Pretty much the same size of bike, my daughter started with a Ninja 250.... which is now a 300....
that is pretty much a beginner bike....

 

I was reading on different forums that the 500 was a good beginner bike that's why I went with this one

 

It's considered a beginner bike because is light (relatively), narrow, and doesn't have too much power for a beginner to handle. It's main advantage for you, now, is that it has a more upright riding position, and wider bars than the Ducati. Many find that easier to learn with than the low, narrow clipons of a more cutting edge sportbike. I know my ex-GF should've gone with an SV650, and not the S model with clipons.

 

I also noticed (while parking it in my garage) I could move it around easier on my own (despite being about the same weight as the duc) and the bikes handle bars turn farther. Like 6 inches in each direction as opposed to the duc that is like 2 inches lol

 

It's all in the feel. Hard to really describe it in words (aside from what Neil said). Ride it around for a while and you'll notice all the differences, whatever they may be...positive or negative. Then you can compare for yourself and see what you think.

 

I also feel much less pushed up against the gas tank on the ninja

 

wow that was fast, got a check cut in less then a week.
went from ducatichick to ninjachick.

I like the SV650 as well for a beginner bike. low/skinny and relativity cheap and 650cc for the highway
The ninja was Kawasaki 's main stay sport bike for a while but it has since been used as a commuter/beginner bike. it great for it's purpose

 

I still have the duc and I will always have the duc. The duc took my street bike virginity, I sucked big time so the ninja is the meaningless hookup to get experience

 

O-yes I remember those meaningless hook up days... have fun and always wear protecting

 

Lol!!!

 

^ damn, it would have been funnier if I could spell.. I obvious meant protection not protecting.

you's knew what I meant. Don't make fun of the illiterate guy

 

well, if you are gonna be ninja chick, i'm deducting one point. Don't sweat it too much though. Where i live, we have 7 metric ass tons of great looking girls that are only threes because all they like to do is buy shoes and complain.
There are a lot of answers to your 748/ninja question. The ninja was made to be comfortable, economical commuter\ beginner street bike with it's low foot pegs, high bars, cushy seat, friendly power, and small turning radius. In contrast, the 748 was designed by some batshit crazy Italian guy who obviously borrowed the ergonomics ideas from something used by the inquisitors during the dark ages. And the target market was apparently masochists who didn't want to pony up for the 916/996/998, and folks going out for Pro Thunder and BOTT (battle of the twins) racing. Good stuff and popular at the time.
My 998 and the 748 share the same ergos. And people who have ridden it have used adjectives like 'torture rack' to describe it. Hell, my kidneys ache just at the thought of a freeway ride on the thing. However, when you get to the race track it does begin to make sense. The high pegs keep your feet off the deck in corners, the thin seat makes for a better rider/bike interface, the tall tank is great to stuff your outside knee into, the sloped chair helps hold you forward when on the gas, and gives your inside leg more ground clearance when you scoot back on the way into a turn, and even the limited steering throw is done intentionally to keep a head shake from becoming a deadly tank slapper. So, maybe some day, when the ninja no longer blows your skirt up, or you feel compelled to hit up your local track for a little bit of pure old fashioned unmitigated fun, the 748 will be there, more than up to the task. I won't go into its stunning looks, as stuff like that tends to be rather subjective.

 

Try a cruiser... Even easier.
;-)

 

The Ducati superbikes are not good beginner bikes. Don't care who you are or what you say, they just aren't. They aren't easy to ride. They aren't forgiving. Once you figure them out, they are fast and fun but there is a learning curve. I had been riding for over 15 years, raced with WERA and FASTRAX, went through 3 CBR600s and several dirt bikes and I STILL found that I had to get used to the 1098.

The Monster and probably the new Scrambler are much more forgiving as far as a Ducati goes. Get some miles on the 500 and then come back to the Duc when you are feeling more confident.

Mary

 

Indeed Mary, If i rode a street bike it would be a monster.. Like the old 900. What a nice bike. Softer suspension, but not a couch, ergos you can live with for more than 8 laps..and still has that lovely torque, the deep rumble with the clitter clatter of the clutch on top....The suprebike on public roads is the perfect recipe for a suspended drivers license.......and chronic back pain

 

250 would be a better difference maker. Going from my cbr 600 to the 848 didnt feel like a big leap. Honestly I think the Ducati is harder to ride it takes a much more aggressive approach to enjoy the bikes potential. When I see comments the bike is hard to tip in I tend to think it's because they are use to the Japanese not that it's actually harder. Then again it's probably that I just trust it more than my cbr..

 

I didn't really understand it at the time, but in the late 90's i was an ardent GSXR 750 guy. One day at Streets of Willow I rode a 916. Unfamiliar bike, not set up for me, heavier, and about 15 horse power less..First session I was a full second faster than i ever was... Before i looked at lap times, I thought i was at least 4 seconds slower, as i never felt as if i was really going... Its just what the bikes were made to do..

 

I have to say I own a monster 796 and an 03 999 and my god there is a huge learning curve for that bike. I agree with learning on a 250 or 500 or even a monster then moving onto the superbikes. Just my .02

 

The Ninja 500 has a very slow throttle response and a much lower power delivery than a Ducati....

