I love this bike

[RED_09]

Yes different strokes for different folks, but I really enjoy this little 250. For me, I really don't need a 100 hp - 185 hp bike........I mean really that's a little overkill for riding to and from work and cruising on the weekends. Aside from being called a "pu-sy" the other day by a couple kids in mad phat pimped out saturn y0 because its a 250 (I nipped that in the bud with the quickness though, only so much a person can take, turns out I am not the pu-sy they thought) this bike has plenty of pick up for the road. It will go 95-100mph no problem.......do I really need more than that.........mmmm nope. What are you guys thoughts? Sorry for the rant, but I am digging this little thing. I plan to do a couple bolt ons as well.

[Rayme]

The fascination of what other people think....I bet you alot of those people riding 600 (or 1000 for that matter) never crack them WOT..it's all about the image.

[Snake]

+1 well said Matt.

[komohana]

i can relate...
am working on my bike in the garage and a friend i haven't seen in awhile passes by on his bicycle, does a double-take and turns around. he didn't know i had purchased another bike and was riding again...first thing he ask's is what size it is, and upon finding out it's a 250 his comment was: 'so you down-graded huh?'
i began to explain how riding the 250 is more rewarding handling-wise, but everything i said was countered by: 'what about the speed?'
i told him riding the 250 sometimes is like piloting a C-5...the engine might take abit to spool up, but i'll go as fast as i want.
he came to the conclusion that my speeder demon days are over as i am much older now...and maybe he's right...i'll take the wisdom that comes with that as well.

[Bill N]

I too love my Ninjette 2008. It's proudly parked in my garage between a 1200 and a 1100. I don't apologize to anybody. My Ninjette is my favorite commuter. It's very economical, good looking, and a hoot to drive. It's not a downgrade just another addition that I thoroughly enjoy.
Bill

[ASecretNinja]

I'm here, playing devil's advocate as usual. Apparently the only thing you all think of when riding your bike is the displacement of your engine. Virtually every other element from the frames to the suspensions to the brakes to the fuel delivery systems etc.. positively blow our bikes back to the stone age. A lot of you guys suffer from the exact same mentality of litre bike riders, only to the exact opposite extreme: they think they are the bee's knees because they have the fastest bikes with the most awesome technology, and you guys think just as highly of yourselves because our technology hasn't changed in about 20 years..?

I love my 250, but I'm a realist and I am looking forward to the next step. There is some pretty ****ing awesome technology that not only currently exists, but is also starting to come out on sportbikes, and it's really going to change things.

And to the guy with the comment about the C-5. All I have to say is TAKE PALM, AND INSERT FACE. Worst analogy ever. Corvettes (like any other modern V8) are torque monsters. You don't even have to drive one to know this.

[Flashmonkey]

Chad, the brakes (and to a certain, yet more limited degree, the suspension) on the 250's are fine as they are. They do a more than adequate job of hauling my big butt to and from work, no problem. Yes, I suppose Kawasaki could upgrade them....put on some fancy radial brakes and adjustable suspension all around...but that would make the cost of the bike skyrocket. That and most of those components are sheer overkill on the road.

My supersport is already a dinosaur by today's standards, but the 2-pot radial brakes, and the semi-adjustable suspension it comes with is already wayyy more than I need out on the streets. The amount of mental restraint I have to practice to keep the massive amount of power under control, as well as the massive amount of braking potential I have access to is mentally fatiguing when compared to my 250.

The bottom line is that the larger displacement supersports are awesome bikes, but the 250 is just as good, if not more appropriate for the streets.

[RED_09]

Originally Posted by ASecretNinja

I'm here, playing devil's advocate as usual. Apparently the only thing you all think of when riding your bike is the displacement of your engine

-nope, I like the fun factor and being able to twist the throttle to WOT without having imminent death around the corner. I also like how I can have both feet planted on the ground and stop light and the bike is so light it can be flicked around with no effort.

