Looking for a good (somewhat) beginner bike?

You made me laugh out loud. The choice between a Ninja 250 and an R6 is like the choice between a Ford Fiesta and a Lamborghini. 8^) Too much vs not enough.

First of all, you want to start out on something used. You're going to be hard on your first bike. You're going to abuse the clutch. You might well drop it once or twice (I don't mean you'll crash it, just that it will get away from you in a parking lot or stopping or starting at a traffic light. Happens to almost everyone.) It would be a shame to learn on a shiny new bike.

Leave the R6 for a while. The really hot sport bikes (R6/R1, GSX-R, CBR) are just not for beginners. They are wonderful machines, but not forgiving. You don't want to give your mom an opportunity to say "I told you so." 8^< (If your mom is anything like my mom was, part of her is worried you'll get killed, but another part of her wants to be proven right. Moms are like that.)

The Ninja 250 is a good bike for learning but too small for long, high-speed rides. It's all you will ever need if you never plan to go faster than 50 mph, in fact in the old days, before high speed superhighways, they used to say there was no real reason a bike had to be bigger than 250cc. But if you plan to do more than 10 miles at a time on the highway, you need something bigger.

A 500 or 650 would be better for all-around riding. Big enough to go 70 mph all day, big enough to go camping with the tent and sleeping bag and all the stuff you need. A 500 is a little heavier than a 250, but not that much. A 650 is one step up, but still not a monster. It's not the extra power you're worried about but the weight. So long as you can sit on the bike with both feet flat on the ground (very important! especially with a first bike!)

All the Japanese mfgrs are very good. They make a very well-engineered product, very reliable and long-lived. Honda 599 ('Hornet'), Suzuki GS500 and SV650 are great bikes. Yamaha and Kawasaki make bikes in the 500-650 range also but I forget the model numbers. Something, say, 5-10 years old, old enough to be depreciated but young enough that you can still get parts. After a year or so you can sell this 'trainer' for about what you paid for it, and by then you'll have a better idea of what you really want. If you really want an R6, then by all means.

But ANY 500-650cc bike is going to be very fast. A bike in this range, just a normal bike, nothing special, will out accelerate most cars. An SV650 or a Ninja 650 is not really a hot sportbike but it's sporty enough that you can have a lot of fun. They handle well, they go fast, but they don't have that hard little racing seat and the extreme bent-over riding position.

If you know anyone who has a bike, ask him a million questions--what does he like about it, what doesn't he like? Ask to sit on his bike--it's amazing how much you can learn by just sitting on a bike. Sit on that R6 and you'll see, it's not a general-purpose bike.

lets say you dont have experience, which you do, and you want a bike, i would say get a 250r, if you arent picky. You want a get up and go right? its a good bike.. light weight, not fast.. not slow.. just right, but if you want, it could go fast ;D. all depends on what you really want.. i would say, no point in getting a fast bike if you arent gonna use it like you stole it. oh yea, keep in mind, that ive heard people say they got bored after a couple months of getting a ninja 250, but yea.. w.e, everyone is different, and since you are young, no one gonna expect much, and insurance is gonna be high.. 250 would be good..

I love my 08 Ninja 250. It has the look of a big bike, gets good gas millage, and is easy to handle. This little bike gets up and goes. It may not keep up with the big boys on a straightaway but it handles itself on the turns. They are not that expensive and it is a given that you are going to eventually drop it. It’s a good starter bike.

that's excellent that you simply took the direction im sixteen and that i simply found out on youtube. i acquired my motorbike a couple of weeks in the past suprisingly they allow me force a ninja 250 and a ninja 650 i knew i had the 250 down and whilst i rode it's was once like ya good enough no longer ample vigor you might no longer wish a 250 if you're going to be going over 50. good enough so then i acquired at the 650 verry relaxed excellent for lengthy distance or round the city. i used to be afraid i used to be going to drop it or pop the snatch after they allow me on it however it's so gentle and so effortless to manage i used to be amased. i allow off the snatch as a substitute speedy after a couple of occasions and it nonetheless didn't come off the bottom. and it is going 180mph so that you wont die on freeway. however ya i rode it round and sence it's so gentle it could cornner like no different for a newbie i might trip like a professional they congratulated me on how good i did so i did them a want and purchased it. i adore it. dont pass suzuki they have got a verry uncomfortable seat kawasaki the entire manner..

I dont know much about bikes but I've ridden a CBR 600RR and that is a sweet bike. It is very powerful, but if can keep from over reving it and flipping it then you will fall in love with the bike.

you might want to look into a cruiser for your first bike. many of them are easier to learn with with more torque at low rpm and less top end power. lower seat heights and easier ergonomics are an advantage to a beginner, also. you might try a v-star 650, suzuki volusia, or other similar sized units.

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http://ridingontoys.com/