I sold my 300 :(

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 12:50 AM

Well, a lots changed with the new year. I found out my folks will be moving down to Santa Barbara sometime during the summer. Awesome sauce!

I've been doing quite a few highway miles to see if I could use the 300 for the 300 mile trip down but I just wasn't convinced. Winding the engine so hard and constantly being buffeted by other vehicles was definitely draining.

So, I decided to sell the 300 and buy something a little bigger.

Still don't know what I want to get... the fun side wants a supersport, just to have that experience of owning one but the practical side wants a naked bike so I can haul myself to SoCal comfortably (at least, more so than on a 600). A touring bike would be the best bet but I can't see myself on those just yet. 300 miles isn't exactly worthy of a touring bike.

Having test ridden a '13 Ninja 636 and '13 Daytona 675, I can say that they easily hit the top of the fun bar but will be unbearable for long trips.

Decisions, decisions... definitely a bittersweet experience though (selling the 300), I rather liked it!

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Sirref · January 24th, 2014, 01:05 AM

first off, that's a big move I wish you luck with your choice in next motorcycle and that the new owner of your 300 joins us here on ninjette. Now for your purposes a supersport is a questionable idea as you have discovered (btw, how did you manage to test ride them)
either of the 650s will work, ninja 650r or sv650s though these may not be as fun to you especially coming from a 300.
since you mentioned nakeds
the yamaha fz-09 looks to be a great bike and cam just did a writeup on it
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165586 looks like the only mod needed is a suspension mod and that'll put it right up with the triumph
triumph street triple r
unfortunately the nakeds aren't fully faired (obviously) so you'll have to suffer wind blast but I don't see it as being much worse than the 300 since the stock windshield doesn't offer much protection from the wind anyway.

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 01:28 AM

@Sirref

The 636, I test rode at the International Motorcycle Show. Kawasaki was doing demo rides on their entire fleet.

The Daytona 675, I just called up a dealership and asked. They basically needed to see that I have insurance and some miles under my belt. I had about 3k on the 300 at that point and they let me have a go.

Sirref · January 24th, 2014, 01:34 AM

ah, that makes sense then. It looks like, and this is right after reading cam's opinion on it the fz-09 w/a windscreen should be perfect for your needs.

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirref

ah, that makes sense then. It looks like, and this is right after reading cam's opinion on it the fz-09 w/a windscreen should be perfect for your needs.

Yeah, I think you're right! I'm just getting through some of the reviews posted on youtube as well. Sounds like a great bike! Look great, sounds great and has a triple motor!

Sirref · January 24th, 2014, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacron

Yeah, I think you're right! I'm just getting through some of the reviews posted on youtube as well. Sounds like a great bike! Look great, sounds great and has a triple motor!

don't forget the price, the thing can be had for a very reasonable price. I'd also say that the insurance should be on the low end (in comparison to supersports) since it's a naked. You may need to play around with a few different insurance companies to find your best deal on it since some go by cc's and others go by classifications. That and cam said he was getting 39mpg, likely riding like a complete hooligan so the gas mileage won't be too far off of the ninjette (I get 40-45mpg on my 300)

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 02:00 AM

Let me post a Fz-09 review video I found. Very detailed so, definitely worth a share I think.

Link to original page on YouTube.

subxero · January 24th, 2014, 09:07 AM

Winding the engine out is what I think is the most fun

I love high RPM's one of the main reason I picked the ninja over the cbr

I really don't care what bike people ride or want to ride but it might bother me a bit when people try to make excuses for why they "need" a bigger bike but then the bikes they are looking at might have just as many cons to it for said excuse purpose as smaller cc bike did maybe more

If you want a bigger bike just say so it's ok, I think most people here would like a larger displacement bike, I am one of them but I am not going to make an excuse to seemingly justify it in my head... there is no need to lie to myself or anyone else in fear of ridicule, just be honest.

IMO getting rid of 300 because it is not good highway long distance commuter and then thinking about replacing it with a naked bike is just silly.

