250 Long Term or Go Bigger

[scubaru]

I know I know...tons of threads pop up on here about wanting a faster bike or how to make their bike faster, and the usual answer is "Get something bigger than the 250".

Well that's not the point of this thread; I can't tell if the 250 is the bike I should stay with for awhile or upgrade next summer. I love my bike for going to work (aka 50+ mpg), small and agile, can hug corners and fun to go on long rides on. I'm worried a bigger bike will be drastically less fuel efficient, not as comfortable and not designed for long back country rides. Also with the high crash and lay down rate of a bike compared to a vehicle, it won't hurt me as much to see my $1700 250 damaged compared to a $7000+ bike. The only real foreseeable advantages I see are, bragging rights, quicker acceleration, less wiggling at highway speeds, and sleeker looks.

Maybe I'm nuts, convince me the 250 is a worthwhile bike? haha

2005 Ninja 250 Pregen
Purchased last month with 750 miles on it (yes under 1000)
Second owner, never layed down, no scratches or damage

[psych0hans]

It all depends on what bigger bike you buy... An sv650 won't be too hard on the wallet, while being more comfy and more powerful at the same time... But if you're comfortable with this one, why bother changing it? Don't fix it if it ain't broke...

[rojoracing53]

With as much as I have into my 250 its till death do us part. That's doesn't mean I won't get another bike in the future but with as much of a cheap and practical bastard as I am I doubt it'll be any time soon.

[Motofool]

There are many disadvantages with this bike, as you have listed, Steven.

Ship this one to Florida for me and buy a cooler motorcycle.

I will PM my shipping address to you.

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by psych0hans

It all depends on what bigger bike you buy... An sv650 won't be too hard on the wallet, while being more comfy and more powerful at the same time... But if you're comfortable with this one, why bother changing it? Don't fix it if it ain't broke...

Good point, just was assuming a 750 is a 750.

Haha the old "If it ain't broke" line never did much for me, I have over $5,000 in my car in aftermarket mods for AutoX racing, but I think in this instance you make a valid point.

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

With as much as I have into my 250 its till death do us part. That's doesn't mean I won't get another bike in the future but with as much of a cheap and practical bastard as I am I doubt it'll be any time soon.

I had debated keeping the 250 and getting something bigger down the road, but if I walk into my garage and I can ride either a 750 or whatever vs a 250 ninja...would I ever really ride the 250? I don't have any mods on the Ninja 250 and all I'm planning would be improved lighting, some cheaper LED accent lights, tail assembly delete, etc. All the cosmetics and enhancements...I have the mod bug

[dfox]

it's all personal preference. I'm kind of torn, as you are, with keeping the 250 or upsizing.

I'm not too thrilled with it's performance on crowded highways, but I so rarely hit the highways. It will do for now, until I have the time to buy and sell.

Ultimately, I'm going to upsize. I'm holding off right now just because we just had our first child, and I'm a little overwhelmed with that to be buying/selling motorcycles on craigslist. I'm going to be looking at an ER-6n, Gladius, or SV650, so I can basically sell my 250 and add a tiny bit of cash for a bigger bike. I've also considered an F800r, but that'd require a loan since I don't want to slice my rainy day fund in half for a toy.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by scubaru

Good point, just was assuming a 750 is a 750.

Haha the old "If it ain't broke" line never did much for me, I have over $5,000 in my car in aftermarket mods for AutoX racing, but I think in this instance you make a valid point.



I had debated keeping the 250 and getting something bigger down the road, but if I walk into my garage and I can ride either a 750 or whatever vs a 250 ninja...would I ever really ride the 250? I don't have any mods on the Ninja 250 and all I'm planning would be improved lighting, some cheaper LED accent lights, tail assembly delete, etc. All the cosmetics and enhancements...I have the mod bug

If I had an R6 along side my 250 I'd probably ride it a few times over the 250 for weekend blast but it wouldn't be long before it would become boring. I'm confident I'd end up favoring the 250 for 90% of my rides and if I'm only going to ride a bike 10% of the time then why own it.

But then again I can do more with my 250 then 99% of riders can done on more capable bikes so I'm not really in need to gain anything. I know this isn't the case with........well 99% of riders

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by dfox

it's all personal preference. I'm kind of torn, as you are, with keeping the 250 or upsizing.

I'm not too thrilled with it's performance on crowded highways, but I so rarely hit the highways. It will do for now, until I have the time to buy and sell.

Ultimately, I'm going to upsize. I'm holding off right now just because we just had our first child, and I'm a little overwhelmed with that to be buying/selling motorcycles on craigslist. I'm going to be looking at an ER-6n, Gladius, or SV650, so I can basically sell my 250 and add a tiny bit of cash for a bigger bike. I've also considered an F800r, but that'd require a loan since I don't want to slice my rainy day fund in half for a toy.

