Wife says my new Ninja has to go!

[tsiratiug]

Yep. I have to sell my brand new (Dec2010) Ninja 250R SE. My wife wants to ride (as a passenger) so last Saturday we spent all day on the bike. Of course the Ninjette isn't designed for two-up riding and passenger comfort back there is Spanish Inquisition-worthy. When we got home she said she wants to take roads trips and day trips (she's really into it) but only on a bigger bike with a more comfortable passenger set-up. I dont' have the space or the funds for multiple bikes so, after 1,636 very fun miles I'm selling the little feller. I hope to get at least what I owe on it.

It's a sad day for the bike. I think it'll miss me.

Anyone else come across this problem? Have you done any two-up riding on the Ninja? More than just a few miles around town?

On the bright side, I'm looking forward to many great road trips with my best friend. She's really cool about the whole thing and more excited about it than I thought so no regrets (well, maybe a little - the Ninja is a blast to ride).

[KURT]

Get your wife enrolled in a Basic Riders Course immediatly!

[bonbon76]

I have always wondered how riding with a passenger or being a passenger would be on a Ninja. I remember when I was looking to buy, dealers would tell me, if your planning on having a passenger, get a bigger bike.

[CC Cowboy]

Time for a Harley.

[exploring/carolina]

Ended up buying a Suzuki DL650 (Vstrom) for two up riding. My wife really likes riding it two up and it's fun in the mountains. We tried two up riding on a SV650, but the rear seat was so uncomfortable for her, we didn't make it far. When I talk about buying/selling bikes she always tells me to keep the Vstrom.

Our Vstrom gets 60MPG two up as long as I go "easy" on the throttle and keep it under 60MPH.

Just bought a 1999 Ninja 250 for my 5'3" wife to ride solo when I ride the Vstrom. She really likes the height & weight of the Ninja, too.

2008 DL650 Vstrom:

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by KURT

Get your wife enrolled in a Basic Riders Course immediatly!

She's had the class and even has her own bike but she's not confident on it and prefers to be passenger. It good that she knows how to ride though in case I ever got sick or injured - she could (in a pinch) take over driving duties.

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Time for a Harley.

The seat of my pants is a posted no cruiser zone. Motorcycle riding posture shouldn't resemble getting a gyno exam.

Besides, I like to lean into a turn now and again without slowing to parking lot speeds.

[gfloyd2002]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

Motorcycle riding posture shouldn't resemble getting a gyno exam.

This is worthy of a signature quote.

[bonbon76]

[PsychoNinja]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

Motorcycle riding posture shouldn't resemble getting a gyno exam.

I will never EVER look at Harley riders the same now! LOL

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by PsychoNinja

I will never EVER look at Harley riders the same now! LOL

You can thank my wife for that mental image. I almost spit up my drink.

[Zola]

Now you've done it. I'm 66, been riding for 42 years, have made every effort to keep an open mind about every fashion of riding, but have succumbed to the hilarious image of the GynoCruiser. Clearly, your wife has earned an honored spot in the Cycle Humor Hall of Fame.

[Nemesis]

If I had a wife who loved road trips on a bike as a passenger I'd sell my street bike and get a cruiser in a heart beat--no questions asked.

But I'd also keep my race bikes too.

[Bosgarage57]

How big of a bike do you want, what do you want it to do? A V-Strom 650 or 1000 would be good, or you could find a decent priced Concours 1000. I have one and LOVE it, shes a bit top heavy, but my gf and I have no problem logging 400 or more mile days. It has a Ninja motor as well.

Edit: Heres a linky to me on the dragon last week, Loved it besides getting behind this old Harley rider who wouldnt turn off and going 15 mph.
http://www.129pix.net/jps/store.jsp?...01679830617523

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by Bosgarage57

How big of a bike do you want, what do you want it to do? A V-Strom 650 or 1000 would be good, or you could find a decent priced Concours 1000. I have one and LOVE it, shes a bit top heavy, but my gf and I have no problem logging 400 or more mile days. It has a Ninja motor as well.

