lowering a 2009 ninja 250

playfulbrat · May 31st, 2009, 12:23 PM

Hi there,I was wondering if anyone could help me with this.I just bought a 2009 ninja 250 and I put a lowering kit on it.I lowered it 3 inches and then I rode it for about a mile and the tire rubbed right through the fender.I also changed the dampening on the shock.I am 4 11 and new at riding so I need my feet flat on the ground to feel more stable right now. Does anyone know what else I can do to be able to keep the bike this low without it rubbing?thanks,Sherry

Alex · May 31st, 2009, 12:26 PM

speedgsx98 · May 31st, 2009, 12:58 PM

You could try a slightly smaller rear tire. I think stock is a 130/80/17. You could run a 130/70/17 rear which would lower the bike a bit more, and keep the rear tire from contacting the fender. Haven't researched the compounds available in that size, but they do make them. Continental makes a 100/70/17 which would also help get the bike slightly lower.

I thought I had issues with my wife who is 5'3". Good luck! And I suppose now that you've worn a hole through your rear fender, you may want to ride on it for a while and get used to things. After you feel more comfortable, maybe you can switch to a 2" drop on the bike, and get a new fender. Or order a fender eliminator. Not sure if a fender eliminator would have less clearance than the factory fender though. You could end up rubbing that on as well. Getting the bike that low is a bit shady to me, but if it makes the difference in being able to ride a bike you like vs a honda rebel or some other fugly cruiser, than I guess that's what you have to do!

As some point, the bike gets too low. If you haven't found www.250minja.org yet, theres a lot of good info under the repair and technical info link on the page. The format on the forums here are much better though.

speedgsx98 · May 31st, 2009, 01:01 PM

Oh, and the shock is only preload adjustable, so with your size, assuming you're not 175 lbs or something, I would prob leave it on the lowest preload setting. If it was me, I would have done a 2 inch lowering, and gotten smaller tires, and some slightly higher platform shoes to ride in, and adjusted your shifter so that the thicker shoe fits in between the shifter. Also, you can remove the seat, and shave down some of the foam and restaple it to gain another maybe 1/2 inch or so. Not something you would typically do by yourself, as you need a really powerful staple gun to reattach the vinyl seat cover to the hard plastic. You could prob get the seat shaved for $75 or so I would think...give or take a bit.

playfulbrat · May 31st, 2009, 01:12 PM

No, I am 120 lbs.I replaced the fender already because my wires were exposed and I had to retape them but I havent rode it since.Do you know if I would get any clearance with a swing arm extention or if they even make them for this bike?Thanks,Sherry

Alex · May 31st, 2009, 01:33 PM

Sherry - a 3" drop is just too low for new-gen ninjette without causing significant issues, which you've already run into. If that large of a drop is a firm requirement, I think you'd need to replace the rear shock with something with almost no travel, otherwise the tire would once again damage your bodywork, not to mention cause an unsafe situation if it does so unexpectedly while you're riding the bike.

Raise it back up at least an inch, stiffen the preload on the rear shock up a couple notches, and perhaps that will give you enough clearance for what you're looking for. RT really shouldn't sell that kit with a 3" drop capability without letting people know what happens if they actually set it at that.

After the lowering kit, have the seat shaved down, look into higher boots, and then just get some more experience on the bike. I know that you truly believe that you need to be flatfoot on both sides of the bike to keep from damaging it, but it's really not the case; getting it down that low has in fact already damaged the bike, right?

Good luck, and there are a few other folks who have experimented quite a bit with different amounts of lowering on here. I'd suggest sending a PM to Zartan; I know she has a significantly lowered bike and has gotten it to work well for her, but I don't think it's a 3" drop.

Alex · May 31st, 2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedgsx98

You could try a slightly smaller rear tire. I think stock is a 130/80/17. You could run a 130/70/17 rear which would lower the bike a bit more, and keep the rear tire from contacting the fender. Haven't researched the compounds available in that size, but they do make them. Continental makes a 100/70/17 which would also help get the bike slightly lower.

Stock tire sizes on the 2nd-gen are 110/70/17 in front and 130/70/17 in the rear. Going to 100/70/17 in the front wouldn't lower the bike much at all; there'd be more gained by dropping the forks a bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedgsx98

If you haven't found www.250minja.org yet, theres a lot of good info under the repair and technical info link on the page.

Boo hiss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedgsx98

The format on the forums here are much better though.

