Got a 2007 650R

[Scott1620]

Well yesterday I bought a 2007 Ninja 650R with 2100 miles on it. I am thinking of doing some longer trips this season so the 650R seemed to fit the bill. This thing has some grunt! Unfortunately I need to sell the 250R to recoup some cash that I spent on this . I am glad I put in a few seasons on the 250R though, and learned some valuable lessons. Here are some pictures of the brothers while I still have both:



The bike does have a cracked right faring from the bike being dropped from a standstill, so I will have to order a right upper faring.



One thing I didn't like was the high handlebars on the 650R, those things are like apehangers compared to the low 250 bars. I will have to fix that with some sport bars. Other than that I am pretty happy with how comfortable the seat is...

[CC Cowboy]

which one is which

[Live2ride]

nice bike! the blue is the fastest

[scotty]

How do you like it compared to the 250? Is there a lot more pick up? Hows it feel?

[sharky nrk]

congrats

[Yasko]

+1 Nice bike

[Scott1620]

Thanks for the compliments everybody

Originally Posted by scotty

How do you like it compared to the 250? Is there a lot more pick up? Hows it feel?

I would say it is not as flickable as the 250 turning, it is a bit of a heavier bike. Again the biggest difference aside from the huge power difference is that the bars are much higher, which took some getting used to. I rode it home ~100 miles and I would say I feel more stable on the highway and more planted. You need to watch your speedometer though because on the 650 your RPMs are much lower at highway speeds with plenty of pickup left. I was riding in 5th gear doing ~70 for a while because i thought it was 6th

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Scott1620

Thanks for the compliments everybody



I would say it is not as flickable as the 250 turning, it is a bit of a heavier bike. Again the biggest difference aside from the huge power difference is that the bars are much higher, which took some getting used to. I rode it home ~100 miles and I would say I feel more stable on the highway and more planted. You need to watch your speedometer though because on the 650 your RPMs are much lower at highway speeds with plenty of pickup left. I was riding in 5th gear doing ~70 for a while because i thought it was 6th

Sweet! My wife really likes the 650R. If I even replace my bike, that will probaly be it. We have sat on a few, but it's nice to read a review about it from someone who has it rather than a sales person.

[oroboros]

Funny how this highlights what a good looking bike the 250 is. You should have no problem selling it. Very nice with the hugger/undertail.

Congrats
Posted via Mobile Device

[Live2ride]

I really wish you lived closer to me because I'd love to take that 250 off your hands, it's just what I'm looking for.

[Momaru]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

I really wish you lived closer to me because I'd love to take that 250 off your hands, it's just what I'm looking for.

Just a few hours mate! Pretty short to get "just what you're looking for," no?

Scott, they do look great together! My girlfriend lives next to a guy with the same color 650R so I've seen almost the same photo, parking next to 'em. I've yet to catch him with the bike to chat, so thanks for the review. Glad you're happy with your purchase!

[Scott1620]

Originally Posted by oroboros

Funny how this highlights what a good looking bike the 250 is. You should have no problem selling it. Very nice with the hugger/undertail.

Congrats

Yeah, right now I like how the 250 looks better. Hopefully with a few mods the 650 will be just as sexy

Originally Posted by Live2ride

I really wish you lived closer to me because I'd love to take that 250 off your hands, it's just what I'm looking for.

After I get the 650 registered I will be putting the 250 on the market if you're willing to come this far Has 6800 miles, I bought it with 1500. It has been maintained and winterized properly the last 2 years...

Originally Posted by Momaru

Just a few hours mate! Pretty short to get "just what you're looking for," no?

Scott, they do look great together! My girlfriend lives next to a guy with the same color 650R so I've seen almost the same photo, parking next to 'em. I've yet to catch him with the bike to chat, so thanks for the review. Glad you're happy with your purchase!

Thanks Momaru

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by Scott1620

After I get the 650 registered I will be putting the 250 on the market if you're willing to come this far Has 6800 miles, I bought it with 1500. It has been maintained and winterized properly the last 2 years...

I'd like to but it's roughly 170miles each way, and at 11 mpg in my tahoe, that would be about $130 for gas and a 6-7 hour round trip. Maybe next time I head up to Baltimore (not often) with family I'd be able to. If I don't have a bike by then I'd gladly stop by and take a look at it.