Edit: Heres a linky to me on the dragon last week, Loved it besides getting behind this old Harley rider who wouldnt turn off and going 15 mph.
http://www.129pix.net/jps/store.jsp?...01679830617523

We're both drawn to the standard UJM style bikes. Triumph Bonneville, Moto Guzzi V7, Kawasaki W800, an older BMW R80 or R100 maybe. We're smaller folks so we're steering clear of big bikes like the Concours, BMW tourers and Goldwings.

I think a Bonnie T100 would suit us just fine and still be a fun bike to hit the twisties on by myself sometimes.

[p4174w]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

I dont' have the space or the funds for multiple bikes so, after 1,636 very fun miles I'm selling the little feller.

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

She's had the class and even has her own bike but she's not confident on it and prefers to be passenger. It good that she knows how to ride though in case I ever got sick or injured - she could (in a pinch) take over driving duties.

Why can't you just sell her bike and keep the Ninja?

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by p4174w

Why can't you just sell her bike and keep the Ninja?

Most of our riding time will be two-up but she still wants to occaisionally ride on her own. I'd rather take on the larger bike for myself because if I kept the Ninja and upsized her bike, she'd never ride alone again - she's already a little intimidated riding solo. A larger bike for her would just increase that intimidation. It's only a small sacrifice for me but the benefits more than make up for it.

[slolane]

A different bike could do the trick but I wouldn't just sell the 250 if you love it. Have you considered getting a second rear seat pan and building a custom passenger seat? You could add to the width and length if needed (just leave room for the key to fit into the front) and then put whatever padding/gel in there you want. The stock seats are cheap and not much went into the rear so it could only be better. This wouldn't look as good as the stock rear seat but you can always swap it out when she isn't riding in just a few seconds. I would try this for a small investment before selling a bike I love... just an idea. I have built seats before so PM me if you want to chat specifics.

Either way, best of luck to you guys

[p4174w]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

Most of our riding time will be two-up but she still wants to occaisionally ride on her own. I'd rather take on the larger bike for myself because if I kept the Ninja and upsized her bike, she'd never ride alone again - she's already a little intimidated riding solo. A larger bike for her would just increase that intimidation. It's only a small sacrifice for me but the benefits more than make up for it.

Understandable....what does she 'ride' now?

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by p4174w

Understandable....what does she 'ride' now?

A 2002 Honda Rebel in almost showroom condition. She loves that bike and thinks she's James Dean on it. As much as she likes it, it doesn't matter to me how much or how little she rides it, I want her to keep it.

[blink]

I'de buy her some padded pants so her butt's more comfy! Or make a custom seat with extra coushin? Might not look too appealing, but she might like it more!
Because depending on your plan, a 600 or 1000 SS won't solve the problem, you need a ST bike because the Gixxer 600, 750, and 1000 have even small seats than the 250!
And I assume you aren't stuck on a SS, but just a heads up. I found this interesting that a 600's is even smaller =[

[Xoulrath]

Thank god my wife can ride her bike. I'd much rather her ride beside me on her bike than behind me on my bike. I would really miss riding the twisties.

Though, I would, in a heartbeat, have gotten whatever she wanted to ride on. We talked about it for a bit, because it looked like it might be necessary. Thankfully it wasn't.

Good luck finding something that works for the both of you while still being enjoyable for you. Lots of good choices out there.

[Fridaynight]

My regular passenger doesn't have an issue being on the back of mine, but then again, she's only 20 and hasn't been on anything more comfortable.

She actually initiates most of the rides ("It's really sunny and beautiful outside, you should take me for a ride!"), and of course I oblige. My only issue is I can't get going faster than 90mph with us both on the bike!

[tsiratiug]

Originally Posted by Fridaynight

My regular passenger doesn't have an issue being on the back of mine, but then again, she's only 20 and hasn't been on anything more comfortable.

She actually initiates most of the rides ("It's really sunny and beautiful outside, you should take me for a ride!"), and of course I oblige. My only issue is I can't get going faster than 90mph with us both on the bike!

Ah! See, there's the rub. My wife and I are in our mid-40's. I don't think they make a seat soft enough to be comfortable back there. Plus, because there's no back rest, no grab rails, the seat tilts forward a little and the pegs are too high she feels like a baby monkey hunched over clinging to it's mommie for dear life (her description).