See another thing is a lot of guys tell me these bikes are not fast and don't do well on the highway (obviously I don't know you so don't take this personally, maybe it's just my perception) but the guys that tell me this are well over 250, 300 lbs. I'm a 180# 23 yr old, the bike gets up and goes quick, but as I mentioned there is also less weight planted on the road so I feel the wobble on some of the bigger highway systems. I however don't use the bike on much of any highways, BUT I am waiting for a free weekend to take it outside of Lebanon County and go find bigger better roads and places to explore.

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

If I had an R6 along side my 250 I'd probably ride it a few times over the 250 for weekend blast but it wouldn't be long before it would become boring. I'm confident I'd end up favoring the 250 for 90% of my rides and if I'm only going to ride a bike 10% of the time then why own it.

But then again I can do more with my 250 then 99% of riders can done on more capable bikes so I'm not really in need to gain anything. I know this isn't the case with........well 99% of riders

Why would you prefer the 250? How would a bigger bike become boring? Just curious

Although, I can say my friends that have bigger bikes barely use them, most are covered in a garage and see Saturday and Sunday sun before going back in, my bike I've had out almost every day since I bought it and have put over 800 miles on it in less than a month, haha.

I'm still new to biking, I only passed my safety course on Friday and have been riding all of a month. I am a lot more confident than I was starting out and I know my AutoX racing and the way I drive my car are aiding in my ability to keep an eye out while on the road. So right now the 250 is still a blast, honestly I have so much fun in corners on it, I still sometimes can't believe how low I get and then realize there are guys on 250's getting even lower.

[subxero]

Get a ZX-14r and be done with it. It might take you like 2 years before you feel like you need more power than it has. Maybe by then they will have come out with a 16r and you can upgrade again, if not though you would be unfortunately stuck with a measly 180 odd horse power, but then i guess you could start modding it to! WINNING!!

[subxero]

Originally Posted by scubaru

See another thing is a lot of guys tell me these bikes are not fast and don't do well on the highway (obviously I don't know you so don't take this personally, maybe it's just my perception) but the guys that tell me this are well over 250, 300 lbs. I'm a 180# 23 yr old, the bike gets up and goes quick, but as I mentioned there is also less weight planted on the road so I feel the wobble on some of the bigger highway systems. I however don't use the bike on much of any highways, BUT I am waiting for a free weekend to take it outside of Lebanon County and go find bigger better roads and places to explore.

I understand you have a pregen and i have never ridden one, but I ride major highways to work everyday around DC on my new gen 250. I-95, and 495 beltway are pretty much my entire route. With light traffic i average 80mph mainly because i don't want to get pulled over doing much more than that. I hit triple digits on the speedo today, more so just to see how the bike felt cuz it's been awhile since i took it that high and since i have done some mods i was curious to see if it felt like i had more push and there was an open stretch with no cops so i seized the opportunity

[dfox]

Originally Posted by scubaru

See another thing is a lot of guys tell me these bikes are not fast and don't do well on the highway (obviously I don't know you so don't take this personally, maybe it's just my perception) but the guys that tell me this are well over 250, 300 lbs. I'm a 180# 23 yr old, the bike gets up and goes quick, but as I mentioned there is also less weight planted on the road so I feel the wobble on some of the bigger highway systems. I however don't use the bike on much of any highways, BUT I am waiting for a free weekend to take it outside of Lebanon County and go find bigger better roads and places to explore.

I'm 28, 5' 8", 130 lbs, so no issues at all with excessive weight.

Sure, the bike will do highway speed without issue. I don't even mind the light, twitchy/wobbly, blow all over the place in the wind feeling. My issue is passing power. Everyone will say "get a full exhaust" blah blah blah. A 10% increase isn't going to make me much happier.

I've become very well adjusted to my wrx on the highway. Sure, the 250 will accelerate on an on-ramp easily to 60-70 mph, and keep up with most other cars while doing so (definitely slower than the wrx). That only gets me to the slow lane around here though. If I want to accelerate to my preferred cruising speed of around 80-85 for the fast lane around here, I need to wait for a HUGE gap, because the bike won't accelerate fast enough. When I have a huge SUV bearing down on me from behind, I'm not quite comfortable. I'm used to downshifting one gear, stepping on the gas, and next thing I know I'm going 100. That's not the case on the 250, and it makes me uncomfortable on the high speed highways around here.

in comparing performance specs between different bikes and the wrx, the 650 sport bikes seem equally as fast as my car was in stock form. I think I'd be able to deal with that for the infrequent highway use it will see, while keeping the better mpg's during mundane commutes on city roads.

[Toly]

Originally Posted by scubaru

The only real foreseeable advantages I see are, bragging rights, quicker acceleration, less wiggling at highway speeds, and sleeker looks.

Dude, you don't know what you're missing... the only way is to know is to ride another bike.

[Dano]

Here's my 2 cents:

I have owned a SV650 and loved it. Sold it to pay for a new furnace and A/C.

After selling the house I bought a 09' Ninja 250 because I was commuting pretty far and having 2 small kids Price and Maintence costs were a big deal. I have found that I can buy 2 tires for the Ninjette for the price 1 Rear tire cost me on the SV. Plus with full insurance being only $79 on the ninja and $140 on the SV that isnt a big difference.