Originally Posted by ASecretNinja

A lot of you guys suffer from the exact same mentality of litre bike riders, only to the exact opposite extreme: they think they are the bee's knees because they have the fastest bikes with the most awesome technology, and you guys think just as highly of yourselves because our technology hasn't changed in about 20 years..?

I do? I go around bragging about how cool and better I am because I ride a 250cc who can be blown away at a stop light by about 50% of the cars on the road......???

I am still sticking to my original statement that I love this bike and 100-185 hp bike is a little overkill for everyday street riding.

Originally Posted by ASecretNinja

And to the guy with the comment about the C-5. All I have to say is TAKE PALM, AND INSERT FACE. Worst analogy ever. Corvettes (like any other modern V8) are torque monsters. You don't even have to drive one to know this.

Well, slap me silly and call me Susan, but I believe he was referring to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-5_Galaxy, making the analogy the c-5 plane is an oldie but goodie because of its usefulness and how long it has been used. Or am I completely off base??

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by ASecretNinja

And to the guy with the comment about the C-5. All I have to say is TAKE PALM, AND INSERT FACE. Worst analogy ever. Corvettes (like any other modern V8) are torque monsters. You don't even have to drive one to know this.

Uhhh... dude. Open mouth, insert foot.

PILOTING a C-5 refers to this:



DRIVING a C-5 would refer to this:

[Alex]

Originally Posted by ASecretNinja

I'm here, playing devil's advocate as usual.

I don't think that you're playing the game correctly. "Playing devil's advocate" would mean taking the opposite side of a debate to either bring up salient points for the other side, or to allow the original side to further bolster their arguments once presented with additional contrarian information. What you've done here instead is simply missed the point.

Nobody here believes that the ninjette is the most technologically advanced bike you can buy. Nobody here is stating its performance superiority to any other type of bike on the market. Nobody ever claims that there aren't many areas where Kawi could have improved this, that, or the other to improve the bike a little bit at a time.

What the first post in this thread is about, and for that matter what this entire site is about, is simply that riding this bike is just a whole pile of fun. What you'll find over time is that "stepping up" in no way guarantees a rider much more of that fun factor. I've got bikes in the garage right now costing 5x's the ninjette, and with 6x's the hp. All of the latest and greatest tech. And some of it is pretty darned fun! But that doesn't change the fact that very often my smile is just as wide, if not wider, when tooling around on the ninjette.

[Grn99Kawi]

I had to lol visualizing some clowns in a Saturn calling you a pu$$y.. I have never heard of anyone on a bike being taunted...

My 250 is a 90% bike for me.. it is everything I need and want for 90% of the time.. which is why I want to keep it.. but the other 10% is what makes me still think of going a bit bigger...

[sombo]

Originally Posted by ASecretNinja

I'm here, playing devil's advocate as usual. Apparently the only thing you all think of when riding your bike is the displacement of your engine. Virtually every other element from the frames to the suspensions to the brakes to the fuel delivery systems etc.. positively blow our bikes back to the stone age.......... and you guys think just as highly of yourselves because our technology hasn't changed in about 20 years..?

In case you didn't notice they DID change the frame, suspension, and brakes for the 08 250. The bike the rest of the posters are riding is not the 20 year old design you and I are riding but a completely new 250 with very little in common with the pre-gen. Even the motor is different to a degree with (if I remember correctly) only 70% of the engine being the same.

They already made the rear suspension adjustable, put larger more modern brakes on, and gave it a new more modern frame based on the newer supersports. So most of what you complained about has already been fixed, they even have FI if you're lucky enough to be in Europe.

Maybe you should try the new 250 to see how much it's changed before you make such posts in the future. I haven't had the chance but believe it will prove to be almost a completely different ride then my current bike.

