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dasiffy

dasiffy

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hello.

after about 20 years of wanting a bike, and after ten years of "next summer i'll get a bike" i've finally decided to at least get my gear this summer. Doing that might give me the kick in the butt in need to get a bike. (looking at ninja 250r or cbr250r)
i've been saving for a while now and i think i'm ready.

I have a couple questions though...

1) what do i look for in boots?
I know leather, and height above ankles, but i don't know if i need hard ankle protection like on ski or snowboarding boots.
I know you need up/down motion, but locking the other swivels?

2) has anyone slid on pavement wearing textiles ie: nylon/polyester? I'm an electrician, and nylon/polyester tends to melt onto your skin. (i've worked in burn wards)
i was wondering if the friction of sliding on pavement gets hot enough to melt the plastic fabric.

3) and finally, my budget... anything look out of place to you?

1200.00/yr - insurance - conservative (33 years old / diving cars for 16 years / no "at fault" accidents / 1 "minor" ticket in past three years)

15.00 - m1 test

500.00 - helmet
500.00 - course with m1 exit test

5000.00 - bike

500.00 - jacket
350.00 - gloves
300.00 - pants
300.00 - boots

__________________
7665.00 - total


gear - 1950.00

course/fee/insurance - 715.00

bike - 5000.00


_________
All input is appreciated
 
Your insurance should be less for a 250. I was just under $500/year. If you go for a 2007 or older ninja or zzr you'll save at least $1,500.00 even for on in great shape. Ride it for a year and sell it for what you bought it for. I'd say you're over estimating all your gear. You can find sales and most of those prices look pretty high end for a 'first'.

I'f you're happy with your budget now I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
 
I agree with Kawithumb that you're budget is probably generous but it does depend on your tastes and preferences. $250 - $1000 for a helmet is not unreasonable, for example. (I usually buy last years high end Shoei or Shark but I'm still paying $400 - $500).

Your item 1 - Boots. You'll get much difference of opnion on good boots. If I was buying today I'd buy Dainese. Good quality and design and surprisingly reasonable price (I wouldn't buy their jackets due to cost). Some folks will tell you that you need race ready boots, some will suggest running shoes. I land somewhere in between for road riding. You can buy a good pair of boots for 200 - 250 or higher end good boots for 350 - 500.

Your item 2- textiles - I've not slid in textile. I do wear textiles sometimes, but I've moved to full leathers and find them more comfortable and better protection (to my mind). But, I wouldn't be worried wearing good textiles on the street.

My caution to you is that I've seen people buy all their gear, try riding and then not like it and have all this gear they now don't need. I'd highly recommend borrowing or cobbling together okay stuff and do the course. Then, if you are still game, buy your gear.
 
Your gear is all estimated high, especially for first time outfitting, which isn't bad as far as planning goes. Coming in under budget is always nice. Insurance is high, assuming that's a quote and not your personal estimate. Kawithumb mentioned getting an older bike. It's a good idea, it's cheaper and you're likely to drop your first bike at some point.

I follow the same boot philosophy as a lot of people. Take any pair of boots you are interested in and attempt to bend them in the ankle area. If they fold right over they don't offer good ankle protection. I wear Dainese Torque Ins now but, I spent several years wearing steel toed work boots with no ankle protection. Look up the ankle protection on the Dainese and compare. SIDI's have similar protection, find something similar.

As Griffin said, start with less expensive gear until you really catch the riding itch, then look into an upgrade probably in line with your first bike upgrade.
 
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Not to be too debating but my Sidi B2's are no where near the ankle stiffness of Dainese Torques.
 
Insurance should be around $650-750 for a 250cc (Ninja or CBR). I'm a few years older and I am paying around $650 through State Farm and I just got my M1, did my course and passed to get my M2 and I purchased a new 2012 Ninja 250.

For gear, gloves are a bit high but if you can afford it why not. Here is my gear costs approx with tax.

250.00 - Helmet - Scorp Exo 500
520.00 - Leather jacket - Icon Overlord Prime \\ 160.00 Textile Icon Overlord
150.00 - Gloves - Icon Overlord Long
150.00 - Pants - First Gear (THough looking at going to riding jeans and armour - $200-300)
280.00 - Boots - TCX S Sportour

Never hurts to buy added protection if you can afford it.

