To be honest i never really thought about whether a narrower tire is less safe, but know that i do, i highly, highly doubt it. My gf's dad rides a KLR650 with a skinny, knobby tire in the back and he's never had a problem with it. My bike has a typical width rear tire for a sportbike and it's never prevented me from locking the rear brake on wet pavement when i stomp on it. All tires will leave about the same size footprint on the pavement. Don't worry about the size of the tire. Bike companies aren't going to design a bike and put the wrong size tire on it. a 130 width tire is fine for a bike it's size.
The safetest way you can ride is after you take an MSF course and wear full riding gear.
BTW. i wouldn't buy a rebel. They are SLOW and can't keep up on highways. Go for something along the lines of a 600 or 750 cruiser. Max 650cc Non-supersport sportbike (suzuki Katana, Kawakai ninja 650r, sv 650)..|||As others have noted, it's the safety of the rider, not the motorcycle that's the biggest factor. Take the course. Even if you don't always agree with the instructor, you'll have a good foundation for riding.
You'll likely find the Rebel 250 as one of the bikes in the course. It's a reliable bike
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|||First, motorcycles in general are very safe. It's usually the rider who is not.
Second a "cruiser type" is NOT louder than a "sport type".
They both have to meet the same noise levels. It's only after they leave the dealer that the noise changes. And "sport types" change their mufflers as well.
Tires can and do make a difference. Many times, wider is not better. Narrow tires are a little quicker in the turns. The weight they carry is more concentrated, instead of spread out. This is one reason that traction is at least the same, if not better.
OK, arguments and such aside:
You have listed two cycles that are pretty much opposite in style, seating, and handling. This leads me to believe that (no offense) you don't really know what you want yet. I would suggest taking a learner's course such as the one offered by the MSF. They provide a bike in the 250cc range for the class. You will get the opportunity to talk to people who actually ride. At the end, you will have a much better idea of what really suits YOU. And that's what it's all about. YOU. nobody else is going to be stuck with your decision.|||it doesn't matter what style bike you ride ,it's how safe a rider you are and as far as tire width that doesn't matter as you still only have a contact batch on the road of the size of a playing card|||I have owned ninjas all my life and in my opinion sport bikes are more nimble in the corners than cruisers.
The Ninja 250 I also owned at one time and they are excellent bikes, very reliable and not boring at all.
The skinny tires are not as good as big fat tires when it comes to fast freeway driving however you can change the tires and most ninja 250 riders do.
See, the stock tires tend to have lines on them which "go the same grain as the freeway lines" so it seems to make the bike float a bit more from side to side in those grooves on the freeway. I never noticed those grooves in a car until I rode a bike on the freeway and then you see them plain as day.
So what some bike riders do, if you ride the freeway is they get tires where the tread design is going across the bike. IN other words imagine you are sitting on the bike now. The tread goes from your left to your right across that way it doesn't get into the grooves on the freeway as the tread is side ways and the freeway lines are straight.
Another thing with the Ninja 250 that I have noticed is that when I first got one the freeway riding was kind of "floating" that is I moved all over the freeway and it was because the tire pressure was too low.
After looking on the side of the tires and seeing the MAX psi I pumped it up to that and wow what a difference it made!
So keep the tires nice and firm but no higher than the max psi on the side of the tires, it will be printed there.
The honda rebel is not as strong as the Ninja 250 and if you had 2 guys with the same skill racing each other the Honda rebel would be in the dust. Its not a bad bike the rebel, just not as good as the Ninja 250 or Ninja 500.
As far as the NOISE of the bike being safe, that is a myth and has been proven scientifically as for example, on the freeway as cars drive forward as you come up behind them they can't hear it at all until you are on the side of them but by that time its too late you are still in the danger zone.
However when it comes to safety there are things that help alot that I would say are Requirements to know..if you are getting a bike.
For freeways you never want to get a bike lower than 600cc unless you plan riding freeways only a short ways like 5-10 miles then any 250cc bike will do even the rebel. But another factor is weight of the bike.
For freeways most bikers will say you want a bike with meat on its bones like the Kawasaki zx10 or a suzuki katana both bikes weigh in over 400lbs.
HOwever if you look at the weight of the ninja 250 it is only 300+ lbs and in windy conditions like freeways going 70mph its hard to ride that for long periods as the wind blows the bike around.