The issue of size is that many get a bigger bike thinking the NEED the power and not giving much thought to the rest of the bike. As soon as people hear it's a 250 they automatically think negative thoughts of the bike without even trying it because it has 'no power'. We ride them because we don't need the power. Could we use some of the higher tech in other spots? Sure we could, but at what cost? As you've seen on here there's almost an endless list to the ways you can mod the new-gen 250 with other higher tech then what's currently on the bike.

[Courteau]

i want a bigger bike to have bigger wheel, not more power... but seem that it goes along with it

[minuslars]

Originally Posted by Courteau

i want a bigger bike to have bigger wheel, not more power... but seem that it goes along with it

There are quite a few other reasons one may want a bigger bike. The 250 does its job well, but it's not for everyone. Not everyone likes going WOT all the time, for one thing!

The 250 is a great bike for what it does, though, there's no doubt about that. It's a fun bike for going balls to the wall in more populated areas.

Even so, I am selling the 250 for now and am about to buy an sv650s with a gsxr rear shock and it's a world of difference in the overall feel of the bike. It doesn't handle nearly as well though, you can definitely feel the weight on that thing. It takes a bit more conscious input to move it. On the 250, turning and leaning were almost automatic.

When I get to the point where I can own two bikes, a new gen 250r is going right back in my garage.

[sombo]

Truth be told arthur I agree with you. I love my 250 and have tons of fun on it. It does what I need it to and surprises people with how quick a 250 can be. However, that said, I still find myself drooling over the ZZR600. I don't know why but that bike is just gorgeous to me and I plan on getting one when I have the money. If that means I have to sell the 250 then I'll do so, but hopefully I can keep both. Only time will tell what will happen with my 250. I have actually had a few people ask me if I was selling it since I've owned it. Not ready to sell it any time soon that's for sure.

[sharky nrk]

Originally Posted by Rayme

The fascination of what other people think....I bet you alot of those people riding 600 (or 1000 for that matter) never crack them WOT..it's all about the image.

I can assure you, in my case that is COMPLETELY false - but then again I have alot of praise for the ninjette as well

[backinthesaddleagain]

riding a C5 would refer to this Royal Enfield

[addy126]

Its amazing how much I see the ones with negative comments about the N-250 are people in Saturns (small dinky cars), bicycles, and those without anything in their garage.... not worth the time of day to discuss the reasons why the N-250 is worth its weight in gold with these "got nuthing" "know nothing" people.... Personally I could upgrade to just about anything without financing a dime..... I choose the N-250 for its compact storage, easy to work on, sexy looking styling, cost savings in gas/insurance and its get up and go. (Tho I would love it to be Fuel Injected). Last group ride the big bikes where pullin over for fill ups.... they asked me why I wasnt gassin up... I laffed and told them I was at 1/2 tank .. no need... they couldn't believe it... the N-250 is a great deal. I've yet to have a "motorcyclist" put the 250 down, it's more sportbike vs cruiser discussions. Besides most still think my bike is a 650 and I leave it that way lol.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by addy126

Its amazing how much I see the ones with negative comments about the N-250 are people in Saturns (small dinky cars), bicycles, and those without anything in their garage.... not worth the time of day to discuss the reasons why the N-250 is worth its weight in gold with these "got nuthing" "know nothing" people.... Personally I could upgrade to just about anything without financing a dime..... I choose the N-250 for its compact storage, easy to work on, sexy looking styling, cost savings in gas/insurance and its get up and go. (Tho I would love it to be Fuel Injected). Last group ride the big bikes where pullin over for fill ups.... they asked me why I wasnt gassin up... I laffed and told them I was at 1/2 tank .. no need... they couldn't believe it... the N-250 is a great deal. I've yet to have a "motorcyclist" put the 250 down, it's more sportbike vs cruiser discussions. Besides most still think my bike is a 650 and I leave it that way lol.

+1, yeah why not say to the saturn person "hey why you driving that econo box, why aren't you driving a Shelby Mustang?"

