How-To-Ride

There are many good beginner motorcycles out there, but the one that always seems to stand out from the rest is the Kawasaki Ninja 250. You’d be hard pressed to find a bad review of the bike. The Ninja 250 has always been recognized as the perfect beginner bike for many different reasons.

The term “sportbike” is used loosely.

The Ninja 250 really isn’t a true sportbike. The seating position is fairly upright and the handle-bar position resembles that of a standard motorcycle. Some insurance companies even consider the bike to fall under the “cruiser” category which makes the bike even cheaper to insure. Which brings me to my next topic..

The cost of ownership is dirt cheap.

The bikes can be found relatively easy on the used market and can even be bought for $2,999 brand new ($3,499 for the new 2008 models.) Insurance for a 250cc bike in general will be very cheap and the Ninja 250 generally will not fall under the sportbike category for most insurance companies; which make it even cheaper to insure.

For a new rider in their 20’s who has taken the MSF course, the Ninja 250 can usually be insured for around $150 for everything but collision (price will vary depending on insurance provider) for a whole year. Can’t really beat that. Older guys have been known to get the bike insured for under $100.

Cheap to buy, cheap to insure, and cheap to ride (70 mpg). Can it get any better than that for a beginner motorcycle?

Doesn’t “beginner bike” generally mean a slow bike?

Not necessarily. Although lack of speed shouldn’t even be something that a new rider is worried about, it is undoubtedly one of the first things that come to many people’s minds.

One of the greatest things about the Ninja 250 is its power and how it delivers it. The bike reaches max horsepower at around 13,000 RPM’s and doesn’t really hit it’s powerband until around 9,000 RPM’s. What is so great about that, you might ask? This means that below 9,000 RPM’s, the bike will deliver smooth, un-intimidating power for a new rider. If a new rider happens to wack the throttle open for a brief moment, the lack of low end torque will keep the bike under the rider and won’t send them wheelie-ing off into the distance.

Once the rider’s confidence and experience level rises, they are able to take the bike into the higher RPM ranges where the bike really shows its true colors. The upper RPM range is where this bike wants to be. Above 9,000 RPMs, the Ninja 250 really turns into a whole different beast.

Can I take the bike on the highway? Won’t it be revving too high?

The Ninja 250 is a high revving bike by nature. If you’re riding the bike correctly, the bike will always be in the upper RPM range. Is this a bad thing? No, not at all. It was meant to be there.

As far as highway goes, the Ninja 250 will cruise along at 80 MPH all day long, which is generally an illegal speed in most, if not all, states. The bike will top out around 105 MPH, but there is really no reason these types of speeds should ever be reached on a public highway anyway.

I have a used my Ninja 250 to commute to work, which is mainly highway, for a long time now and I have never ran into a situation where I needed more power. Not to mention, I am always happy to pull into a gas station every now and then, throw a few bucks into the tank, and be on my way. At close to 70 MPG, rising gas prices don’t seem that bad anymore.

Overall, the Ninja 250 will be a forgiving motorcycle while giving the rider enough power to experience all that motorcycling has to offer.

Ask any rider who has ever owned a Ninja 250 what they think of the bike and you are sure to hear nothing but praise. The bike will inspire confidence while allowing new riders to work on the fundamentals of riding rather than trying to fight the machine they are using.