So remember these tips..
Freeways most of the way? Get a heavier bike
Streets most of the time? Get a light bike
If you ride a bike on the streets it is a totally different bike once you get it on the freeway going 70mph+
The wind is excruciatitingly loud and buffetting on a Ninja 250 or any bike but on the ninja 250 at high freeway speeds its tireing.
Watch the video below and I had a helmet cam on my helmet and you can hear the noise of the wind how loud it is. Now of course a quiet helmet cuts this noise down a lot but the video shows how the wind really picks up on freeways and how a light bike suffers at those speeds.
Imagine going 70mph in a car and then sticking your head out the window..yeah its kinda like that.
The awesome thing about the Ninja 250 is I rarely took freeways since the thing is so dang good on gas! You can ride about 200 miles or more and still have some in the reserve tank, the thing is a awesome bike.|||The traction given by a Ninja 250 tyre is more than enough to put the power down is only has 30bhp after all.
A bike is only as safe as the rider. I would prefer a sports bike as if you go into a corner abit fast you can lean it more but on a cruiser parts will hit the floor.|||Any safety advantage is gained by the bike's being visable, not by its being loud.|||The RIDER is what determines the safety level, not the bike!
Honda Rebels are far from loud though- that was my first bike. Good reliable choice as long as you aren't too heavy. They are not known (the 250's anyway) for horsepower. I had mine pegged all the time keeping up with other folks and I weigh 135.|||I believe loud pipes are safer, my exhaust can set off car alarms, not only can they hear me coming, they can feel me coming too|||Safety is in the hands of the rider not the bike.|||My first bike was a 250r i loved it. and with all the new updates like breaks and so on it would be safer.|||I see so many outstanding answers up here 3 pages long but I'll just sum up what they are saying.
Safety on a motorcycle, just like in a car, is in the hands of the rider, if not moreso.
You can be a bad driver and live to die of natural causes even if you get into an accident.
You can't be a bad rider and live to die of natural causes because you'll end up killing yourself or more likely a dumb cager (car driver) will end up killing you.
Also take the MSF Safety Course, it has saved my life, it really has.|||Short answer is that these are both beginner bikes, take your pick. But consider a dual sport also, very good for beginners and more fun and versatile than the smaller street bikes. You can learn alot by riding in the dirt.
Chris H....'The only way to be safe is to wear full riding gear???' This is the kind of MSF horse-hockey that makes them lose credibility with me. In racetrack conditions with 50 ' of unobstructed dirt buffer zone riders wreck and slide around without a bruise...or sometimes land wrong and are very seriously injured. On the street there is no buffer zone, just tons of steel traveling at 65mph and solid concrete walls. I rider might be slightly safer all decked out in leather and plastic but don't get your hopes up or you are going to be seriously disappointed.
You are never 'safe' riding a motorcycle on the street and you should keep that attitude if you want to live. The best way to increase your safety is to be very aware of the road and anticipate the stupidity of other drivers, how you are clothed doesn't prevent and when it comes to motorcycle wrecks it's best to just not be in one.|||If you're choosing between the Ninja 250 and the Rebel 250, pick the Ninja 250.
You can do a wheelie or a stoppie on a sportbike. Cruisers aren't balanced for that, ...
but -- consider seat height. On a typical sportbike, you're more visible because you're sitting higher and your motorcycle isn't painted the same color as the asphalt.
Me, I ride a cruiser ratbike, because it was given to me. If I had my choice, I'd be riding something like the Kawasaki Versys or Suzuki V-Strom 650.|||you can not use the word safe and motorcycle in the same sentence.
weather it is a 50cc pocket bike
or a gsxr1000 you can be maimed
or killed very easy riding a bike.|||if sport bikes i driven resposibly, and you know what your doing and know your limits, then yes i would say that they are safer. they are more nimble, you can avoid colisions better. but if you dont know what your doing, or riding beyond your ability, you can find yourself in a bad situation in a hurry. but i think a 250r would be a good starter bike, but i wouldnt put too much money into it, because you can outgrow that bike fast.... and loud does work,, i ride a sportbike with loud exhaust, and if im commng up to an intersection and i think someone might pull out in front of me, ill rev my engine, or if im passing someone and i think they might not see me. i rev my engine and get their attention, it works gets peoples attention most of the time.
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