250 Long Term or Go Bigger

[TonyKZ1]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Thread jacking here but 90K miles? What kind of major work have you had to do to the motor? Pistons, Rings, engine bearing, complete Valve replacements, transmission, clutch?

I know the pregen and NewGen are not completly the same but they're close enough. I'm averaging around 20K a year on my bike and I'm always thinking how long this things going to last me. I've even been thinking about picking up a lower mileage motor to keep as a spare so I don't have to be without a ride while rebuilding the original motor.

Well, no unfortunately I'm not on the original motor. I replaced mine with a used one a while back. From what I understand your new-gen motors are quite a bit better in reliability than the older ones so I'd think you would be fine for a long time. Although if I came upon a deal for a good used motor, I don't think I'd pass it up just in case something happened..
Tony

[Slono]

Go big or go home. Forget that measly two-fiddy, you'll regret all the days you've missed without that Busa

[csmith12]

Steven, I am not sure how long you have been riding or the company you keep but it goes about like this;

Rider gets a 250 to learn
Rider's friends raise an eyebrow at to when the larger bike is coming
Rider gets a larger cc bike
Rider rides larger cc bike and becomes experienced with speed
Rider enjoys larger cc bike
Rider then graduates to understanding what corner speed really is
Rider then regrets selling 250
Rider then buys another 250
Rider is happy having both bikes in the garage
Rider then does a track day or races 250's (cheap and fun)

I have 3 bikes, 2 250's and an R6. Some days I feel like a nut, some times I don't. Both are equal at getting me a speeding ticket and a fun spirited ride in the canyons. However the cost of ownership is somewhat different. The R6 costs more to own and operate. Tires alone are nearly double the seasonal expense unless I buy take offs. Insurance is killer and parts are more expensive. Your use of the bike may be different, commuting miles vs canyon miles ya know.

As to is it a status symbol and such.... no, don't play that game. It's a waist of your time. Ride the bike that brings a smile to your face, just ride it responsibly. Like Jason, there is video of me passing 1000's while riding a 250. Other times I am in the back of the pack chillin'. Find your happy place and ride the bike that can deliver it.

Just make sure your doing the total math for cost of ownership when making your choice. Most of all, do it without regret. Money is nothing to regret over.

Best of luck and happy riding!

[CycleCam303]

I'll play devil's advocate. Learn how to ride the 250 and be comfortable on a motorcycle, get something cool.

If I was in a better position right now financially I would get rid of the ninja 250 and get a wr250x or build a crf250l into a decentish commuter... then snag an rc51 or cbr600 for my fun bike.

I like having a commuter/frugal bike. I also enjoy the value of beating up on less skilled people on a bike that is slow.

But I'll never forget riding an R6, Ducati 1098, Triumph street triple, or even the old school ducati 996. Like everyone has already said first, different strokes for different folks.

A motorcycle is a toy for me. I have a truck and I use it. I enjoy being on a motorcycle more. Most people never really talk about the joys of motorcycling as a hobby; as in not normal transportation.

I love the quick revving motors, the intoxicating sound, monster brakes, supple suspension, stable frame, and aggressive positioning. Actually I'm at a point where I wish everyone of those aspects were better on the ninja 250.

The cool thing about real sport bikes is the ability to play the automotive equivalent of god. No one can cut you off, no one can jokey for being first in line. Here I was riding the 1098 and these kids in their crapcan wanna be ricer integra revving at me. I'm totally ignoring them while getting on the freeway on ramp. I'm trying to adjust the mirrors on this bike and I smell exhaust and look next to me seeing the integra barf a little smoke as the kids are killing the poor thing revving it out and attempting a horrible interpretation of the power shift. I finish tweaking the mirror and they are still neck and neck with me. I laugh as I simply snap the throttle back and while these guys are full throttle trying to beat me to the end of the off ramp the bike squats and I rocket passed them like they are standing still.

That my friend, is mother ****ing awesome. Yes you want that in your life.

[choneofakind]

+1 for motorcycle as toy and cage for transportation.

[KawiKid860]

Idk what you guys are talking about, my bikes are my toys and my transportation

[verboten1]

Yes. Not my main mode of transport, but definitely gets 1/3 of my miles every year, and I DROVE 30,000 last year :d

[SmithSwede]

I think a lot of this debate hinges on one's motorcycling experience. I'm not knocking or criticizing anyone. But I think a beginner or less experienced rider is always going to be tempted by a mega-powerful motorcycle. That is so much of what sport bikes are about. So go do that if you want. Get the über powerful bike that can out accelerate anything on the road. Have fun!! (And if you never look back, fine with me.)

That is what I did. Started on smaller bikes. Quickly got addictd to a Suzuki GS1100E, then a host of other big bikes. And I still run a BMW F800S.

