I want a maxi-scooter or motorcycle?

[SheVibe]

Hey to all you motorcycle know how's I'm looking into getting my first bike. I want in auto tranny cause i don't know how to ride one yet.I looked on-line and I have pointed to a few I like tell me what you think? A 250cc Roketa Bali scooter, a 300cc Wildfire touring MC-?scooter, or maybe a Kawasaki Ninja 250cc if I learn a clutch? I want something that is highway legal and goes to about 80mph.I also would like something that I can handle and is easy for a girl. I was looking to spend about 3,500 out the door. Thanks clueless girl Gretch

[djb383]

Being able to ride a bicycle second nature is a must. Then I would suggest a small USED scooter to learn on (you will likely dump it a time or two).......there's more to riding 2 wheels than clutch and gears or the lack there of. Excellent balance/coordination are a must. TAKE THE MSF COURSE, IT WILL LIKELY SAVE YOUR LIFE. YOU MUST RIDE LIKE YOU ARE INVISIBLE........TO 4 WHEELERS YOU ARE. Don't mean to scare you but riding 2 wheels is very serious business and an ABSOLUTE BLAST. Our Suzuki Burgmans and cruising the Davis Mountains in West Texas. click

[Sublimewind]

I would suggest the new Ninja 250 myself.... I've considered it myself.. The new one is re-designed for 07' and it's been the first re-tooling for the last 12yrs.. I think if you are planning on doing any highway miles on a bike, it should be a bike... The Ninja is right about 5k$ but all things considered, that's cheap.. AND, if you look at the Kawie site, it's a woman riding in the pics...

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »TAKE THE MSF COURSE, IT WILL LIKELY SAVE YOUR LIFE.Regardless of what anyone else says, the sentence above is the best advice for anyone new to two wheels. For the MSF basic rider course, the organization teaching the class provides the bikes. They don't assume anything about your level of knowledge or riding experience. They teach you everything from the ground up, and they do it in a safe, controlled environment. There are plenty of twist-and-go (automatic) scooters out there, but until you get into something along the lines of a Burgman, there aren't many options I'm familiar with that I'd feel comfortable doing 80 on. There are lots of reasonable options for small motorcycles that are stable at highway speeds, but most will have manual transmissions. Shifting gears on a motorcycle is a much more straightforward process than with a traditional manual transmission in a car. It's always either up or down.

[millster]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »I would suggest the new Ninja 250 myself.... I've considered it myself.. The new one is re-designed for 07' and it's been the first re-tooling for the last 12yrs.. I think if you are planning on doing any highway miles on a bike, it should be a bike... The Ninja is right about 5k$ but all things considered, that's cheap.. AND, if you look at the Kawie site, it's a woman riding in the pics... For one, it was redesigned for '08. My '07 was still the old-school bike. Secondly, if you're looking for something that will work on a highway, the Ninja is NOT the bike for you. They're great around town but on the highway, unless you want to keep the thing wound out it can't get out of its own way.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by millster »For one, it was redesigned for '08. My '07 was still the old-school bike. Secondly, if you're looking for something that will work on a highway, the Ninja is NOT the bike for you. They're great around town but on the highway, unless you want to keep the thing wound out it can't get out of its own way.07'-08' same difference... lol.. These things are nice to know, but how does that compair to a skooter on the highway? I can't imagine it struggling hard to do 70, am I that far off?

[millster]

Ha! No, not same difference at all since it's a totally different bike. Ha! Some of the scooters will run out better on the highway because they're built for that use. The Ninja will do 70 to 80+, no problem. It's holding it there for any length of time that gets really tiring. That little twin has a LOT of compression meaning backing off the throttle at all causes a loss of speed. HOlding the throttle open far enough to keep it moving at that speed is really tiring. Not to mention that at 70 in 6th gear, you're spinning at about 8K RPM.