I would go thru a set of tires on the SV every 3-4000 miles and on the ninja I am at 7500 miles with the stock front tire and changed the rear because of a nail.....

So if maintence cost is a issue ALWAYS stay with the ninja...If its not I would get a used SV650 over the Kawasaki 650 any day of the week.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by scubaru

See another thing is a lot of guys tell me these bikes are not fast and don't do well on the highway (obviously I don't know you so don't take this personally, maybe it's just my perception) but the guys that tell me this are well over 250, 300 lbs. I'm a 180# 23 yr old, the bike gets up and goes quick, but as I mentioned there is also less weight planted on the road so I feel the wobble on some of the bigger highway systems. I however don't use the bike on much of any highways, BUT I am waiting for a free weekend to take it outside of Lebanon County and go find bigger better roads and places to explore.



Why would you prefer the 250? How would a bigger bike become boring? Just curious

Although, I can say my friends that have bigger bikes barely use them, most are covered in a garage and see Saturday and Sunday sun before going back in, my bike I've had out almost every day since I bought it and have put over 800 miles on it in less than a month, haha.

I'm still new to biking, I only passed my safety course on Friday and have been riding all of a month. I am a lot more confident than I was starting out and I know my AutoX racing and the way I drive my car are aiding in my ability to keep an eye out while on the road. So right now the 250 is still a blast, honestly I have so much fun in corners on it, I still sometimes can't believe how low I get and then realize there are guys on 250's getting even lower.

First you'd have to know a little about me first so you understand where my opinions are based off of. So here http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=121363

As to why the fast bike would be boring well....

As is sits I'm probably faster then 99% of riders on the street no matter what they ride and for the most part I don't even have to push any limits to stay with them. If I find someone faster then me I'm the first to let them go becuase my comfortable speed is around twice as fast as most would deem safe. So for the most part even on the fast group rides I have to hold back and if I had a faster bike I'd have to hold back even more so where's the fun in that. That's what I mean by boring.

I'm a hypocrite for giving good advise and not following it myself but that doesn't take away from the fact that the advise I gave was indeed good advise

[NevadaWolf]

I have a new gen 250. Where I am sitting right now, the *only* reason I would upgrade is for passing power. I've been on a 500 and a 750. While I love my girl, it was nice to not have the throttle cranked wide open just to keep up.

However, I am slowly learning how to squeeze that last bit of oomph out of the little engine and managed to pass a few times last weekend. But as @dfox mentioned, you need a good size gap to do so at highway speeds.

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by dfox

I'm 28, 5' 8", 130 lbs, so no issues at all with excessive weight.

Sure, the bike will do highway speed without issue. I don't even mind the light, twitchy/wobbly, blow all over the place in the wind feeling. My issue is passing power. Everyone will say "get a full exhaust" blah blah blah. A 10% increase isn't going to make me much happier.

I've become very well adjusted to my wrx on the highway. Sure, the 250 will accelerate on an on-ramp easily to 60-70 mph, and keep up with most other cars while doing so (definitely slower than the wrx). That only gets me to the slow lane around here though. If I want to accelerate to my preferred cruising speed of around 80-85 for the fast lane around here, I need to wait for a HUGE gap, because the bike won't accelerate fast enough. When I have a huge SUV bearing down on me from behind, I'm not quite comfortable. I'm used to downshifting one gear, stepping on the gas, and next thing I know I'm going 100. That's not the case on the 250, and it makes me uncomfortable on the high speed highways around here.

in comparing performance specs between different bikes and the wrx, the 650 sport bikes seem equally as fast as my car was in stock form. I think I'd be able to deal with that for the infrequent highway use it will see, while keeping the better mpg's during mundane commutes on city roads.

I have to say the Bike accelerates different than the WRX, but I have noticed my car (Stage II with various other mods) feels faster (although right now it lags since I'm preparing to remove, gut and redo my TGV's )

I guess I need to get out on the highway more and see how I really feel about the bike on the highway...

Originally Posted by Toly

Dude, you don't know what you're missing... the only way is to know is to ride another bike.

Everyone tells me once I get on a bigger bike the 250 will feel like training wheels and I won't want to ride it anymore, I don't want to hate my bike, haha.

Originally Posted by Dano

Here's my 2 cents:

I have owned a SV650 and loved it. Sold it to pay for a new furnace and A/C.

After selling the house I bought a 09' Ninja 250 because I was commuting pretty far and having 2 small kids Price and Maintence costs were a big deal. I have found that I can buy 2 tires for the Ninjette for the price 1 Rear tire cost me on the SV. Plus with full insurance being only $79 on the ninja and $140 on the SV that isnt a big difference.

I would go thru a set of tires on the SV every 3-4000 miles and on the ninja I am at 7500 miles with the stock front tire and changed the rear because of a nail.....

So if maintence cost is a issue ALWAYS stay with the ninja...If its not I would get a used SV650 over the Kawasaki 650 any day of the week.