But in my experience, the thrill of high horsepower is evanescent. Sure, it's a kick, but it fades fast. That why after almost 35 years of riding, I'm actually very attached to ridng my little 250. At least for me, the pleasure of riding has less to do with insane acceleration and more to do with what the 250 offers. And I commute 100 miles a day.

On the other hand, I've already had my fun with crazy horsepower. What is somewhat boring and frustrating to me is probably what some riders crave the most. And to be honest, when I ride a bigger bike for a while, the 250 seems slow. But I'm back to grinning a lot on the 250 in 5 miles.

Last weekend I had to travel from Dallas to New Orleans. I could have taken the BMW, with saddlebags and all the bells and whistles. I instead took the 250, because I figured it would be more fun. Don't regret the choice.

My best advice would be if you want to sample bigger and more powerful bikes, do so. But don't trade in the 250. You won't get much for it, and you will likely kick yourself later when that mega-bike gets boring/expensive/cumbersome etc.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by SmithSwede

I think a lot of this debate hinges on one's motorcycling experience. I'm not knocking or criticizing anyone. But I think a beginner or less experienced rider is always going to be tempted by a mega-powerful motorcycle. That is so much of what sport bikes are about. So go do that if you want. Get the über powerful bike that can out accelerate anything on the road. Have fun!! (And if you never look back, fine with me.)

That is what I did. Started on smaller bikes. Quickly got addictd to a Suzuki GS1100E, then a host of other big bikes. And I still run a BMW F800S.

But in my experience, the thrill of high horsepower is evanescent. Sure, it's a kick, but it fades fast. That why after almost 35 years of riding, I'm actually very attached to ridng my little 250. At least for me, the pleasure of riding has less to do with insane acceleration and more to do with what the 250 offers. And I commute 100 miles a day.

On the other hand, I've already had my fun with crazy horsepower. What is somewhat boring and frustrating to me is probably what some riders crave the most. And to be honest, when I ride a bigger bike for a while, the 250 seems slow. But I'm back to grinning a lot on the 250 in 5 miles.

Last weekend I had to travel from Dallas to New Orleans. I could have taken the BMW, with saddlebags and all the bells and whistles. I instead took the 250, because I figured it would be more fun. Don't regret the choice.

My best advice would be if you want to sample bigger and more powerful bikes, do so. But don't trade in the 250. You won't get much for it, and you will likely kick yourself later when that mega-bike gets boring/expensive/cumbersome etc.

This is why I always tell people my background when giving my opinion because I've ridden 220HP bikes before at nearly 200MPH. So no hopped up RSV4 or BMW1000S is ever going to come close to getting me the same thrill so why try. That's the reasoning behind why I choose to ride the 250, it just does what I want and is a different type of riding I can enjoy under different setting.

If someone wants to own a Ferrari Enzo equivalent sport bike for 2% the cost then by all means go for it and enjoy because for most of us that's the closest we'll ever get to the performance of a million $ car. And since I had my fun on a superbike who would I be to chastise someone for wanting to taste the same thrill.

If your on a pregen then go ahead and sell that poor thing and if after some time you want to get another small bike then go pick up something similar to your old 250 but with some style for this millennium

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

If your on a pregen then go ahead and sell that poor thing and if after some time you want to get another small bike then go pick up something similar to your old 250 but with some style for this millennium

such harsh words!! Don't let my baby hear that!

We got lots of interest from the older guys at the track because it's such a classic style. I kinda dig it.

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

such harsh words!! Don't let my baby hear that!

We got lots of interest from the older guys at the track because it's such a classic style. I kinda dig it.

The fact that you dig attention from older men is not the sort of thing you want to advertise.

Just saying....

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Steven, I am not sure how long you have been riding or the company you keep but it goes about like this;

Rider gets a 250 to learn
Rider's friends raise an eyebrow at to when the larger bike is coming
Rider gets a larger cc bike
Rider rides larger cc bike and becomes experienced with speed
Rider enjoys larger cc bike
Rider then graduates to understanding what corner speed really is
Rider then regrets selling 250
Rider then buys another 250
Rider is happy having both bikes in the garage
Rider then does a track day or races 250's (cheap and fun)

I have 3 bikes, 2 250's and an R6. Some days I feel like a nut, some times I don't. Both are equal at getting me a speeding ticket and a fun spirited ride in the canyons. However the cost of ownership is somewhat different. The R6 costs more to own and operate. Tires alone are nearly double the seasonal expense unless I buy take offs. Insurance is killer and parts are more expensive. Your use of the bike may be different, commuting miles vs canyon miles ya know.

As to is it a status symbol and such.... no, don't play that game. It's a waist of your time. Ride the bike that brings a smile to your face, just ride it responsibly. Like Jason, there is video of me passing 1000's while riding a 250. Other times I am in the back of the pack chillin'. Find your happy place and ride the bike that can deliver it.

