All ad listings are FREE.
How fast would I outgrow the honda nighthawk 250 or the kawasaki 250?
Description
Question by V-lad: How fast would I outgrow the honda nighthawk 250 or the kawasaki 250?
I am a 20 year old dude I am 6’2 160 pounds 95% muscle and bone=athletic build. Anyways I am going to get my M1 license soon but my MSF course wont start till Nov 7, I already took my written and got my permit. I know I going to get my license within those three days. So I was thinking even though I am a beginner I think a 250 is just not going to cut it for me in the long run. I am sure the honda nighhawk 250 is a good bike, its reliable, lightweight, cool looking but its only a 234cc air cooled engine and its too slow to take to the freeway. The kawasaki 250r is more powerful 250 but not enough defensiveaccelerationn on the freeway. I need a bike that has the power to drive at freeway speeds, because I will use freeways occasionally to visit my friend in San Jose and I live in the Sacramento area and its a 2 hour drive to San Jose CA. I personal don’t think a 250cc is going to cut it for me, not for long. I was thinking of getting a Harley Davidson like the sportster but #1 Harley’s are very heavy 553 pounds to be exact, #2 I think Harley’s are for older men, I never saw a 20 year old riding a harley. So can anyone suggest which bike should I buy? I only plan to buy a bike ounce, and have it for at least 2-3 year before I upgrade and I don’t plan to spend no more then 3000 or 3550.00 on a used bike. So does anyone have any suggestions on which bike I should buy that’s, light weight under 400 or 350 pounds, has enough defensive acceleration and power on the freeway, low on insurance, and of course reliable with no trouble in starting in the cold. I would greatly appreciate you honest answer, be specific on the model of the bike. Can’t wait to hear your answer. Thank You.
Best answer:
Answer by edwolb
I just got my first bike, and passed my motorcycle training course a few weeks ago. You’ll probably get a 125cc bike in the class, which is perfect for your first rides, but there’s no way you’d take it on the freeway. Its longevity is probably a weekend.
I just bought a 1982 Honda Nighthawk 450, and in my opinion its got the perfect balance of pep and learnability. I have yet to take it on the freeway, but on some country roads I was able to take it up to 70 MPH easily. Looking back, I would personally stick with 400-500cc (on a light cruiser).
As for weight, the course I took had a few Kawasaki 125 cruisers, which were the heaviest ones on the course. I would wait until you take the course to try a bike or two and you may find out what bothers you, and what you like about certain bikes. I found the cruiser to be heavy which made all the slow-speed tasks that much harder. My nighthawk is around 395 lbs dry, and while its a good weight for me, it can still surprise me once in a while. Haven’t dropped it yet!
What do you think? Answer below!
Tags: fast, Honda, kawasaki, nighthawk, outgrow, Would
Stats: 71 total views, 1 so far today
Email This Post
Print This Post
Images
There are no images
Buy a 250 and I bet you’ll be looking for a bigger bike within 6 months, tops. You’re a strong young buck, get either a sport bike in the 600cc and up range or a cruiser in the 700cc and up.
750 Honda Shadow is a nice cruiser, any of the 700-800cc Suzuki Intruders (they were built for many years unchanged, so even an older one has parts available), 1000cc Kawasaki Concours (also built like 20 years unchanged, heavier but much faster and has fairing and saddlebags) are all bikes that could take you across town or across country.
The reason you see older guys on Harleys is because usually it’s the older guys that have the $ to buy them and aren’t as concerned with power and speed. The 883 is a good bike but rather plain, the pre-2007(?) Sportsters had a solidly mounted engine and vibrated enough to be uncomfortable. The recent ones are rubber mounted and are great bikes. Some Harley guys consider a Sportster a woman’s bike, but I don’t think there’s a Harley rider out there that would hold that against you considering you’re young and it’s your first bike.
Just remember that sport bikes are quick and fun, but are not always relaxing to ride for long distances. If you want to rush down to McDonalds for an Egg McMuffin and get it back home before it cools, a sport bike is the way to go. If you want to ride to the next state for a Egg McMuffin, then you need a cruiser or true touring bike.
Windshields are great and most people that don’t like them have never used them. Harley has a great detachable shield that can be removed in about 5 seconds. Saddlebags are also great if you have to carry anything bigger than your wallet. Permanently mounted ones are good if security and rain protection is important. True cowboy, leather saddle bags work just as well on a bike as the horse they were intended for. Throw them over the seat behind you, hook a couple of bungee cords over it and you’re set to go. They aren’t weather proof and if you think it’s going to rain, you need to put items in a plastic sealable bag.
Believe me, you’re strong enough to handle a bike way over 400 pounds. I’m 52, 165# and fairly muscular (I farm) and I ride a 960#, 6 cylinder Kawasaki full dresser. If I can handle it, you can handle a 550-600# Concours easily.
Your a big dude, don’t be a sissy, you can handle something over 300 pounds. Also, your a bit big for a 250 being new or not.
I’m against the theory new riders should buy a 250, it may be nice for the first week of riding but after that your going to get comfortable and outgrow it. Especially with a cruiser, its not like a sport bike where you gotta get used to the take off acceleration. Having never ridden before I started out on a Suzuki Intruder 800 and never dropped it or had any problems, it did surprise me with the power at first but as long as you get comfortable around neighborhoods and parking lots before hitting the expressway your all good.
As for expressways a 250 should never go on an expressway, especially with a bigger person on it. Don’t go with anythign smaller than a 600. I found a good deal on my bike. It’s a 94 Suzuki Intruder, only had 1700 miles on it and was in perfect condition because the previous owner had only put on like 100 miles a year lol. Look, for an older bike with low mileage and you can find a great bike in your price range.
As for weight, as long as your not talking about a goldwing I find there’s little difference between 400 pounds and 600 pounds. Cruisers tend to be a little hearvier than sport bikes but also sit lower to the ground and are a more stable setup than a sport bike. My cruiser for being an 800 is very light only about 440 lbs. . Good luck
Ok you could go bigger, but don’t forget the bigger you go the more you’ll spend on insurance and gas.
Most people say hey get a 600cc sports bike over something like a Ninja 250R. Ya you could get a 2002-2004 600cc for cheaper but once you have it think of all the expenses you’ll have to pay.
Maitenance on a higher powered machine will be more, for sure insurance and probably registering it will be more depending on where you live.
Look at what you’ll be spending a year for each bike and see which one fits your budget.