Thinking of buying a motorcycle.

Thinking of buying a motorcycle.

Just a Ninja 250. I see some for 2k with less than 4k miles, or maybe brand new one for 4k.

Ill be using the bike 90% of the time for school and work. School is 15mins of back roads, very little vehicular traffic. Work is like 3 mins away.

By buying a bike, i will achieve two things: 1. lengthen the life of the AE82, and 2. building my credit - for future use.

Any thoughts?

I am getting my motorcycles license next month and also plan on getting a ninja 250 next year. I plan on staying away from highways and nighttime riding.

just get it, no reason not to.

Gotta be extra extra extra careful. Death rides on two wheels.

Sounds good to me. I must tell you that motorcycling will become an addiction.

My neurophysiology department gets 90% of all human brains from motorcycle accident drivers. Just a friendly FYI.

why not sell your 82 and get a safer commuter?

Its not worth selling IMO. I might get 2.5k-3k max for it. Then I use that for a DP on another car that is used, pay around 200/mo. And that car would last me maybe 4-5 yrs (or more but lets say).

That plan or just buy a bike, the ae82 will last another 4-5 years since its not used as much, and I get to pay off the bike at the same time. Get lots of experience with a beginner bike, then down the road upgrade to a 1kcc bike.

If I dont get a bike this week, it probably wont happen. And Im still weighing my options. Honestly, I absolutely hate having debt (or even making monthly payments) so I'm still really thinking this stuff over...

Train yourself on the 250, then buy a 600. That's all you'll need.

see the thread in my sig for lots and lots info. take the MSF, and for chrissakes, GET FULL GEAR.

how the economy is getting a motorcycle/street bike would save you alot of gas money.

true, but it wouldn't save on maintenance costs.

please share some info on this. thanks for the fyi. I will also be taking the MSF in a couple of weeks. I just have to make sure im off that weekend before i sign up. oh and what link on your sig?

RIP. sorry to hear that. whats the full story? was it his fault, someone else, something on the road, speeding?

Motorcycles are expensive to maintain. Unlike a car you need to change the oil far more frequently and is much more of a pain in the ass to do by yourself. Keeping the chain oiled, tires don't last anywhere near as long as car tires. Stowing it away during the winter PROPERLY. Fuel stabilizer or draining the tank, keeping it clean is a lot tougher and more intricate than washing a car. Also the link her sig just says "VROOM"

^ yes more of that kind of info please.

Approximately how much miles do the tires last if wont be revving the bike up to 398475345k rpms and not doing wheelies etc.

Also, being a daily driver probably even on the winter (here in houston) I mean we probably get 1 month of extremely cold weather and very little ice-on-road situations so winter storing should not be an issue for me.

If I will be riding the bike approx 20-30mi 5 days a week, what kind of maintenance am I looking at?

@ falnfenix:
Thanks for that link. Good good good job on that write up and the links! I am looking at the HelmetHarbor to buy all my equips. Question is: How true are their ratings? Hopefully they are not bias but I saw some pretty good ratings from all over the price range.

I rode approximately 60 miles a day, 5-7 days a week. I replaced a tire ever year. I changed the oil every 1500 miles because I did alot of rush hour. Keep in mind though, rpm doesn't really effect the tire wear that much. Yes, it does heat up, but the heat difference between 40 and 90 is negligible. The reason the tires chew up is because they are a very soft compound designed to aid in gripping road surface. Mine came stock with a bridgestone, I ended up going to a Dunlop and really liked the Dunlop.

Thanks. Judging buy your post I might get away with changing tires maybe every 1.5-2 years. If I change oil every 1.5k miles, thats once every two months. That does not sound too bad, does it?

Also, check your tire frequently. If you get something in the tire that causes a flat. DO NOT REPAIR IT. Replace it. Period.

Thanks again. Im looking at the MSF stuff... I think ill be going to one the week after next.

this is a first to see someone actually starting out with a smaller bike before upgrading. too many people try and start off with a big bike and then crash or don't have the right people to ride with to learn.

DeebsTundra: i don't think living in texas will be a problem with winter.

I've got friends from California who are piled under 14 blankets in 70 degrees, you never know with people. I had the thing sitting out until about 15 degrees at which point it was just miserable to ride.

Definitely be sure to take the MSF course first before anything and like said by FAL full gear, don't follow the squids lol.... A 250cc would be plenty of go for a commuter bike that's cheap on gas/insurance and you won't have to worry about wheelies on that thing even if you rev the hell out of it. As for tires they're cheaper than the 600cc and bigger bikes since they're skinnier tires, down in Houston being so hot get a hard/medium compound tires and they'll last you longer and you still will have plenty of traction through turns. On new tires make sure to take it easy for about 50-100 miles so that new tire oil wears off and won't cause you to wreck. Mainly is hella fun to be honest, I miss my bike a lot. It's all about being safe, learning how to read drivers and just watch the road like a hawk!

Haha yea, I remember when I went to Phoenix couple yrs back and it was 80 degrees and there were ppl wearing hoodies and jeans lol I was wearing shorts and a muscle shirt haha..... Lowest I've ridden is to 8 degrees and I'll probably never do that again lol, I was hurting bad for about an hour.

Since we rebuilt my bike (bought it needing a rebuild), the only thing that's gone is the regulator - over 1000 miles after the rebuild & nothing else went..

It's cheaper than the 2..hahah

Thanks for the input guys. Im having mixed emotions now. I think I need to save up more before I buy a motorcycle. Lets do the bills...
(overestimating)
500 - equips
500 - dp (not sure if the dealership will want higher)
xxx - insurance (probably in the 3 digits/mo?)
xxx - payments /mo

The reason why I want a bike is to save the ae and to save $$$ wise (at least in gas and some expenses on ae) and the experience of course. Being a student and pt employee, and the fact that I want to see my bank with lots of $$$ everytime I go online, I think I am still not quite there yet on getting a bike...

But I want one too. Im lost.

the VROOOM link. go read it. alll that information is in that thread.

estimate a grand for gear. yes, a grand. don't skimp, that's the ONLY thing saving your ass in a crash.

don't buy new. you'll drop the bike, and you'll end up pissed off that you scuffed your brand new bike.

already did. thanks! that was a great thread esp the shopping links.

If I was to buy a used bike, that might convince me to buy a bike... I can afford 2k + equips.


edit:
I forgot what 1k/year of maintenance would cover? Tires, oil changes, ?

that will depend entirely on how much you ride and what the bike itself requires, but if you search google you should be able to find a good, reliable maintenance schedule...based on mileage, not years.

I put mine in storage for about 3 months a year, hit or miss depending on the weather that year. And I would dump roughly $5-600 every spring into it to get it ready for riding.

As for insurance, how old are you? I was 22-24 when I had my 600r, and the cheapest place I could find for insurance was fucking outrageous. That was $280 a month. And my driving record is NOT that bad. The most expensive place wanted something like $700 a month. Keep in mind, under 25 + male = high insurance.

With that being said we're not trying to talk you out of buying a bike. But, coming from people who have owned them, and been thru all the shit, we're just trying to make sure you stay safe and informed.

^ O wow. I have near perfect driving records if not perfect. Im 21. I guess Ill wait til im 25 to get lower insurance. I heard that the first year of bike riding insurance is always up so high.