Interesting take on it, I hadn't much considered maintenance costs. Right now yes maintenance is a big deal as I still have one more semester of school left (working two jobs right now to afford my toys, mods, pay off bills etc). So after school I'll still be tight on spare cash but not as bad as I am now.

I mostly want to have fun on a bike. And right now the 250 is doing that, is speed always the answer for fun for me? Nope, but having it there for a quick acceleration, maneuver on the highway...eh might be nice, worth a higher price tag? Still not sure...

[menikmati]

I own both a 250R and ZX6R and for my needs (as a commuter), I tend to favor the 250R because it's cheap and I can go further on a single tank of gas (ran the tank dry on the 250R at 270 miles, never ran the ZX6R dry yet).

Focus on your specific riding needs and your budget (factor in insurance, upkeep costs, focus on total cost of ownership) and go from there.

Oh, and I feel that I can rip on my 250R when I need to without a problem and I find restraining myself on the ZX6R to be a total tease.

[iceknyght]

I keep going back and forth on "upgrading"... The first thing I have to remind myself when I have this conversation (with myself) is that I am primarily using this bike for commuting... And my 250 does a lot of things well in this category (good MPG, cheap insurance, easy to ride, easy to maintain, etc)... I love the look of the sportier bikes (R6's, 636's, etc), but none of those would be practical for my primary use... maybe one day, but for now, none of those are what would work now...

The bike I keep coming back to is the 650... It's also good on gas, has a bit more oomph for the hwy driving and is relatively affordable (just a little more $$ than the 250 for a used one). I did research and insurance will be a little more than what I am paying for on the 250 (obviously), but not too bad overall... So the question I keep asking myself is, is "upgrading" to the 650 worth a couple grand (for the ones I have been looking at)? I haven't been able to answer that question yet... LOL! If my commute was more in town or shorter than 45 miles, I probably wouldn't even be having this conversation though.

So for now, I enjoy my 250... It does everything I *need* it to do and does it well. Everything from in town riding to Hwy (80+ MPH) riding. When I finally do get another bike, I'll definitely have to sell this one though since I we already have 2 cars, a truck a Vespa and the 250. I definitely don't need *another* vehicle in our fleet... LOL!

[subxero]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

So for the most part even on the fast group rides I have to hold back and if I had a faster bike I'd have to hold back even more so where's the fun in that. That's what I mean by boring.

I like this point that Jason gets at. Know the limitations of your skill and the bikes capabilities. In anything but a long straight line the 250 is very capable of keeping pace with larger cc more racing derived bikes but, It takes a lot of skill, concentration to achieve this. The smaller 250 will make you pay for your mistakes in a different way compared to larger cc bikes. Blow that entry or exit and you don't have gobs of power to pull you up to speed in the following straight, or up that hill. It's all about riding as efficient as possible, no wasted energy, only brake as much as you need, no more, no less, hold as much speed as possible, ride perfect! Every lap, every ride you are racing against yourself to ride perfect to get that fraction of a second off your time. You are 100% engulfed in the ride, every little thing matters.
Sounds like fun to me.

I think it is similar to racing video games like say GT5. Sure i can buy an F1 car and use it to destroy all the GT cup cars but where is the fun in that? There is none, any moron can do that. However Entering a Lotus Elise into the GT cup and battling for 2nd or 3rd and even sometimes 1st where the slightest mistake costs me 10 seconds on the lead, well that has you on the edge of your seat the entire race every time. Succeed, and thats what i call bragging rights

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by iceknyght

I keep going back and forth on "upgrading"... The first thing I have to remind myself when I have this conversation (with myself) is that I am primarily using this bike for commuting... And my 250 does a lot of things well in this category (good MPG, cheap insurance, easy to ride, easy to maintain, etc)... I love the look of the sportier bikes (R6's, 636's, etc), but none of those would be practical for my primary use... maybe one day, but for now, none of those are what would work now...

The bike I keep coming back to is the 650... It's also good on gas, has a bit more oomph for the hwy driving and is relatively affordable (just a little more $$ than the 250 for a used one). I did research and insurance will be a little more than what I am paying for on the 250 (obviously), but not too bad overall... So the question I keep asking myself is, is "upgrading" to the 650 worth a couple grand (for the ones I have been looking at)? I haven't been able to answer that question yet... LOL! If my commute was more in town or shorter than 45 miles, I probably wouldn't even be having this conversation though.

So for now, I enjoy my 250... It does everything I *need* it to do and does it well. Everything from in town riding to Hwy (80+ MPH) riding. When I finally do get another bike, I'll definitely have to sell this one though since I we already have 2 cars, a truck a Vespa and the 250. I definitely don't need *another* vehicle in our fleet... LOL!

See I'm still in college and right now its summer at home. I have had my car 4 years and it kills me to put 118 miles on the car every WEEK. The bike has taken that burden off the car this summer (so much so the car sat for two weeks, had to use it because of rain the one day for work and dead battery, lol).

My feelings are the same right now, it does what I need for my 20 minute drive to work, when school comes about its a 2 min drive down to campus, so maybe I won't enjoy it as much at school. However there are TONS of back wood roads up there I plan to ride with friends and explore northern PA some more.

