How-To-Ride

Even though the article was printed in 1997, it is still one of my favorite beginner motorcycle comparisons done. Motorcycle.com compares the Ninja 250, Virago 250, and Nighthawk 250. They take into account many aspects of the bike that a beginner would be affected by.

What I like best about this article is that they gear it more toward real world beginner factors, rather than just taking the bikes to a track and seeing which one wins. Don’t get me wrong, they post up all the detailed specs for each bike, including torque and horsepower dyno charts for each bike, but they don’t base their opinions purely off of these numbers like some others would.

I own a 2003 Ninja 250, so I may be a bit biased toward that bike. Here is what Motorcycle.com has to say about it:

“The Ninja devoured the winding asphalt with aplomb. A light, sporty 250 should turn like a French curve, and so the Ninja did, with fine braking into the turns supplied by a twin-piston caliper gripping the rotor up front, and a single piston binder grabbing a disc at the rear. Stoppies are possible on this motorcycle. And just like a sportbike should be, the Ninja was the essence of flickable and, more importantly for a beginner, confidence inspiring, holding on to most lines asked then coming out of the corners into a surprisingly stable ride.”

They go on to explain how the Ninja 250 did not fair well in the lower RPM’s though, which is expected. The Ninja 250 is a bike that loves to be in the higher RPM ranges. Anything above 9,000 RPM’s will make the bike sing a happy tune.

The Ninja 250 went on to be the favored bike of 2 out of 3 of the editors. The other editor went with the Virago 250 as his favorite. The Nighthawk 250… well… it was there, and they rode it, as they said.

Here is a link to the 250 shootout: Beginner Motorcycle 250cc Shootout

Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a good beginner motorcycle.