1990 Ninja 750

[oiprocs]

I want to buy my first bike, and at first I was leaning towards getting a 500/650, but then I decided to get a Ninja 250, ride it around for a couple months and get really comfortable on the bike, then sell it and move up.

(FYI, I already have my license and I took the MSF safety course)

This bike is on craigslist in good condition (30K miles), taken care of and ready to ride. The owner told me it needs a new front tire but other than that it is fine as long as I maintain it. She is selling it because a baby is on the way.

It's listed for $1375 but it says negotiable. I've been able to find 250s for anywhere from $1800 to $2700.

I don't want to pass up this bike, seeing as how I will eventually move up to that size. I figure I'll be smart and get comfortable with it, and not try to go super fast or anything. Contrary to popular belief, I DO NOT want to die and am mature enough to ride this bike "like a pansy" for a couple months until I'm more confident.

What y'all think?

 

[JulesMaximus]

That bike is a technological dinosaur and probably pretty heavy to boot. New tire will set you back close to $200 installed and you might need other maintenance done on it too. It will weigh almost 100lbs more than a comparable bike today and make less power. Although, I think it still made over 100hp which is quite a lot for a bike.

If it's in good running shape and looks well maintained I'd probably buy it if I were in the market for a low cost bike.

Figure any bike that runs well and everything works on it is worth at least $1000.

You could easily sell it for what you paid for it or more if it's really clean.

Edit-After reading the original post again I see that this is his first bike. I thought he already had the 250 and was riding it around and thinking of going up to the 750 (a bit of a leap but doable for someone with a bit of riding experience). I didn't realize that this would be his first bike.

Yeah, I don't think a Ninja 750 is a good idea. Get something smaller and lighter, don't buy this bike. A 500lb sportbike is not a good first bike. Not at all.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That bike is a technological dinosaur and probably pretty heavy to boot. New tire will set you back close to $200 installed and you might need other maintenance done on it too. It will weigh almost 100lbs more than a comparable bike today and make less power. Although, I think it still made over 100hp which is quite a lot for a bike.

If it's in good running shape and looks well maintained I'd probably buy it if I were in the market for a low cost bike.

Figure any bike that runs well and everything works on it is worth at least $1000.

You could easily sell it for what you paid for it or more if it's really clean.

Hmmm. I trust your judgment because I know you have ridden for some time.

I didn't anticipate the bike being heavy.

There is a 2001 250 with 10K miles near my home in supposed great condition for $1800. Maybe I'll take a look into that.

 

[ballmode]

Ninja's until the past 4-5 years have been the heaviest ones in its class

 

[rstrohkirch]

Quick lookup shows about 80hp to the wheel and ~500lbs wet weight

 

[osage]

the 250 will be a excellent starter bike.
If you can find a susuki GS500E or F don't hesitate, they are also a very good starter bike, and somewhat under rated and therefore under priced.

hard to go wrong with either

 

[Greenman]

If it's what you want, buy it. 80 pony's at the wheel is nothing to sneeze at, and 500 lbs isn't all that heavy.

 

[oiprocs]

I don't know, when I took the safety course, I rode an Eliminator, and I thought that was heavy.

 

[Greenman]

Whats an eliminator?

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Greenman
Whats an eliminator?

small suzuki 150/250 iirc

 

[Kabob]

Yeah, contrary to common thought that's still a sportbike, albiet an old one. There's an article I have got to find and post up here...lemme find it.

Ahh, here it is.

Lots of stuff that addresses various points you brought up. It's long but it's an EXCELLENT read.

 

[Kabob]

--posting errors, sorry for the DP--

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: kabob983
Yeah, contrary to common thought that's still a sportbike, albiet an old one. There's an article I have got to find and post up here...lemme find it.

Ahh, here it is.

Lots of stuff that addresses various points you brought up. It's long but it's an EXCELLENT read.

Re-reading the original post I see that this is his first bike. I thought he already had the 250 and was riding it around and thinking of going up to the 750 (a bit of a leap but doable for someone with a bit of riding experience). I didn't realize that this would be his first bike.

Yeah, I don't think a Ninja 750 is a good idea. Get something smaller and lighter, don't buy this bike. A 500lb sportbike is not a good first bike. Not at all.

 

[Kabob]

Yeah, even the old sportbikes, while heavier and with less power, have powerbands and handling/braking characteristics that are very tough to master.

Security guard who used to work in our building bought an older GSX-R750 (probably not 1990 but maybe mid-90's). He rode it without incident for probably 3 months or more, then one day in the blink of an eye he did something stupid and it got out of hand. He didn't die or anything, but he's going to have scars all up and down the right side of his body because in an "oh crap" moment his relatively un-bike trained brain said "quick, lots of throttle!"

That's the kind of thing that you'll learn to control starting on a smaller bike. Grabbing a fist full of throttle or brake on a Ninja 250/500 or GS500 is ALOT different than doing the same on a sportbike.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: kabob983
Yeah, even the old sportbikes, while heavier and with less power, have powerbands and handling/braking characteristics that are very tough to master.

Security guard who used to work in our building bought an older GSX-R750 (probably not 1990 but maybe mid-90's). He rode it without incident for probably 3 months or more, then one day in the blink of an eye he did something stupid and it got out of hand. He didn't die or anything, but he's going to have scars all up and down the right side of his body because in an "oh crap" moment his relatively un-bike trained brain said "quick, lots of throttle!"

That's the kind of thing that you'll learn to control starting on a smaller bike. Grabbing a fist full of throttle or brake on a Ninja 250/500 or GS500 is ALOT different than doing the same on a sportbike.

