New member checking in | GTAMotorcycle.com

New member checking in

Pasierbek

Member
Hey everyone,

I've been reading and lurking on this forum for a bit now, but I decided to join to get as much info as I can before buying my first bike, as well as continue learning from it afterwards by getting tips on road safety, gear and bike maintenance. This definitely looks like the right place to be.

I completed an M2 course with RTI in August and got the M2 license a couple of weeks later. Lloyd and the other instructors there were nothing short of professional, helpful and great at coaching you through all the basics in parking lot riding. I've been recommending RTI to all my buddies that want to start riding since that time. Now, it's time to start looking at getting myself a first bike after the winter (mid to late April) and finally start riding. I've been really set on the Ninja 250R or the 300, but slightly leaning more towards the 300 for the fuel injection and digital dash and slightly bigger size (I'm 6"2). I am picking the Ninja since it has affordable insurance for a new rider, looks good in my opinion and is quite forgiving to mistakes that I'll be making when first starting out. Once I get better, I plan to move to something bigger and better.

I hope to learn a bit from everyone here and get everything lined up for my bike purchase after the winter. If there are any meets, I'd love to go after I get the hang of my bike and not look like a total fool at the parking lot lol. Thanks for reading.
 
Go with the 300, you'll be happier for it.



But to be that pr*ck who tells everyone how great his bike it, for people on M2's, dual sports are really cheap for insurance (compared to sport bikes). Buddy on here, same age as me (~20), was just saying he got a quote of $3k/year for an R3, meanwhile my 400SM is under $2k. $1k/year savings is a lot of money, only if you could see yourself riding one. Plus supermoto's are the best :lmao:
 
Yeah I think I will be going with the 300. Even though, I am on an M2 License, I'm going to be hitting 25 years in March, so when I insure my bike in April, it shouldn't be anything too terrible. I have nothing against dual sports if that's your thing, in fact I learned how to parking lot ride on a Yamaha TW200 and loved it. I can see myself going down that road sometime later on in life when I do more off-road riding, but for now I want to enjoy myself on a nice street bike.
 
Yeah I think I will be going with the 300. Even though, I am on an M2 License, I'm going to be hitting 25 years in March, so when I insure my bike in April, it shouldn't be anything too terrible. I have nothing against dual sports if that's your thing, in fact I learned how to parking lot ride on a Yamaha TW200 and loved it. I can see myself going down that road sometime later on in life when I do more off-road riding, but for now I want to enjoy myself on a nice street bike.

25 is good, but more important is how long you've had a motorcycle license. If it's been a year or more your rate should be okay with a 300, even with no actual experience.
 
Welcome to the forum!

I'm 26 myself, and recently got my bike in October. CBR500R runs me about $1600/YR in insurance.
 
Yeah I think I will be going with the 300. Even though, I am on an M2 License, I'm going to be hitting 25 years in March, so when I insure my bike in April, it shouldn't be anything too terrible. I have nothing against dual sports if that's your thing, in fact I learned how to parking lot ride on a Yamaha TW200 and loved it. I can see myself going down that road sometime later on in life when I do more off-road riding, but for now I want to enjoy myself on a nice street bike.

Welcome.

Definitely double check with your insurance before making any assumptions. Some companies see a 30HP 300cc bike as a "supersport" and lump them in with 600+cc machines. Call your agent and ask for a quote. You may need to shop around. Check the Insurance forum here as there are some motorcycle-friendly reps floating around that can give you a fair quote.
 
Dalton Timmis is friendly to new riders on reasonable bikes. Very worthy of a call once you get a few bike choices decided upon.

NOW would be when I'm shopping, not in the spring - as with all things bikes once there's even a hint of spring in the air....prices go up. There will still be deals to be had right now as people are anxious to liquidate bikes they still own in order to free up funds for a new bike they're looking for..but those deals go away fast once it's a sellers market vs a buyers market - the motorcycle season is short here and buying and selling gets much more expensive once it gets going.
 
NOW would be when I'm shopping, not in the spring - as with all things bikes once there's even a hint of spring in the air....prices go up. There will still be deals to be had right now as people are anxious to liquidate bikes they still own in order to free up funds for a new bike they're looking for..but those deals go away fast once it's a sellers market vs a buyers market - the motorcycle season is short here and buying and selling gets much more expensive once it gets going.

Does that go for dealerships as well? I found a nice bike I'd want to check out at VOSS motors. Anyone know anything about that dealership?
 
Does that go for dealerships as well? I found a nice bike I'd want to check out at VOSS motors. Anyone know anything about that dealership?

Yes and no, typically dealership pricing is higher than private sale pricing most of the time, but with a dealership your ability to negotiate a better price is certainly going to be stronger this time of year (when they'd love to move anything) vs the spring when they won't be so accommodating.


If possible consider buying something that you can afford to pay cash for versus financing through the dealership – a bike that has no financing encumbrances can be insured for basic coverage (liability only) for less money than a bike with financing which will require full coverage. For a brand new rider that can add significant cost.
 
Solid tips, thanks PrivatePilot! The reason I am more inclined to buy from a dealership is because the bike is stock and looks clean compared to the annoying bright pink wheeled Ninjas I see on private sales on Kijiji these days with a laundry list of mods. Also, the only white Ninja 300 I've seen sold privately will cost only slightly less than the one from a dealership. I know perhaps the dealership put the stock parts on to sell it but I'd like to think I'd be safer off buying from a dealership, no?
 
Hey all,

So I'm going this week to check out this bike here: http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-bikes/...15/1247717925?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Any opinions? Things I should look out for? I printed off a sweet "used motorcycle inspection" checklist someone had posted in another thread with going over each maintenance aspect like oil changes, air filters, valve adjustments as well as knowing more abut their riding lifestyle, but I just want to do a good job of inspecting it. Thanks for any extra tips.
 
looks nice in the pictures
with only 15k it probably had 2-3 oil changes, first one is at 1k
check for signs of damage (handle bars, swing arm, forks, pegs, levers, wheels, tire wear, stripped screws/bolts)
check for leaks, break cylinders, oil, cooling fluid

if all seems ok you can't go wrong with a ninja 300
 
I pulled the trigger! I am now a proud owner of a green Ninja 300. Just got to get the safety done, buy out the insurance policy and plate it. Can't wait to start riding this thing!
 
Insurance wise you should be good for the ninja 300... I got insured in 2015 September (19 years old).. for 1650. September 2016 (20 years old) dropped down to 1150.

Brother who is 25 got insured last year (aged 25 at the time) in june 2016 for 1300.

Anything other than the ninja 300 is in a funny insurance bracket... For example, the cbr300r was 2400 for me and the r3 was 1900 (same insurance company, in 2016 when my premium from ninja 300 was 1150.

Congrats on the purchase! Lots of fun to be had soon. Ride Safe.
 
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I pulled the trigger! I am now a proud owner of a green Ninja 300. Just got to get the safety done, buy out the insurance policy and plate it. Can't wait to start riding this thing!

Welcome aboard ninja man:cool:
 
Thanks for the welcomes guys! I got quoted $1405 for liability plus comprehensive but no collision or $1752 for full coverage. I'm leaning towards getting the $1405 liability plus comprehensive option. To me it sounds like a fair price, what do you guys think? Again I'm 25, on a 2015 Ninja 300 ABS and got my M2 last August.
 

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