General J August 19, 2003 Share General J Member August 19, 2003 (edited) Anyone have any experience on a Buell? I know they are made by Harley Davidson. Overpriced? maybe.. I dunno. I was looking at the blast but have never heard anything about it. Anyone have any suggestions. Its a 492 cc bike which is power, but not too much power. I have been told to start off on the low end with a first bike. Its either this or find a 250 cc bike. I have not seen anything between 250 and 500 cc, so this is one of a few limited options. Opinions bike owners? I figure this would give me enough power, that if I decided to keep this bike a little longer than a year or 2 and once I am comfortable on it, I could take it on the highway to school without worrying about keeping up with traffic safely. Edit - Who wants to bet that I would kill myself on the trip home from the dealer on This? Edited August 19, 2003 by General J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond August 19, 2003 Share Gond Member August 19, 2003 A guy here at work has a Buel and loves it. I really don't know much about them but I see it in the lot and it's a nice looking bike. Far as size...don't jump on a 250 that fast. I have a 550 and if you get over 300 lbs on it your lagging down bad. Thats pretty easy to do with a passenger. I have another friend who just bought a 600. It was his first experience on a bike (other than the safety class he took which btw I highly recommend) and he hasn't had many issues. So, if your 150+ I'd suggest 600 to 650 in size (though I can't complain about my 550). Back on the course...here is a page from Ohio...not sure where you are but you can look around for one like it. In this course you can actually take your driving test on the last day...on their bikes...that is very cool. http://www.state.oh.us/odps/mo/default.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters August 19, 2003 Share gOOters Member August 19, 2003 J...go for it! Take that safety course though!!! I have been DROOLING over the Buell Lightning for about a year now. They incorporate some VERY cool technological features into their bikes. Of course, this guy I work with HATES Buell...but I think he hates anything that is not Ducati...snob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 20, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 20, 2003 (edited) Yes, I will be taking the safety course. A lot of places (Not sure about Missouri) if you take that class, they give you a card and it is as good as taking the driving and written test. So basically they just give you your license after the course. Gond- what kind of bike do you have? I remember seeing someone that makes a 500 and a 550 but can't remember who. Buell's blast (smallest cheapest bike they make) is a 492. I would assume that would be big enough to take safely on the highway eventually. I am really looking for a less expensive, but newer bike that I can get used to riding and get comfortable driving with traffic. Then I plan to move up to something bigger, say YZF R6 or a 700. Goot- Check that bad donkey bike out I would also kill for a ducati, but man are they expensive. Like buying a harley Edited August 20, 2003 by General J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond August 20, 2003 Share Gond Member August 20, 2003 I've got an 83 Honda Nighthawk 550. Got it in 86 for $1,300. I don't ride it much on the highway anymore cause it will be blown around by trucks. It's a good size bike for learning...if only I could part with it I'd probably look into a 700 but dang...I love that bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 20, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 20, 2003 I am looking more for a sports bike, not so much a cruiser. So I guess that's one thing to consider when looking at engine size is the weight associated with the bike itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters August 20, 2003 Share gOOters Member August 20, 2003 Im drooling J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickfoot August 20, 2003 Share quickfoot Member August 20, 2003 I been riding my whole life well since i was 14, if you can start with a dirtbike it will do wounders for your streetriding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters August 20, 2003 Share gOOters Member August 20, 2003 <---- YZ 125! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 21, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 21, 2003 Pretty much decided on the Kawasaki Ninja 250R. I have heard wonderful reviews from people on this bike. Only a 250cc bike, but it will run 14 sec 1/4 mi. from what I have heard. Also is light and well balanced. Any thoughts? I like the fact that the 250 has the full fairing but the 500 only has partial fairing. I really don't like the look of the "naked" bikes, so the 500 doesn't look too good to me. Kawasaki's web page The specs look pretty good for it, and at a good price. Considering that buell was 4-4.5 thousand and I wasn't all too crazy about the blasters look. -_- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond August 21, 2003 Share Gond Member August 21, 2003 Nice looking bike & a great price. My only question to ask the sales person is how much load it can carry. Not sure if you will be taking passengers or not (probably not on a 250). You will have to make the final decision of what is good for you. I would think that you will grow out of that 250 in 6 months to a year...could be wrong but that is a small engine. Course engines have probably come a long way in the past 20 years so maybe a 250 today is much better than the 250 I rode back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 21, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 21, 2003 (edited) I am going today to talk to them.... Only J would have an away message like this "Getting dressed to go get books, and drool over bikes I can't afford!" I am just going by the reviews I have read. Everyone has had great things to say about the bike. Here's a quote from a review, "I'm 5'6", 190# and it carries me just fine. It will beat almost any car off the line (0-60 @ 5.5s), gets 65 MPG and handles like a cat on carpeting." I will post back up after talking to the dealer. Hopefully I will have good news. Getting a loan will be the hard part of the deal. And insurance cost. What the freakness... Look at the euro model of the 250R! Looks totally different! (we have fatty's head as a smiley?! oh geez) Edited August 21, 2003 by General J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond August 21, 2003 Share Gond Member August 21, 2003 ROFLMAO...thats great. That review sounds pretty good. Give it a test ride. One good thing for insurance is that your in the lowest classification as far as size. Also, taking the course should help the insurance cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters August 21, 2003 Share gOOters Member August 21, 2003 Is that shag carpet or berber? Make