Completed the Trilogy!

[Hero Danny]

I think it may be early to make this thread, but oh well!

Most of you regulars probably know that I have completed the ninjette trilogy. (pregen, newgen, 300)

Disclaimer: I know there are other generations within the pregen, but let's just group them up like they are on the site.

So here's my story and thoughts/reviews of the bikes (short and sweet "kinda")

This was my first bike, a humble 2003 pregen in blue. Snagged her for $1,200 with something like 2,500 miles on her.



I loved riding the pregen, it was really easy to ride, (in my opinion the easiest of the trilogy) also she had some good pull to it (compared to the newgen) and she had a very comfortable seat. i'll admit, she was a great first bike.

Went went wrong? As most of you could of guessed, I didn't intend on making a trilogy, just felt like I wanted to keep the 250 for 6 months then buy a 600. Well, this bike had some issues with sputtering, had some gunked up carbs, I worked on her time after time removing carbs I think for a total of 7 times and finally got them cleaned, My dad crashed her, nothing major damage, then she burnt my leg with her exhaust and at this point I had a sour taste in my mouth from her in general. So I sold her for $1,500 on craigslist, put 1,000 miles on her too
==================================

Next up after selling my pregen I went around motorcycle-less for a few days (terrible feeling) until I saw a sweet green 2012 on craigslist with 9,200 miles. Snagged her for $2,800.

I loved this bike, I named her Amy, she was awesome, she wasn't as fast as my pregen, but she definitely was beautiful looking, I got compliments left and right. It was awesome. I even started doing some mods to her, like a slip on exhaust, shorty levers, corbin seat (I miss that seat...), etc. She definitely felt smoother in the corners and handled better than the pregen. And I truly do miss Amy, I don't exactly miss the pregen lol.



What went wrong? Nothing to be honest, I'd say the worst part about Amy, was I felt like she wasn't really mine. She had 9.2k miles when I bought her, scratches on the gas tank, etc. I also was facing the harsh reality as I climbed the miles that she was devaluing very quick. I threw her up on craigslist just to test the waters and got a bite. I sold her for $3,000 with 11.2k miles (I got a good deal, but at the same time I lost money with her since the extras cost me a lot). Not to mention when I test rode a 300 at my local kawi dealer I knew I needed one, I loved the low end power and also I hate carbs so much.... ugh, that's something i'll never miss. I think i'm done with carb'd bikes forever (unless dirt)
==================================

So that leaves me to today, I have a brand new ninja 300, bought with 400 miles for $4,000. And I couldn't be happier, unlike Amy or my pregen, I can honestly see myself riding it for the next 2-3 years possibly longer. Who knows, maybe till she dies, i'm not sure.

The day I test rode the 300, I IMMEDIATELY noticed the low end grunt, she even sort of wanted to pull away from me, (Amy never did that!) I loved it! I justified the sale because it was only another $1,000 and I was getting...
-35% more power
-EFI!!!! (BIG ONE!)
-Better looking imo, headlights, etc.
-Only 400 miles! BRAND NEW!
along with a lot of subtle differences, like I prefer a larger back tire, etc.



What went wrong? My wallet is going to be empty once i'm done with her!
=================================


tl;dr - Pregen was my first bike, fun little bike to learn on, unfortunately I had a few problems like carbs were gunked and my dad fell on it so I sold it.

Newgen happened after, beautiful bike, did some mods, like slip on, shortys, corbin seat. etc. I got rid of her because I hate carbs, and her miles were rather high, plus I got a good opportunity to sell her and afford a 300.

300- Love the bike, powerful for a ninjette and the most beautiful plus has a lot going for it, got it brand new and I love her!!

I'd say the pregen was good because it was cheap and comfortable, good for commuting/touring imo. The newgen was beautiful i'll miss her candy green color.... The 300 just does everything the 250's do but better, only bad thing is the seat sucks.


Have any of you completed the trilogy??

[EsrTek]

I have had an '04 traded to a '12.
Traded the '12 to a fz6r (totaled).
Saved for like 6 mo's, plus couldn't ride w ankle anyway, and bought a '13 300.

PS - There is a few more gens I believe to the 250 line, before the 'pre-gen' (which technically, is now the 08-12's)

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

I have had an '04 traded to a '12.
Traded the '12 to a fz6r (totaled).
Saved for like 6 mo's, plus couldn't ride w ankle anyway, and bought a '13 300.

