not sure if its been mentioned or not, but theres a pretty good 250 article in the march issue of Sport Rider

I'm not sure I received that yet; will definitely be on the lookout for it...

March issue? It's not even the end of January!

March issue? It's not even the end of January! LOL, that is what I was thinking! :D

Are you living in the future Broom??? :D

I'll bet he's a subscriber!

I saw the article on the 250r race class in sport rider at the dealership. Is this the one?

yeah, sounds like it.

and yes, i am in the future :D

a co-worker of mine is a subscriber and brought it in for me this morning. i never subscribe to magazines anymore. as much as i love them, i hate collecting piles of old magazines and have a hard time throwing them away.

i never subscribe to magazines anymore. as much as i love them, i hate collecting piles of old magazines and have a hard time throwing them away.lol... same here. I have tons of old dirt and street bike mags under a bench seat in the bedroom plus stored away in boxes in the closet and in drawers at work. Needless to say, I don't subscribe to any mags anymore, either. :p

I know as soon as I throw them out, I'll want something from one of the old issues that I just trash canned. :D

Here's the intro to that SR article. I'm a bit of a magazine packrat myself.

Motorcyclist
Cycleworld
SportRider
Rider
Bike
American Motoryclist
BMWON
Citybike
Motorcycle Consumer News
RoadRacer X
RoadracingWorld
Car & Driver
Road & Track
Automobile
AutoWeek

I used to keep them all forever, but a year or two back I ran out of space, so I got rid of all but the most recent 5 years. Every year now I get rid of a years worth of 6 year old mags, which makes space for the new year.

hi-res links:
Page 1 (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/455881854_wBcK3-X3.jpg)
Page 2 (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/455881918_8xPon-X3.jpg)

normal img links:

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/455881854_wBcK3-XL.jpg

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/455881918_8xPon-XL.jpg

Good article! Definitely worth the read.

wish i knew that you could add the piggy back to the stock shock. woulda saved me 800 bucks. i've never heard of retro-fitting one like that.

isn't this copyrighted material? or are we allowed to scan and post after an article is already in print? Thanks in advance.

...moved to racing forum...

isn't this copyrighted material? or are we allowed to scan and post after an article is already in print? Thanks in advance.

You make a fair point. Full article has been clipped, but I left the intro so people know what we're talking about. IANAL, but I believe clips/intros are generally more accepted under "fair use" than reposting the whole content. If folks need more info on this article, just PM me...

I added all of the RSS feeds that Sport Rider makes publicly available on their website to our Motorcycling News (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22) forum here on www.ninjette.org. This 250 article isn't up yet, but if and when they post it I'll add a direct link to it from this thread.

appreciate it. Looking at the photo's make me wish I could hear the screams of those motors.

click on any on the vids in the video section of this site to hear motors at full wail... well, putt-putt at least. :)

I read a lot of motorcycle magazines. The Ninja 250 has to be the only bike I have ever seen written up where NOBODY ever said anything negative. That has to be a record because there have been a lot of articles. Broom, What I do with motorcycle magazines is to use a magic marker on the name and adress, and then leave them in the lounge at the Y, doctor`s waiting room, and particularly, in the multiple waiting rooms at the VA. Hospital. Even a non-motorcyclist would rather read a motorcycle mag than People, Family Circle, Redbook, and others. We may get a convert or two to our cause.

only negative i heard was that they were slow, but thats coming from people who've been doing trackdays on 600s and stuff, and even they had a blast once they got out and mixed it up with some people and realized how much more you can concentrate on what you're doing instead of just keeping the bike under you.

i can't wait to get it out on the track. its driving me crazy. can't wait to brag and post picts of all our mods too ;) .... it'll happen soon enough i suppose :(

hi-res links:
Page 1 (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/455881854_wBcK3-X3.jpg)
Page 2 (http://www.smugmug.com/photos/455881918_8xPon-X3.jpg)

Good article! Definitely worth the read.

Where's the LOVE man??!!!!! Nice pic of me in there and you don't post it!!!!!!!

BTW, the author, Troy Siahan accuses me of taking him out in the race. WRONG. Other way around. Lame.

That rat bastage! ;) I did snag the neat pics from the article to put into our splash page rotation. Here's a link (http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/5159458_6dhW3#455894593_4vDMT) to where they start.

BTW, the author, Troy Siahan accuses me of taking him out in the race. WRONG. Other way around. Lame.

Was he the one that got you going into 3?

Yeah... and there's evidence:

4ptftlmLRMk

Youch! Glad you came out OK from that...

isn't this copyrighted material? or are we allowed to scan and post after an article is already in print? Thanks in advance.

IF Alex had been claiming that he wrote the material then I believe that would be Copyright infringement. While he sited his source a few posts up (I believe). I don't think that would have been concidered copyright infringement. But I cannot find any information in regards to that online. Odd.

Though it does help that the Magazine itself does post the articles up on their website.

So really it would just be like qouting their page

http://blogs.sportrider.com/6332755/editorials/kawasaki-ninja-250-racing-a-small-bike-on-the-big-track/index.html

Yeah... and there's evidence:



Dang Richard! :eek: Did you stand up at the end? That's pretty intense man! I'm with Alex on this one; glad you're still in one piece!

LOL, thanks. No biggie really, but he ran over my arm and I thought it was broken for a few seconds, that's why I didn't get up. Hurt like hell :)

There's a great article about the 250 and racing in RoadRacingWorld as well.

I'll get some scans tomorrow and throw them up after work. :)

There's a great article about the 250 and racing in RoadRacingWorld as well.

Yup, RRW had some decent ninjette coverage in both the January and February 2009 issues. (discussion here (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10930)). There's a little in the March 2009 issue about Ed Sorbo helping out another new racer, and he's riding a 250 when he's instructing, but that's about it.