Making excuses:
"I want a ss because there are lots of hills here and I need the extra 60hp for that, never mind that my ninja will do 80-90mph up any hill in the area"

Telling the truth:
"I want a ss because they look ****ing bad a$$!!! Their sound makes me all giddy inside. They are awesome feats of engineering, they go super fast, acceleration is insane and ridiculous!! I am embarrassed by my 250 when riding with other people with big boy bikes" <--- last part is not true for me but I threw it in there because I think that is how a lot of people feel.

When I lived in MD I would commute everyday on I-95 and I definitely had no problems buzzing past traffic on the 250, actually highlight of my commute

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 09:37 AM

@subxero

Yep, high revs are fun and I certainly enjoyed my time on the 300 and I've said as much hundreds of times on the forum. I'm not sure why you think "selling the 300 because of high revs on freeway" is an excuse.

I sold it precisely because of that. I want something where I can sit on the lower end of the revs still doing 70-80 mph and cruise for hundreds of miles (not commuting distances). Apologies, if I'm being presumptuous about your I-95 commuting distance. If you've done a 300 mile trip on the ninja (and enjoyed it) then I'll take your word for it that its great for those distances.

If cruising was my only requirement then I'd go ahead and grab a touring bike or a cruiser. However, I want to be able to take it out to the canyons and have a good time.

Yes, the 300 can get to 80-90 mph but not without nearing 8k on the tach (in 6th gear) nor without being buffeted by any and all passing vehicle.

Finally, I spent the last month on the east coast for the holidays and spent a lot of time riding my dad's Bonneville (which is a badass bike btw). Going up and down I-95 doing 75-80 mph at 5k to get to NYC was a blast and I stand by my decision to sell the 300 and upgrade.

Alex · January 24th, 2014, 09:53 AM

Of course you should choose a bike that you enjoy. You're getting some reaction because the reasons you are giving don't line up with the bikes you are suggesting as an improvement for the riding you say you want to do with them. A naked bike is terrible for freeway drones, being terribly tiring after an hour compared to just about any faired bike with better wind protection. A high-powered supersport may seeem marginally better than a lightly powered sportbike if it needs to use less revs, but even 600's are high revving and buzzy at highway speeds. For low revs and high torque down low, the displacement needs to go up from there. The riding position is identical, which is comfortable for some, but many find a sportbike crouch not fun for hours on end.

The buffeting on the highway is the one that stands out for me. Every bike is affected by wind. Going up a little bit in weight and or displacement doesn't change that at all. Going up alot in weight does to some extent, but other factors that help that sensation is slower steering geometry. Your dad's Bonneville isn't more stable in crosswinds only because it's heavier or because it has more power, it's also because it has much slower steering geometry (rake/trail) than a sportbike.

subxero · January 24th, 2014, 09:54 AM

oh no not 80mph nearing 8k on the tach only 6 thousand more revs till you hit red

^

sorry I couldn't resist all in fun, im just teasing

please see this thread and post for better understanding

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

Joe reminds me of this.

Link to original page on YouTube.

I have done long trips on the 250 almost all highway, I had no problem with it and FOR ME I don't see much benefit of a different bike for such a trip other than one that has a more comfortable riding position. So that being said I wouldn't say I'm getting an R6 for long highway rides because the 250's riding position is just not that great for it. <--- see that again seems silly as the r6 riding position isn't great for that kind of riding either.

on side note, You have been riding on the East coast as far north as NYC during the past month!!? You'z crazy!!

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 09:57 AM

@Alex

So, another thing I need to consider is insurance premium. Given my age, getting a literbike or supersport, for that matter, is always going to be costly. This is where, after all things considered, I thought a naked might be a good blend of standard seating -- so more comfortable long rides -- and fun on back roads.

@subxero
LOL! Hey now, no knocking my trip from south Jersey to NYC and Long Island.

Alex · January 24th, 2014, 10:01 AM

Naked bikes suck on the highway. They are great fun on twisty roads. Try and pick up last month's Sport Rider, Kent (the editor) wrote a great article exactly on this topic. With a 20 minute commute, he never could understand why people didn't like naked bikes, and he enjoyed just about any bike on the freeway. Their offices moved and his commute is now an hour each way, and he immediately realized how much more tiring the ride was on bikes without proper wind protection.