 

Thank you so much everyone!!! My plan is to get as many miles as I can on the ninja, I'm still a bit reluctant to get back on (even the ninja) but I'm going to force myself. I had a dream last night that I drove it and didn't crash so maybe that's a sign I need to suck it up and ride. I have a really nice track near me (Lime Rock) that has track days, I'm planning on going as soon as I can convince myself!

 

Lime Rock is absolutely beautiful! You'll love a trackday there!! Definitely get back on....and soon. A quick story that may help...

I'm a SCUBA instructor. I was teaching a 12 year old girl how to dive. It was her very first time underwater. She panicked and spit out her breathing regulator at about 40 feet deep. This can be quite dangerous. I was right there with her. I stopped her from bolting to the surface and put the regulator back in her mouth. We got back onto the boat and she was freaked out. There was another dive about an hour later. I told her that she really should get back in the water and complete the 2nd dive. I told her if she didnt, she'd never again have the guts to dive again. She decided to toughen up and go for the 2nd dive. She loved it. She was so very excited. After that 2nd dive when we got back to the surface and could talk, she was so thankful. A very happy 12 year old girl. She went on to become a very accomplished diver and has since traveled all over the world diving and had introduced many others to SCUBA.

I love telling that story because it was real. It happened and I witnessed a tremendous inner strength from a tiny little 12 year old....

Where would she be if she chickened out??

Good luck, you're stronger and braver than you think

 

When I started learning how to ride, everyone recommended starting with a 600. They pointed towards a few older bikes, like the CBR600F2, which wasn't very powerful, but had a very nice upright feel. I was really scared to ride on the street, but my dream of racing motorcycles overpowered my fear in a lot of ways. I think finding a goal and pushing for the goal are very important things. If you just go out there and ride, sometimes you won't really progress well. However, if you have a goal and work towards it, then things are learned much quicker and if you fall off the horse, it's a lot easier to get right back on again.

I spent about half a year on the CBR, racked up around 18k miles doing some longer distance rides, before getting my first Ducati, a 2001 748S.

What makes sportbikes harder to ride is mostly the body position. With upright machines, the body is in a central position, with feet below butt and arms extended straight out to handle bars. This gives the operator much more control of balance and control of the machine. The moment you put your feet back and start arching your back over the bars, you start to make that balance a bit more difficult to achieve at slower speeds. For slower people, this is a big deal because balance is everything when you're going really slow.

The older Ducati superbikes can be more tricky to ride for a beginner due to the clutch engagement which can be harsh at times and of course the power delivery can surge with throttle input on those machines as well. It takes some time to get use to, but it could absolutely can freak beginners out. The newer bikes are a lot smoother, especially the wet clutch one's like the 848, they're in a different league smoothness wise.

Since my Ducati Superbike experiences, I've tried many other bikes and found one that I will mention. KTM has done a great job with the Duke lineup of machines, especially the Duke 690. It's a stellar beginner bike, not only because stock it has a lot of very cool safety features, but it's easy to ride AND most importantly, you can add crash protection through their parts catalog for peanuts. So you can deck out the bike with the crash bars for not much money. Plus, they're great on gas, pretty light weight (321lb dry) and not too expensive. If you can find them used, I've seen them go around $6k, which is a steal for what you get. I only sold mine because it was older and I wasn't in love with the older motor. KTM has since done some minor changes which appear to fixed the problems, which is nice.

I'm a SCUBA instructor. I was teaching a 12 year old girl how to dive. It was her very first time underwater.

Small world, me too! I'll PM you when I'm back in town mid July.

 

After my drop I had a cracked rib a massively swollen knee and a messed up bike, went in for surgery for something unrelated a few days later. And was off the bike for months. I've struggled to ride with any level of comfort after that. I wish I had the opportunity to get back on right away, other than limping the bike for 4 miles. All the years of wrecks while racing mountain bikes trained me to get right back on to avoid that mental block.

 

Unfortunately my knee got pretty messed up when I dropped the duc I can't even wear pants and it's been 3 weeks ... so I haven't gotten back on yet... I'm trying to find a friend to ride it to a parking lot for me and help me out but I have not found someone yet... so I'm afraid I'm passed the avoid the mental block phase... I live in the middle of no where so riding to a parking lot alone is scary to me... I sound like such a pussy... ugh...

 

Track days are a great way to get comfortable with riding. Highly recommend. I used to be an STT instructor for a couple years. Just make sure you sign up for the beginner group. And, don't forget, don't skimp on your safety equipment.

Happy riding!

 

Leathers !!!

 

It's not the power that makes it hard to ride, it's all the other stuff (like everyone here has been saying). Low bars, no steering clearance, high pegs, high seat with a forward slope, grabby brakes, twitchy front end, tricky clutch, etc etc.

IMO a Streetfighter 1098 is a lot easier to ride than my 848 even though it's quite a bit more powerful. At the time I also had a Harley, so the Duc was never supposed to be my only bike. Now if I had it to do over I'd have the Streetfighter because it's so much easier to ride and loads more fun to horse around in the real world. Honestly, superbikes can be kind of a drag if you're not using them for what they were made for.

 

It's not the power that Honestly, superbikes can be kind of a drag if you're not using them for what they were made for.

Amen....
And, we should learn to embrace Fear, because there would be no Brave without it