The Trackday Directory will have a nice piece on comparing a stock 250 with my race 250. Should be out in the next couple weeks or so. Ed's series is really good. I had Ed do the top end in my Aprilia a couple weeks ago and am impressed with his thoroughness and professionalism. If any of you need work done, he is reasonable and very good quality. Located near San Berdo.

Sport Rider has just posted their full article up on their own website right here (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0903_2008_kawasaki_ninja_250/index.html).

Not surprised the bike has an AreaP exhaust, furthermore proves that AreaP is the leading brand of exhaust for the 250R.

http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0903_2008_kawasaki_ninja_250/index.html

Yup, it's up in this section already; I'll merge the threads. (this post will bump 'em). :thumbup

Wow, Sport RIder sure spent some time at the end of the article hyping the 125 over the Ninja 250, didn't they! You'd think from that wrap up that they "settled" on the Ninja 250 for their racing experience because the little 125 isn't street legal and not likely to see wide spread distribution.

The RS125 is a focused trackbike, with a frame, suspension, and even engine to match. The ninjette is a streetbike that happens to be fun to take to the track due to its lively handling and relatively light weight. There really shouldn't be any comparison in terms of "which is better" on the track; it's not even close to a fair contest. As you mention, it's unlikely they'll sell more than a few hundred in the US anyway, there just isn't that large a market for a track-only 125. Though those that do get into it are undoubtedly quite happy with their machine.

The RS125 is a focused trackbike, with a frame, suspension, and even engine to match. The ninjette is a streetbike that happens to be fun to take to the track due to its lively handling and relatively light weight. There really shouldn't be any comparison in terms of "which is better" on the track; it's not even close to a fair contest. As you mention, it's unlikely they'll sell more than a few hundred in the US anyway, there just isn't that large a market for a track-only 125. Though those that do get into it are undoubtedly quite happy with their machine.

Yeah, I saw it as a cheap, shameless plug to say "Please, please send one our way so that we can play with it for free! We already like it, and we'll give you free advertising!"

a 250 can give a RS85 a run for its money, but there is no comparason to the 125s. a lot of the fast guys on the 125 bikes are beating the sv650s!

and as alex mentioned, those are purpose built race bikes. pretty big difference there.

damn, 125s overtaking sv650s?!

I would love to try out the 125. but paying almost $6K for one as oppose to a 600cc that you can actually ride out in the street as well outweighs the dream of having a 125 track only bike

The Aprillia 125's sit nice though. Magical...

Talked to a local Aprilia/Ducati dealer here about the RS125, apparently in SC all you need is safety equipment on the bike (lights, mirrors) to make it street legal since they do not do emissions checks in my state all you actually need is a vin and a title, and insurance of course depending on the bike. Now the only problem is that being a 125 cc bike they may not register it for highway use. Plus by the time you have spent all that time and money you could have just picked up a 600 and be done with it.

you could make it street legal here in texas pretty easy. the only hurdle would be getting a motor in there that would support running lights. a little fabrication to stuff it with an enduro dirtbike motor (they all use dirtbike motors anyways) and you're set. its no different than making any dirtbike legal... which differs greatly from state to state.

i gotta say though, i don't think they'd be any fun to ride around the city. they're hard bikes to ride. those 2 stroke motors are highly tuned and have to stay on the pipe, and i doubt they're very comfortable. especially on a bumpy road.

Thats what I was thinking, 4 stroke would be much more fun in stop and go traffic.

yeah, but those 4 stroke dirtbike motors don't handle the heat extremely well... they'll start boiling over. not to mention the little foam seat and extreme body position you'd be in... sounds miserable to me. :)

on the other hand, give me an RS chassis with the new crf150r or crf230/250 motor in it and see how long it takes me to stop smiling :D they're a great track tool.

i was reading through the article, the guy briefly mentions that he had a resevoir add-on to the rear shock/suspension...i want my suspension to feel a little bouncier (i'm 5'6 140 lbs at my fattest, weight fluctuates a bit but i'm generally very lean)...i have it set to #1 which is most soft???...ya so, how much does this mod cost. I've ridden a track ninjette before and i want my shocks to feel like that bike...have no clue what was done to that one though.

i'm not sure, but i've been real interested in seeing how that shock mod works and how good it comes out. seems like a pretty good alternative to spending a ton of money on a shock.

my fear is that you would end up spending a ton of time and money in "R&D" before you get it all figured out and working well. might be worth it to buy one unless you find someone that knows what they're doing to get the right setup for you.

I'm hoping someone on one of these forums can brave the R&D portion of this and turn it into a DIY...i've only started doing some dirty work recently (im a newb at modifying vehicles)

I emailed http://www.le-suspension.com/ about having the shock modified as per the article, but I never even got a reply from them. :(

Jim's damn good at what he does and can set up a shock as well as anyone in the business; he's got more than enough AMA National championships won on his work to prove it beyond any doubt. But customer service isn't one of that shop's strong points. If you want the work done, be persistent, call rather than email, and realize that you're not dealing with a huge company. He's not a computer guy.

If someone is interested let me know. I know several top notch suspension guys in Texas. Incuding mine who use to do ben spies bikes.
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Jim's damn good at what he does and can set up a shock as well as anyone in the business; he's got more than enough AMA National championships won on his work to prove it beyond any doubt. But customer service isn't one of that shop's strong points. If you want the work done, be persistent, call rather than email, and realize that you're not dealing with a huge company. He's not a computer guy.

Hmm, well since they're only about 20 min away from me, I just may drop by to see about what it would take to do the same suspension mod on my bike.