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 10:11 AM

@Alex

I see... well I'm still deciding, of course, and what I want out of the bike is slightly contradictory... something that's upright, good for long hauls and fun on the twisties.

Some of the touring bikes are fairly expensive OTD, literbiker/SS are expensive to maintain and uncomfortable. I still have the likes of the Ninja 650, SV650 to consider against the naked bikes so maybe those compare better.

Jono · January 24th, 2014, 10:12 AM

Yeah, the wind absolutely sucks at hwy speeds on naked bikes. The longest I road on the hwy with my naked ninja 250 was 100ish miles. It wasn't not fun, but it wasn't comfortable. My klx at highway speeds isn't fun or comfortable. Haha.

Have you looked at the FZ1 or FZ6?

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 10:17 AM

@Jono
No, I haven't considered the Fz{1,6}. However, they pretty much look like naked bikes with front fairing and a windshield... which leads me to my question, how much do you think a windshield would help on a naked bike?

The lack of front fairing is definitely detrimental but I wonder how much of that is mitigated by a windshield.

subxero · January 24th, 2014, 11:00 AM

I'm not knocking your trip, you seriously are crazy. Its freakin freezing out and the roads are **** = you'z crazy!!

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subxero

I'm not knocking your trip, you seriously are crazy. Its freakin freezing out and the roads are **** = you'z crazy!!

Haha, yeah, I said that slightly tongue-in-cheek. It was definitely... err.. an experience. Convinced my dad to get heated grips after that trip. My fingers were literally frozen stiff, with 3 layers of gloves.

Jono · January 24th, 2014, 11:05 AM

I think a windshield would definitely help. 300ish miles with some type of wind-deflection would probably be fine. Still not as comfortable with a bike with a full front fairing and windscreen though. But if most of your riding is in the city and you only do a few long trips, I guess that makes sense. You could just slap on the windshield whenever you know you'll be hitting the road.

Do something like this...

But then it looks like you're stuck with the mounting brackets and it requires you to drill into the little front fairing.

And an FZ-09 DIY example...
http://www.yamahafz09.com/forum/13-f...dshield-5.html

jkv45 · January 24th, 2014, 11:19 AM

I have a SV650n (naked) and frequently rode 2 1/2 hours on the highway at 75+ MPH without any complaints (unless you count the seat).

None of my sport bikes had tall windshields, so I'm used to having my helmet in the wind. I usually had a large tank bag on it that filled-in the turbulent area behind the gauges and small fairing. I added taller bars and a 1T larger countershaft sprocket to calm it down a bit. Those things and a Spencer's seat mod made it pretty decent (even for an old guy) on the highway.

Just wanted to toss that out there since everyone was saying nakeds were terrible on the highway...

anacron · January 24th, 2014, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono

I think a windshield would definitely help. 300ish miles with some type of wind-deflection would probably be fine. Still not as comfortable with a bike with a full front fairing and windscreen though. But if most of your riding is in the city and you only do a few long trips, I guess that makes sense. You could just slap on the windshield whenever you know you'll be hitting the road.

Thanks for the info. That's pretty much my situation, mostly city riding and some longer trips to SoCal during school breaks. That FZ09 link you posted mentioned a zero gravity windshield is in the works but not timeline as of yet.

Sirref · January 24th, 2014, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacron

Thanks for the info. That's pretty much my situation, mostly city riding and some longer trips to SoCal during school breaks. That FZ09 link you posted mentioned a zero gravity windshield is in the works but not timeline as of yet.

I would say it's on the way relatively soon since demand is climbing as more people get the bike. An fz-09 with a windshield would be sick, at that point your wind buffeting should be the same as on a 300.

