First off, Weapon, have you gotten your rear suspension setup yet? I’d hold off comments on how unstable the bike is until that gets sorted out. A slightly off suspension setup can really soil the entire feel of a bike. This is true on top end sport bikes and lowly mountain bikes.
I’ve heard of 300 pound guys on SVs who love ’em to death. And with a wet weight of over 400 pounds, I don’t think you out-weigh your bike just yet
Next, I’m going to chime in on the Ninja 250. On the freeway (under an hour at a time) the buzzing doesn’t bother me. The 8000rpm engine speed is barely audible above the wind noise (with ear plugs).
If you are paying attention there is absolutely no shortage of power. It’ll get to “do not pass go do not collect $200” speeds faster than most cars. If you can get in a camry, jetta, or focus and feel they are fast enough on the free way not to be a danger, well, the ninja is faster.
But, longer than an hour, especially if you are riding twisty highways at above posted speed (only 15% above in my case… but fast for me), you have to keep the engine on the boil – which means 7000rpm+ and 8k-9k if there are any uphills in the corners.
And hour of 8-9k and a sporting tuck, THAT gets buzzy. My hands were always fine, but my feet buzzed quickly.
For that reason alone I can see myself moving up to a 500 or a 650.
And as for gear:
Yes, start buying now, because it’ll cost you more than you think. The cheapest helmet I *personally* can wear is close to $200. The one I do wear is closer to $500. Over all I’ve spent way more than $1000 on gear. And the money spent on good fitting gear makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I’d rather have a cheap bike and good gear than a good bike and cheap gear.
Only buy a NEW helmet. Don’t save money buying used (even if the guy says it has never been dropped, you are putting your life in your trust of his statement). And make sure you try it on for awhile before buying it (visit a shop, wear all their helmets, find hte ones you like, then wear those for 20 minutes or more to make sure no pressure points build up).
Frankly, with all your gear, you should at least try on something from that company locally to make sure it fits. I’ve learned that only Icon makes glvoes that fit my hands. Almost no others are comfortable. Just like jeans, no two companies use identical measurments, buy online if you like, but try ’em on someplace first!
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“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”