Motorcyclist

[CC Cowboy]

This month's "Motorcyclist" rag has much to do about 250s.They even slide in an article on the 6 cylinder 250 since Jeff has a thread about it.

[Snake]

Cool CC, thanks for the heads up.

[Darling Ninja]

We sure do! Don't forget to check out my new Fashion Police column too.

The Fauxhawk | Fashion Police

[bdavison]

Wait a minute....is that mohawk butch wearing a lifevest?...

[TrueFaith]

I read the article yesterday. They compare the 250 Kawi, Honda & Hyosung and the Honda kind of....er...um...won the comparison.

[Sailariel]

Wayne, I did not get the impression that the Honda "won" The Honda and the Ninja are very different. The Honda is better suited for traffic, commuting, getting away at a light. For performance and the fun factor--the Ninja has it.

[Snake]

Originally Posted by Darling Ninja

We sure do! Don't forget to check out my new Fashion Police column too.

The Fauxhawk | Fashion Police

What the heck kind of pants are those? Fishnet?

[Lurkable]

Lol, they called the Ninjette's rear tire "silly-skinny." Unfortunately they gave a thumbs up to the IRC stocks which was bad advice imo. Can't say how they compare to whatever's on the Hyosung or the Honda but after using up my IRC stocks I switched to Bridgestone BT45 (stock on '08) and never looked back.

For Annette: good call on the helmet mohawks. Love that girl in the picture, she looks like she's goin for the Mad Max look. But remember if these outfits look ridiculous, they're also entertaining.

[Alex]

Fun article, Annette! (and great pic as well!)

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

Wayne, I did not get the impression that the Honda "won" The Honda and the Ninja are very different. The Honda is better suited for traffic, commuting, getting away at a light. For performance and the fun factor--the Ninja has it.

Just going by what I read on page 78 under "Conclusion":

"(The Ninja is)...the fastest of the bunch, but requires a fair amount of concentration and clutch finesse to keep it singing. Other issues include fickle off-idle fueling, a hard seat and a too-upright riding position for a sportbike. The Ninja has potential, but it's not the best right out of the box."

"Which makes Honda's new CBR250R the leader of the pack. Aside from some high-rpm vibration there's nary a nit to poulate our cons list. The bike's low seat height and featherweight feel are ideal for smaller riders, yet the cockpit doesn't exclude taller folks. It's got great wind protection, well-balanced suspension and a frisky motor that excels at cut-and-thrust riding, in the city or the canyons. Efficient, flawless fuel injection is a major plus, as is a maintenance schedule that lets you log 8000 miles before you have to pick up a wrench."

That sounds like a fairly unambiguous endorsement of the Honda over the Kawasaki or Hyosung. Plus the fact that 2 out of the 3 reviewers chose the Honda as the best bike of the 3 tested.

[Alex]

Reviewers are brilliant when they pick your bike, and morons when they pick the other guy's bike. The truism still holds even as we change bikes over time. Nature of the business.

[Boom King]

Originally Posted by Snake

What the heck kind of pants are those? Fishnet?

Mesh pants for women?

As bad as the Fauxhawk is, thank goodness there's no such thing as a Faux Mullet.

[Darling Ninja]

Originally Posted by Alex

Fun article, Annette! (and great pic as well!)

Thank you, Alex!

I sat on the the CBR250R they tested, it was too tall for me! Taller than my Ninjette.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by Alex

Reviewers are brilliant when they pick your bike, and morons when they pick the other guy's bike. The truism still holds even as we change bikes over time. Nature of the business.

do the review conclusions coincide with how much ad space a manufacture buys from a particular mag?

crafty devils, these writers.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by kkim

do the review conclusions coincide with how much ad space a manufacture buys from a particular mag?

crafty devils, these writers.

It appears to me that they take turns on who wins comparisons. Eveyone gets a turn to be the best.

[TrueFaith]

Except maybe Hyosung.

I don't know why they feel the need to introduce competition to a multiple-bike review in the first place. All 3 of the bikes do some things differently, but they're all 250s.
It's like ice cream. You may prefer chocolate, vanilla or even strawberry, but it's all ice cream. Any of the 3 will do the job and what it comes down to is personal tastes.
I don't really care about who's top dog in the quarter-liter market. What I want to see is more companies, like Yamaha and Suzuki, importing more 250cc sportbikes into the US. When we have enough to make a "Top 10" list we can think about ranking them.

[gogoKawi]

I just finished the July 2011 edition of the Motor Cyclist magazine, which is featuring another 250 shootout. Again Honda wins. But, who cares about that... What I was interested in was the "Streetbike Surgery" article, which talks about making some pretty decent upgrades to the Ninja 250 for $1500. What do you all think?

