New rider (hopefully) in TX

Hey guys, just browsin the web and found this site. I've been trying to get some good advice on which bike to get. Yes, I have read most of the articles on newbie bikes and believe me, I don't want to buy an expensive bike only to drop it while learning.

My issue is that I am not a small guy, I'm about 6 feet and weigh 225 lbs. I was lookin pretty closely at getting a Ninja 250 but the bike just looks too small for me. What would you guys recommend as a starting bike for someone my size?  

I also am a new rider.  Trained at the MSF on 250 cc bikes, but bought a Savage 40 which is a Suzuki LS650.

I weight 200 and am 5 11 so we are pretty close.  One thing, the 650 is a heavier bike and I was practicing U turns going very slowly and I dropped it.  If you took instructions on a smaller bike and buy a larger one, remember its going to be heavier and at very slow speeds harder to manuver than the 250.

Good luck.  I am in Central Texas - Copperas Cove  

Bounce, being a new rider myself I can tell you there is lots of good advise within these posts. So as far as the Ninja looking to small looks can be deceiving so I would say try sitting on one and get your feet up on the pegs and see how it feels before you decide also try some other bikes as well, remember if you go to a dealer the salesperson will most assuredly try to sell you a more expensive bike (they do work off of commission usually). But I would go with the lightest bike possible; the bikes are most unstable at slow speeds so even if you ride with good common sense and within your abilities you still run the risk of laying the bike down during low speed turns or u-turns more so if you are not on level surfaces. I’ve almost laid my R6 down 3 times and had to muscle it back up, less strength and it would have hit the ground.  But you also want to be comfortable on the bike which means less fatigue which results in more control of the bike.

And last as I’m sure you’ve already seen in these threads, TAKE THE MSF RIDING COURSE!!

Ride safe and enjoy the ride!  

Well I decided to go up to the dealer and see if I can get a feel for the 250. I'm also going to get some payment information from them. What should I expect for motorcycle payments?

I also figured I could probably save money in gas and that would equal if not pay for itself

Also, what are your opinions on getting older bikes vs. brand new bikes? I really like the 08 250, and maybe the 07 and 06 but earlier than that looks to squarish for me.  

While I won’t claim to be an expert on motorcycle financing, I can say there are some variables. How you choose to finance being a big one, most factory dealers offer low interest low payment options ( I’ve seen as low as $49.99 a month) but the kicker is the deal will only last for anywhere from a year to a couple of years then the interest will go up quite a bit, in the range of 14 to 18 percent. You can try to refinance at this point but considering that your loan principle will still be pretty close to what it was when you bought the bike (because of the super low payments its like trying to pay off a credit card paying only the minimum) you may have a difficult time getting it refinanced for the amount you still owe since the retail value of the bike may. And as far as other sources like I said there are lots of variables, down payment, credit score, and time financed. I would be expecting in the range of $150 to $200 though but as I said I’m no expert so you’ll just have to talk to some lending agencies, call the loan officer at your local bank they should be able to give you some insight. I mostly wanted to make you aware of the fine print of the low payment factory financing that’s one of the reasons you see plenty of 1 to 2 year old bikes for sale with the owner asking for someone to take over payments.

Also shop around for insurance if you finance a bike you will have to carry collision also which obviously cost more bad thing is you can’t drop it in the winter when your not even riding, but you may find the difference in rates for motorcycles varies more from provider to provider than car insurance does. Some agencies will give discounts for having taken the MSF basic riding course. Also get your permit now if you haven’t already (In N.C you only have to pass a written test for that not sure about other states check with local DMV) but some insurance agencies look at the length of time you’ve had a permit or license so the longer you have it the sooner your rates will go down.
As for the old vs. new; older bikes are obviously cheaper and it might not hurt your feelings as bad if you lay it down and bang it up a bi, I think most would recommend an older bike to ride just for a year or so but depending an older bike might be harder to finance I had problems because the R6 I got was an 02 and lenders either wouldn’t lend on a bike over 5 years old or they would have a minimum such as 5,000 dollars which was more than I needed and came with payments higher than I wanted, and I couldn’t get a personal loan for enough to but the bike, but I finally rounded up enough cash and skipped the borrowing process altogether which is good no payments plus I’ll drop the collision this winter. As for newer bikes I really loved the new R6s but just couldn’t imagine wreaking a 10,000 dollar bike  being my first one and all.
But in the end you have to decide what you really want and can live with.

Best of luck, and ride safe