PS - There is a few more gens I believe to the 250 line, before the 'pre-gen' (which technically, is now the 08-12's)

Come on now... really??

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Disclaimer: I know there are other generations within the pregen, but let's just group them up like they are on the site.

[tfkrocks]

I've had all three, but not in order haha. Had a 2002 pre-gen 250. Planned on keeping it at first but it was already pretty beat up when I bought it and I don't think previous owners ever really did much maintenance on it. Didn't want to deal with it anymore and thought about getting a new-gen, but then the 300 was announced and I knew that was what I wanted.

Got the 300 and loved it. Crashed it hard though so it was out of commission for over half a year because I wasn't in a position to deal with it at the time. Got a 2008 new-gen 250 in the meantime so I could keep riding. Noticed all those small things that were better about the 300 while I had it. Sold it as soon as the 300 was roadworthy again.

[Alex]

[EsrTek]

LMAO -sorry totally missed that tiny text w/ my settings

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

LMAO -sorry totally missed that tiny text w/ my settings

gotta read the fine print

personally I am going to complete the trilogy someday but I haven't done so yet.

I currently own a frankenstein bike that is primarily a '99 and an '01 with a few parts from around the block, including a rear shock from a '10 model (direct fit)

my plans for this track bike are pretty solid, I'm debating whether or not I want to swap the front end and the rear swingarm to get access to 17" wheels for the better tire selection but other than that it's a fantastic machine for what I need it to do.
My other bike is my N300, another fantastic bike though I don't feel the power from it so much as I feel how smooth it is, the bike has very little to no vibration which is excellent. There is a lot for me to do over time and I intend to keep this bike as my main commuter for years to come if I don't move out of state.

The newgen 250 has a lot to offer that I like, it is a fantastic budget race bike (the pregen isn't as good for this purpose since you need to swap a good deal of parts from a newgen to get the tire selection, the tank is inferior for track riding and so is the seat.) and would also make a great commuter as well. Carbs don't bother me since I learned to appreciate them and why they are better in some ways than FI (good luck fixing your fuel injection on the side of the road ) I will own one of these in the future as a dedicated race bike. My pregen 250 can do the job but I have other plans for it and the reason it's my track bike now is because I don't have the ability to set those plans in motion yet. The pregen is my favorite bike and I never want to let go of it so I intend to give it a full cafe-like makeover down the line and make it a pristine vintage bike that I'll keep for years and only cruise on to remember my riding roots as well as my roots in general. I have a very large emotional attachment to my pregen due to all the fond "first time" memories that I have experienced on it.

Another thing to note is that someday I'll also work together with the local msf branch fixing up old pregen/newgen 250s to sell (for minor profit as profit isn't the motivating factor here) them to beginner riders at easy to afford prices. There's nothing like getting your first bike and having everything go wrong to the point where you can't always ride it, exactly the scenario that I would be working to prevent. When I do that I'll technically be completing the trilogy numerous times.

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by Sirref

Another thing to note is that someday I'll also work together with the local msf branch fixing up old pregen/newgen 250s to sell (for minor profit as profit isn't the motivating factor here) them to beginner riders at easy to afford prices. There's nothing like getting your first bike and having everything go wrong to the point where you can't always ride it, exactly the scenario that I would be working to prevent. When I do that I'll technically be completing the trilogy numerous times.

Righteous thing you've got planned there

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by MrAtom

Righteous thing you've got planned there

thank you, I just don't want people setting off on a bike that doesn't run right because they either don't know what to look for or don't have the cash. That said doing all the work on your first bike is a blessing in disguise as you are forced to learn how to do it yourself. I like working on these bikes though I have no intention of making it a career, a nice side hobby like that which is really just focused on getting beginner riders on a solid and reliable machine is great. It even has the added bonus of networking for local riding groups

[tfkrocks]

No pre-gen ever again for me. Can't do it. I get tempted by low prices for really clean ones once in a while but it's just too damn ugly to go back to

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by tfkrocks

No pre-gen ever again for me. Can't do it. I get tempted by low prices for really clean ones once in a while but it's just too damn ugly to go back to

can't ask for a better first bike though, appearances don't matter as much for the first bike due to high chance of dropping it

[tfkrocks]

Originally Posted by Sirref

can't ask for a better first bike though, appearances don't matter as much for the first bike due to high chance of dropping it

Ain't that the truth. I really didn't feel bad about its appearance at all when I crashed it haha. I don't think there was a single unblemished fairing piece on it when I sold it

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by tfkrocks

No pre-gen ever again for me. Can't do it. I get tempted by low prices for really clean ones once in a while but it's just too damn ugly to go back to

Am I the only one that prefers the look of the pregen?