Don't forget to look at maintenance, that adds up too.
 
I can only give you my spense as a reference...

1. Gear - in total around $1400, with:
a Shoei helmet that i paid over $500, plus a tinted visor,
a joe rocket mesh riding jacket,
Alpinestars gloves and boots (the boots are around $170.a very good pair of tall riding boots with ankle protection.),
Teknic riding pants with knee protection (regular price was $300 and I got a good deal, half price off at Royal Distributing. I think it might be a clearance item.),
an Ikon stryker vest with back and chest protection.

2. Issurance - $1381 a year.
Female, age between 25-30, was on my G1 and M1 when I got my insurance, no bundle with house or car insurance.
I think you could get a cheaper insurance than me. Since you have a G license, try State Farm.

3. Bike - around $3000.
I have a 2008 Ninja 250, around 8k on it when I just got it, with upgraded exhaust and levers/breaks etc. I have to say that I got a very good deal. Your budget is reasonable but if you dont have to have a brand new/almost new bike, it's very likely that you will pay less than $5000.

Good luck on your bike hunting! Don't let this season pass by. Just go do it!
 
thanks everyone.

I was happy with that budget. Great news that it's over.

the insurance was a guess... i based it of what other people who are similar to me posted.

I think I read that sheridan's course has loaner gear. If that's true i think I'll follow griff's advice about doing the course before i get the gear.

I'm pretty sure what to look for in boots now. They have boots that are inbetween full race and just leather. I watched a bunch of video reviews and saw how flexible they are, and that answered some concerns.

as far as getting an older bike, which i would be just as happy with, is that people are asking for the MSRP of brand new unsed bikes for their 3 or 4 year old bikes. seems a little ridicules. I found a 2012 cbr 250r 0km for 4500 plus hst. Frieght and other dealer fee's included. I found a 2008 ninja 250r with 25000km for 4500. -what the hell?
Anything that's cheaper is a 500cc or 650cc. Which might not be a bad idea, but the general consensus i'm getting from reading is to start on a 250.
 
i would go for the best gears if you can afford it. Nothing is more valuable than your body.

I heard from my friends textiles jacket melt into your skin when you slid. I wear leather jacket all the time, it gives me the confident of safety.
 
Much like yourself, i wanted to get back into riding myself for many years. (i had owned dirtbikes when i was in my teens) Last november, I picked up a 2009 Ninja 250 for just under $3500. Full insurance coverage for this bike is about $400....I'm sure if you shop around you will find a good deal....but a wise man once told me : if its too good to be true, it probably isn't.

On a side note, I had checked into buying new bike from dealers , both Honda CBR 250 and Ninja 250, the hidden costs over and above the sticker price turned me off.
 
dasiffy said:
as far as getting an older bike, which i would be just as happy with, is that people are asking for the MSRP of brand new unsed bikes for their 3 or 4 year old bikes. seems a little ridicules. I found a 2012 cbr 250r 0km for 4500 plus hst. Frieght and other dealer fee's included. I found a 2008 ninja 250r with 25000km for 4500. -what the hell?
Anything that's cheaper is a 500cc or 650cc. Which might not be a bad idea, but the general consensus i'm getting from reading is to start on a 250.
Click to expand...

Ninja 250 is one of the most popular starter bikes so many of the prices on kijiji are pretty inflated just as what you observed. I was on kijiji almost everyday for almost a month before I got my bike. There are still some good deals, and you just need to be patient and keep checking.

You can't go wrong with a 250, and given the amazing resell value of it, even if you outgrow it fast, you can easily get your money back without much loss, if there's any.
 
I wrote a script that checks the RSS of specific searches on kijiji and emails new items when posted, kinda giving people the advantage.... I don't know if kijiji mobile does something similar

Sent from phone
 
Slick_Steveo said:
Last november, I picked up a 2009 Ninja 250 for just under $3500.
Click to expand...

