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ai4px · April 4th, 2012, 04:50 AM

I have a 2009 ninja 650. I do wish for the sound of the I4, but.... the 650 is very streetable.

Recently I've ridden a new R6 yami, and a year or two ago, I borrowed an older ninja 900 from a buddy for the weekend.

The R6 made me feel like a curled up jockey... like I was going to fall over the front headlight. It was surprisingly smooth and just kept pulling harder as the RPMs approached 10k (red line at 16k). I was in 2nd winding it out and it felt as if it was about to do a wheelie... which would never happen on my 650. It wanted to cruise at 65 to 70. The handling was very stiff in a straight line, but it just falls around curves (a good thing). Its center of gravity is a lot lower than my 650. The R6 belongs to a friend who just got her license and is her first bike. She's very cautious with it, but I do feel it was too much for a first bike.

The 900 I rode a few years ago was amazing. But I couldn't ever use it on the street. At 65mph, it was "loping". The throttle was just cracked past the slack in the cable and the best I could do was surging up and down 10mph. It wanted to cruise at about 85 or 90mph - still no range in the throttle that I could control well. It handles just like my 650.. you can tug it over on it's side and have to pull on it in the curves. I would absolutely LOVE to ride this on the track, but on the road it'll just frustrate me and/or get me killed.

Both the R6 and 900 ninja had me leaning forward so far as to give me a crick in my neck after a while. The 900 was ridden to Myrtle Beach... about 2.5 hours away and I couldn't wait to get off it.

My 650's seat isn't as comfortable as it could be for long trips. My limit is about an hour on it. But... as I said, it is very streetable. It is certainly zippy enough to get around in traffic. My 11 year old loves to "pack someone's lunch" on the two lane. It likes to cruise about 60 or 65. I put a throttle friction on it and all is well. I dunno if they changed the camming in the later years, but it does have an annoying space between the peak torque and peak hp. It would be nicer if the two were closer together, but it's not bad either... I say it is like it is two bikes (personalities??) in one. Below 6k, it's good for easing around in traffic. between 9 and 10k, it is pretty damned zippy. I'm getting about 47 to 49mpg in real world riding.

I've never ridden the 250, so I really can't tell you what a step up the 650 would be. If you plan to use it as a daily commuter with occasional zippy weekend trips, the 650 is a great bike for you. If you want to do wheelies and keep up with the joneses, you may out grow it quickly.

Wes

April 4th, 2012, 04:50 AM	#57
ai4px ninjette.org sage Name: Wes Location: Sumter SC Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 650r 2009 Vulcan 800 2005 Posts: 557	Go with the 650 I have a 2009 ninja 650. I do wish for the sound of the I4, but.... the 650 is very streetable. Recently I've ridden a new R6 yami, and a year or two ago, I borrowed an older ninja 900 from a buddy for the weekend. The R6 made me feel like a curled up jockey... like I was going to fall over the front headlight. It was surprisingly smooth and just kept pulling harder as the RPMs approached 10k (red line at 16k). I was in 2nd winding it out and it felt as if it was about to do a wheelie... which would never happen on my 650. It wanted to cruise at 65 to 70. The handling was very stiff in a straight line, but it just falls around curves (a good thing). Its center of gravity is a lot lower than my 650. The R6 belongs to a friend who just got her license and is her first bike. She's very cautious with it, but I do feel it was too much for a first bike. The 900 I rode a few years ago was amazing. But I couldn't ever use it on the street. At 65mph, it was "loping". The throttle was just cracked past the slack in the cable and the best I could do was surging up and down 10mph. It wanted to cruise at about 85 or 90mph - still no range in the throttle that I could control well. It handles just like my 650.. you can tug it over on it's side and have to pull on it in the curves. I would absolutely LOVE to ride this on the track, but on the road it'll just frustrate me and/or get me killed. Both the R6 and 900 ninja had me leaning forward so far as to give me a crick in my neck after a while. The 900 was ridden to Myrtle Beach... about 2.5 hours away and I couldn't wait to get off it. My 650's seat isn't as comfortable as it could be for long trips. My limit is about an hour on it. But... as I said, it is very streetable. It is certainly zippy enough to get around in traffic. My 11 year old loves to "pack someone's lunch" on the two lane. It likes to cruise about 60 or 65. I put a throttle friction on it and all is well. I dunno if they changed the camming in the later years, but it does have an annoying space between the peak torque and peak hp. It would be nicer if the two were closer together, but it's not bad either... I say it is like it is two bikes (personalities??) in one. Below 6k, it's good for easing around in traffic. between 9 and 10k, it is pretty damned zippy. I'm getting about 47 to 49mpg in real world riding. I've never ridden the 250, so I really can't tell you what a step up the 650 would be. If you plan to use it as a daily commuter with occasional zippy weekend trips, the 650 is a great bike for you. If you want to do wheelies and keep up with the joneses, you may out grow it quickly. Wes