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Alex · March 10th, 2009, 12:17 PM

I put more miles on the 250 this past year than the ZX-10R. They both have their place, but more often than not, I have more fun on the 250 on the street. I take the 10R out from time to time on the street, but it's mostly my trackbike. It's much more taxing to ride quickly on the street than the 250, and while that has its own appeal, sometimes I'm not in the mood for that.

The 250 teaches a rider how to hold corner speed, how to use momentum, how to keep a bike in the proper gear, teaches cornering lines, all of that. It's also a very forgiving bike. It allows for a rider to make small errors without those errors coming back immediately to smack them in the face. I'm most specifically talking about throttle control here. What happens if you unintentionally give more throttle than planned on a 250, perhaps if you hit a bump in the road while on a turn, or if your hand jerks a bit because you weren't concentrating? Very little. What happens if you make the same error on a bike with 4+ times the power? Well, a bunch of things could happen, from the rear wheel spinning up and stepping out, the front end getting light or even lifting, or even just unintended acceleration that spooks a new rider and causes them to run wide.

Aside from the accommodations for small newbie errors, it's often more fun for experienced riders to wring out a bike rather than using a small fraction of the capabilities of another bike. It's fun to redline a bike in 4 gears and realize that you're still not breaking the law much. My 10R nudges 100 mph in 1st gear, and has 5 more gears. Entertaining on the track, but just silly on the street. It's fun to keep up with much more powerful bikes on the 250. I know I'm doing more with less, it takes focus, and it's terribly entertaining.

Look, nobody's telling you to never get a powerful bike. And even as we type these things out, we know there's a good chance you'll ignore it anyway and buy whatever catches your fancy in the showroom. But what we are telling you now is something you'll learn eventually on your own one way or another, if you do end up getting a bike and growing into an experienced rider.

March 10th, 2009, 12:17 PM	#54
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	I put more miles on the 250 this past year than the ZX-10R. They both have their place, but more often than not, I have more fun on the 250 on the street. I take the 10R out from time to time on the street, but it's mostly my trackbike. It's much more taxing to ride quickly on the street than the 250, and while that has its own appeal, sometimes I'm not in the mood for that. The 250 teaches a rider how to hold corner speed, how to use momentum, how to keep a bike in the proper gear, teaches cornering lines, all of that. It's also a very forgiving bike. It allows for a rider to make small errors without those errors coming back immediately to smack them in the face. I'm most specifically talking about throttle control here. What happens if you unintentionally give more throttle than planned on a 250, perhaps if you hit a bump in the road while on a turn, or if your hand jerks a bit because you weren't concentrating? Very little. What happens if you make the same error on a bike with 4+ times the power? Well, a bunch of things could happen, from the rear wheel spinning up and stepping out, the front end getting light or even lifting, or even just unintended acceleration that spooks a new rider and causes them to run wide. Aside from the accommodations for small newbie errors, it's often more fun for experienced riders to wring out a bike rather than using a small fraction of the capabilities of another bike. It's fun to redline a bike in 4 gears and realize that you're still not breaking the law much. My 10R nudges 100 mph in 1st gear, and has 5 more gears. Entertaining on the track, but just silly on the street. It's fun to keep up with much more powerful bikes on the 250. I know I'm doing more with less, it takes focus, and it's terribly entertaining. Look, nobody's telling you to never get a powerful bike. And even as we type these things out, we know there's a good chance you'll ignore it anyway and buy whatever catches your fancy in the showroom. But what we are telling you now is something you'll learn eventually on your own one way or another, if you do end up getting a bike and growing into an experienced rider. __________________________________________________ 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)