sure to tell us how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond August 21, 2003 Share Gond Member August 21, 2003 Very good question g00t...cat's nails get stuck in the berber and they can't move...if it's berber you should avoid that bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters August 21, 2003 Share gOOters Member August 21, 2003 I was thinkin' berber would give a better grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 21, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 21, 2003 (edited) AH you two kill me. I went and looked at the bike. "not suggested for highway use... ever" is what I got... I was thinking about that before, seeing as though the bike only weighs like 304 lbs (dry weight) and then add me, 155lbs, on top. First truck that I drove past or that went by me and I would probably be moved 10 feet over from the wind. And they wanted $3700 for it. Sooo... I went down the street to a little car dealer that also has some bikes and was looking around. The guy showed me a 2000 Suzuki Katana 600. Had 8,000 mi. on it and said price was $3800. Only reason it was so low was due to a tip over in previous owners driveway that caused a few minor scratches on the front fairing. Nice looking bike, heavier, more power to "grow" into. I guess I have turned a 180 and am going back to finding a little bigger bike, probably used, maybe salvage title over the winter and fix it up for spring. First things first though, I gotta take a safety course. The one for St. Louis costs $175 (don't know if that is a lot, but other courses around were like $195) I would need a helmet, gloves, etc. They provide the bike. Oct 11 and 12 will probably be the date I sign up. So we will see how that goes. I also need to start working my donkey off and getting some more hours. Gond, you know how hard it is to get a loan on a bike by any chance? I am 18 with limited credit and my parents are not going to cosign since the loan on my truck is in their name, and they see the bike as completely pointless. Edited August 21, 2003 by General J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters August 22, 2003 Share gOOters Member August 22, 2003 I know alot about building credit...PM me with questions. What is your timeframe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 22, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 22, 2003 AHAHA screw parents... or atleast mine. Man, they had me looking at the bike situation so negatively, I was ready to give up until spring. BUT! I went to the bank to get my debit card and was introduced to Line of Credit. The bank lady said that she could even make the application based on me being a full time student. They have an intoductory 6 month apr. Then it goes to the credit cards 9.9 - 16.9% apr. She figured payments on a $3,000 line of credit would be around $90 a month. VERY VERY EASY FOR ME TO DO! And I also talked to a guy who was selling an 00 Ninja 250 for $2200 and he said that the only reason the sales people would suggest a 500cc or 600cc bike as a first bike is because of the higher price. He said he absolutly loved his bike and didn't have a single complaint about it. He also told me basically that 250 was MORE than enough power to get started for a while and that you can resell the bike in a year or 2 for like $500 less than what you bought it for, if even that much of a loss. Last time I listen to my parents when they say, "A loan that much with little credit... It's not going to happen unless you want to pay $150 a month!" Yeah, I'll be the one on the little bike saying, "look who has their second vehicle at 18!" I am just drooling over the money and miles I will save from not driving the truck around town and close to home. 50-60 mpg > ~20 mpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa August 22, 2003 Share Playaa Member August 22, 2003 hey...if you really want a fixer upper bike (with no title) I can sell ya mine for $200.....but it's a cruiser not a crotch rocket.... engine has 36,000 miles on it and turns over....it basically needs body work and such. Honda Custom CB750 (750cc bike, 1100lbs) I want to fix her up but am broke....I've been told there is a place in St. Louis that could make this bike look BETTER than brand new for $1500. interested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond August 22, 2003 Share Gond Member August 22, 2003 But your back to a bike you can't ride on the highway...which is fine if you don't need to. If your thinking about waiting till spring to buy one I would suggest you sock that 90 bucks a month away...then when you go to get your line of credit you can either spend more on the bike or get a smaller loan. Don't get too in debt at 18, you'll do that enough after college Taking the class before making too many decisions is a VERY good idea. They usually run 250's in those classes so you can get a feel for the size. You won't be able to do much with power cause you will probably only ride in a parking lot. If you look for a used bike don't worry about a few scratches from a drop. Your pretty much guaranteed to drop it at least once anyway...I know I did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General J August 23, 2003 Author Share General J Member August 23, 2003 As I said, course is October 11-12. I will be signing up next week after I get paid. I can most likely borrow a helmet from my g/f's dad. I will be saving until then. Had a guy tell me today that a bike shop was selling the 250 for around $3100. That's much better than the $3700 I had been told. My dad admitted that he was shocked at how low insurance would be for the bike as well. I called a guy selling a 2000 250, and asked him what he thought about it as a starter bike. He said he absolutly loved his, and that he would not suggest starting much bigger. The only reason he could thing of for the dealership trying to push the 500 is the price difference. But he said it handled well, had good acceleration, and would keep up in traffic very easily. He said if you got on it, it would beat a mustang gt in a straight line race. I don't really need to be doing that for awhile, so that is enough power for me. Either that or after my first bad shift and the bike standing up on me I might look like this... Or I might do this ---> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa August 23, 2003 Share Playaa Member August 23, 2003 J...a friend of mine just told me about someone in our area that is selling a 1985 Honda 500 sportbike for $700. I know that's older but he said it had 13,000 miles on it and fired up immediatly. All it needs is a carburator cleaning and new blinkers on the back...............that's freakin cheap man.....not gonna be the coolest bike in the world but cheap is good. he's located in Allenton (also known as Eureka).....don't know exact details right now but can get em for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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