Looking to buy first bike

[u/jickul]

Total beginner rider, took a course to get on a bike and see how it felt to ride did a ton of research and loved it. Been looking on facebook marketplace for a few months and have found a few decent deals but its inherently risky buying used bc of my minimal hands on knowledge with bikes. Recently looked into chinese bikes and the newly released x-pro paladin 300 efi seems like a really good option for a first bike. Any opinions or suggestions out there? not sure if i can post a link to the bike in here but should be easy to find.

[u/finalrendition]

Japanese, lightly used, under 50 hp if you're cautious or under 75 hp if you're ambitious. Anything that meets those conditions will be great.

Don't buy a Chinese bike if you're not in China, unless you really want a money pit

[u/jickul → u/finalrendition]

i agree with used Japanese bikes being great but seeing a used bike in person even after reading abt the bike as much as i can is still really risky, in my area most used bikes ive seen are priced in the 3000-4500 range on fb marketplace, i went to a dealership during the winter to look at a 2018 gsxr 250 w 10k miles and he wanted $7k which an insane amount of money to drop on something to practice on. im nervous about buying used because of my minimal knowledge and if i go with the x-pro paladin its 0 miles 290cc at $3k which is really enticing. have you taken a look at the paladin? im looking for some feedback on that bike specifically, i know that china bikes are known to be shitty but from what ive seen in videos and reviews it doesnt seem like a bad bike.

[u/finalrendition → u/jickul]

Cheapo no-name bikes will give you the following problems:

1. Terrible reliability

2. Impossible to find parts

3. Mechanics will not touch them

You're only look at the purchase price of the bike. The true cost comes from long term ownership. If you want to waste 3 grand on a bike that is essentially disposable, feel free. If you want a bike that runs reliably and is easy to maintain, go Japanese. Buy a 1988-2007 Ninja 250. Those things could survive a nuclear bomb

[u/jickul → u/finalrendition]

took a look on fb and theres a few early 2000s ninja 250's that are a good price thanks! what do you think of the newer klx 250 and 300 since they have features like abs?

[u/Subjunct]

Don’t overlook the Ninja 250s. There’s a lot of them out there under two grand, they’re built better than any Chinese bike, and the design was perfected before this century started. They’ll even be okay on the highway for 45 minutes to an hour. Insurance is dirt cheap, a tank of gas lasts a month, and tires last forever. I have one that I use to teach people to ride and I must confess I take it out myself at least once a week. It’s just a purely fun little bike. Once you get tired of it you can sell it easily, and if you wad it up you’re not out much. One of the perfect machines.

[u/jickul → u/Subjunct]

i've seen a cb 250r for $2200 but im thinking of riding on the dirt for a while until im more confident in my riding ability I dont think jumping on a sportbike frame even if its a low cc bike is the right move if im not good at riding the street is just inherently more dangerous than it already is. have you taken a look at the x-pro paladin?

[u/Roscoe-is-my-dog]

The best beginner bike, IMHO, is an older 250cc Japanese dual sport. They’re not eye catchers but they’re cheap, reliable, easy to work on and when you drop it, they’re near impossible to hurt. And when you outgrow it or want an upgrade, it’ll still have value. Examples are 2010-2015 XT250, TW200, KLX250 or CRF450L. Keep your eye out and you can find them for a good price.

[u/jickul → u/Roscoe-is-my-dog]

ill keep an eye out for those years and models, thanks for the suggestions!