Is this the right bike for me? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Is this the right bike for me?

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Ford_Mustang

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Hi all,

I am new to the forum. I am a new rider just got my M2 (went through the training course), little previous riding experience and I am about to pick up my first bike this weekend.
My use of the bike is mainly for daily commute (~30km/day), no highway riding for quite a while until I got a hold of the bike and gain more experience.


Questions:
1. How is the handling of the 400r? Would it be too much to handle for novice riders? I would not consider 650 cause of insurance.
2. How is the 400r compared with 250r or the new 300r. Which I was considering originally
3. Is 5.5k a good/fair price for a 2011 model with low kms?
4. Any advice to a new rider would be welcome. I respect the machine as much as I fear them. They can bring you to heaven or to hell....


I would like to hear your thoughts and thanks for your time~!

Cheers
 
I havent ridden the 400r. But from I've seen and read. It's basically the exact same bike as the 650r only with less power. I personally would go with a 250r or 300r first. The 300r has almost the same power and weighs approx. 70 lbs less.
 
i rode the 400, it's not that powerful so you should be fine on it.
however it might be harder to sell when you grow out of it.
most people are looking for 250/300 as starters or for some even the 650 or 600

very few people are lookin for the 400 as starters so it might be difficult to sell.
 
Agreed, I think the 400 will be the first to be wiped of the manufacturers list of bikes to make. I would recommend a 250/300 or step into a 650. At the ned of the day it's your call but remember it's your first bike, not your only bike. So resale has to be a consideration..
 
So you guys think the 400r would hard for resell?
I was under the impression that it would be the perfect bike for beginners, a bit more power than 250, wayyyyyyyyy less cheaper insurance (at least for me)
 
Jampy00 said:
Agreed, I think the 400 will be the first to be wiped of the manufacturers list of bikes to make. I would recommend a 250/300 or step into a 650. At the ned of the day it's your call but remember it's your first bike, not your only bike. So resale has to be a consideration..
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+1

There is also the Honda 500 line up as well. 3 to choose from.
 
Ford_Mustang said:
So you guys think the 400r would hard for resell?
I was under the impression that it would be the perfect bike for beginners, a bit more power than 250, wayyyyyyyyy less cheaper insurance (at least for me)
Click to expand...

It does have a bit more power than 250.. But also a lot more weight .. Never been on one .. But looking at the spec sheet .. It weighs as much as a 650..
I noticed the weight difference when I upgraded (250 to 650) It would kinda suck to add that much weight (75lbs) only to have a little more power

IMO .. I would go 300
 
How tall are you and how much do you weigh? (you don't have to give me an answer, it's just a question that will help you make a decision)

The reason i mention that is because if you're 6'3" 250 lbs the 250 wouldn't be the best choice (in my opinion). When I first started I bought the 250r and got bored of it. It just felt a bit toyish. Now don't get me wrong, at no point did I think I had reached the capacity of the bike. I was just simply bored of it.
I sold the bike within 6 weeks and bought a 600.

If I were you, I'd actually do something similar. Buy a 250, get use to riding on the road with traffic. The bike will teach you good control and then sell it a couple of months later and get a bigger engine.

If you find the buying and selling too tideious then I'd recommend just going for a minimum of 400, if not a 650.

Also, keep in mind that the 600 and the 650 are two VERY different bikes. Most of the 600s are Super Sports where as the couple of 650s I've seen are street bikes, (Ninja 650 for example).

Hope that helps!
 
I'm 5'9 190lb
I am very comfortable on the 250 but I have not tried the 400 yet.
So here is the question:

Should I go 09 250 with 10000km ($3500) or 11 400 with 1000km ($6000)
What are the maintenance for a 250 at that mileage, does it need a lot of work in the near future?
What are the chances of a new rider dropping the bike in the first year? From your experience....

I know the 400r would be newer, more fun to ride option, the 250r, however would be cheaper and makes more sense financially.
 
It's a 650R with a weaker engine. Literally. I'd go for a 300R, personally. Then you can get ABS, as well. Otherwise you end up with all the cons of the 650 (worse handling, more weight) with almost no pros except for cheaper insurance.
 
Ford_Mustang said:
I know the 400r would be newer, more fun to ride option, the 250r, however would be cheaper and makes more sense financially.
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The 400 is also fuel injected, if that makes a difference to you. Those prices you listed seem high to me. I will be selling my 650R soon and don't expect to get much more for it than that 250.
 
I wouldn't get the 400r if I were you. Just get a 250 or the new 300. They will be easy to sell when you want a new bike, the 400 is not desirable because it is just a detuned 650, with the weight to prove it.
 
unL33T said:
It's a 650R with a weaker engine. Literally. I'd go for a 300R, personally. Then you can get ABS, as well. Otherwise you end up with all the cons of the 650 (worse handling, more weight) with almost no pros except for cheaper insurance.
Click to expand...


You are pretty much bang on why I would go for 400....
250: 1399/yr
400: 1413/yr
650: 3400/yr......holy shxt....
 
Ford_Mustang said:
Thanks man, I've checked them all, I've been watching the prices since Feb this year..ouch

So I wouldn't spend 4800 on a 250, this year at the bike show they were selling the 2012's with 2 year warranty at OTD price of 4500...
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Not sure if the warranty promotion is still on but you can probably still get a new 2012 for that much if you ask around. My local shop was asking $4200 and then gave me $200 off when I got mine in Feb.. so $4.5k after tax. They had a couple special editions for a bit more but I wasn't interested.

edit: but I would just get the 300r personally.
 
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koma said:
Not sure if the warranty promotion is still on but you can probably still get a new 2012 for that much if you ask around. My local shop was asking $4200 and then gave me $200 off when I got mine in Feb.. so $4.5k after tax. They had a couple special editions for a bit more but I wasn't interested.

edit: but I would just get the 300r personally.
Click to expand...


Thew new 300r cost around 6700 OTD, so I would rather get the 400r...
 
Well it seems like you have your mind made up about the 400r, not sure what you were looking for from this thread. There's good reasons everyone's telling you not to go with it though, and I recommend riding both if possible because the 400r was unpopular and discontinued for a reason
 
koma said:
Not sure if the warranty promotion is still on but you can probably still get a new 2012 for that much if you ask around.
Click to expand...
Do you know where? Snow City had new 250s for $4k but sold out a few weeks ago, I'm not aware of any new ones remaining for that price anywhere.
 
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