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I get the feeling motordavid has never owned a Ninja250, much less ridden one. I'm 6'4", 34~35" inseam and have ranged from 240~280 in the 10 years I've owned a Ninja 250 (an 01, 08 and back to an 05 ~ hated the 08~12 bike dynamics for daily use riding). It's a Very roomy motorcycle when it comes to ergonomics. By far my favorite motorcycle (the 1988~2007 Ninja 250).
But it's still the wrong choice for a commute, or rather for Just a commute. Consider that the vast majority of all motorcycle accidents happen within 1 mile of Home/School/Work. You're never going to be out of the most dangerous place to ride on that commute, so you'd be a fool to skip or skimp on gear. So, you'll be putting on riding boots, riding pants, jacket, gloves, helmet and hauling your shoes/lunch/laptop/books on the bike. Then, when you get to work, you'll be unloading that stuff and bringing it inside, then taking off the gear and getting yourself situated. It's not "easy" like wearing what you'll wear all day out to the car, tossing your "stuff" in the passenger seat, buckling up and going. It's not a lot of time, but probably 7~10 minutes worth for each trip you take on a motorcycle. There are very clear drawbacks to using a motorcycle for commuting, it can be done. Heck, I went motorcycle only for 8 years and did Everything via motorcycle (was a very dry spell for dating, girls want nothing to do with a guy who doesn't have a car), and I made it work but it's far, FAR easier with a car and I'll never go MC only again.
Your money and choice though... I'm just trying to point out the things that tend to be ignored by people who think motorcycling will be "all that and a bag of chips".
Make sense.
So riding motorcycle isn't a way to lower the cost of transportation I guess? I get the impression that most people here chose to ride motorcycle not for saving money.
The short distance is a little too long for walking but too short for driving.
'Motorcycles save money' is the excuse we give the wives to justify buying one, but unless you have one hellacious commute and your current vehicle gets single-digit MPGs, you won't come out ahead.
I think that's a very good deal on that motorcycle.
But like others have said, if the goal is the save money a motorcycle isn't the best way to do it.
At 1.5 miles, I'd ride a bicycle and drive a late 90s civic or corolla on the bad weather days. My commute is about 10 miles and I don't ride my motorcycle. Too much effort to gear up and it's a boring ride. The motorcycle is for after work and weekends when I can go out and find a fun road to ride down.
Agreed with the others, won't save you a dime. For safe commuting, you'll still be needing almost $500 in gear + tires that wear out every year or two ...about 5,000-10,000 miles depending on the tire and cost about $110 a piece, chains that wear out, plus the bike. If you want to get into motorcycle riding, and take the bike to work every once in a while, no issue...do so, and enjoy it! Might recommend an older bike, especially if you're decent with a wrench. I've purchased several older motorcycles for $300, and you can normally find an older used bike that's in good running condition for $1000 with relative ease.
Doing so will allow you to get used to riding on a motorcycle you're not worried about damaging, and it'll dramatically reduce how long it takes to recoup your purchase price by saving fuel. It was a bit easier to do on my 1st motorcycle that cost me $300...but is a bit harder to justify on my later bikes that have cost as much as $1500. And the bikes I've purchased have ranged in years from 1979 to 2002...nothing newer than that yet, but I'm sure I will eventually!
OP: Missing from your post info is what type of road/traffic environment your 1.5 mile commute involves. That info could color our responses somewhat. IMO, previous posters have accurately delineated the other primary issues.
Being a fanatic on safety gear, I'd quibble about others' cost estimates of quality gear. Mine was easily over $2K in total and I wear it even if I'm riding around my neighborhood.
It is that critical to one's personal safety. It is way cheaper than potential damage/medical costs in an accident, not including pain/suffering and possible disability/death issues.
For a new rider to jump into daily commuting (and that assumes post MSF Level I training) is potentially a prescription for disaster. Learning to ride "under fire" in most commuting environments is NOT a good idea.
The MSF Level I course teaches you only the minimal essentials of riding. It does not prepare one to be a safe rider, that takes miles & experience on the road. Smart newbies avoid high traffic environments until they've got some miles under their belt, its just common sense.
There is a definite learning curve one needs to master before your ready for prime time. Even then, its a good strategy to avoid high risk (read cagers, your greatest threat by far) environments whenever possible.
One of my daughters is a mildly experienced rider (40K plus road miles, completed the Level II MSF course). She lives about 4 miles from work, in a high traffic, suburban area. She also likes primo cars and didn't want to put high wear miles and typical ding parking risk on her pricey car.
When she suggested that she was going to start commuting with an appropriate scooter, we had a serious heart to heart discussion. The end result was she bought a beater car for commuting.
Weather issues will essentially demand that you have a cager alternative in any event. Yes, some folks do commute with only a 2 wheeled vehicle. Is it the best strategy, all things considered - IMO - definitely NO.
Unless one is a gymnast or very short legged, that N 250 will feel like a mini-bike to most; I've ridden a few for short spin, and while remarkable agile and fairly light weight, it is not for 5'-10" and up, imo.
I'm at least 6'1 with my boots on, a few lbs over 200, and I miss my ninja 250 sometimes.
If i lived in the right part of the country (mostly SoCal) I think its very likely i'd go carless. I love cars as well, but if I could ride every day of the week, and every week of the year, I wouldn't see a whole lot of use for the cage except hauling things around. These would also mean i'd likely have to be single, so my grocery list would be smaller, i'd have no kid to avoid needing a car seat, and neither of those are true anymore
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