[rockNroll]

There's this NEED thing that seems to go along with 250 vs larger bike threads. Need Need Need! To much of the word "need." Alot of what I like about motorcycling is what I WANT, what's FUN . All I need, liter bikes are more that you need on the streets, it has all you need.....etc. I say hogwash. I don't NEED motorcycles, I WANT them. If a Ninja 250 has all you need, great, you don't need alot! If it has all you could want, great, you don't want alot. If you'd also like a larger bike that has a bunch of horsepower, great too! I have a 250 and a 1000. I like them both.

I NEED money

[adouglas]

I'm a musician.

I need roadies.

And groupies.

In that order.

I think this to myself at the end of every gig, when it's about 2 am, I'm tapped out and facing the prospect of tearing down all that gear, packing it and driving home.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by rockNroll

I NEED money

Me too. Can I have some?

[Ryosen11]

I was waiting for the traffic light to turn green at a busy intersection when I noticed a pedestrian about 50 yards away shouting and waving at me trying to get my attention. I flipped up my visor to hear what he wanted and it was "WHAT SIZE IS YOUR BIKE!!!"... I shouted back "IT'S 250!!!!!!!" several times until he heard me(and many others around including cagers with their windows down) and then he just turned and walked away without a word!
I guess he was expecting something bigger

Anyway I love my 250 and that's all it matters!!!

[gizmogamez]

I still love hearing the suprised "that's a 250! wow!" whenever someone sees my bike lol.

[cwb48]

Originally Posted by Alex

But that doesn't change the fact that very often my smile is just as wide, if not wider, when tooling around on the ninjette.

Right on Alex. It's all about the law of diminishing returns. If I were Jay Leno, and I could have any and all of the bikes I wanted, it would be different. A bigger bike means more expensive to buy, higher insurance, worse gas mileage, more expensive to fix or crash. The smile per buck quotient for a Ninja 250 is way ahead of anything else out there, that's for certain. If your budget can handle an more expensive machine, that's great, but for me, the 250 is enough.

Chris

[Bill N]

As I was tooling home today I came to really appreciate the fantastic tone of the motor. Not the exhaust note but the awesome sounds of the engine while using gear shifts to slow down and winding it up toward red line. It's great feedback and just one more reason why I love my Ninjette. The bike is just the perfect ride for commuting.
Bill

[Apex]

I like my 250. The only complaint from a mechanical/power standpoint I have is the frequent shifting you have to do on the 250. I wouldn't mind an upgrade to just keep the shifting down. Then again, it is real easy to shift, so it isn't that bad. The frequent shifts make me want to push each gear longer, opposite of how I really want to treat it.

I think a 500 is more my desired power level, but the 250 gets the job done and I like the bike. I really don't want to get rid of it.

[Bill N]

Apex,
I certainly agree about the gearing. I like to report on the goodness of this bike, but my one complaint is the factory gear sets. I think a front sprocket change to a 15 will solve most of my gripes. Factory gearing makes first and second gears in the city almost useless for me. Once in third and above the bike performs as I want it too. I don't mind the high RPM's on the highway...It's the first two gears that bug me.
Bill

[addy126]

Originally Posted by Bill N

Apex,
I certainly agree about the gearing. I like to report on the goodness of this bike, but my one complaint is the factory gear sets. I think a front sprocket change to a 15 will solve most of my gripes. Factory gearing makes first and second gears in the city almost useless for me. Once in third and above the bike performs as I want it too. I don't mind the high RPM's on the highway...It's the first two gears that bug me.
Bill

Bill...... ditto to that!

[addy126]

Originally Posted by adouglas

I'm a musician.

I need roadies.

And groupies.

In that order.

I think this to myself at the end of every gig, when it's about 2 am, I'm tapped out and facing the prospect of tearing down all that gear, packing it and driving home.

Andrew... have u recently been to Dallas or is there advertising hitting our market that indicates you are coming to town. Saw an advert and the big photo looked similar to you...... by the way.. what is your music "niche"..?