I think the hardest part is deciding when do the few addition pro's of a larger bike outweigh the costs of upgrading from something that honest...already works.



I was also told that even a 650 or 750 I'll still feel the wobble and feeling of being blown around on the highway, I'd imagine I'd still feel some of that but not nearly as bad as I do now, correct me if I'm wrong.

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by subxero

I like this point that Jason gets at. Know the limitations of your skill and the bikes capabilities. In anything but a long straight line the 250 is very capable of keeping pace with larger cc more racing derived bikes but, It takes a lot of skill, concentration to achieve this. The smaller 250 will make you pay for your mistakes in a different way compared to larger cc bikes. Blow that entry or exit and you don't have gobs of power to pull you up to speed in the following straight, or up that hill. It's all about riding as efficient as possible, no wasted energy, only brake as much as you need, no more, no less, hold as much speed as possible, ride perfect! Every lap, every ride you are racing against yourself to ride perfect to get that fraction of a second off your time. You are 100% engulfed in the ride, every little thing matters.
Sounds like fun to me.

I think it is similar to racing video games like say GT5. Sure i can buy an F1 car and use it to destroy all the GT cup cars but where is the fun in that? There is none, any moron can do that. However Entering a Lotus Elise into the GT cup and battling for 2nd or 3rd and even sometimes 1st where the slightest mistake costs me 10 seconds on the lead, well that has you on the edge of your seat the entire race every time. Succeed, and thats what i call bragging rights

Do you sell bikes? haha this is about as amazing of a convincing argument for the 250 as I've ever heard.

You make an awesome point, sorta plays in that being crafty with what you have sorta deal.

[iceknyght]

Originally Posted by scubaru

See I'm still in college and right now its summer at home. I have had my car 4 years and it kills me to put 118 miles on the car every WEEK. The bike has taken that burden off the car this summer (so much so the car sat for two weeks, had to use it because of rain the one day for work and dead battery, lol).

My feelings are the same right now, it does what I need for my 20 minute drive to work, when school comes about its a 2 min drive down to campus, so maybe I won't enjoy it as much at school. However there are TONS of back wood roads up there I plan to ride with friends and explore northern PA some more.

I think the hardest part is deciding when do the few addition pro's of a larger bike outweigh the costs of upgrading from something that honest...already works.



I was also told that even a 650 or 750 I'll still feel the wobble and feeling of being blown around on the highway, I'd imagine I'd still feel some of that but not nearly as bad as I do now, correct me if I'm wrong.

One of the biggest reasons I got a motorcycle was so that I would put less miles on my daily commuter (car). It's a year old and already has close to 25,000 miles on it! I only wish the weather was better this year (the weather here has been all over the place) and I really don't like riding the 250 in high (20-30 MPH) winds (which for some reason, there has been a lot of), so I haven't ridden it quite as much this year as I was hoping... The 650 really isn't that much of a bigger/heavier bike, so I am not sure what difference it would make for the being blown around part, but it's definitely something I want to find out...

I too have the fun little back roads by my place and love riding then when I get a chance (which is sadly, not quite that often). The 250 is very fun for that! If I had more time to ride them, it would definitely factor more into my decision...

[menikmati]

250R = DD, rip on it.

ZX6R = S&G's.

I would definitely take a look at the 650 twins such as the Ninja 650 or SV650 if you want something manageable (both financially and rider-wise) compared to the 250R. Even the FZ6 (I-4 600cc, not tuned the same way as the R6) is a comfortable, yet peppy bike.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Originally Posted by scubaru

I had debated keeping the 250 and getting something bigger down the road, but if I walk into my garage and I can ride either a 750 or whatever vs a 250 ninja...would I ever really ride the 250?

Oh how right you are in this regard. At least speaking for myself, i always chose my 1000 over my 250. Im already paying insurance on it, and im still saving gas over driving my car. Its more comfortable and i have my tailbag on the back for my lunch, extra jacket etc. I still dont think ill sell my 250 because it was my first bike, i still enjoy riding it when i do. I was going to make it a track bike, but i have too much emotional investment in my 250. First motorcycle, bought it brand new because i LOVE the white SE. I wish i could have bought the 1000 new in the white, but the extra cost and extra insurance wasnt in the budget.

Only you can make that choice though, for me it was i needed something to go 2up for long distances with my gf, but i didnt want a "cruiser". Heck the 250 hauled us around, but she was always a lot more scared on it because she knew how hard we had to push the bike, the brakes, etc, she felt "safer" on the 1000.

[Dano]

Originally Posted by scubaru

See I'm still in college and right now its summer at home. I have had my car 4 years and it kills me to put 118 miles on the car every WEEK. The bike has taken that burden off the car this summer (so much so the car sat for two weeks, had to use it because of rain the one day for work and dead battery, lol).

My feelings are the same right now, it does what I need for my 20 minute drive to work, when school comes about its a 2 min drive down to campus, so maybe I won't enjoy it as much at school. However there are TONS of back wood roads up there I plan to ride with friends and explore northern PA some more.