Just make sure your doing the total math for cost of ownership when making your choice. Most of all, do it without regret. Money is nothing to regret over.

Best of luck and happy riding!

I am about that step, I love my 250, I'm still learning tons about riding and different scenario's, and of course I have friends giving me the "250...my sister can ride that" sorta deal. I think from more and more that I'm hearing on here this 250 is going to stay with me awhile, I might get a bigger bike in a summer or two but I think I'll hold onto this 250. It is a nice bike, especially when my daily commute is some highway, some farm road, and some city roads

Originally Posted by KawiKid860

Idk what you guys are talking about, my bikes are my toys and my transportation.

This is how I view my bike. when I leave for work at 6a its transportation, the hour or two between jobs its my toy as I play around roads I keep finding, and again, transportation when I leave my second job at 9p. Plus every weekend or free afternoon, 800 miles on her since I bought it a month ago



Sorry had to post it, haha

Originally Posted by SmithSwede

I think a lot of this debate hinges on one's motorcycling experience. I'm not knocking or criticizing anyone. But I think a beginner or less experienced rider is always going to be tempted by a mega-powerful motorcycle. That is so much of what sport bikes are about. So go do that if you want. Get the über powerful bike that can out accelerate anything on the road. Have fun!! (And if you never look back, fine with me.)

That is what I did. Started on smaller bikes. Quickly got addictd to a Suzuki GS1100E, then a host of other big bikes. And I still run a BMW F800S.

But in my experience, the thrill of high horsepower is evanescent. Sure, it's a kick, but it fades fast. That why after almost 35 years of riding, I'm actually very attached to ridng my little 250. At least for me, the pleasure of riding has less to do with insane acceleration and more to do with what the 250 offers. And I commute 100 miles a day.

On the other hand, I've already had my fun with crazy horsepower. What is somewhat boring and frustrating to me is probably what some riders crave the most. And to be honest, when I ride a bigger bike for a while, the 250 seems slow. But I'm back to grinning a lot on the 250 in 5 miles.

Last weekend I had to travel from Dallas to New Orleans. I could have taken the BMW, with saddlebags and all the bells and whistles. I instead took the 250, because I figured it would be more fun. Don't regret the choice.

My best advice would be if you want to sample bigger and more powerful bikes, do so. But don't trade in the 250. You won't get much for it, and you will likely kick yourself later when that mega-bike gets boring/expensive/cumbersome etc.

Yeah I think the 250 is staying, either that or trading up for a newer model once money is more abundant and flowing instead of disappearing while in school

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

This is why I always tell people my background when giving my opinion because I've ridden 220HP bikes before at nearly 200MPH. So no hopped up RSV4 or BMW1000S is ever going to come close to getting me the same thrill so why try. That's the reasoning behind why I choose to ride the 250, it just does what I want and is a different type of riding I can enjoy under different setting.

If someone wants to own a Ferrari Enzo equivalent sport bike for 2% the cost then by all means go for it and enjoy because for most of us that's the closest we'll ever get to the performance of a million $ car. And since I had my fun on a superbike who would I be to chastise someone for wanting to taste the same thrill.

If your on a pregen then go ahead and sell that poor thing and if after some time you want to get another small bike then go pick up something similar to your old 250 but with some style for this millennium

Haha hey, I know the pregen's aren't sleek and clean cut looking, but I can enhance parts on it to suit the look quite well thank you!

HID projector retrofit, rear fender delete, flush mounted turns and other mods this summer!!

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by ChaoSS

The fact that you dig attention from older men is not the sort of thing you want to advertise.

Just saying....

!! hahaha.

I meant that I dig the older style bike. I guess I could have worded that a little better huh?

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by scubaru

HID projector retrofit this summer!!

I like you. Check out my thread on that. Only issue I ran into was the fact that my tail is raised so high that I need to aim the headlight up a ton; this isn't really possible by using the method of attaching the projector to the OE reflector H4 hole and right now it's aimed just a hair too low.

I recently bought a wrecked new-gen headlight. I'm going to gut it, use the internal aiming brackets and some 1/4" ABS sheet to make a new mounting plate that can still be aimed via the OE adjuster screws. I'll post it in my pregen bixenon thread once I get it done. But it might take a while, I'm super busy.

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

I like you. Check out my thread on that. Only issue I ran into was the fact that my tail is raised so high that I need to aim the headlight up a ton; this isn't really possible by using the method of attaching the projector to the OE reflector H4 hole and right now it's aimed just a hair too low.

I recently bought a wrecked new-gen headlight. I'm going to gut it, use the internal aiming brackets and some 1/4" ABS sheet to make a new mounting plate that can still be aimed via the OE adjuster screws. I'll post it in my pregen bixenon thread once I get it done. But it might take a while, I'm super busy.

