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I recently purchased a Kawasaki Ninja 250. This was my first bike and I rode it for three weeks and sold it. I liked the 250, however it felt underpowered and I don't think it was meant for longer cruises.
I originally purchased the 250 for a couple of reasons, one being the gas mileage. I was getting 71 mpg. The second being the bike felt comfortable to learn on. Insurance was cheap on this thing as well.
I would like to stay with sporty bikes such as the Ninja, however I would like something more powerful, comfy for long trips ie: day trips. Not gas thirsty and can usually be found for under $2,000.00 used.
Suzuki SV650 or a Ninja 500? Don't know about that price range though. Bikes maybe cheaper where you live than where I am. Also bad economy is making for some good deals.
I have an old Nighthawk, cheap and reliable but not sporty looking.
The only thing sporty about a Ninja 250 is the name.
The best thing to do is lurk around craigslist, and not be picky. With that budget you can probably find some really nice bikes, but looking for something specific will immediately rule out a great deal.
Something like this **Suzuki Sport Bike Price Dropped YouTube Video inside Make offer!! (http://houston.craigslist.org/mcy/1236974126.html - broken link)
fits the bill perfectly, but you'd likely never ever find it by searching directly for it.
You could jump on up to something like a Bandit 1200 or Yamaha FZR-1000, provided you use some discretion with the "loud handle". The liter bikes will get excellent mileage if you are not always doing the "squiddly-diddly" act.
If you can find a well-kept example, the old FJ 1100/1200 bikes are really excellent bikes, fast for their era, bit overweight and underpowerd by current standards, but still a good bike.
I would look into naked bikes like the SV650 or the 90s Nighthawk - they let you get down on them like a sport bike but they aren't uncomfortable like sport bikes are. $2k is not much to get a decent bike though - I'd shoot for $3k minimum on a newer bike, maybe an early 90s Nighthawk 750 for closer to $2k.
Another point is that *in general* Kawasaki's full-on sportbikes tend to be a little less hard-edged than the other 3 of the big 4.
Although I think what I hear you saying is that you want a sport-touring bike.
A really good bike that's out there in big numbers and you will find plenty of them to look at is the Kawasaki 500 cc 2-cylinder Ninja.
Really, I would just suggest looking through ads, maybe cruise through some dealers who do used bikes, and see what's out there. Sooner or later something say 500cc or bigger will turn up that will distinguish itself as a good deal.
The SV Suzuki previously mentioned is another really good "intermediate" bike.
I wouldn't get too wrapped around the axle regarding the state of wear parts, particularly on a sport or sport touring bike. Better to buy a bike that needs tires soon than one that some idiot has put a set of fresh but cheap skins on, damn I hate it when people do that stupid trick.
IMO, I've owned both a 250 and a 500 and I didn't notice much of a difference between the two. I bought the 250 to learn on and the 500 for my track bike. So if you're not happy with the performance of the 250, the 500 might just be another "keep for a short while and then sell".
But I'll agree to disagree with mikeyyc's comment about the 250 not being sporty. At least mine was!
The SV650 is a great bike!
As you move up in cc's, might I also recommend the FJR1300. Perfect type of touring bike.
Last edited by canibeyou; 06-30-2009 at 12:59 PM..
Reason: Typos! :)
I don't recommend jumping on a litre sport bike if you just started riding. If you felt comfortable with the 250, then an SV650 is an excellent next motorcycle. It'll take a long time to reach the limits of the SV650 and the bike is highly regarded.
Anything over either 500 or 7500 cc is going to jump up the insurance, but not terrible.
I opted for Buell Blast over the Ninja 250. Not much more HP, but way more torque. Still, a very small bike. On top of the SV 650, a great option, the GS500 is another good low cost, and more comfortable bike. If you can find it, a new Seca II 750 could be alright
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