Well, OK then.

playfulbrat · May 31st, 2009, 01:50 PM

When I went to the dealership and sat on this bike I seen it was to tall for me.I looked into lowering kits before i bought the bike and seen I could lower it 4 inches.I knew that would make it fit me so I bought it.Wish I would have been told you couldnt really lower it that much.Lowered 3 inches im not even flat footed on it.I live in the country and we have alot of stop on hills on such so I feel safer being able to reach the ground.The 2009 ninja250 doesnt look like it has much to even shave off the seat.I agree that once I know how to actually ride that I will be okay with not being able to reach the ground so much lol but its the getting to that point that has me stuck right now.

speedgsx98 · May 31st, 2009, 02:39 PM

I forgot and started thinking in the mode of the older ninja. I guess on the new one you can slide the forks up in the triple clamps. Good advice Alex.

noche_caliente · May 31st, 2009, 03:36 PM

Sherry, folks have gotten close to an additional inch by shaving down the seat, or by replacing it with a Corbin seat. It's not a huge change, but every little bit helps, right?

I think that if you try the seat mod and raise it back up an inch, you will find a nice happy middle ground for the height.

Welcome to ninjette!

kkim · May 31st, 2009, 07:58 PM

Sherry,

did you lower the front, too?

Alex · May 31st, 2009, 08:06 PM

Sherry - Noche has just put up a very complete article on lowering the ninjette in the wiki; here's a direct link.

kkim · May 31st, 2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

Sherry - Noche has just put up a very complete article on lowering the ninjette in the wiki; here's a direct link.

Wow! good job "kim"!

playfulbrat · May 31st, 2009, 08:21 PM

No I didnt lower the front...just the back.I bought my lowering kit from soupys and I emailed them about my problem and asked them what I could do to use there lowing kit up to the 4 inches they say you can use it.They pretty much just called me stupid and said I should have known I would need to get a different fender to use there kit for 3 inches.Problem is I dont see a different fender I could even use.So thank you for your help everyone.I do appreciate it.Sherry

kkim · May 31st, 2009, 08:29 PM

Watch out for that soupy's rear end lowering link. other people have had problems with it touching the suspension arm linkage.

Get a front lowering kit, too. it will balance off the geometry change from just lowering the back, plus it will lower the bike, too.

I would recommend lowering no more than 1.5-2 inches on the back and no more than 1.5 inches on the front.

you can also shave the seat and use some boots with a lifted heel.

you don't need to flat foot. You just need to learn to be able to lean the bike when you need to put a foot down for some reason. plan ahead before you come to a stop. I cannot flat foot my bike and always need to think ahead to figure which way to lean the bike at the stop before I get there so I will be ready when the bike comes to a stop. Takes some practice, but it's second nature for me now.

KJohnson21 · June 1st, 2009, 11:08 AM

Sherry, there are many members here that have lowered their bikes, I did it for my wife's. If it can be done, we'll figure out how to make it happen.

May 31st, 2009, 12:23 PM	#1
playfulbrat ninjette.org newbie Name: sherry Location: saint thomas pa Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 ninja 250 Posts: 4	lowering a 2009 ninja 250 Hi there,I was wondering if anyone could help me with this.I just bought a 2009 ninja 250 and I put a lowering kit on it.I lowered it 3 inches and then I rode it for about a mile and the tire rubbed right through the fender.I also changed the dampening on the shock.I am 4 11 and new at riding so I need my feet flat on the ground to feel more stable right now. Does anyone know what else I can do to be able to keep the bike this low without it rubbing?thanks,Sherry

May 31st, 2009, 12:26 PM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	__________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

May 31st, 2009, 01:33 PM	#6
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Sherry - a 3" drop is just too low for new-gen ninjette without causing significant issues, which you've already run into. If that large of a drop is a firm requirement, I think you'd need to replace the rear shock with something with almost no travel, otherwise the tire would once again damage your bodywork, not to mention cause an unsafe situation if it does so unexpectedly while you're riding the bike. Raise it back up at least an inch, stiffen the preload on the rear shock up a couple notches, and perhaps that will give you enough clearance for what you're looking for. RT really shouldn't sell that kit with a 3" drop capability without letting people know what happens if they actually set it at that. After the lowering kit, have the seat shaved down, look into higher boots, and then just get some more experience on the bike. I know that you truly believe that you need to be flatfoot on both sides of the bike to keep from damaging it, but it's really not the case; getting it down that low has in fact already damaged the bike, right? Good luck, and there are a few other folks who have experimented quite a bit with different amounts of lowering on here. I'd suggest sending a PM to Zartan; I know she has a significantly lowered bike and has gotten it to work well for her, but I don't think it's a 3" drop. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

May 31st, 2009, 08:06 PM	#12
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Sherry - Noche has just put up a very complete article on lowering the ninjette in the wiki; here's a direct link. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

June 1st, 2009, 11:08 AM	#16
KJohnson21 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ken Location: Indio, CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	Sherry, there are many members here that have lowered their bikes, I did it for my wife's. If it can be done, we'll figure out how to make it happen. __________________________________________________ < ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name? Last futzed with by KJohnson21; June 1st, 2009 at 12:18 PM.