I think the hardest part is deciding when do the few addition pro's of a larger bike outweigh the costs of upgrading from something that honest...already works.



I was also told that even a 650 or 750 I'll still feel the wobble and feeling of being blown around on the highway, I'd imagine I'd still feel some of that but not nearly as bad as I do now, correct me if I'm wrong.

What school you going to in Northern PA?

[scubaru]

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

Oh how right you are in this regard. At least speaking for myself, i always chose my 1000 over my 250. Im already paying insurance on it, and im still saving gas over driving my car. Its more comfortable and i have my tailbag on the back for my lunch, extra jacket etc. I still dont think ill sell my 250 because it was my first bike, i still enjoy riding it when i do. I was going to make it a track bike, but i have too much emotional investment in my 250. First motorcycle, bought it brand new because i LOVE the white SE. I wish i could have bought the 1000 new in the white, but the extra cost and extra insurance wasnt in the budget.

Only you can make that choice though, for me it was i needed something to go 2up for long distances with my gf, but i didnt want a "cruiser". Heck the 250 hauled us around, but she was always a lot more scared on it because she knew how hard we had to push the bike, the brakes, etc, she felt "safer" on the 1000.

I feel I'll want to keep the 250 for the sentimental value, yes it was used but at 750 miles when I bought it, thats damn near new.

As for mentioning carrying a passenger, I was told the one downside to the 250 is the braking system when you have a passenger, the power is there enough for two, but the braking isn't. Whenever I decide to date again I'd like to be able to ride around with a girlfriend (too many crazies in my past, haha).

Originally Posted by Dano

What school you going to in Northern PA?

Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, 5th year up there and this is my last semester coming up!

[Dano]

Originally Posted by scubaru

Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, 5th year up there and this is my last semester coming up!

Dang that in the middle of BFE! there should be some really great riding up there.

If you want my opinion for the roads in PA the 250 perfect. Its cheap to own and maintain.

[dfox]

Originally Posted by scubaru

I have to say the Bike accelerates different than the WRX, but I have noticed my car (Stage II with various other mods) feels faster (although right now it lags since I'm preparing to remove, gut and redo my TGV's )

I guess I need to get out on the highway more and see how I really feel about the bike on the highway...

you'll notice it once on the highway. I notice the difference a little bit around town, but it took a while for me to really notice the difference. I notice it most when someone around me actually wants to accelerate fast, I don't have that ability to just wind out a gear and disappear into the distance like I do in the rex. big engine SUV's give the ninjette a run for it's money at times.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by dfox

you'll notice it once on the highway. I notice the difference a little bit around town, but it took a while for me to really notice the difference. I notice it most when someone around me actually wants to accelerate fast, I don't have that ability to just wind out a gear and disappear into the distance like I do in the rex. big engine SUV's give the ninjette a run for it's money at times.

Dude everything gives the Ninjette a run for its money if the driver puts their foot to the floor. I've nearly been beat in a red light drag race by a few tuned civics multiple times, and lost to an old clapped out mustang once

What surprises me the most is the fact that most drivers don't know about 250s and naturally think all motorcycle are insane speed machines with over 100HP that no car can match. So why do they choose to race a motorcycle in the first place?

[Asspire]

I ride about 70 miles a day to get to work and back(highway), every time I go to the garage there's a 250 and a 2011 zx6 sitting there, I always go for the 250. the zx6 is frekin fast and has a crap ton of passing power, but for riding around on the street, I think its too much. the seat position kills on long rides, and the amount of throttle it takes to go from smooth n steady to "omgf$-#&$&#%$&%" is small. I would love to rip the zx6 on a track to see what it can actually do, but for the street I prefer the 250. in the 3 years I've been riding it I have never had an issue passing people on the highway, that being said, I don't do crazy speeds on the highway to begin with.


my advise is to find the bike thats the most comfortable for you and makes you smile when you twist your wrist, forget everything else and what people think

[dfox]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Dude everything gives the Ninjette a run for its money if the driver puts their foot to the floor. I've nearly been beat in a red light drag race by a few tuned civics multiple times, and lost to an old clapped out mustang once

What surprises me the most is the fact that most drivers don't know about 250s and naturally think all motorcycle are insane speed machines with over 100HP that no car can match. So why do they choose to race a motorcycle in the first place?

lol. agreed. the thing is slow off the line. drivers around here are ridiculous. The situations I've had it happen to me, I'm first in line at a traffic light before a bridge overpass with two lanes. On the other side of the overpass is another traffic light, the left lane turns left, the right lane goes straight. SUV doesn't want to get in the back of the line, so he scoots up to the front in the left lane. I can tell he is going to try and gun it by his constant creeping forward, poorly anticipating the changing of the light. He gets distracted by something, light turns green, I take off at a reasonable clip (1/2-2/3 throttle), then all of the sudden, right before he slams into oncoming traffic, he swerves in front of me from the left lane. This has happened multiple times, I anticipate it now and give plenty of room. It's typical Boston driving. It's for these assholes that sometimes I would like to have more instantaneous power, instead of waiting 5 seconds for the RPMS to rise high enough for some hp. that's the type of driver I want in front of me, not behind me, but you get the picture.

