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Old November 13th, 2018, 12:10 AM   #1
3lementa1
ninjette.org newbie
 
Name: Aaron
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Join Date: Nov 2018

Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r

Posts: 5
Should I trade my 250 for a 650 for a cross-country trip?

Hi everyone,

I'm new on the forum so forgive me if this has already been answered.

I love my '09 250r, I really do, but my favorite thing is long trips. I'm planning to move to Asia to teach English for a year and I'd like to ride to the West coast next summer and leave from there. I love the styling of the ninja and I'm not really interested in getting a touring bike but it's a bit small for luggage, it's a bit low on power in terms of passing at high speeds and its so light that I was almost blown out of my lane pretty much constantly for 2 hours coming back from Montreal in October.

So I'm thinking about getting a Ninja 650. There are a few online right now for about $4000CAN (2012-2016). I'm thinking now would be a good time to buy a new bike, then I'd sell my 250 in the spring when demand is higher.

So I have 2 questions : is it worth it to "upgrade" to a 650 for the trip I'm taking next Summer? We're talking 3,700km (2,300mi) over about 2 weeks. I rode my 250 from Ottawa to Owen Sound in about 7 hours straight several times over the Summer but I'll probably be doing closer to 4 or 5hrs/day and take my time.

My seat pad helps but it gets a bit cramped after about 5 hours. I can go pretty fast (about 159kmh max) but acceleration at high speeds is slow. I dislike getting stuck behind someone for hours when they're going a bit too slow because this adds up and can quickly turn a 7 hr day into a 9hr day and those last 2 hrs are brutal. It's always those people who speed up when you try to pass them too, and on a lot of back roads with hills, whenever a passing lane appears you only have a small window to pass. I feel like some highways would be sketchy on the 250 too as traffic around you is already moving so fast, you don't have a lot of power to get out of the way quickly if you need to. I wouldn't want to take my 250 on the 401 in Toronto for example.

So in terms of comfort, possibilities for luggage, weight in winds, passing power, and just generally not having to be at 10,000rpm for hours at a time, I feel like the 650 is a good idea. However, I could also save myself the trouble and just take slower roads, not ride on windy days, etc. I've heard many times "longer trips have been made on slower bikes" and I do love the way my bike handles.

Anyone got any opinions on the 250 vs 650 for long trips? I'm 28, 5'11, about 130lbs and 2018 was my first year riding, put about 8,000km on my bike this summer. I took the safety course before I got my bike and will probably take an advanced course before my trip next summer.

Also is it worth it to buy a bike now and store it over the winter? I could get a 2012 650 safetied and delivered to my parents house where it would stay for the winter for $4000CAN or a 2016 650 for $4000 but I'd have to figure out safety and transport myself. Neither of these bikes are in my area so I'd have to take a trip to check them out first, and obviously couldn't really test drive them much in this weather.

Any advice is appreciated!

Cheers,
Aaron
Attached Images
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Last futzed with by 3lementa1; November 16th, 2018 at 07:05 AM. Reason: correction
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