OP, you could use the deals that Steveo and I got as your reference. Steveo got his off season so you might wanna slightly adjust the price up in your case.

a 2008 ninja 250r with 25000km for 4500 - it sounds pricey but is there any upgrades/mods on it?
 
Textile jacket is much better than nothing, but not as good as a leather jacket obviously. However in 40 degree weather you will die in leather.

I went down while wearing textile and was glad i had it on. Not much sliding but the elbow armour sure helped a lot with the impact.
 
Here's my budget, keep in mind some of these are sale priced items from Sturgess.

Bell Vortex Helmet + Tinted shield = $270
Joe Rocket Blaster 11.0 Leather/Textile Jacket = $225
Teknic Aquavent Mesh Jacket = $190
Icon Overlord Long Gloves = $115
Velocity Kevlar Jeans = $100
Alpinestars Boots = $280

LearningCurves Course = $450
M1 test = 17.50

2006 Suzuki SV650S = $3700
Insurance = $4100 (I'm not insured, this was my quote for 2 months M1/4 years G1/G2/G)

If you wait around for deals and sales, you won't spend much on very good gear.
 
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OP i'll not tell you how much to budget as i'm a believer in setting the budget before you start looking. I ride in leather whenever its not raining as it's the most protective. When it's wet i'm in textiles because of their water proof/resistant capability though i'm not as protected, my overall speed is generally down as well.

In boots I like full height boots, I find that boots in the ~$200 retail range (not on sale) tend to use "looks" to sell but they usually don't provide enough lateral stiffness for support and the ankle heel protection tends to consist of only plastic caps sewn in. These are really at best commuter/light tour boots despite the racer look many have. in my opinion get the most supportive, protective boots you can for your money. Note that depending on whether you want to ride in more than dry conditions multiple boots or a single compromise boot might be necessary.

If you want textile your observations on polyester are correct, I suggest looking into a minimum 600 denier to 1000+ denier nylon or even better the nylon/kevlar and new superfabric clothes coming online now. As before get the best you have budget for.
Oh yeah, your budget is missing a contingency for armour, though most jackets and pants these days come with armour, depending on the maker the armour is no-name stuff said to meet CE ratings, get good armour and make sure the jacket/pant is snug such that the armour will not shift on impact.
Many jackets just come with a light pad in the back as the makers know many will replace these with their own armour.
Also if protection is high on the list you can also get armour for the hip and upper leg that goes on under your pants.

Your age and bike choice makes me think insurance likely will be sub $1000 a year full coverage depending on the provider.

As others have said use your budget wisely and if you watch for good deals you can get excellent gear for your money.

Good luck, ride safe and have fun
 
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this is what i got...
I'm like a giant panda...

AIRFRAME CONSTRUCT HELMET

This has great ventilation

OVERLORD TEXTILE JACKET



spyke kerb


pants that don't fit (too long knee pads cover shins)...

S-MX Plus

I tried a pair of alpine's that were 6" or 8" in the $200 range and my ankle rolled over like nothing. Tyler(sturgess) recomended these, and I'm glad i got them. Very comfortable, and great ankle support.

I got all this and after tyler worked his magic, my grand total was only $1100. He saved me $400.

I got official quotes and SF was the cheepest at $679.46 for a '09 ninja 250r . (an extra $13 if i want the 2012). Riders plus was second at $847. jevco was $1545. Monex and TD can lick my balls.


just finished RTI this weekend (passed) and I couldn't be happier with my gear. I still want to get a leather jacket though, but the overlord has great ventalation.

I guess now I've been upgraded to "new". ha.
thanks to everyone for their advise.
 
Dasiffy, glad you passed your course. My advice is to get a Ninja 250 2008/2009. If you look hard you can pick one up for $3500 or so. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Good choice in gear. I almost when with the panda look too! LOL Ended getting Neon yellow, black and white helmet (Scorp exe500 Oil) which threw the look off. I have the same textile and also have the Overlord Prime Leather. Almost bought those boots too but when I was trying those on vs. the TCX-S ones I got the feel and fit for my feet seemed better with the TCX.

I bought my first bike last month and it was a 2012 Ninja 250 and I am loving every second of it.
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