[voidrider]

At the risk of simply making more of the same noise in the echo chamber of Ninja 250 praise, I feel I want to add my own datum point in this discussion.

I was first attracted to the Ninja 250 due to its easy cost of entry (bought my '96 in 2003 for $1500). My research showed it to be a good entry level bike very forgiving of newbie errors. (Which I ended up being greatly thankful for on more occasions than I care to admit).

As I learned to wrench on the bike, I enjoyed that a pair of tires cost less than a single tire for many other bikes. The economy of the bike was, and continues to be very appealing.

Riding, what sort of riding you really do is a huge factor in "the right bike". The days of the Universal bikes, where you got good basic transportation, that was specialized towards nothing are long gone. While it is still possible to do (within reason) any form of "regular riding" on nearly any motorcycle, in these days of specialization, it makes sense to get a bike that has specifications and features that match a style or type of riding.

The Ninja 250 with as little as different tires is capable of being an okay bike for exploring forest service roads. But, I ended up buying a Super Sherpa for exploring off pavement. The different suspension and tires make a huge difference in riding confidence, and I don't feel I am "abusing" my street bike.

I have friends with SV 650s and they love them. I think there is very little wrong with the bikes, and if you are doing a lot of long highway miles, it may be a better bike for you. While I do some fairly long trips from time to time, I don't do a lot of interstate riding. Most of the roads in this mountainous region are fairly curvy, so fun handling often trump high power for me.

A note about more powerful bikes being 'boring'. My own experience is with my Brother-in-Law's Ducati 748. I was able to take it for a ride and yes, there was definitely a WOW factor. It felt ridiculous riding around the suburbs, and I can't see it being very fun in city riding. On the highway, it felt so firmly planted, the suspension was just superb, soaking up bumps and imperfections. I was surprised to see I was doing 80 when it felt like I was doing 40...100 felt like about 65. It was a great ride on a fun bike. But between maintenance and consumables cost, significantly poorer mileage, and the increased odds of speeding tickets - it REALLY did NOT feel I was going all that fast! I am happy to stick to my Ninja 250 for most of my everyday riding.

The 'sensation' of speed occurs at lower speeds on smaller bikes, so if you want to feel like you are going really fast, a small bike that puts you closer to the ground, can make you feel like you are really flying and not be at huge fine ticket speeds.

I find my 250 lacks power for passing on higher speed highways and interstates, and more power would be nice on long uphill climbs. Higher speed highways and interstates wouldn't be my choice of roads to ride on any bike (just don't enjoy them). These two minor irritations are largely overshadowed by how well it does in most other situations.

Its all very subjective. An honest appraisal of the type of riding you do is a huge factor. WHY you ride, how much ego is invested and stroked by what you ride is another factor. What is it really all about for some? Performance/speed for some, or the display of wealth for others? You will find as many different opinions as there are different reasons for different people with different outlooks to all enjoy riding motorcycles.

I sometimes consider upgrading to a Ninja 300. I imagine something like a modern 400 would be just about 'perfect' for what I would like from a bike. An SV 650 would be another possibility. But in the end, I haven't found "what I have" to be so lacking as to justify the expense of buying something to replace it.

[FrugalNinja250]

I have ridden my '06 56K miles in the last four years, in town as well as cross country trips with single-day rides up to 850 miles. Lots of my miles have been on interstates where I have zero problem going 5-10 faster than prevailing. I keep thinking about getting a bigger bike (as an extra, I've got room to keep many bikes if I want) but somehow end up never getting around to it.

[KawiKid860]

How about a Ninja 500? Just as cheap to own and maintain as a 250, practically the same seating position, the same (or better) gas mileage, it is a little heavier though. Double the power yet it's nothing crazy, I can beat on it around town yet there's still a nice surplus of power for passing and being a hooligan when I want to. Perfectly capable of riding two up if you want to do that, strap it down with luggage and it will be happy to carry it for as long as you want it to. I get 47-53mpg around town and I beat the heck out of the poor thing, more so now since it doesn't have the thrust of my 600, 65mpg average on highway trips doing an average of 80mph, saddlebags knocked that down to 61. 10,000 miles on my rear tire before I needed to replace, but another 1k on it because I was lazy and never had traction issue even during winter and rain. Front tire has 14k on my front tire and it's nowhere near needing to be replaced. I haven't ridden a 250 to compare, but the 500 is still super flickable and easy to move around at low speeds. 23k miles, needs a tune up and general maintenance, and she still starts up eager to ride every time.

[choneofakind]

FWIW, this is my 4th season on my 250. I bought it initially because it was a good starter bike. But as I've grown as a rider, it's grown with me. I've modded, I've learned, I modded more, and I'm still learning. Perma-noob here!