Lol, thanks. Yeah I saw your thread on the retrofit. I've actually been studying HIDs for the past two years as a hobby if you will. Did a retrofit on my WRX last year. I was just worried how the light would be handled by the lens on our bikes since they are what focuses the beam, your write up proved it works!

2004 Subaru WRX
Morimoto H1 projectors with 5k HIDs from The Retrofit Source

Custom retrofitted into my headlights





Go ahead and laugh, I'm in school for engineering, I love to tinker, this was a small project back a few months ago...

Mountain bike with a 49cc engine, 150 mpg, top speed of 35 mph. Yes...I installed proper HIDs on it as well

[choneofakind]

No laughing from me, I respect that (fellow engineering student here). I think you know what you're doing with the HID's, no more input needed from me Proceed.

Let me know if you need pictures of anything before you start. I should have most of it covered in my bixenon thread already, but since I'm here, I'll help where I can. I also want to do a foreground limiter. I hate how bright it is RIGHT in front of me. :/ how much of the top of the reflector do you suggest I cover? 1/4? 1/3? 1/2?

I love the subie!

[CycleCam303]

Nice impreza. Looks clean. I would consider losing the spoiler. You don't start getting lift until 130+ mph anyway lol.

[Jiggles]

My k1300s gets about 47mpg, is super comfy and is very fun and stable in the turns, get dat

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

No laughing from me, I respect that (fellow engineering student here). I think you know what you're doing with the HID's, no more input needed from me Proceed.

Let me know if you need pictures of anything before you start. I should have most of it covered in my bixenon thread already, but since I'm here, I'll help where I can. I also want to do a foreground limiter. I hate how bright it is RIGHT in front of me. :/ how much of the top of the reflector do you suggest I cover? 1/4? 1/3? 1/2?

I love the subie!

Yeah I have studied as much as I can on HIDs, i work at a parts store part time and always try to persuade people to stay away from the plug and play's

A few things from your How-To, how secure did the projector sit in the housing just from attaching to the socket in the back of the headlight?

Why did you use a hairdryer method? I baked my headlights in the oven at 200* for 10 minutes to soften the adhesive and pull it apart, I'm going to try it on the bikes since it was obviously safe on an all plastic headlight.

Any reason you went with a D2S?

As for the cutoff, you'd have to play with it, I mean for being the foreground you'd need to probably do a larger section covered to help ease the light. Is it really that bad though?? Pics? Although I'd love to have extra light to complain about

Originally Posted by CycleCam303

Nice impreza. Looks clean. I would consider losing the spoiler. You don't start getting lift until 130+ mph anyway lol.

But...Airplane...I mean RaceCar! haha

It is the factory wing on the STi's, I am considering going no spoiler, IMO the Impreza's look good with the big spoiler or no spoiler, I hate the WRX spoilier. But thats for another time, I do race the car in AutoX and need to look fast

[joshuajcrouch]

I guess I am probably one with a different opinion. I recently picked up a Ducati Monster M600 and still have my 2008 Ninja 250R. Its been fun to go back and forth between the two to compare differences. I wasn't sure which one I was going to get rid of (my wife said I couldn't have two bikes) and now I have the Ninja up for sale. The reason I liked the Ducati more:

-better seat, no more squashed ball sack
-more room for my legs (I am 6' tall) and better body positioning
-longer gears (love that I can be going 70mph @ 5K RPM)
-passing on the hwy is now possible
-feels more stable on the hwy
-easier to maintain (naked, air cooled and carb'd)
-more comfy for a passenger (my wife occasionally rides)
-embarrassed to admit this, but I get a lot of attention on the bike
-also embarrassed to admit this... but its fun as hell to twist that throttle
-oh and its just as flickable as the Ninja (Monster only weighs 385 lbs)

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by joshuajcrouch

I wasn't sure which one I was going to get rid of (my wife said I couldn't have two bikes) and now I have the Ninja up for sale.

The correct decision would have been to replace the wife.

[joshuajcrouch]

Originally Posted by ChaoSS

The correct decision would have been to replace the wife.

Ouch. Hope you are joking.

I know plenty of guys who's wives wouldn't let them get motorcycles. I consider myself lucky.

[ChaoSS]

Well, if you guys are in financial straights, I could understand a wife saying that it might be best to only have one bike.

I don't consider a wife who thinks it is appropriate to tell her husband what he may or may not do a wife worth having though. The term is wife, not mother.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by joshuajcrouch

Ouch. Hope you are joking.

I know plenty of guys who's wives wouldn't let them get motorcycles. I consider myself lucky.

Do you limit the number of designer purses she can have?

[Bigballsofpaint]

My friends girlfriend once asked me why do you have so many paintball guns (i had 9 at the time), so i asked her why she had to many shoes...she said nothing after that. Apparently she had well over 100 pairs