May 31st, 2009, 12:58 PM	#3
speedgsx98 ninjette.org member Name: Dave Location: San Diego Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 250 ninja 2002, 2008 ZX10-R Posts: 149	You could try a slightly smaller rear tire. I think stock is a 130/80/17. You could run a 130/70/17 rear which would lower the bike a bit more, and keep the rear tire from contacting the fender. Haven't researched the compounds available in that size, but they do make them. Continental makes a 100/70/17 which would also help get the bike slightly lower. I thought I had issues with my wife who is 5'3". Good luck! And I suppose now that you've worn a hole through your rear fender, you may want to ride on it for a while and get used to things. After you feel more comfortable, maybe you can switch to a 2" drop on the bike, and get a new fender. Or order a fender eliminator. Not sure if a fender eliminator would have less clearance than the factory fender though. You could end up rubbing that on as well. Getting the bike that low is a bit shady to me, but if it makes the difference in being able to ride a bike you like vs a honda rebel or some other fugly cruiser, than I guess that's what you have to do! As some point, the bike gets too low. If you haven't found www.250minja.org yet, theres a lot of good info under the repair and technical info link on the page. The format on the forums here are much better though.

May 31st, 2009, 01:01 PM	#4
speedgsx98 ninjette.org member Name: Dave Location: San Diego Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 250 ninja 2002, 2008 ZX10-R Posts: 149	Oh, and the shock is only preload adjustable, so with your size, assuming you're not 175 lbs or something, I would prob leave it on the lowest preload setting. If it was me, I would have done a 2 inch lowering, and gotten smaller tires, and some slightly higher platform shoes to ride in, and adjusted your shifter so that the thicker shoe fits in between the shifter. Also, you can remove the seat, and shave down some of the foam and restaple it to gain another maybe 1/2 inch or so. Not something you would typically do by yourself, as you need a really powerful staple gun to reattach the vinyl seat cover to the hard plastic. You could prob get the seat shaved for $75 or so I would think...give or take a bit.

May 31st, 2009, 01:12 PM	#5
playfulbrat ninjette.org newbie Name: sherry Location: saint thomas pa Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 ninja 250 Posts: 4	No, I am 120 lbs.I replaced the fender already because my wires were exposed and I had to retape them but I havent rode it since.Do you know if I would get any clearance with a swing arm extention or if they even make them for this bike?Thanks,Sherry

May 31st, 2009, 01:50 PM	#8
playfulbrat ninjette.org newbie Name: sherry Location: saint thomas pa Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 ninja 250 Posts: 4	When I went to the dealership and sat on this bike I seen it was to tall for me.I looked into lowering kits before i bought the bike and seen I could lower it 4 inches.I knew that would make it fit me so I bought it.Wish I would have been told you couldnt really lower it that much.Lowered 3 inches im not even flat footed on it.I live in the country and we have alot of stop on hills on such so I feel safer being able to reach the ground.The 2009 ninja250 doesnt look like it has much to even shave off the seat.I agree that once I know how to actually ride that I will be okay with not being able to reach the ground so much lol but its the getting to that point that has me stuck right now.

May 31st, 2009, 02:39 PM	#9
speedgsx98 ninjette.org member Name: Dave Location: San Diego Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 250 ninja 2002, 2008 ZX10-R Posts: 149	I forgot and started thinking in the mode of the older ninja. I guess on the new one you can slide the forks up in the triple clamps. Good advice Alex.

May 31st, 2009, 03:36 PM	#10
noche_caliente ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Kim Location: mundo de ensueño Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 250 Posts: A lot.	Sherry, folks have gotten close to an additional inch by shaving down the seat, or by replacing it with a Corbin seat. It's not a huge change, but every little bit helps, right? I think that if you try the seat mod and raise it back up an inch, you will find a nice happy middle ground for the height. Welcome to ninjette!

May 31st, 2009, 07:58 PM	#11
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Sherry, did you lower the front, too?

May 31st, 2009, 08:21 PM	#14
playfulbrat ninjette.org newbie Name: sherry Location: saint thomas pa Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 ninja 250 Posts: 4	No I didnt lower the front...just the back.I bought my lowering kit from soupys and I emailed them about my problem and asked them what I could do to use there lowing kit up to the 4 inches they say you can use it.They pretty much just called me stupid and said I should have known I would need to get a different fender to use there kit for 3 inches.Problem is I dont see a different fender I could even use.So thank you for your help everyone.I do appreciate it.Sherry

May 31st, 2009, 08:29 PM	#15
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Watch out for that soupy's rear end lowering link. other people have had problems with it touching the suspension arm linkage. Get a front lowering kit, too. it will balance off the geometry change from just lowering the back, plus it will lower the bike, too. I would recommend lowering no more than 1.5-2 inches on the back and no more than 1.5 inches on the front. you can also shave the seat and use some boots with a lifted heel. you don't need to flat foot. You just need to learn to be able to lean the bike when you need to put a foot down for some reason. plan ahead before you come to a stop. I cannot flat foot my bike and always need to think ahead to figure which way to lean the bike at the stop before I get there so I will be ready when the bike comes to a stop. Takes some practice, but it's second nature for me now.

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