Byakkotai · January 24th, 2014, 03:10 PM

You could probably make it work somehow with the two SS bikes you're looking at. Just rest/gas up a bit more often than the endurance runs you're use to

And then there's mods mods mods...

nickjpass · January 24th, 2014, 07:51 PM

Sport bikes, especially Super sports are not really like eaters. You need a touring bike or cruiser. Unless you plan to do modifications to it.

CC Cowboy · January 24th, 2014, 08:34 PM

Buy a Harley Freakin Davidson. You'll love it.

rasta · January 25th, 2014, 02:51 AM

Don't lie.....you want a super sport so you can squid around the beaches

But also, have you checked out insurance rates for the bikes you're interested in? I've gotten some stupid high quotes (for full coverage, obviously) and that's been enough reason to keep me from pulling the trigger thus far. I consider it, oh so often, and everytime it comes down to me not wanting to shell out over $1-3k/year for insurance. Unless you don't get full coverage. (But why wouldn't you get it for a super sport, when it will most likely get stolen at some point...)

anacron · January 25th, 2014, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rasta

Don't lie.....you want a super sport so you can squid around the beaches

I definitely would love one! Maybe in the future I can actually afford two bikes and be able to buy the super sport I always wanted.For now though, I think practicality (and insurance premium) will limit my considerations.

Harley's (and cruisers in general) are pretty cool, I checked out a friend's shovelhead while he was working on a suicide clutch for it. I can't see myself riding one yet though. Other than the occasional long trip to SoCal, its mostly city and canyon riding for me.

PartsNinja · January 25th, 2014, 01:21 PM

Triumph Sprint?

anacron · January 25th, 2014, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PartsNinja

Triumph Sprint?

That and the Triumph Tiger would be interesting too.

xSean13 · January 25th, 2014, 01:31 PM

Get whatever you enjoy the most and feels the best.

I ride my 600rr to school and back, which is 50mi each way, primarily interstate. I don't find it uncomfortable at all, in fact, it's more comfortable and enjoyable to me than the 250. I'm not getting blown all over the road from wind because it doesn't have tiny tires and isn't as lightweight.

While a 650 or FZ might have been more practical to me, I didn't like the way they sounded, looked, or felt, thus I kept looking until I found a good used 600rr for $3500. Score.

PartsNinja · January 25th, 2014, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacron

That and the Triumph Tiger would be interesting too.

Tigers are also cool, lots of good fire trails and back roads a Tiger would love back in the mountains of Santa Barbara. I used to live there and in hindsight wish I had had an adventure tourer.

anacron · January 25th, 2014, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PartsNinja

Tigers are also cool, lots of good fire trails and back roads a Tiger would love back in the mountains of Santa Barbara. I used to live there and in hindsight wish I had had an adventure tourer.

Yep, exactly my feeling as well. I've really been enjoying my photography these days and something like a Tiger, some backroads and a tripod sounds incredibly appealing.

CC Cowboy · January 25th, 2014, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xSean13

Get whatever you enjoy the most and feels the best.

I ride my 600rr to school and back, which is 50mi each way, primarily interstate. I don't find it uncomfortable at all, in fact, it's more comfortable and enjoyable to me than the 250. I'm not getting blown all over the road from wind because it doesn't have tiny tires and isn't as lightweight.

. Score.

You lie, tell the truth. you lie!

xSean13 · January 25th, 2014, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

You lie, tell the truth. you lie!

Nah, once I got used to the 600rr, it's way more comfortable. Just because it has more of an aggressive riding position doesn't mean you gotta sit hunched over the whole time.

CC Cowboy · January 26th, 2014, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xSean13

Nah, once I got used to the 600rr, it's way more comfortable. Just because it has more of an aggressive riding position doesn't mean you gotta sit hunched over the whole time.

I bet you put ape hangers on it. You're so cool!

xSean13 · January 26th, 2014, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I bet you put ape hangers on it. You're so cool!

Cooler than all of you still on your scooters

CC Cowboy · January 26th, 2014, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xSean13

Cooler than all of you still on your scooters

It's still a girl's bike!

CycleCam303 · January 30th, 2014, 11:08 PM

I didn't even see this thread. Lol a week too late.