[kkim]

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=75862

[Michaeldphotography]

but requires a fair amount of concentration and clutch finesse to keep it singing. Other issues include fickle off-idle fueling, Ok noob question here. I plan on purchasing my bike next month and i have a friend that just purchased a new 250 honda. I have driven it a few times and the clutch feels great. I just saw this post and it worried me as I have been looking to purchase the ninja. whats the deal with the clutch finesse statement and what does it mean by fickle off-idle fueling? just wondering about the magazines statements compared to your actual everyday use

[Cedilla]

Originally Posted by Michaeldphotography

but requires a fair amount of concentration and clutch finesse to keep it singing. Other issues include fickle off-idle fueling, Ok noob question here. I plan on purchasing my bike next month and i have a friend that just purchased a new 250 honda. I have driven it a few times and the clutch feels great. I just saw this post and it worried me as I have been looking to purchase the ninja. whats the deal with the clutch finesse statement and what does it mean by fickle off-idle fueling? just wondering about the magazines statements compared to your actual everyday use

To sum it up, you gotta ride the clutch a bit more taking off from a stop. The ninjette is not a torquey motor at low RPM, plus the bikes run a lean air/fuel mixture from the factory. You will need to shift a bit more, ex trying to accelerate from 30mph in 6th gear is going to take a while on the ninjette. On a bike with more torque gear selection would not matter as much.

If you don't have a lot of experience on another bike its not something you will notice anyway. I've yet to ride the Honda, but I would imagine that it would perform better in stop and go low speed city traffic, but its gonna run out of breath quicker once the speeds pick up.

In my biased opinion I think you would be better served by the Kawi.

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by Cedilla

To sum it up, you gotta ride the clutch a bit more taking off from a stop. The ninjette is not a torquey motor at low RPM, plus the bikes run a lean air/fuel mixture from the factory. You will need to shift a bit more, ex trying to accelerate from 30mph in 6th gear is going to take a while on the ninjette. On a bike with more torque gear selection would not matter as much.

If you don't have a lot of experience on another bike its not something you will notice anyway. I've yet to ride the Honda, but I would imagine that it would perform better in stop and go low speed city traffic, but its gonna run out of breath quicker once the speeds pick up.

In my biased opinion I think you would be better served by the Kawi.

Either stock bike would be fine to learn on, but the CBR250R does have noticeably better torque at lower speeds. I've seen the clutch described as everything from "perfect for a beginner's bike" to "too vague to learn proper shifting technique on". The clutch lever on the Honda is easier to operate and more forgiving for a beginner, IMO. That has real-world results of less stalls starting out at traffic lights and smoother shifting into higher gears, which helps build a new rider's confidence.
I think the combination of more torque and easier shifts makes the Honda a slightly better bike to learn the basics on, but it's not like the Ninja is difficult to operate.
The Honda seems a lot easier to get moving and keep moving, but that's due more to the ample torque of the single cylinder engine than the clutch action. I think you will find yourself mashing through the gears a lot quicker to get to the same speed on the Ninja. My Ninja had a tendancy to lag a bit when applying throttle after changing gears, which was improved, but not eliminated entirely by shimming the carbs. On the fuel-injected Honda you just twist the throttle and get instant response and even if your shift is a little sloppy the torque pulls you out of any bogging effortlessly. That torque also comes in very handy in the corners. If you pick a bad line the responsive throttle makes it a lot easier to correct.
As Cedilla says these are not things that you will really notice unless you've ridden both bikes. The stock Ninja is very easy to ride and learn on and an argument could be made that it teaches proper clutch operation and throttle application better than the Honda does, but really both bikes have many more similarities than differences. I don't think there's a "wrong" choice to be had here. Either bike is a good learner, but if you can test ride both bikes the decision will be that much easier to make. If you can't do that it comes down to what's important to you. Top speed or torque, carbs or EFI, do your research and buy the bike that suits your purpose best.

[ninjaprof]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

This month's "Motorcyclist" rag has much to do about 250s.They even slide in an article on the 6 cylinder 250 since Jeff has a thread about it.

The thing about this article that I don't understand is why the author ( Ari Henning) found it necessary to say that all three of these sportbikes "come within a few horsepower of barely enough and take far too long to cover the quarter mile". "Enough" for what? "Too long" for what? Why the need for the implicit comparison between the Ninja 250 and a full size super sport which is really only useable on a race track anyway?

By the way, there is also a great article on the 250s in the June 2011 edition of Roadracing World.