I don't mind. A standard bike like a Bonnie is more than capable in the twisties (remember, they were the original superbikes) and plenty comfy for a passenger and a little luggage.

I'll miss the Ninja but, I'll still be able to get my lean on when I need to.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

Plus, because there's no back rest, no grab rails, the seat tilts forward a little and the pegs are too high she feels like a baby monkey hunched over clinging to it's mommie for dear life (her description).

your wife's a riot!! can we have her on the forum instead of you?

[slolane]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

I don't think they make a seat soft enough to be comfortable back there. Plus, because there's no back rest, no grab rails, the seat tilts forward a little and the pegs are too high

You could make a seat much more comfortable with a lot more padding and less pitch. You could build grab handles off of the subframe and have it come out from under the rear seat, a backrest off of the seat itself and strengthen with metal and finally lower mounts for the foot pegs that just drop the height a few inches all for very cheap but if your all set on moving on that would work too just for a lot more money.

[TXJ]

I'd personally pay off the ninja and own it, then invest in a "weekend rider" touring bike. My wife and I use to have 3 bikes, 2 for commuting and one for weekend trips. It was a amazing convenience to have the third bike rather than have one of us commute on a touring ready bike daily. Insurance wasn't that bad either, IIRC it only added about $120/yr for the third bike (full coverage). The only annoying part was I had to do maintenance on 3 bikes! lol

If you're dead set on a new bike you can try and get the best of both worlds; they are some of the worst looking things I've ever seen, but try looking at Silver Wings, Majestys etc. They're like a baby touring bike and extremely comfortable. I am actually considering buying one after sitting on one with my wife. We both have ninjettes now and they are rather bad to take a trip with since we like to travel 400+ miles at a time. The silver wing we sat on felt great, it had a driver & passenger backrest, and apparently you can upgrade the "queen" seat with arm rests and such.

Both her pregen and my new gen failed the test of touring 2 up after about 60 miles on the highway. At least for us cranky old farts, young people can probably put up with it better. lol

[Xoulrath]

Originally Posted by TXJ

My wife and I use to have 3 bikes, 2 for commuting and one for weekend trips. It was a amazing convenience to have the third bike rather than have one of us commute on a touring ready bike daily.

My wife and I are already planning on getting a Gold Wing within 10 years. She is willing to tour with me, and wants to, but doesn't think she'll be up for it all the time. So we will each have a bike (or two) for riding and touring when she feels up for it. Then we will share the touring rig for the rest of the time, or more than likely, the longer trips.

[coondog]

believe it or not i don't take passengers nor have i ever been one. if that's my sh*t so be it.

[jstrain]

Originally Posted by tsiratiug

We're both drawn to the standard UJM style bikes. Triumph Bonneville, Moto Guzzi V7, Kawasaki W800, an older BMW R80 or R100 maybe. We're smaller folks so we're steering clear of big bikes like the Concours, BMW tourers and Goldwings.

I think a Bonnie T100 would suit us just fine and still be a fun bike to hit the twisties on by myself sometimes.

I have a Bonneville (just the standard version) and I love it. I've done two up with my daughter (8 years old) a couple of time, but I can't really speak to the 2 up capability.

I think it's a gorgeous bike and surprisingly quick.

[miss_syn]

Yeah the 250 seat is definitely uncomfortable for a passenger.

Sinister ended up getting the ZX14 so we could ride two-up. While it's probably a little less comfy than a cruiser with a sissy bar it's worlds better than the 250.

[Reddoak]

I started riding with my son (100 lbs of 10 year old fury) a lot more, and it just wasn't comfortable on the 250 anymore. The local dealer had a leftover brand new 2009 ER-6n that ran $6,000 out the door so I got that. It's much more comfortable to ride 2 up than the 250 was, for both of us. The larger seating area, and overall larger bike helps. The extra ~30 Hp helps, too.

I've said it before, the Ninja 250 is perfectly capable of carrying a passenger, but it isn't really good at it.

[Sinister]

Originally Posted by miss_syn

Yeah the 250 seat is definitely uncomfortable for a passenger.

Sinister ended up getting the ZX14 so we could ride two-up. While it's probably a little less comfy than a cruiser with a sissy bar it's worlds better than the 250.

It wasn't the ONLY reason i got the 14.....