advice for first bike

[countryboy116]

Hey yall im only 17 but ive been kinda gettin into bikes lately, wondering what would be a good first bike, i like both street bikes and cruisers, which would yall think would be safer, theres a few kids at school with street bikes so i may wanna get a cruiser type. Anyways ive heard good things about the Ninjas in both the 250 or 500, im looking into doing this because i want something that gets better gas mileage than my big 4x4 truck and have always though bikes are cool, kind of have a sense of freedom on them ya know.. Anyways what would yall recomend, if i got a street bike i'd look at the ninja but what about for a cruiser? and which would you think would be best and safest. This isn't something im going to be going crazy with, i have my fun thrashing around in my truck, just something that isnt boring to ride but isn't too much that ill end up hurting myself. Also my parents are kind of against me doing this and are saying im gunna have to wait untill im atleast in college to get one, any ideas on how to help persuade them otherwise? Thanks for the help yall and sorry for the long first post.

[Schneiderman]

For cruisers, the smaller shadows are a very popular choice. Another favorite of mine is the Suzuki Marauder which is a great bike and a great value. Pretty much anything 250-800cc is a good beginner cruiser.

The Ninja 250 and 500 are great choices for a sportier kind of bike, though really they are more "standard".

For persuading your parents you can bring up the financial side of it, and if you take the MSF course and show them that you're going to be responsible that should help.

If you can get your dad into motorcycles, that's the ticket in!

[countryboy116]

my dads always liked harleys, some of his buddies have them, one of them just wrecked his bike though which isnt helping me at all, i talked to them about the course and they dont want me to take it cause itll just get me more excited to get one haha, im really hopin i can get my dad to finally buy that harleys hes always wanted though, that should help
also not sure how much this matters but im about an average size guy i guess, 6ft 215lbs, not fat though, the mentioned bikes should fit me ok right?

[Schneiderman]

Yeah, I'm 6' and I fit just right on the 500, and the 250 feels good to me too. The 2008 model is surprisingly comfortable. I found the Shadow 600 to be a little cramped but everything else should be good.

[countryboy116]

yeah, when i get one im thinking about gettin a ninja 500, that should be good i think, im really wanting to improve over my 14 mpg in my truck, i should be able to get around 60-65mpg riding a ninja 500 right

[Schneiderman]

I average about 60, for reference I am 150 pounds, the bike was bought brand new last fall and well maintained, I run 87 octane gas, have done mostly expressway riding shifting at 4k and cruising around 6k (65-70mph). This will change over the summer as I ride more for pleasure rather than commuting and I'll be shifting a little higher and riding in the twisties. I expect my mileage to drop a little.

The 500 really reacts to how you ride it, I've achieved 70mpg, I've also achieved 40mpg... it really depends on how you ride it.

[countryboy116]

o ok, thats good to know, thanks for all the help