anybody ride a ninja ex250?

I am a paramedic and I have had a lot of experience with them....

All bad.  izzy:

 

I have some experience with the Ninja 500.

The Ninja EX500 is generally considered to be a good starter bike. It is quite capable but at the same doesn't have the deadly power of the liter bikes. It handles quite well and is a fun bike to drive.

I would guess that the EX250 will kinda feel anemic on the roads.

Be safe whichever bike you choose.

 

I'd agree that the 250 is probably going to be a bit small. It might be OK for buzzing around town, but going on long trips or taking a passenger could be a problem. The 500 is probably a better choice. You need enough power to get out of your own way (as they say). Just have fun and stay alert out there.

 

The 250 is the smarter idea to learn to ride on. Plus, its lighter and smaller, which is a LOT more forgiving on the throttle. If you were to say hop on an R6 and hit that throttle to much you are dumpin it no doubt. I'd say go for the 250, I loved mine when I had it.

 

A 2 hour trip on a 250 will probably make your hands numb. Remember that on the hwy, you will using the motor at much higher rpm for cruising and will most probably be uncomfortable. I don't know the current market but you might be able to pick up a used ex500 cheaper than a new ex250. A lot of these are sold as starter bikes and invariably the riders end up upgrading to more powerful (and dangerous) liter bikes. Tracking down an excellent condn ex500 shouldn't be that diffficult.

Just my opinion from my own experience. However I do not ride anymore, so what do I know  

Whatever you get, please be safe and be alert.

 

I personally wouldn't get the 250. I think you have the right idea to start with a bike with less of a learning curve but that's shooting a little low. The power of the 250 is going to get old real quick and then you are going to be looking to dump it and buy something else. I wouldn't feel safe on a 250 on the interstate at all. No guts to get out of the way if needed.

I would get either the ex500 that has been recommended here or maybe even the SV650, but if you look in the used market, there are so many bikes under the 600cc range that can be had cheap.

I've ridden my entire life and have been lucky with no major accidents. It's not a matter of if you have one, its when. Get yourself into a motorcycle safety class immediately and ride defensively.

When you come to a stop where cars will be pulling up behind you, keep the bike in gear and position yourself to where you can get out if the person behind you doesn't stop. I know a guy that was hit from behind sitting at a stoplight and is now paralyzed. He wasn't watching the car pull up and she sandwiched him between her car and the car in front of him. Had he been watching her and put himself in the lane where he could get away, it wouldn't have happened.

The best advice I can give you to stay alive on two wheels is everytime you swing your leg over that bike, get it in your head that you are invisible when you are on it. People will not see you and pull out in front of you... approach each intersection carefully and assume they dont see you.

Please at least wear a helmet... ATGATT (all the gear all the time). Reach down and feel the knot on the side of your ankle... that wont feel good grinding down the pavement, buy some boots. Gloves protect your hands and keep skin from rubbing off if you crash.... you always put your hands down first when you fall.

I had some Harley guy at the post office say "aren't you hot in that...?" as he looked me over on a pair of boots, armor lined pants and jacket and holding a helmet with my gloves in it on a 85 degree day and I replied "yes, but it feels better than my flesh scraping down the highway when a soccer mom on a cell pulls out in front of me". He didn't know what to say after that and just nodded.

When you get a bike, take it to an open parking lot and practice defensive maneuvers. Get used to how your bike feels when you have to grab everybit of brake you can without locking the wheels. I ran up on a group of about 30 wild turkeys standing in the middle of a rural road on the way to work one morning and found out real quick how easy it was to lock the wheels on my new BMW R1150R a few years ago. Thank God I was able to keep it upright but I wasn't prepared because I hadn't practiced the differences in the brakes going from a Ducati to this bike. The Ducati's rear brake was worthless and the BMW would lockup with the slightest jab of the pedal. Had I practiced in a parking lot or on my street, I would have known and wouldn't have had to right to stay up.

Teach yourself not to target affixiate (google it if you have to), ride smart, wear the gear and you'll live to tell about it. IrishBryan wont have to scrape you up off the road... :wink:

 

Brian is spot on here.

All the people that I have seen that lived through "laying it down" had all the gear on. Helmet gloves leather armor the whole sha-bang. The ones who don't walk away even from the most "minor" of wreck is the ones who wern't wearing a helmet.

I am sorry I am not going to turn this thread into a philosophical debate on whether you should or should not wear a helmet. All I can tell you from over 10 years on the street is I have seen very few people walk away from a high speed/highway bike accident who were not wearning a helmet.

 

No apologies needed. It's not that hard to figure out and I dont see any need for a 'debate'

I don't mean to start a debate either, but what I do find absolutely idiotic is in the State of Ohio, you have to wear a seatbelt in a car but if you are on two wheels, you're not required to wear a helmet.    

I cringe everytime I go down the highway and see some nut riding his wife or girlfriend on the back of his bike with no helmet, shorts and a tanktop.  izzy:

 

Last bike I owned was a Royal Enfield...way back when..


Wouldn't own a bike today, too much traffic, and not too many bikes too my liking, except perhaps another Royal Enfield, or one of the new Triumph Scramblers.

Cheers
Harold