vader1

When I say I am quoted at $100 for a year on a new ninja 300, I have to state:

It is full coverage
I have no accidents on my record
I am 43 years old
It would be my fourth insured vehicle.

I pay a regular rate on my primary vehicle (Toyota Highlander) and each additional one my insurer charges less. But at my age, I can get the Highlander, the Supercharged S2000 (6 months coverage for the summer), a 300cc scooter, and add this Ninja for less than $1,000 a year total. All full coverage, low deductable. It is one of the few advantages of being old.

Young_R

Looking over Ninja 300, what a impressive bike. Its a great bike for sure and all their line ups made improvement. I will give Kawasaki

4forall

Hey i just saw this thread today. I just purchased a 300r about two weeks ago. Im also a first time rider to "sport bikes".

I rode dirtbikes and quads as a kid but that was always just messing around in a yard somewhere.

That being said i went through the same choices you did with what to get, i settled on the 300r for almost the exact same reasons you are leaning towards it.

Its a bit of a jump from a 250, you can take it on the highway without maxing it out. It looks like a larger bike b/c of the tires. Insurance is half of what it would cost me for a super sport bike. (im 26).

So far i have 82 miles on it. First 25 were on closed roads in a gated housing area. I have done the MSF course, so after those 25 i hit the streets. Even without the bike being broken in, its plenty for the streets.

Will i want a bigger bike a year from now, of course. I bought it with the intentions of selling it for near what i paid next summer and getting my dream bike.

I have 1 friend that has 2500 miles on his. He lives in the hills of Cali and he loves it still. All the reviews on it have been stellar and even veteran riders feel its great for not just a starter bike but a commuter or just carving corners where the 1000cc's make less of a difference.

If you want to know anything else just pm me.

I will add that the first place i looked was the cbr500rr, but i asked the local dealer and they said they "might" get one in may/june. I really didnt want to wait that long. And it was almost $1500 more than the 300r.

sahtt

This is bad advice, period [see the sticky I wrote for this forum many years ago if you want]. Someone who is hesitant to ride a 600cc, regardless of reason, should not do so until they feel comfortable. Life is only short if you make it so (for instance, by starting out on a 600 or 1000cc), most people can easily afford to have a dozen different motorcycles over their lifetime if they buy used. I'm glad you had good experience with your GSX-R's but that is irrelevant; good suggestion on not trying to keep up with people.

Regarding bike choice, the honda 250 or kawi 300 would both be great choices. No way in hell I'd buy a new ninja 300 for 5k or whatever the will end up costing. These bikes are bullet proof; I'd buy one a few years old as previously suggested or at least find the oldest honda 250 on the market and go that route.

WorksFor1098

Dooooooooon't get a new 250. If you are going to waste your time with a 250, go used. I say waste your time because honestly, a 250 is basically the equivalent to motorcycle training wheels. I would say 99% of riders will end up finding the bike underpowered once they get used to it, and then end up trading it in to go bigger. That = loss of money for you. I'm not saying not to buy a 250 however; I started 250 and reccomend it to anyone thinking about getting into street bikes.



I think a smarter move would be a 500. It is a better fit for someone like you who already has a few miles under his belt. It won't be as intense as a 600, having a much more predictable and linear power band.

Just don't buy a 600 unless you feel ready. But please for the love of god don't buy a brand new 250 either lol

WorksFor1098

Oh, to add a bit more depth to what I said a moment ago regarding underpowered. Increased power = increased potential for mistakes, but somethign people often forget is increased power = increased safety. Put simply, having throttle response when you want it and need it can save your ass from someone deciding to turn into your lane from riding a blind spot. Braking = worse usually because the person behind you might have you for lunch. 250 = lack of umph = screwed. Also, highway riding...250 is super light. That means you will blow all over the place, especially intimidating when a semi truck passes you...it can be downright scary for a new rider, if not dangerous. Also, 250's are not suitable for highway riding. You will find the engine is quite strained at highway speeds. This is annoying to you the rider, because you will want to shift into another gear but it is not there. This is very "tiring" over distance because of the monotonous drone, and can be a safety issue.



Everyone has a lot of opinions when it comes to biking if you haven't noticed already. Honeslty the best thing to do is take the MSF course first. But it think you will find that a 500 is probably more suitable for you with 3,000 miles of experience already. But its your money, so go ahead and do what you think best if its to buy 2 bikes. Just remember, the bike is suddenly going to run away from you... YOU have to twist the throttle to get that power. And you are going to "accidenlty" wheelie the bike, even a 600. Most 600's strain to doa power up wheelie unless you are in first gear and seriously stab the throttle while lifting up.

Red600rr

THe 300 sure looks nice, wouldve gotten that as my first bike if it was around. Right now I am looking to save money and Gas so I may trade the 600rr for it. Not too sure yet on that one though lol

TXApex

Just throwing my 2Cents in. I started with a Kawi 500 and am really glad that I didn't go with a smaller displacement. The 500cc bikes generally aren't going to make much if any more power than a 250/300 so you're not likely to get yourself into trouble. Due to the extra mass of a larger engine you'll have an even tougher time getting the front wheel off the ground.

The biggest reason though, is that at highway speeds 55+ the smaller displacement and smaller overall ergonomics of the bike make for a vastly less comfortable experience. I test drove a 250R and it felt like I had a hive of angry bees under me compared to my 500.

Gotpepsi

I purchased a 1996 ninja 250 as my first bike, dropped it, and sold it 6 months later to purchase my 600cc super sport. Its not worth purchasing a new ninja 300 just because it's a stepping stone to a larger displacement. I bought mine for 1600 and sold for 1400

cujet

I rode the Ninja 300 at Bike Week Daytona last year. I absolutely loved it because it needed to be "wrung out" to make it go. That in itself was a whole bunch O fun. And, it's a good enough bike that I could own one and be 100% happy with it as a second bike. Light, flickable, responsive and big enough to be comfortable for my 5'-10" 180 pound self. The bike was capable of reaching 100MPH and it made you work like crazy to do so. 70MPH is still working the little motor quite hard, but it will do it for years on end, without any sign of mechanical issues. These little bikes have generated a good reputation here.

I own a Suzuki SV1000s with a few mods to make it more comfortable. It's turned out to be an excellent choice for Florida's straight, flat and high speed roads. By the way, I ride quite responsibly here in South Florida as the old folks are a huge risk. I really can't use all the power the 1000cc V-Twin has. But, the big engine is very torque-y and makes easy work of passing a Q-Tip or Blue-Hair. Plus the relaxed nature of a bigger engine has it's advantages some days. I like the upright bars!