Well, I had been looking primarily at the Ninja 250R as my first bike, and had kind of planned for that, but the more I think about it, and read around, the more I am unsure.
I am 5'11" and weigh 220. The max speed limit that I will ever encounter is 55MPH, and even that is fairly rare for where I will be driving. I will typically be doing 40ishMPH. I keep reading that the Ninja is a great beginners bike, and that is does really well for its size, and so forth, and it is a nice looking bike. I also, partially, like the idea of it being a nice, light bike. Since it will be my first and all.
That said, it has basically no storage capacity, and since I plan to use it to commute to and from work each day, and will likely want to buy at least small amounts of food and drink, it seems like I might be SOL on the Ninja. Plus, it has a ton of fairings, which means it will be more costly when I lay it down. (not saying I will, but I am assuming that it is going to happen at least once in the beginning months)
Now, the other bikes that I see for sale in my area that are within my price range are either brands I have not really heard of, which makes me wary (Qingqi, Daelim, Rieju, Hyosung, to name a new) or are older models, which also makes me wary. Not that I have anything against older bikes, but if I can get 2004 or newer, it makes me feel a bit safer since I dont know anything about maintaining them, or what could be wrong with it. I have a friend that rides that will come with me, be he says himself that he isnt too technical when it comes to the bikes.
So that leaves me looking at a Suzuki Intruder VS800, or a Honda VT750 Shadow. They are both Cruisers, while the Ninja isnt, but they have storage capacity. Both could have saddlebags attached, and they are heavier. Now, I know I said that I liked the Ninja because it was lighter, but most of the roads I will be going one are single lane roads, and with heavy big rig traffic. And with no center divider, the suction is likely going to be a decent factor. Also, I have two bridges to drive over, where the cross winds can get fairly fast.
So what do you guys think? And are the two Cruisers too big for me as a newcomer? The engines are huge compared to the sport bikes, but I have come to the understanding that it isnt as big of an issue since the Cruisers dont drive like the sport bikes...
Thanks for your help!
I am 5'11" and weigh 220. The max speed limit that I will ever encounter is 55MPH, and even that is fairly rare for where I will be driving. I will typically be doing 40ishMPH. I keep reading that the Ninja is a great beginners bike, and that is does really well for its size, and so forth, and it is a nice looking bike. I also, partially, like the idea of it being a nice, light bike. Since it will be my first and all.
That said, it has basically no storage capacity, and since I plan to use it to commute to and from work each day, and will likely want to buy at least small amounts of food and drink, it seems like I might be SOL on the Ninja. Plus, it has a ton of fairings, which means it will be more costly when I lay it down. (not saying I will, but I am assuming that it is going to happen at least once in the beginning months)
Now, the other bikes that I see for sale in my area that are within my price range are either brands I have not really heard of, which makes me wary (Qingqi, Daelim, Rieju, Hyosung, to name a new) or are older models, which also makes me wary. Not that I have anything against older bikes, but if I can get 2004 or newer, it makes me feel a bit safer since I dont know anything about maintaining them, or what could be wrong with it. I have a friend that rides that will come with me, be he says himself that he isnt too technical when it comes to the bikes.
So that leaves me looking at a Suzuki Intruder VS800, or a Honda VT750 Shadow. They are both Cruisers, while the Ninja isnt, but they have storage capacity. Both could have saddlebags attached, and they are heavier. Now, I know I said that I liked the Ninja because it was lighter, but most of the roads I will be going one are single lane roads, and with heavy big rig traffic. And with no center divider, the suction is likely going to be a decent factor. Also, I have two bridges to drive over, where the cross winds can get fairly fast.
So what do you guys think? And are the two Cruisers too big for me as a newcomer? The engines are huge compared to the sport bikes, but I have come to the understanding that it isnt as big of an issue since the Cruisers dont drive like the sport bikes...
Thanks for your help!