[Sublimewind]

Hmmm.... No kidding, good to know... I was considering one for my 90mi a day commute... So wouldn't a rear sprocket change fix that? I know changing things on a brand new bike is a bit silly, but if I lost a tooth or 3, wouldn't that effectively lower my final drive ratio... Changing the sprocket and having the chain shortened isn't difficult..

[SheVibe]

Thanks guys looks like I'm going with the 300cc wildfire. It's not a bad price and I have someone in town that can fix it if I need something.

[djb383]

One thing to remember......if you can't get parts for it, nobody can fix it. Have you looked at the Big 3 - Honda, Suzuki or Yamaha scooters? I don't think any Chinese made bike has the reliability equal to the big 3 and you know you can always get repair parts for the big 3. Something to think about. Google 'wildfire scooter reliability', you may change your mind.

[millster]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Hmmm.... No kidding, good to know... I was considering one for my 90mi a day commute... So wouldn't a rear sprocket change fix that? I know changing things on a brand new bike is a bit silly, but if I lost a tooth or 3, wouldn't that effectively lower my final drive ratio... Changing the sprocket and having the chain shortened isn't difficult.. It WILL change the gear ratio, yes. But it still won't increase the power band of the engine. That's the little parallel twin's weakness. If you run taller gears so you're not spinning the engine so fast out on the highway, you're going to have to push it that much harder around town to get it to move. The engine just has NO torque below about 6000 RPM. If you're looking for a good commuter bike, you're much better off looking at the 500cc Ninja or something more along the lines of the Buell Blast (and IT has its problems as well in that regard) or a used Honda Nighthawk/Rebel 450. The 250s make great in-town bikes but they're just not well suited for touring.

[djb383]

I agree, changing the sprocket will hurt performance....kinda like putting taller tires on the Vibe. The Burgman 400 (scooter) will run 100 mph....80+ all day long but it's not $3500 either.

[Kamikaze]

Quote, originally posted by millster »It WILL change the gear ratio, yes. But it still won't increase the power band of the engine. That's the little parallel twin's weakness. If you run taller gears so you're not spinning the engine so fast out on the highway, you're going to have to push it that much harder around town to get it to move. The engine just has NO torque below about 6000 RPM. If you're looking for a good commuter bike, you're much better off looking at the 500cc Ninja or something more along the lines of the Buell Blast (and IT has its problems as well in that regard) or a used Honda Nighthawk/Rebel 450. The 250s make great in-town bikes but they're just not well suited for touring.Just to chime in... I agree millster, also, if you're willing to spend $5k on a 250R, go get a used 600 for less. I know a bike like mine is a little over kill for a commuter, but you could pick of a few year old 600 that will get you 40mpg + for fairly cheap, and your insurance won't kill you either...If you're looking to bang around town and you want a "crotch rocket" as oppose to scooter, the 250R is your bike. I'm not a scooter guy, but if my sole purpose was for MPG's around town, get the scooter, it will be more comfortable, insurance will probably be cheaper, It will probably have less maintenance issues.

[wyatt89]

Ninja 250 is not a good choice for highway riding as the rest have said...it's not that it strains to maintain 80, it's just that it's screaming at like 9k in top gear to do so...they are great city bikes, my buddy has one and he loves it. See if you can find one of those honda 600cc scooters, I have no idea how much they cost though...

[Sublimewind]

Personally, I woulf like a Honda CBR600F4i, but it's just seems like a lot of bike for someone that doens't/hasen't ridden that much... But, I trust you all's opinions... SheVibe, sorry to hijack your thread, I hope my hijackling has helped you with your decision making as much as it has me...

[SheVibe]

Really all this talking as got me thinking. And I still don't know what I want? I guess when I finish my motor classes I will get a better pic.Thanks G

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by Kamikaze »Just to chime in... I agree millster, also, if you're willing to spend $5k on a 250R, go get a used 600 for less.i agree w millster and kamikaze... don't forget. you're in minnesota. you won't be riding all year round. so a nice used bike will work fine for you.i've been in the market for a bike myslef. been looking at a used buell blast. not the fastest in the world. no crotch rocket, but the price is good.good luck