Adi I'm selling my bike and I already know what bike I want. Daytona 675. I want the 1st gen ones though. I just can't love the front end of the 2013s. But if you like its supposed to be king of the supersports out of the box. It's got a better street powerband but it still needs to rev to really go anywhere quickly. Even on the street. Screw the 636, the daytona is the better bike for mostly street use.

The fz09 is a cool bike. But it makes a not so great only bike especially for freeway travel. Naked bikes can work for me because I really don't speed on the freeway...ask @tfkrocks... Even then they are tiring and weather temps have more of an effect and all that.

I want a supersport. I'm very sure you want a supersport too.

I'll throw in my two cents since I haven't really been riding the 250 and I've been riding different bikes often recently.

I completely understand why you want a different bike. Especially now that you've ridden other motos. A motorcycle does 3 things: turn, stop, and accelerate. The ninjettes do all of those horribly. They're fun in the sense that you can wring 100% of the performance on the street... But in real world applications it does nothing a real motorcycle can, which includes the benefits during street riding.

Now that you've ridden a couple I'm sure you see things for what they are. The ninjette is an extremely limiting machine.

Sirref · January 30th, 2014, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CycleCam303

A motorcycle does 3 things: turn, stop, and accelerate. The ninjettes do all of those horribly. They're fun in the sense that you can wring 100% of the performance on the street... But in real world applications it does nothing a real motorcycle can, which includes the benefits during street riding.

Idk, I agree with you that the ninjettes can't stop for **** and sure as hell can't accelerate much but mine turns just fine. It won't corner as well as a supersport that's for sure but it still does turn far better than any cruiser or bulky sport touring bike.

anacron · January 31st, 2014, 12:23 AM

@CycleCam303

Awesome! I'm torn between the Street Triple and the Daytona 675. I mean, I absolutely love the 675 and that test ride was incredibly fun. I'm setting up a test ride on the Triple and see how those two compare.

The Triple seems like a good compromise between comfort and sport, at the inconvenience of crappy freeway riding. Honestly though, if I'm making a trip down to SoCal it'd be cruising on Hwy 1 every time. So, I'm not that bothered with wind blast on a mellow pace -- but we'll see if my impressions change after the test ride.

As for the Fz-09, great looking bike, excellent price point, but its not a Triumph

Long story short, yes I do want a supersport but I might just hold off on that and get an "everyday" bike and then go for a Daytona 675 for the weekend stuff.

January 24th, 2014, 12:50 AM	#1
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	I sold my 300 :( Well, a lots changed with the new year. I found out my folks will be moving down to Santa Barbara sometime during the summer. Awesome sauce! I've been doing quite a few highway miles to see if I could use the 300 for the 300 mile trip down but I just wasn't convinced. Winding the engine so hard and constantly being buffeted by other vehicles was definitely draining. So, I decided to sell the 300 and buy something a little bigger. Still don't know what I want to get... the fun side wants a supersport, just to have that experience of owning one but the practical side wants a naked bike so I can haul myself to SoCal comfortably (at least, more so than on a 600). A touring bike would be the best bet but I can't see myself on those just yet. 300 miles isn't exactly worthy of a touring bike. Having test ridden a '13 Ninja 636 and '13 Daytona 675, I can say that they easily hit the top of the fun bar but will be unbearable for long trips. Decisions, decisions... definitely a bittersweet experience though (selling the 300), I rather liked it! Thoughts, comments, suggestions? __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 01:28 AM	#3
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	@Sirref The 636, I test rode at the International Motorcycle Show. Kawasaki was doing demo rides on their entire fleet. The Daytona 675, I just called up a dealership and asked. They basically needed to see that I have insurance and some miles under my belt. I had about 3k on the 300 at that point and they let me have a go. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 02:00 AM	#7
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	Let me post a Fz-09 review video I found. Very detailed so, definitely worth a share I think. Link to original page on YouTube. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 09:07 AM	#8
subxero dirty boy Name: Joe Location: Johnstown, PA Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): I don't even know anymore?? Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '14	Winding the engine out is what I think is the most fun I love high RPM's one of the main reason I picked the ninja over the cbr I really don't care what bike people ride or want to ride but it might bother me a bit when people try to make excuses for why they "need" a bigger bike but then the bikes they are looking at might have just as many cons to it for said excuse purpose as smaller cc bike did maybe more If you want a bigger bike just say so it's ok, I think most people here would like a larger displacement bike, I am one of them but I am not going to make an excuse to seemingly justify it in my head... there is no need to lie to myself or anyone else in fear of ridicule, just be honest. IMO getting rid of 300 because it is not good highway long distance commuter and then thinking about replacing it with a naked bike is just silly. Making excuses: "I want a ss because there are lots of hills here and I need the extra 60hp for that, never mind that my ninja will do 80-90mph up any hill in the area" Telling the truth: "I want a ss because they look ****ing bad a$$!!! Their sound makes me all giddy inside. They are awesome feats of engineering, they go super fast, acceleration is insane and ridiculous!! I am embarrassed by my 250 when riding with other people with big boy bikes" <--- last part is not true for me but I threw it in there because I think that is how a lot of people feel. When I lived in MD I would commute everyday on I-95 and I definitely had no problems buzzing past traffic on the 250, actually highlight of my commute __________________________________________________ I love the smell of burning pre-mix in the morning I don't think I'm a lot dumber than you thought that I think that I thought I was once.

