Ninja 250r better then rebel?

[Treosfnb]

Hi all, i am in the market for a new bike and was wondering how the ninja compares to a rebel 250, mostly on highways.

I started on a rebel 250 and loved it, but i quickly found it lacked highway power, making my 200 mile weekend rides rather uncomfortable at times, so i traded it in for a vulcan 500 but had to sell that months ago

I don't need as much power as the vulcan but i need more then the rebel, so anyone here have experience with both the rebel and ninja?

[jeffb502]

Welcome to the forums Nick.

I've never been on a Rebel 250 or any cruiser style bike for that matter (even in the MSF class I was on a CB125t, which is more of a wannabe dual sport looking standard).

That said, my 2010 250 did fine on the freeway for me, but I have nothing to compare it to. Here's a video of me keeping up with and passing traffic on the 101 at Gaviota; hopefully it will help you evaluate the usefulness of the Ninja 250 on the freeway. If you maximize it the speedometer and tachometer are visible to give you an idea of the RPMs in 6th gear with stock gears.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[old3]

I'm making a slight guess, the Ninja probably nearly 10 more HP than the Rebel, might be even more. Cruising at 70 MPH should be no problem on the Ninja.

Shop the Ninja 300 and 500 too. Both are more relaxed at higher speeds and have more torque than the 250 by a wide margin. Be sure you are comfortable on whatever you buy. The Ninja 250/300 is more of a standard ergo bike, not really a sport bike so pretty good right out of the box. Lots of mods available to make it fit you too.

[Sirref]

the ninja 500 is the definition of a perfect commuter bike for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, it has a bit more low down grunt and top end than a 300 but unfortunately all of the ones that I've seen have been ugly as sin with the pregen 250s looking nicer in my eyes.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by Treosfnb

Hi all, i am in the market for a new bike and was wondering how the ninja compares to a rebel 250, mostly on highways.

I started on a rebel 250 and loved it, but i quickly found it lacked highway power, making my 200 mile weekend rides rather uncomfortable at times, so i traded it in for a vulcan 500 but had to sell that months ago

I don't need as much power as the vulcan but i need more then the rebel, so anyone here have experience with both the rebel and ninja?

Can you afford a 300?
To answer your question... Yes but a 300 is better!!!
Welcome and all!!!

[Sirref]

hunt craigslist, 300s pop up from time to time between 4500-5500 where I am and so long as it isn't thrashed you should be good. That said a 250 is around half the price on CL so if price is a large concern I'd go with a newgen 250/ninja 500.

[Treosfnb]

Thanks guys, judging by that video i should be pretty happy with the 250.
i have been keeping an eye on craigslist for a while but the only reasonable offers i find are on the 250s.I know i would love the ninja 500 (vulcan500 uses the same engine) but there are no good offers lately.
Is the 300 a big improvement over the 250?

[jeffb502]

Originally Posted by Treosfnb

Is the 300 a big improvement over the 250?

I think so, but I think part of the improvement for me is my 250 had 15,000 miles and needed some maintenance and my 300 has less than 1300 miles.

The main benefits of the 300 are the increased power and the "start it and go" pleasure that is fuel injection. I also think it looks much better and the gauges are more useful. I haven't taken the 300 on any long freeway rides yet. It still revs somewhat high on the freeway but not quite as high as the 250 from my limited experience. I get more wind in my chest/face on the 300 than the 250 but I had the aftermarket sport touring windscreen on my 250 so that's not a fair comparison.

I think about $4000 is a fair price point for a used low mileage 300, which is why I picked mine up. Many people on Craigslist are asking high prices because used 300s are still fairly rare, but with the 2014s in showrooms now I think the prices for used 300s are finally going to get reasonable. If you can find one at a decent price I'd suggest picking one up, but if nobody will take $4000 or less I'd be looking for a 250. Even if you wind up with a less expensive 250 depending on your negotiation skills you should be able to sell it for the same amount you paid for it when the right 300 finally pops up.

[alex.s]

the rebel was one of the shittiest bikes i've ridden. and i've ridden some real ****** bikes.

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by alex.s

the rebel was one of the shittiest bikes i've ridden. and i've ridden some real ****** bikes.

I second this if you want a 250 cruiser then get the vstar 250

[Løckøut]

Yamaha Virago

[Whiskey]

200 miles of highway in a single sitting is doable, but not my idea of fun.

The 250 will be fairly buzzy at that pace for that distance.

If that's the main use the bike will get then a middleweight sports tourer would be more practical. Fazer 600 isn't a bad idea

The 250 is a good little machine for back road fun & commuting, but it's lacking the power for quick overtakes at highway pace

[adouglas]

The Ninjette does just fine on the highway if you have realistic expectations. It performs about the same as a typical economy car. I reached this conclusion by commuting on the highway and during a 2600 mile tour on the bike.

I drive a Honda Fit. My Ninjette had similar performance on the highway for passing and such.

It is WAY WAY WAY better than the Rebel in every way.

A note about being on the highway on a low-horsepower bike: Wind drag is really significant when you don't have the power to overcome it. On the Ninjette, tucking down behind the windscreen makes a noticeable difference in passing ability. On the Rebel, of course, this is not an option.

Regarding comfort... I find the cruiser riding position very uncomfortable for any length of time, because all your weight is supported by your butt and lower back. On the Ninjette, you can carry your weight more on your thighs and, if you lean forward, by resting on the tank. I never once had a sore butt riding my Ninjette. Others do not find this to be true, but I believe they may be sitting more upright and putting more of their weight on their butts.

[Treosfnb]

Originally Posted by jeffb502

I think about $4000 is a fair price point for a used low mileage 300, which is why I picked mine up.

I have been keeping my eye on craigslist but the only offer i have seen was $5,000 for one that has over 5k miles and has been crashed, people in MA aren't known to be reasonable lol.

Originally Posted by fishdip

I second this if you want a 250 cruiser then get the vstar 250

I have a friend that started on one, i tried his and found it TERRIBLY uncomfortable and it felt like a toy imo.

Im going to keep an eye out for the ninja 500s but unless i find a decent offer ill be buying a ninja 250 within a month or two

[old3]

Bad news for all of us that already own any Ninjette, 250-300. There is/was a 300 listed in Albany NY for $3300, a white one. No crash, just a clean, one year old non ABS IIRC.

As compared to a 500, I disagree. The carburation of the 500 was crappy enough that the fueling of the 300 eclipses it as a low RPM torquer. I had to gear my 500 down to get good power with a passenger. My 300 has TALLER 14/39 gears and I can run it down to 30 MPH in 6th gear, roll on throttle and pick up speed without the carbs Buuuuuuuuuuuuu...

It torques around while shifting at 4 or 5k RPM just as happily as any other RPM. In fact, I'd give up some low/mid to actually have it peaky at the top where it just kinda is very flat. Competent, but dull. I can't imagine how boring the CBR500s are if this engine is "exciting" in comparison.

If I keep mine beyond another year, I see a set of cams going in to get more hit up top.

[thurt88]

The 250 ninja is fine on the highway. To me anyway. There's not much "pull away" acceleration past 70mph but downshifting works for me.
Don't know insurance differences between 250/300 but if it's not much more,you'd be better off with a 300 if for nothing else the fuel injection. I do love my 250's