[HollowTruth]

Oh cool! I'll keep looking around and asking for people's opinions on those bikes. Ideally I'm looking for around the same price range as that's what I can afford at this point in time.

But yes! Whichever bike I do end up getting I will definitely ride for a while!

If I may ask, is there a reason you don't ride your katana? Just not as fun to ride?

Thank you again for all your assistance and insight, it has really helped !

[maniac1886]

My first bike was a Kat 600. I rode the summer before I bought it on a buddies cb650 that was given to him. Didnt put too many miles on it just enough to learn some of the basics. I think the Kat is a great first bike, as long as you respect the power. Granted they are not powerhouses, but for a first time rider, there is a lot of power there. My buddy had an Ex500 Ninja. POS freaking bike. Always something wrong with it. If you want to learn how to wrench more than ride, by all means gets yourself a ninja! lol But seriously, the upside to the kat is that there is enough power there to not want to get rid of it at the end of the riding season. I've been riding my Kat for like 3 years now, its still got enough umph to keep me entertained. They are cheap, they run good, and they arent too powerful. Here in a couple years I will probably be getting myself a gixxer but you can bet the Katana will always be my first true love and I wont get rid of her for nothing. Thats the upside to the Kat, its not a bike you buy to sell like the 250 and 500 ninjas. Its a bike you keep, you learn, and you grow a relationship with. Im not going to lie, i bought the katana because it "looked" like a sport bike. I got lucky because I actually stumbled upon an excellent bike with little to no knowledge of motorcycles at the time.

PS - Kat engines are pretty much bulletproof if you take the time to take care of it.

[rk97]

If I may ask, is there a reason you don't ride your katana? Just not as fun to ride?

!

I have a job that requires a suit every day, and a 7 month old daughter. Add in 10 race days a year, and the fact that I have been doing a lot of maintenance on my katana, and I haven't gotten many chances to get out.

Nothing to do with the bike.

[rschlegel]

I would not recommend one but would not say its a horrible idea. I rode a little Honda 50 express scooter when I was 14. When I was 15 in 1983 I got my first real motorcycle. It was a 1972 Honda CB750. I was about 90 pounds and that bike was just over 600 pounds and never had a problem. I learned how to ride it in my front yard so learned slow speed stuff before getting on the road. It has a lot to do with the personality and natural abilities that people have. I will always say that a smaller light weight bike is the best to learn on though.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

If its been a well cared bike or even garged it should fit your bill well . you will love the machine . look at tires chain and sprockes and brake pads for extra expenses on your purchase .
Don't buy a pile .

[dannyh982]

I have mixed reviews about the ninja. I've heard it's a good starter bike, but breaks down easily and parts are expensive to replace and you grow out of it way too fast. So I'm not too sure about what to think for the ninja. I'll need to look into the others you listed! Thanks for the suggestions though!!

I own both a 2001 Katana 600 and a 2004 Ninja 250. Both are very reliable, I didn't winterize the ninja at all last winter. It sat for 5 months, I turned the key on pulled the choke back and it fired up within 5 sec, didnt even have to charge the battery. If I let the Katana sit for over 2 weeks I will be cleaning the carbs. As far as outgrowing it as much as I love the Kat I always get off the 250 with the biggest smile on my face. It is a absolute blast to ride.

As far as parts go for the ninja they built the same bike from 1986-2007 so parts are abundant and cheap.

[rschlegel]

I have never really heard of problems with the Ninjas other than the beating they may take. The poor little things are troopers. You get new riders abuse because they are learning and then you get older rider abuse because they are so much fun to scream around on.

[dannyh982]

I have never really heard of problems with the Ninjas other than the beating they may take. The poor little things are troopers. You get new riders abuse because they are learning and then you get older rider abuse because they are so much fun to scream around on.

Agreed they will take a beating. Some of my friends where going dirt riding and all I had was the Ninja. I thought wth I only have $400 in it and had the fairing off at the time to paint. I was jumping that thing 15 ft. Little hard on the landings LOL. My girlfriend has lowsided it twice. I have beat that thing harder than any bike deserves and it never fails to crank and ride.

[HollowTruth]

Yea! I was hoping to keep the bike for a couple years so long as everything is in good working order! Thanks!

Ah I see I see. Well thanks again for all your info!

I would not recommend one but would not say its a horrible idea.

Is the reason for not recommending because it's better to learn on a smaller bike?

look at tires chain and sprockes and brake pads for extra expenses on your purchase.

About how much would it typically cost to replace those parts?

[shpielers]

Cost on replacing those really depends on how much you're willing to spend and on what bike. Better quality almost always costs more with regards to these.
For a Kat, good tires are going to be ~150 each, chain ~120+, sprockets ~80 (for both), brake pads ~100 (all pads on the bike)
For a Ninja, tires are more like ~100, but other than that, everything else is going to run about the same.

Ninja will cost less to operate and insure, and should cost less to repair if you get something in the 89-07 range. As was already stated earlier, there were almost 0 changes in that range (as far as I can tell, they were all cosmetic)

I learned on a Ninja 250. Still have it. Although I cant say letting it sit for 5 months works for me. I'm almost the exact opposite, let the Ninja sit for 2 weeks and I need to clean the carbs, let the Kat sit a while and it's fine (granted, the longest the kat has sat since I got it 3 years ago was 1 month when I spent a lot of time in the hospital and physically couldn't ride).

As much as I love my Kats, I'd personally recommend starting out on the ninja. Lighter, less power to get you in trouble, but still as much as a normal car, cheaper... + when you think you're getting bored with it, it's because you don't actually know how to ride. It's easier to drag knees on a Ninja than a Kat. (well, for me at least) It's super light and flickable. Spend 150 on the suspension, and WOW it's a whole new bike (new springs appropriate for your weight, and a shock off a ZX600)

If you decide to go the Ninja route, check out these guys:
http://forums.ninja250.org/ Lots of good info there, even it it's a little hard to navigate.
If you go with a Kat, dont be a stranger, and throw some pics up!

[HollowTruth]

Awesome!! Thanks for all your info and the link! I will definitely look into ninjas as well if i can find one reasonably priced!