January 24th, 2014, 09:37 AM	#9
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	@subxero Yep, high revs are fun and I certainly enjoyed my time on the 300 and I've said as much hundreds of times on the forum. I'm not sure why you think "selling the 300 because of high revs on freeway" is an excuse. I sold it precisely because of that. I want something where I can sit on the lower end of the revs still doing 70-80 mph and cruise for hundreds of miles (not commuting distances). Apologies, if I'm being presumptuous about your I-95 commuting distance. If you've done a 300 mile trip on the ninja (and enjoyed it) then I'll take your word for it that its great for those distances. If cruising was my only requirement then I'd go ahead and grab a touring bike or a cruiser. However, I want to be able to take it out to the canyons and have a good time. Yes, the 300 can get to 80-90 mph but not without nearing 8k on the tach (in 6th gear) nor without being buffeted by any and all passing vehicle. Finally, I spent the last month on the east coast for the holidays and spent a lot of time riding my dad's Bonneville (which is a badass bike btw). Going up and down I-95 doing 75-80 mph at 5k to get to NYC was a blast and I stand by my decision to sell the 300 and upgrade. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 01:05 AM	#2
Sirref Private Joker Name: Ben Location: Towson, MD Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '14	first off, that's a big move I wish you luck with your choice in next motorcycle and that the new owner of your 300 joins us here on ninjette. Now for your purposes a supersport is a questionable idea as you have discovered (btw, how did you manage to test ride them) either of the 650s will work, ninja 650r or sv650s though these may not be as fun to you especially coming from a 300. since you mentioned nakeds the yamaha fz-09 looks to be a great bike and cam just did a writeup on it http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165586 looks like the only mod needed is a suspension mod and that'll put it right up with the triumph triumph street triple r unfortunately the nakeds aren't fully faired (obviously) so you'll have to suffer wind blast but I don't see it as being much worse than the 300 since the stock windshield doesn't offer much protection from the wind anyway.

January 24th, 2014, 01:34 AM	#4
Sirref Private Joker Name: Ben Location: Towson, MD Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '14	ah, that makes sense then. It looks like, and this is right after reading cam's opinion on it the fz-09 w/a windscreen should be perfect for your needs.

