Can't decide between those deals for my first bike, need y'alls help
Hey, I just passed the MSF course + exam (on the ~2016 5Honda CB500F) and got my permit last week and I'm looking to get my first bike. It is late in the season, but people tell me that now is the best time for those end of season deals to save money.
And now I'm stuck not being able to decide between a few models! I don't know if I should get something that I will keep for long, or get something "cheaper and forgiving" as a first bike, or go for something I just visually like rather than pure specs performance/price value.
Here are the deals I'm looking at;
(All prices are in Canadian Dollars)
2026 CFMOTO 675SS
$7,995
But it's a 3-cylinder engine, I'm worried that this may be way too much for someone to begin with, it's also a bit expensive imo compared to the other ones. Read that it had around 50% more HP than a Ninja 650, but I just loooove how it looks.
2025 CFMOTO 450SS
$5,495
If it was cheaper than that I'd go 100% for this one. Love the looks, it has enough power to go on the highway, not too much either, but it's brand new! Zero kilometers on the odometer, it's not much discounted, which is why I'm tempted to go with another deal. Also, it has red accents which I don't really like, I'd love to have it in blue but my dealership only has the 2026 model in blue which would be 2000$ more, which I don't think is a reasonable markup for me just wanting another colour.
2023 Kawasaki Ninja 650 ABS
$5,995
It's almost the same price as the CF450, except it's 650cc. I know Kawasaki has an awesome reputation and all. It comes with frame sliders and 11000km on the odometer. Before shopping for bikes this is exactly what I wanted. I also heard some were recommending it to beginners.
2017 Yamaha R3
$3,795
Heard it had a really good reputation, it's significantly cheaper than the other options but I'm scared to quickly "outgrow" it. Not so sure if I need to go for something cheaper and smaller like this as a first bike, or directly get a Ninja 650.
Now I found that I really like the looks of the CFMOTO bikes, especially with white paint and blue accents. Thing is, there really isn't a lot around here, even less second hand ones. I don't want to just buy for the looks, but the Kawasaki just seems like an insane value deal compared to the other ones.
It's not an easy choice to make, it's a big investment, I know I can resell it later and change for another bike but it loses value and it's a hassle to sell. I feel lost, I'm not sure for what I should go.
Posted Sep 30, 2026, 3:52 AM UTC