Posted on by

My First Bike

Happy #MotoMonday Everyone! Remember the feeling you got when you bought your first bike? I sure do! But first I had to decide which bike I wanted. I knew I wanted a sport bike, but didn’t need anything ridiculously powerful and also wanted to be mindful of things like the seat height. For my first bike I ultimately decided to purchase a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250. Kawasaki had recently updated their Ninja in 2008, and it had enough engine power to zip around town, look super fast and sporty and was a small enough frame that I could reach the ground when sitting on it. Everyone I spoke to agreed they were great starter bikes. That said, I have always had a predisposition toward Yamaha motorcycles, and loved the overall look and feel of the 2009 Yamaha FZ6R in white. Bluntly speaking, the FZ6R was a tamed-down R6 with a thinner frame that they marketed towards women. I was seriously considering it, especially since it was almost the same seat height as the Ninja 250 and aesthetically I liked it more. I had to weigh the pros and cons as I wanted to set myself up for success as a rider and be financially responsible as well.

So here are the 3 major reasons I went with the Kawasaki Ninja:
  1. The Weight: I’m a petite girl, if my bike falls over and no one is around to help, I have to be able to life it myself.  The Ninja already has a dry weight of 332.9lbs, where as the FZ6R is 467lbs!  That’s a 135lb difference, and an entire extra me on the bike!
  2. The Price: Now, the FZ6R is not even close to being considered expensive by motorcycle standards, but I wanted to be responsible about my spending.  It was rolling off the truck at $7,090 where as the Ninja was only $3,999.
  3. My Experience: Sure, being able to go fast and pass everyone at the speed of light feels amazing, but there is such a thing as having too much power for your skill level. The reason Ninja 250s, and now bikes like the YZF-3, are such great starter bikes, is that they give you just enough power to really learn how to control your bike. Having less power to control so that you can focus on looking through and easing in and out of corners. Sure, my friends ended up all passing me in the straights on canyon rides, but I was able to catch up with them in the corners. Small bikes are perfect for learning the basics and really getting a feel for how to move yourself and your bike around when you ride.
 
So that’s why I went with the Kawasaki Ninja 250. It was exactly what I needed and was the only bike available like it at the time. The only thing I didn’t realize was how invisible black motorcycles are to other people on the road. Definitely the sort of thing you learn with experience, though if I’m honest, I didn’t love the other color options at the time and went with the one I disliked least,  (black, neon green, bright blue and red I believe?) and black was the most neutral. I still love the look of the FZ6R and thing it’s a great bike. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll pick one up used. Though for my first bike, I do not regret getting the Kawasaki Ninja 250, it has served me well and I still happily ride it today!

 

So what was most important to you when buying your first bike? What sort of things did you consider? Did you care about the color, or branding decals? I would love to hear your stories!
 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.