[tfkrocks]

Originally Posted by MrAtom

Am I the only one that prefers the look of the pregen?

Paging @choneofakind

[psych0hans]

Great writeup. I owned both the 250 and 300 together for a while. Couldn't do enough justice to the 300 so sold her after about 9 months. 250 stayed because I had too much invested in her and she's my current track bike. Mods are pretty much at a point of no return so she's gonna stay with me for a bit.

[Hero Danny]

Great responses guys, I always enjoy reading other's stories. @Sirref that's a very noble cause, and it wouldn't be too hard for someone like you. As other's have stated looks are not very important for your first bike. (I'd say the headlight and large seat are the worst look-factors for the pregen) All you would have to do is find some pregens, do some regular easy maintenance such as oil, plugs, etc. Then do valves (easy on pregen, also if miles permit) then do the carbs, and viola. Bike is ready to go. After a few you should be able to get a bike ready in less than 1 hour total lol.

I don't really miss my pregen, but I miss the hell out of my newgen, just a lot of chemistry. But I feel a great connection with my 300. I really do feel like I can ride her for a long time (relative to my 250). Lol, it's crazy to think that I have just over 4 months riding experience and have gone through the trilogy. lol I think I finally found my bike though.

[choneofakind]

Ha. The heck with that, Rebecca. I prefer the modern styling of the newer bikes. I just can appreciate the 80's styling of the pregen because it's pretty classic. Everyone rags on it because it not new and chiseled. I see a sport bike, they see a scooter. Don't get me wrong I love how my bike looks, but I really like the new 636...

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

I don't really miss my pregen, but I miss the hell out of my newgen, just a lot of chemistry. But I feel a great connection with my 300. I really do feel like I can ride her for a long time (relative to my 250).

How do you have chemistry with a bike? Just curious.

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Ha. The heck with that, Rebecca. I prefer the modern styling of the newer bikes. I just can appreciate the 80's styling of the pregen because it's pretty classic. Everyone rags on it because it not new and chiseled. I see a sport bike, they see a scooter. Don't get me wrong I love how my bike looks, but I really like the new 636...

See, I like most newer bikes, but I'm not a huge fan of the newer Ninjas. I mean, if I could cough up the money for it, I'd buy a 300, but the only thing that makes me want to go that way is EFI and slightly better performance. But, until it's convenient for me to upgrade, I'll stick with my pregen until it blows up :-P

[NevadaWolf]

I've only had the pregen and the newgen, no 300 for me (though am half curious about dropping a 300 engine into my newgen when I do finally kill it).

While I like the look of the newgen and the redesigned larger bikes, when it comes to riding, I actually liked the pregen better. Newgen looks pretty and all, but the pregen was more comfortable, easier to carry luggage, and seemed to my rookie self much easier to accelerate with a higher top speed.

Something classic and simple about the pregen. Looked more like a do it all bike vs just a sportbike. And I too end up looking at all the inexpensive pregens that come up on CL and think it'd be fun to have again. But then I think that's $1200ish I can drop into mine.

If I had to choose between the newgen and the 300? Newgen, 300 looks too much like an angry bug.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by MrAtom

How do you have chemistry with a bike? Just curious.

I guess "chemistry" may be lacking for a better term, but you get what i'm saying. I'm trying to say the bike feels right, I feel safer on my bike (cannot explain why) I feel more confident that everything works and there will be no problems, I love how she accelerates I have no fear that I couldn't power my way out of most situations. I love how she fires right up no problem, as I said, the only thing I miss from any other bike would be the newgen candy green color, and the pregen comfortable seat. Although I must admit the kawi green has been growing on me more and more. And a seat is a simple solution...

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

If I had to choose between the newgen and the 300? Newgen, 300 looks too much like an angry bug.

I never liked how the newgen always looked cross eyed..



Also it looks like it has eye lashes which I always thought seemed girly.


Vs.




I admit she does look a bit like a bug with the green piece on the bottom.

I can't really say anything bad about the newgen, I miss mine a lot. Such a beautiful bike to look at and had a great feeling when riding, but I promise you the 300 is all that, but better.

[snot]

I had the 09 250 and now the 13 300. I am very interested in the future of the ninjette.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by snot

I had the 09 250 and now the 13 300. I am very interested in the future of the ninjette.