I've had the opportunity to ride larger bikes as well. During my second season riding, a friend spent the summer in CA. However, he didn't want to put his bike in storage, so I was asked to keep it running. I did all the maintenance (with his blessing of course) and he paid me for everything except my fuel. It was the perfect extended test ride of a 1997 CBR600F3. I loved every minute of it.

but at the same time, I realized that this awesome 600cc bike was not the bike for me. Sure, it was basically the perfect street bike; smooth, fat, easily accessible mid-range, powerful, stable at highway speeds, well composed through turns, and very comfy on longer rides; but it was just too much bike for my riding needs right now.

Will I stick with a 250 forever? I hope so. I hope I have one in the stable forever. I love the lightness. But will a 250 be my only bike ever? Definitely not. I have other bikes I lust for. I hope to get more serious as a track rider, and I hope to make long distance motorcycle touring trips. Each of those activities has a different set of requirements for each bike.

There's plenty of 250 fanboys here who will tell you that the 250 is perfect for anything. But that's just not true. The truth is that there's a special bike for each rider that best suits their needs. If the 250 works for you now, go for it. If a different bike fits your riding, there's plenty of choices out there

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by scubaru

The only real foreseeable advantages I see are, bragging rights,

Who Cares?

quicker acceleration,

Yup

less wiggling at highway speeds,

Nope

and sleeker looks.

Sell that ugly pregen and get a sexy 2nd gen.

Originally Posted by scubaru

I had debated keeping the 250 and getting something bigger down the road, but if I walk into my garage and I can ride either a 750 or whatever vs a 250 ninja...would I ever really ride the 250?

I have a 250 and a touring bike, plenty of power, very comfortable. I almost always ride the ninjette for commuting, though, and enjoy it more than the bigger bike.

I am going on 16000 miles on a set of stock tires right now, and I have another set that I bought for 170 bucks. Not only do tires cost more on the bigger bikes, but they wear out faster as well. I run expensive oil in the bike, so it's nice having the use less of the stuff to do an oil change. It's not just gas that costs less on this bike, it's everything. Getting a bigger bike can start pushing your prices up to where it costs just as much as a car to drive.


And if I ride the bigger bike for too long (a week straight, when I had the 250 torn apart for maintenance) the 250 can feel a little gutless when I come back to it, but it's not a big deal, and I get used to it again very quickly. It's a slow bike, relatively, but it still feels fast to me, much faster that a lot of traffic.

[TonyKZ1]

Wow, what a lively topic! I've only got to say that I really like my pre-gen '89 Ninja 250.

It's paid off (unlike some other people's very expensive bikes), tires are affordable depending on what type I buy ($50-$60 each up to or around $100 each) and I get 10-12k miles on them (change them yearly). Parts are readily available since they're basically the same '88-2007. Insurance is affordable, costs me $136 a year for full coverage. It gets pretty good gas mileage, I average 65mpg or so, sometimes better sometimes not.

I do wish however that it had a little more power as there's one hill on my way home that I sometimes have to shift down to keep from losing much speed going up it. Not much of a deal if I speed up a little before hitting the hill. Also wish it had a little more electrical power to run my heated gear during the winter time.

But, I also haven't found the replacement bike that is so much better than my little Ninja along with the good deal that I can afford yet. So I'm still keeping it maintained, replacing/repairing parts as needed, and riding my bike pretty much everyday, 30 miles to work, 300 or so every week. I've now got over 90k miles on it now.
Tony

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by TonyKZ1

Wow, what a lively topic! I've only got to say that I really like my pre-gen '89 Ninja 250.

It's paid off (unlike some other people's very expensive bikes), tires are affordable depending on what type I buy ($50-$60 each up to or around $100 each) and I get 10-12k miles on them (change them yearly). Parts are readily available since they're basically the same '88-2007. Insurance is affordable, costs me $136 a year for full coverage. It gets pretty good gas mileage, I average 65mpg or so, sometimes better sometimes not.

I do wish however that it had a little more power as there's one hill on my way home that I sometimes have to shift down to keep from losing much speed going up it. Not much of a deal if I speed up a little before hitting the hill. Also wish it had a little more electrical power to run my heated gear during the winter time.

But, I also haven't found the replacement bike that is so much better than my little Ninja along with the good deal that I can afford yet. So I'm still keeping it maintained, replacing/repairing parts as needed, and riding my bike pretty much everyday, 30 miles to work, 300 or so every week. I've now got over 90k miles on it now.
Tony

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.

[menikmati]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

...I'm averaging around 20K a year on my bike...

Daaaaaaaaaaaamnnnn.

[verboten1]

I have a choice when I go out to get on a bike.

The KLR is great for back road touring, and long days

The cruiser is plenty powerful, pretty comfortable for me, and even though it's old, looks nice, and it's shiny


the ninja is the wifes bike, and she does not ride unless it's with me, so I have been riding the ninja about 75% of the time.

it's smooth, quiet, has some decent wind protection, and I find it comfortable in a different way than the KLR and cruiser.

I have a choice, and I have chosen the ninja mostly for the last month. fuel economy and wind protection the main reasons