[Michaeldphotography]

Thank you guys for all of the great info. Ive been riding the honda in parking lots for about a week now and I can tell that the clutch does seem very easy to handle. The honda is the only motorcycle clutch i have played with so far. I have not found anyone in my area that has a new edition ninja 250 so i have not gotten to try it out yet but i really do think its the one I want. Sitting on them side by side at the dealership the ninja seemed a lil more comfortable and the seat was about an inch shorter so i was able to comfortably able to be flat foot on the ground. I will say one thing i do get annoyed at the number of people that say go with a 600 and dont wast your money on the 250. why is everyone so hyped to tell a beginner to start on a race bike???? Im happy with my decision to go 250 and from what i read hear it sounds like i will have alot of fun during a proper learning experience.

[Boom King]

Try out the Ninja as well if the opportunity presents itself. Although you can't really go wrong with either of these bikes as others have already said, trying out the Ninja before you buy it may answer any lingering questions you have about the clutch and other aspects before you plunk down some cash. If being able to flat foot comfortably is the most important to you then your decision is already probably made. I do wonder if a proper pair of riding boots may help you though on the Honda for that 1 inch difference.

It's interesting that even though both bikes are listed with the same seat height, people are commenting on how the Honda sits higher. I guess it may have to do with the shape and width of the seat and area between your legs.

[rusninja]

what upgrades :S

[speedgsx98]

Originally Posted by kkim

do the review conclusions coincide with how much ad space a manufacture buys from a particular mag?

crafty devils, these writers.

I worked in many aspects of the motorcycle industry. When I worked for an aftermarket supllier that advertised in many of the moto-mags...buying a multi month ad package of decent size occasionally was met with a "timely" article on the benefits of our products! The reviews in the mags aren't really objective, but since all the major manufacturers advertise in them, they hardly say anything bad about them in a comparo, more that one is better than the other.

[cwb48]

Notice that Ari Henning's current long term test bike is an Aprilia RSV4R, so he can hardly be objective about power and performance. And I thought the article was way too easy on the Hyosung given the terrible reviews that can be found all over the internet.

The most unforgivable thing though is that in the Sportbike surgery article, they mentioned that other Ninja 250 site, and never said a word about the best one.

Chris

[Alex]

Originally Posted by cwb48

The most unforgivable thing though is that in the Sportbike surgery article, they mentioned that other Ninja 250 site, and never said a word about the best one.

Darling Ninja will set 'em straight...

[Darling Ninja]

Originally Posted by Alex

Darling Ninja will set 'em straight...

I need to have a little talk with him.

[vital2009]

Has anyone else picked up the new issue of Motorcyclist (July 2011 issue)? Can't wait to dig into it tonight! Not only are they doing a comparison article on three 250cc bikes (Kawasaki Ninja 250R, Honda CBR250R, Hyosung GT250R), they've got a 3-page article on aftermarket options for the Ninja 250R.
Just in time to do a little reading and planning, since I'll be bringing my 2009 Ninja 250R home this weekend!

[Alex]

We've had another thread going on this for awhile, I'll merge 'em.

/merged

[vital2009]

Excellent, thanks for the nudge in the right direction!

I personally LOVED learning to ride on my '09 Ninja 250R. Since I had never driven standard, let alone rode a bike before last year, I had more of a learning curve than some! Yes, the Honda CBR250R is more torquey, but I appreciated a little extra play in the clutch while getting the hang of shifting and the handling on the bike. Never felt the bike was going to jump out from under me in those early days, or that the bike lacked power, always felt there was enough left in reserve, even when riding at highway speeds in top gear,... rode mine for a year, sold it for exactly what I paid for it, and after sitting on every make/model between 250 and 650cc, went back and bought the exact same bike. It will be my ride, and a hell of a lot of fun, for a few years yet!

[Jesse85]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith

Except maybe Hyosung.

I don't know why they feel the need to introduce competition to a multiple-bike review in the first place. All 3 of the bikes do some things differently, but they're all 250s.
It's like ice cream. You may prefer chocolate, vanilla or even strawberry, but it's all ice cream. Any of the 3 will do the job and what it comes down to is personal tastes.
I don't really care about who's top dog in the quarter-liter market. What I want to see is more companies, like Yamaha and Suzuki, importing more 250cc sportbikes into the US. When we have enough to make a "Top 10" list we can think about ranking them.

Well said

[caferacer]

Has anyone seen the article on 250R upgrades in July motorcyclist? Has anyone tried the recommended Race Tech 80-kg/mm fork springs and RT 15 weight fork oil set up yet? I am considering it to firm things up up front.

[Alex]

Yup!

/merged with other thread we have going in about that issue