Me too, I think they've been heading in the right direction. Finally making the ninjette look sporty in 08 then adding EFI and an extra 50cc in 2013, who knows whats next? I bet there is a thread some where on speculating. Not sure though. I really can't think of many ways to improve the ninja 300. Maybe give us a decent seat, better brakes and do some weight reduction from factory, i don't know.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Me too, I think they've been heading in the right direction. Finally making the ninjette look sporty in 08 then adding EFI and an extra 50cc in 2013, who knows whats next? I bet there is a thread some where on speculating. Not sure though. I really can't think of many ways to improve the ninja 300. Maybe give us a decent seat, better brakes and do some weight reduction from factory, i don't know.

It gets better over time, I started noticing my seat to be more comfortable around 1000mi or so. It beats my pregen seats by a wide margin in terms of comfort.

better brakes and a stiffer suspension I can get behind but those are things that one can fix oneself with a little extra cash investment, similar to switching from the irc tires to softer grippier tires

[ninjamunky85]

I've never ridden one of the new-gen 250's ('08-'12 model) I imagine that the 300 is just a better version of that bike however.

The pre-gen 250 is quite a different bike from the 300. I use my '04 as a sport-tourer now, and have found that it's a pretty good bike for that purpose.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Sirref

It gets better over time, I started noticing my seat to be more comfortable around 1000mi or so. It beats my pregen seats by a wide margin in terms of comfort.

better brakes and a stiffer suspension I can get behind but those are things that one can fix oneself with a little extra cash investment, similar to switching from the irc tires to softer grippier tires

God, I hope you're right lol. I never got used to my newgen's seat.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

God, I hope you're right lol. I never got used to my newgen's seat.

I do have a preference to a stiffer seat though, it allows you to move around on the bike a lot easier

[NevadaWolf]

Hehehe, whereas I was fine on my stock seat until I spent over a week on it. Now looking at some aftermarket, though I've been warned away from Corbin as they are uncomfortable during serious miles.

Hurmmmmmmm

[allanoue]

I think the 300 seat is comfy, still after 18,400 miles

300 is the most comfy of my ninja trilogy

[tfkrocks]

Sadly I can't give a fair comparison between the seats. Bought the pre-gen with a shaved seat so that thing was hard as a rock. Got a corbin on the 300 almost immediately. Went straight back to the corbin on the 300 after riding the 250 for a while.

I like the corbin

[NevadaWolf]

I want to borrow/rent a Corbin for a weekend to see if it'd be worth dropping to cash on. Trouble with that expensive of a mod, if it doesn't work out, impossible to break even.

[tfkrocks]

I probably like my Corbin even more cuz it was free

[Sirref]

spencers is a solid choice and they're fairly cheap

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Hehehe, whereas I was fine on my stock seat until I spent over a week on it. Now looking at some aftermarket, though I've been warned away from Corbin as they are uncomfortable during serious miles.

Hurmmmmmmm

Not sure about "long trips" but you remember my complaints about my tailbone hurting... within 1 week of the corbin my tailbone already felt better... and after my first longer trips on my 300 and I felt the tailbone pain again....

I don't know...

[Aufitt]

That is a lot of bikes and money for very few miles.

[LittleRedNinjette]

I want to get a pregen at some point. Just to play with for a while. Then i will complete the trilogy.

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

If I had to choose between the newgen and the 300? Newgen, 300 looks too much like an angry bug.

I like my angry bug.

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Also it looks like it has eye lashes which I always thought seemed girly.

eyelashes? I no see them....

And fwiw guys have eyelashes too.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

eyelashes? I no see them....

And fwiw guys have eyelashes too.

Yeah, but if you look at the newgen headlights, on the corners it looks like some sort of eye lash. Guys have nipples too, but generally speaking nipples are associated with women, just like long eye lashes.

[LittleRedNinjette]

Huh... Maybe a little, if you tilt your head and squint... Still wouldn't call it "girly" but to each their own.

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Yeah, but if you look at the newgen headlights, on the corners it looks like some sort of eye lash. Guys have nipples too, but generally speaking nipples are associated with women, just like long eye lashes.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Yeah, but if you look at the newgen headlights, on the corners it looks like some sort of eye lash. Guys have nipples too, but generally speaking nipples are associated with women, just like long eye lashes.

I actually think of really large male nipples when I think of nipples. Like Chowder's:

[LittleRedNinjette]

Thats a slightly disturbing picture...