sided swingarm, etc. Just lots of nice little touches that Honda does. I'm not sure if i'd consider the gear driven cam V-4 or the later Vtec models as "old" engines, both are pretty techy, produce plenty of power, very smooth, and reliable.
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Aug 27, 2014 08:36
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