Kawasaki Ninja - Great chick bike
Written: Jul 24 '00 (Updated Sep 26 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: cute, fun, and inexpensive
Cons: engine too small for any real power
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| mcgina's Full Review: 2000 Kawasaki Ninja 250R |
I bought this bike in my final year of college. Student parking on campus was too expensive for my Ramen Noodle budget, yet I noticed motorcycle lots alongside every building where students could park their bikes for free. Cha-ching! In doing a little research, I discovered I could get one of these cute little crotch rockets for less than $4,000 which happened to be the amount of credit left on my credit card. Cha-ching! So after taking a Motorcycle Safety course and getting my license--I was cruisin'!
I had so much fun with that bike. It was peppy, easy to handle, and I looked way cute on it. A drive in the mountains is never the same when you've experienced it on the back of a motorcycle.
Having no other motorcycle experience to compare it with, I couldn't tell you if the gas mileage was exceptionally good or bad. I certainly was pleased with it, compared to my car.
Stranded on the Wrong side of town
One night I rode over to the "bad" side of town to drop off some papers at my lawyer's office. After talking with him for a moment in the parking lot, he asked me if I would be okay heading home, I said "sure." So he got in his car and left. After arranging my back-pack and donning my helmet, I hopped on my bike and started it up. I knocked it into first and took off--BAM!! I found myself lying on the ground next to my Ninja horizontal, still running. What happened? I forgot to take the wheel lock off of the front hub.
After shutting off the engine, I gave a feeble attempt at picking the bike up. Not as easy as a ten-speek bicycle. Looking around, I saw some dudes hanging out drinking in the 7-11 parking lot across the street from the dark parking lot where my Ninja lay prone like a wounded animal. They were watching me and speaking to each other in Spanish. Should I ask them to come over and help me pick my bike up or should I go walk over there where they are and use the pay phone and call someone? Or should I just sit down here on top of my bike and cry?
Just as the guys started across the street toward me (to rape me? to rob me? to help me? who knows?), grabbed the handle-bars and gave a mighty heave and managed to get the bike up on its wheels. Having removed the wheel lock, I was able to start it up and speed away.
All of that to tell you that the bike is light-weight and relatively easy to manage, even for a weakling like me.
But I need more!
After about six months I was feeling more comfortable on it and felt I was ready for more motorcycle. The 250 just wasn't big enough to zip up the mountain roads as quick as I wanted. When riding with friends who had bigger motorcycles, I was left in the dirt.
Owning this bike was enough to get me motorcycle addicted for life.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mcgina
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Member: Gina Robertson
Location: Roanoke, TX
Reviews written: 60
Trusted by: 72 members
About Me:
I'm here. Just can't dodge enough real life to Epinion-ate right now.
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