Any Small Sport/Dual Purpose Bike Riders here

03/28/2007 08:07:38 PM · #1

I cant afford a car at this point in time. Living in baltimore city the public trans is great but id like to be able to get out and use my Pentax K10D when i buy it.

Im a fair weather rider for the most part but am not afraid to race a Camaro or 300zx in the worst of rain (See Username... LMAO). My last bike was a 1986 Honda Shadow VT1100 which was a bit heavy for me.

I was looking at bike int he 3000-3500 dollar range and come up with 3 that i like but the hondas seem to probly be too small.. wouldnt know cant get a ride down to a dealer yet.

Looking for opinions on daily drivability and what not. Ive seen reviews on the Kawasaki Ninja 250 between what power it does make, its style gas mileage reliability and daily drivability. I unfortunaly dont have the experience to know if it would be a wise purchase. I like the sport bike styling but also like that it doesnt have alot of power. My trip to work is about 10 miles and i can either take backroads, city streets or sling 7 miles up the beltway.

Honda Rebel... too small?
Honda Nighthawk.... brakes suck same engine as rebel... um comes in only 1 color?

Kawasaki Ninja 250R
Great brakes, comparable to honda Nighthawk handling, good gas mileage great style, 5 avaliable colors, low but responsive power, lower then night hawk cost.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

03/28/2007 08:14:54 PM · #2

Bump, cause i know this isnt a common subject among DPC.

TechnoShroom

Canon EOS-30D

03/28/2007 08:34:10 PM · #3

For a daily ride I would probably not choose a sport bike. You may find them more comfortable than me though. A cruiser in the 500-750 range would be about right but if bought new would be out of your price range. You'd probably be more comfortable on the Nighthawk. How about a used Vulcan?

03/28/2007 08:38:11 PM · #4

Originally posted by TechnoShroom:

Well bikes tend to be somewhat reliable, id have to look at the vulcan to decide but i was looking for somethign with a warranty still on it. The warrantys on bikes tend to only cover defects, so a new bike tends to be a better warranty then the warranty asuming its generally reliable.... i guess!

I can get a CBR 600 under my price range with say 20,000 miles on it and still pay less then my car insurance. The ninja gets 70 MPG the CBR gets 31.... But thats a sport bike The vulcan is the right size but the Honda Rebel is horribly small.

Message edited by author 2007-03-28 20:38:53.