January 24th, 2014, 09:53 AM	#10
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Of course you should choose a bike that you enjoy. You're getting some reaction because the reasons you are giving don't line up with the bikes you are suggesting as an improvement for the riding you say you want to do with them. A naked bike is terrible for freeway drones, being terribly tiring after an hour compared to just about any faired bike with better wind protection. A high-powered supersport may seeem marginally better than a lightly powered sportbike if it needs to use less revs, but even 600's are high revving and buzzy at highway speeds. For low revs and high torque down low, the displacement needs to go up from there. The riding position is identical, which is comfortable for some, but many find a sportbike crouch not fun for hours on end. The buffeting on the highway is the one that stands out for me. Every bike is affected by wind. Going up a little bit in weight and or displacement doesn't change that at all. Going up alot in weight does to some extent, but other factors that help that sensation is slower steering geometry. Your dad's Bonneville isn't more stable in crosswinds only because it's heavier or because it has more power, it's also because it has much slower steering geometry (rake/trail) than a sportbike. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

January 24th, 2014, 09:57 AM	#12
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	@Alex So, another thing I need to consider is insurance premium. Given my age, getting a literbike or supersport, for that matter, is always going to be costly. This is where, after all things considered, I thought a naked might be a good blend of standard seating -- so more comfortable long rides -- and fun on back roads. @subxero LOL! Hey now, no knocking my trip from south Jersey to NYC and Long Island. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 10:01 AM	#13
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Naked bikes suck on the highway. They are great fun on twisty roads. Try and pick up last month's Sport Rider, Kent (the editor) wrote a great article exactly on this topic. With a 20 minute commute, he never could understand why people didn't like naked bikes, and he enjoyed just about any bike on the freeway. Their offices moved and his commute is now an hour each way, and he immediately realized how much more tiring the ride was on bikes without proper wind protection. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

January 24th, 2014, 10:11 AM	#14
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	@Alex I see... well I'm still deciding, of course, and what I want out of the bike is slightly contradictory... something that's upright, good for long hauls and fun on the twisties. Some of the touring bikes are fairly expensive OTD, literbiker/SS are expensive to maintain and uncomfortable. I still have the likes of the Ninja 650, SV650 to consider against the naked bikes so maybe those compare better. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 10:12 AM	#15
Jono ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jono Location: Memphis, TN Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Triumph Street Triple, 2009 KLX250SF, 2003 Suzuki SV650S (Sold), 2006 Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: A lot.	Yeah, the wind absolutely sucks at hwy speeds on naked bikes. The longest I road on the hwy with my naked ninja 250 was 100ish miles. It wasn't not fun, but it wasn't comfortable. My klx at highway speeds isn't fun or comfortable. Haha. Have you looked at the FZ1 or FZ6?

January 24th, 2014, 10:17 AM	#16
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	@Jono No, I haven't considered the Fz{1,6}. However, they pretty much look like naked bikes with front fairing and a windshield... which leads me to my question, how much do you think a windshield would help on a naked bike? The lack of front fairing is definitely detrimental but I wonder how much of that is mitigated by a windshield. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.

January 24th, 2014, 11:00 AM	#17
subxero dirty boy Name: Joe Location: Johnstown, PA Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): I don't even know anymore?? Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '14	I'm not knocking your trip, you seriously are crazy. Its freakin freezing out and the roads are **** = you'z crazy!! __________________________________________________ I love the smell of burning pre-mix in the morning I don't think I'm a lot dumber than you thought that I think that I thought I was once.

January 24th, 2014, 11:05 AM	#19
Jono ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jono Location: Memphis, TN Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Triumph Street Triple, 2009 KLX250SF, 2003 Suzuki SV650S (Sold), 2006 Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: A lot.	I think a windshield would definitely help. 300ish miles with some type of wind-deflection would probably be fine. Still not as comfortable with a bike with a full front fairing and windscreen though. But if most of your riding is in the city and you only do a few long trips, I guess that makes sense. You could just slap on the windshield whenever you know you'll be hitting the road. Do something like this... But then it looks like you're stuck with the mounting brackets and it requires you to drill into the little front fairing. And an FZ-09 DIY example... http://www.yamahafz09.com/forum/13-f...dshield-5.html

January 24th, 2014, 11:19 AM	#20
jkv45 Rev Limiter Name: Jay Location: WI Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): '06 SV650n, '00 Derbi GPR, '64 CA77 Dream 305, '70 CL450 Scrambler, numerous dirt bikes Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jun '18, Oct '16	I have a SV650n (naked) and frequently rode 2 1/2 hours on the highway at 75+ MPH without any complaints (unless you count the seat). None of my sport bikes had tall windshields, so I'm used to having my helmet in the wind. I usually had a large tank bag on it that filled-in the turbulent area behind the gauges and small fairing. I added taller bars and a 1T larger countershaft sprocket to calm it down a bit. Those things and a Spencer's seat mod made it pretty decent (even for an old guy) on the highway. Just wanted to toss that out there since everyone was saying nakeds were terrible on the highway...