Originally Posted by Momaru

Just a few hours mate! Pretty short to get "just what you're looking for," no?

Scott, they do look great together! My girlfriend lives next to a guy with the same color 650R so I've seen almost the same photo, parking next to 'em. I've yet to catch him with the bike to chat, so thanks for the review. Glad you're happy with your purchase!

I meant color and mod wise, I want a blue 250 with the sportisi undertail / hugger, the dbl bbl windscreen, framesliders and integrated tailight all of which are on his 250.

[Jinx250]

Originally Posted by Scott1620

I would say it is not as flickable as the 250 turning, it is a bit of a heavier bike.

Your front end is not setup properly. The fork cap should be 10MM above the top of the triple clamp. From the pics, it looks flush. Nearly every dealer got that wrong with the 06 - 08.

[Scott1620]

Originally Posted by Jinx250

Your front end is not setup properly. The fork cap should be 10MM above the top of the triple clamp. From the pics, it looks flush. Nearly every dealer got that wrong with the 06 - 08.

Interesting, see this picture for a closer view of my triple clamp. You mean I should lower it so the fork sticks up 10mm right? It is definitely less than 10mm right now...

[Jinx250]

Yep, 10MM from the bottom of the fork cap to the top of the triple clamp. This web site is chock full of 650 info. You may find it useful.

http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~shanetp/Index.html

[Scott1620]

Originally Posted by Jinx250

Yep, 10MM from the bottom of the fork cap to the top of the triple clamp. This web site is chock full of 650 info. You may find it useful.

http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~shanetp/Index.html

Awesome, thanks for the info!

[gogoKawi]

Originally Posted by Scott1620

Thanks for the compliments everybody



I would say it is not as flickable as the 250 turning, it is a bit of a heavier bike. Again the biggest difference aside from the huge power difference is that the bars are much higher, which took some getting used to. I rode it home ~100 miles and I would say I feel more stable on the highway and more planted. You need to watch your speedometer though because on the 650 your RPMs are much lower at highway speeds with plenty of pickup left. I was riding in 5th gear doing ~70 for a while because i thought it was 6th

Congrats on the bike. There aren't many bikes as flickable as the Kawi 250. So don't worry about that. In time, you will be able to flick the 650 like a freshly picked booger.

I came really close to getting the 650. The ergos are excellent and the pickup is nice too. Have fun and ride safe!

[Scott1620]

Originally Posted by gogoKawi

Congrats on the bike. There aren't many bikes as flickable as the Kawi 250. So don't worry about that. In time, you will be able to flick the 650 like a freshly picked booger.

I came really close to getting the 650. The ergos are excellent and the pickup is nice too. Have fun and ride safe!

Haha thanks, yeah adjusting the forks definitely helped handling wise and sport bars are on their way to get rid of the ape hangers. It just needs to get warm now! The low RPM this bike loves is definitely different, I kind of enjoyed winding the 250 out through the gears

[n_aditya]

Congrats on the 650R. The electric blue definitely looks cool.

I wish we had more color options here. We only get Green and Black. Hopefully Kawa and Bajaj (the official importer of the ninja in India) gets the ninja in the full color range.

It is also speculated that the 650R will be imported to India and sold here (via Bajaj). I've had my 250R for nearly a year now with over 10,000 kms on it.

When they do launch the 650R i hope to be able to buy it, after i reluctantly sell my lovely 250R.

So a lot of people (over here, who have not seen or ridden the bike and thanks to youtube) say the bike sounds like a farm tractor, has no soul, only buy it for the cc's but its no real fun. All this is from their hearsay. I know that if it was so bad, it wouldn't have been around.

I'd be happy if someone could throw more light on the 650R. Its a nice touring machine and more comfortable than the 250R in my opinion (which is very clouded now).

Have fun and ride safe.

[Scott1620]

Thanks Aditya, another big difference I am noticing so far is throttle control with this bike. You need to be aware and a lot more controlled with your right hand, and keep an eye on your speed.

It does have a deeper exhaust tone, because of the bigger engine running at a lower RPM compared to the buzzy 250 engine that thrives on the high RPMs. I really don't think I have taken the 650 over 8000 RPMs yet because I would probably be in trouble if I did

Hopefully India will get the 650 so you can check it out, I am impressed with mine so far...