Gear would have prevented that. I never understand why anyone would get on a motorcycle dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Oh, I don't plan on crashing...duh, nobody ever PLANS on crashing. :roll:

 

[Kabob]

Yeah, I told him to get some gear. The day it happened he "just happened to forget the flimsy 'riding' jacket" he had.

 

[oiprocs]

Yes, I see the logic is strong in this thread.

Well, I was intent on getting a 250 until I came across the 750 and thought "well why not?"

I'm back to perusing for 250s, but I'm curious JulesMaximus, as to why you alluded that a 500 would be too much for a beginner.

Other riders I have talked to said that though the 500 is a step up, I'll get comfortable enough with the 250 that I'll wish I had gotten a 500 instead.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: obscenethistle
Yes, I see the logic is strong in this thread.

Well, I was intent on getting a 250 until I came across the 750 and thought "well why not?"

I'm back to perusing for 250s, but I'm curious JulesMaximus, as to why you alluded that a 500 would be too much for a beginner.

Other riders I have talked to said that though the 500 is a step up, I'll get comfortable enough with the 250 that I'll wish I had gotten a 500 instead.

No, I said that a 500lb 750cc sportbike would be too much.

A 500cc bike like the Suzuki GS500 would be a fine first bike.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: obscenethistle
Yes, I see the logic is strong in this thread.

Well, I was intent on getting a 250 until I came across the 750 and thought "well why not?"

I'm back to perusing for 250s, but I'm curious JulesMaximus, as to why you alluded that a 500 would be too much for a beginner.

Other riders I have talked to said that though the 500 is a step up, I'll get comfortable enough with the 250 that I'll wish I had gotten a 500 instead.

No, I said that a 500lb 750cc sportbike would be too much.

A 500cc bike like the Suzuki GS500 would be a fine first bike.

Ah, danke.

 

[Greenman]

Do all sport bikes have a lumpy or skewed power curve?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Greenman
Do all sport bikes have a lumpy or skewed power curve?

Depends, most of the super sport bikes do. They are designed and geared for racing and you really have to keep them in the powerband to get the most out of them...of course, this is really impossible to do on the street without breaking laws and endangering yourself and others.

This is why I tend to gravitate towards bikes like the Ducati Monster. They have a lot of torque but a smooth power curve. Honestly, a Ducati Monster is probably more like a lightweight cruiser as far as power delivery but the riding position is more aggressive and it handles like a sport bike.

I don't do track days, if I did, I'd probably own a Japanese super sport. I do plan on doing a track day this year but I don't plan on becoming a junkie...famous last words right?

 

[Greenman]

I thought it was something like that. I'm a big fan of low end grunt, I really enjoy that effortless pull that a high torque motor has. Someday I want to take a spin on a M109, they say those things pull like a fright train.

I'll have to go look at the numbers for the monster, might be another fun ride.



Edit: If I ever have thirty six hundred bucks that I just can't wait to get rid of, I'm going to put a supercharger on my V-Rod, just for the added torque.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Greenman
I thought it was something like that. I'm a big fan of low end grunt, I really enjoy that effortless pull that a high torque motor has. Someday I want to take a spin on a M109, they say those things pull like a fright train.

I'll have to go look at the numbers for the monster, might be another fun ride.



Edit: If I ever have thirty six hundred bucks that I just can't wait to get rid of, I'm going to put a supercharger on my V-Rod, just for the added torque.

The 2009 Monster 1100S makes 95hp and 75lb-ft of torque. The engine is air cooled and the bike weighs 370lbs (dry weight).

There are some liquid cooled Monsters of the past that made upwards of 130hp but they were heavier, they are very fast but it's not as usable in the real world. I think the new Monster really hit the mark...and I have ridden it. It's a beast.

 

[rstrohkirch]

sport rider dyno'd it at 82hp and 66ft pounds

I'm more of a cost vs performance guy so this item is still expensive considering an 08 gsxr does about 150hp and 70ft pounds stock but you are paying for the name. Obviously, these are not the same types of bikes but the MSRP on them is less then $1000 difference and the GSXR comes with much better OEM equipment overall. As with any twin, the torque curve is much flatter than the gsxr...but that HUGE increase in HP makes it much less of a penalty. Personally, I've migrated to fast singles so I don't pay attention to this stuff as much as I use to.

At least in the singles world, when you buy a more expensive KTM you get stuff like higher end supension...SS lines..FCR carb..lighter components. Sometimes with the Ducati models there really isn't anything you get extra for the money you're spending.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: rstrohkirch
sport rider dyno'd it at 82hp and 66ft pounds

I'm more of a cost vs performance guy so this item is still expensive considering an 08 gsxr does about 150hp and 70ft pounds stock but you are paying for the name. Obviously, these are not the same types of bikes but the MSRP on them is less then $1000 difference and the GSXR comes with much better OEM equipment overall. As with any twin, the torque curve is much flatter than the gsxr...but that HUGE increase in HP makes it much less of a penalty. Personally, I've migrated to fast singles so I don't pay attention to this stuff as much as I use to.

At least in the singles world, when you buy a more expensive KTM you get stuff like higher end supension...SS lines..FCR carb..lighter components. Sometimes with the Ducati models there really isn't anything you get extra for the money you're spending.

No bike ever dyno's at what the manufacturer claims their hp is and there isn't a whole hell of a lot of difference between 66ft lbs and 70ft lbs when you're riding on the street.

I don't really pay much attention to this stuff either but I have ridden a few super sports and their potential cannot be explored on public roads without seriously endangering your driver's license so really...what's the point unless you're tracking it? And if you do, can you even unlock the potential of the bike? Trust me, there is no shortage of fools who ride these street legal race machines who have little ability.