I've ridden piles of different dirt bikes.  I started street riding on a '71 Honda 350 with no way to start it other than to roll it.  I rode that for several years then bought a '76 Goldwing...very nice bike.  You will drag the heads, valve covers actually, if you lean too far.  Like riding down the road in your easy chair. Had a Batavus motorcycle style moped for a while.  It was great for putting around town.

I bought my Savage about 4 years ago and 2 years ago bought a little ninja.

The ninja is great for flogging around the side streets and twisties.  The windscreen directs all the breeze right to my upper chest and face so it makes it colder during the winter.  The heat coming off the radiator is nice though. The little ninja will handle the highway speeds with no problem but gets a little buzzy.

I bought a Yamaha Virago 535 a while back.  Haven't really had a chance to ride it.  It had been sitting for several years.  Finally got the carbs off and cleaned.  It's misfiring on one cylinder. I'll get that squared away one day and have it riding then.  It came with a Corbin seat and it sits really comfortable.

I've ridden a Ninja 650.  It was a great riding bike. Plenty of power without being peaky. It's still a twin so you get decent pull from it without winding it out.  The seating position was quite good for me.  Like you said, almost straight up. Still had the issue with the air deflecting too low from the windscreen. It felt heavy enough for long rides without beating you to death but still small enough that it wouldn't wear you out going through town either. The sport bike seat, as with most, could stand some modification to make it into a good long distance rider.

Check out the competition around the same size as the Ninja you're looking at and see if any of them speak to you. It's more about what feels right than saving a few dollars.  If you don't like it, you won't ride it. I don't see how you could go wrong with the Ninja 650. They are known for being good, dependable, comfortable bikes.

What year was that?

Best regards,

I've owned:
Suzuki TS125
Suzuki GS750 (miss it)
Honda XR250
Honda VT250 w/XL500 engine
Ariel 500 single
Aprilia RS1000
Honda CT90

Have now:
Ducati Pantah (25 years + !)
Suzuki DR250
Royal Enfield Continental GT
Savage
Ducati Monster

I like the upright/retro/cafe thing. Sportbikes don't really do much for me.

pg wrote on 10/10/16 at 16:03:37:


The bike? 1972
The picture.. hmm... 1974 or 75.  Barbers Pt Hawaii

That's so 70's
That shirt & bell bottoms , the shades and OMG the hat , very cool , now your just old fart like the rest of us !
Bet you wish you had that bike back !

Dave wrote on 10/11/16 at 05:59:11:

That is some wild protection you have on your head youzguyz...is it crocheted from Kevlar?

In the background I see a nice Suzuki TS400, what a Suzuki twin (T500 or GT250)......and a somewhat ratty Honda SL175 or SL350.

I'm quite sure my older brother had that very same hat. It was made of yarn and cut-up Budweiser cans.

I had several little brothers of the TS250; My first bike was a new '73 TS50 and I graduated to a TS125 and TS185. I also had TM125 and TM250 (same bikes without road-going stuff) and my brother had the beast of beasts, a TM400. An unridable heap...but I'd love to have one today.

I think it was 1960 when I bought my first bike.   While still in school I started buying, fixing and selling old bikes. I always had 2 or 3 at any time and worked my way up to what were considered the best bikes available at that time, the British twins.  All the small bikes then were European, the Japanese bikes were starting to be imported but in farm country we never saw any of them.  

After college I road for only about 2 or 3 years and then didn't ride again until I bought my Savage  over 40 years later.  Currently I have four bikes, the S40, a Moto Guzzi, an old BMW and a small Honda.  I ride the S40 more than the others combined because it is light but still has adequate power.

Dave wrote on 10/10/16 at 13:52:58:

The little Ninja is getting a "sportbikectomy" this winter.

Streetfighter?