Topic: The Price is Right!!! How Much Would You Pay for This????!!?

[laminarflowone]

Ok, so the girlfriend wants a bike now, and I'm thinking of picking up a 250 Ninja for her.  A neighbor wants to sell this one to me 1600, but KBB says trade in for a 2004 model in good condition should be 1210.







There is a crack in the fairing when the bike tipped over...And it hasn't been ridden for 2 years. I never really bought a working motorcycle ever before...., so I'm not sure how much it would be worth.  Opinions?

[Stev-o]

Can't see pics.

Last time I went to buy a vehicle, I brought along the printed KBB paperwork that showed what the truck was worth. I suggest the same.

[Kframe]

Looks like you're trying to post photos that reside in your gmail.

They need to be uploaded to someplace like Photobucket and then hotlinked here.
-K

[ferroussphinx]

try craigslist that is tooo much hell you can get a  nice honda rebel for that price atleast around ECI

[kirkn]

Well, they're great bikes.  I had a '97 with only 10k miles.  They were virtually unchanged except for paint and graphics from '88 thru 2007 so everything is interchangeable and you don't really need to pay attention to the year, just the condition of the one YOU'RE looking at.

They're typically beginner bikes, so they do suffer the 'dropsies' - bent levers, broken mirrors/blinkers/plastics and sometimes poor maintenance.

But, they're still great.  Mine would pull me well over 100mph and still get 70+ mpg on my daily commute.

So, around here, 1600 might be a shade pricey, especially for one that will need carbs cleaned from sitting and has broken plastic.  Mine was in great shape, no 'beginner' issues and I sold it for 1300 after a month on craigslist.

Good luck with it, whichever way you go.

Kirk

[MCRider]

try craigslist that is tooo much hell you can get a  nice honda rebel for that price atleast around ECI

A little OT but pertinent. Having bot many bikes for my wife, and watching other men stumble thru the process, let me say; Don't project your own feelings onto your choice. Even if she likes it in concept, sport styled bikes are very hard to learn on. the seat height is too high especially for most women. I saw a gal bail on her Ninja 250 as she came into a parking lot too hot and lost the front end. She never rode again. Nor would she ride on the back with him.

The cruiser style bikes like the Rebel 250 may be the better choice, lower seat height, steering not so twitchy.

At least make sure she can flat foot the Ninja before buying it. That quickly becomes their top priority.

Of course anything can happen and I may be offbase in your case. I'm just saying...

[laminarflowone]

wow, I completely forgot about this thread...

I ended up getting it for 1100, and bought a new battery, cleaned the carbs, fiber-glassed and bondoed the blinker mounts.  Probably will get new tires soon cuz they are starting to crack a bit, and will need to replace the brake lines and do a valve job this weekend. 

It turns out she loves it, but I seem to be riding it more than she does for my commuting purposes...It is a fun little bike, and being able to go WOT all the time without going to jail is an experience I don't get to have on my sv650.

[greasy j]

try craigslist that is tooo much hell you can get a  nice honda rebel for that price atleast around ECI

A little OT but pertinent. Having bot many bikes for my wife, and watching other men stumble thru the process, let me say; Don't project your own feelings onto your choice. Even if she likes it in concept, sport styled bikes are very hard to learn on. the seat height is too high especially for most women. I saw a gal bail on her Ninja 250 as she came into a parking lot too hot and lost the front end. She never rode again. Nor would she ride on the back with him.

The cruiser style bikes like the Rebel 250 may be the better choice, lower seat height, steering not so twitchy.

At least make sure she can flat foot the Ninja before buying it. That quickly becomes their top priority.

Of course anything can happen and I may be offbase in your case. I'm just saying...

actually, the ninja 250 only looks like a sportbike. it rides like a standard or a scooter. and it is definitely low! I got and painted one for my gf and she loves it! was super easy to learn on for her.

[greasy j]

wow, I completely forgot about this thread...

I ended up getting it for 1100, and bought a new battery, cleaned the carbs, fiber-glassed and bondoed the blinker mounts.  Probably will get new tires soon cuz they are starting to crack a bit, and will need to replace the brake lines and do a valve job this weekend. 

It turns out she loves it, but I seem to be riding it more than she does for my commuting purposes...It is a fun little bike, and being able to go WOT all the time without going to jail is an experience I don't get to have on my sv650.

I ride my girlfriends all the time, too. it's a fun little bike. it feels like a lowrider to me compared to my xr600r supermoto. but so much easier to start, so I use that for quick trips. and it'll do the ton!