I just thought I would quickly introduce myself since it is my first post, and hopefuly it would help with suggestions.

I am a forum *****, where I will sit on these bloody things if they have relivance to my life only to learn like a mad man till I can have intelligent discussions. From a bike stand point, I got nothing other then just a M1 and getting my M2 in Oct (graduated license in Ontario, no passengers). Other then the odd dirt bike adventure and cruising beach bars in Cozumel with scooters I have been dedicated to 4 wheels.

I am 6'1 200 lbs (and NOT 16/f/wet) as its relivant to picking the right bike.

My current car is a 01 Audi S4 - 'slightly modified' bi-turbo - it quenches my thirst for power we will leave it at that, but at the cost of quenching its thirst for fuel @ 91 octane for daily driving.

The bike I want is more sporty like what the Ninja 250r offers, but I want gas mileage for city driving so I can keep my car in the garage on my way to work (65% of my riding), with the odd fun driving with friends on their 600+ bikes (15%) and just if I am going somewhere by myself on a road trip in the summer or visiting friends a distance away (20%).

That said and this is where the archives haven't been to helpful. What kinda gas mileage savings would I start seeing between a 250 vs 600? Like would it be 1/3 of a savings with a 250 vs the 600 to justify that it is 1/3 as powerful as the 600? Especialy with my fatness. Final question, and I am posting on the Kawasaki forums because of my eye on the 250R, but is there potentialy a 600 that is better on gas? Example Honda? Suzuki? Yahama? etc.

One thing I think I like which I read a lot about is that the 250 would be a good starter bike, as you are learning how to get the most out of your bike by having a smaller engine, which would be great I think where I am, so when I jump to a larger displacement I will have more control, and potentialy have better riding skills.

 

The most important aspect of learning to ride, and surviving, is not the displacement...it is your brain. The simple fact is that 600's are faster and more performance-oriented. 250's are great bikes, it really just depends on what you want. I started on a 600 and everything has been great, it is all about the rider...


Oh...and welcome to KF bro...

 

Anybody with a brain and a molecule of self-preservation can ride a more powerful bike without killing himself. If you think you have the discipline to handle a 600 without killing yourself, save yourself the step of buying a 250 and quickly tiring of it like I did. I loved the nimble lightness of the 250, but winding it to 9K on the highway wasn't something I could live with, so I upped the ante' to 920 and haven't looked back. The 250 was a stellar bike...for what it is, but I have far more appreciation for the effortless power I have now. I don't race and ride like a maniac, but when I need to go, it GOES, without a deafening scream at 70mph.

After starting myself out on a 250, I now see no foul in a newbie starting on a 600 if he / she has a level head. Hindsight makes me wish I'd opted for a 650R, but I guess everything happens for a reason.

 

Thanks,

I guess too I should add I am 28/m so not a youngen at all, with cars I have gone through my share of speeding tickets when I was younger.

For example one of my tenants is 19 and I agree from sitting back and being there / done that, when your not mature enough to take on the responsibility of owning a bike, your not going to survive very long on one.

Along with taking a riding course in October which includes my exit course to be graduated to the higher license I feel pretty confident.

As you mentioned though, a 600 is still a decent bike to learn on, and in all honesty 100% of my friends of learned on a 600 or larger, knock on wood none are missing today.

Main concern too of course is fuel economy / performance. Is it worthwhile getting a 250 when your not saving enough to justify the performance hit.

 

Either way you will do better than most cars, and yeah I was 26, a war veteran, father, and husband when I got my first streetbike, so I feel ya...if you were 16 and wanted to start on a busa (which we see quite often!) it would be a different story.

 

I always recommend starting on a smaller bike. I could never imagine hopping on a 6 and not dropping it. Just search you tube "squid drops bike" and there will be TONS of vids on why not to start big.
To the fuel economy issue:
I have a Ninja 250 which (mainly for others to learn on) but average over 60 MPG and cost about 15 to fill up with mid grade octane (In Texas at least)
I also have a 05 GSXR 600 which gets about 45MPG (depending on how often I blip the throttle)
Type of riding is key. If you like to rev then clearly MPG's go way down. Regardless it's still cheaper on the wallet to fill up the bike as opposed to the 6cyl car. $15 VS $50

 

Plenty of ppl drop 250's as well, I'm just saying that the rider's brain is often the missing link in learning to ride well.

 

Thanks guys, actualy this is what I needed to get my head towards. Duh, if you haven't seen a half million MPG commercials already, I should have clued in where to be looking.

My car averages 9.5L/100 km ~ 25 MPG and less in the city.

I know a 600 will likely prefer 91 octane, but the difference isn't signficiant enough to justify the 1/3 less power is what I was looking for. Difference in saving of about : using 1.20 / L locally

600 5.2 L / 100 km = $6.24 / 100 km
250 3.9 L / 100 km = $4.68 / 100 km
S4 9.5L / 100 km = $11.40 / 100 km

I am trying to justify it to myself - this is not a toy, its saving me money in the long run!

 

Agreed. The bike will almost always go down but benefits out weight the consequences. The 2 fiddy is WAAY more forgiving in weight, throttle response and rider position to allow one to react better then on a actual sportbike. Again IMO tho.

Def need to be in right mindset to ride on 2 wheels. Learning this as I'm teaching my girl how to ride. WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO DRAG HER FEET AND NOT TAKE 2ND????

Had to rant

 

Sorry yes off topic, but my friend was teaching his wife to dirt bike and she was doing the samething, and said dirt biking was gay. He then bought her a 4 wheeler, now she rides 5 mph around the track...I think it's how comfortable you feel on the bike, since you can't put training wheels on the back.

I think I might just sit back a bit on the forums now and watch the classifieds now that the season is slowly winding down (who I am kidding theres still 3 months left) but definately 250r if I can get a good deal, or a used 600 but more swayed to the 250r.