January 24th, 2014, 03:10 PM	#23
Byakkotai ninjette.org guru Name: Roger Location: NorCali - East Bay Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 White Ninja 300 Posts: 379	You could probably make it work somehow with the two SS bikes you're looking at. Just rest/gas up a bit more often than the endurance runs you're use to And then there's mods mods mods...

January 24th, 2014, 07:51 PM	#24
nickjpass #squid Name: nickypoo Location: Five Guys Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): Track dedicated 2008 ZX6R Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jul '16	Sport bikes, especially Super sports are not really like eaters. You need a touring bike or cruiser. Unless you plan to do modifications to it. __________________________________________________

January 24th, 2014, 08:34 PM	#25
CC Cowboy ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Whodat Location: Ware Is.,MA Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): I pass the wind! Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '13, Jun '14	Buy a Harley Freakin Davidson. You'll love it. __________________________________________________ If everything seems under control; you're just not going fast enough!

January 25th, 2014, 02:51 AM	#26
rasta Your face Name: Wes Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Honda CBR650f Posts: A lot.	Don't lie.....you want a super sport so you can squid around the beaches But also, have you checked out insurance rates for the bikes you're interested in? I've gotten some stupid high quotes (for full coverage, obviously) and that's been enough reason to keep me from pulling the trigger thus far. I consider it, oh so often, and everytime it comes down to me not wanting to shell out over $1-3k/year for insurance. Unless you don't get full coverage. (But why wouldn't you get it for a super sport, when it will most likely get stolen at some point...) __________________________________________________ "even a proper fitting helmet can 'get loose'" -csmith

January 25th, 2014, 01:21 PM	#28
PartsNinja Ninja Parts Master Name: Dan Location: Houma, Louisiana Join Date: Aug 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ducati Streetfighter 1098, 2014 Honda CB1100 Cafe, 2007 SV1000S, Quite a few 2008-2012 Ninja 250s Posts: 366	Triumph Sprint? __________________________________________________ Add me on Instagram: @d_jalb Or follow me on eBay: PartsNinja

January 25th, 2014, 01:31 PM	#30
xSean13 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sean Location: Middle TN Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250r (sold) / '03 CBR 600RR Posts: A lot.	Get whatever you enjoy the most and feels the best. I ride my 600rr to school and back, which is 50mi each way, primarily interstate. I don't find it uncomfortable at all, in fact, it's more comfortable and enjoyable to me than the 250. I'm not getting blown all over the road from wind because it doesn't have tiny tires and isn't as lightweight. While a 650 or FZ might have been more practical to me, I didn't like the way they sounded, looked, or felt, thus I kept looking until I found a good used 600rr for $3500. Score.

January 30th, 2014, 11:08 PM	#38
CycleCam303 King Hamfist Name: Cameron Location: NorCal East Bay Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940	I didn't even see this thread. Lol a week too late. Adi I'm selling my bike and I already know what bike I want. Daytona 675. I want the 1st gen ones though. I just can't love the front end of the 2013s. But if you like its supposed to be king of the supersports out of the box. It's got a better street powerband but it still needs to rev to really go anywhere quickly. Even on the street. Screw the 636, the daytona is the better bike for mostly street use. The fz09 is a cool bike. But it makes a not so great only bike especially for freeway travel. Naked bikes can work for me because I really don't speed on the freeway...ask @tfkrocks... Even then they are tiring and weather temps have more of an effect and all that. I want a supersport. I'm very sure you want a supersport too. I'll throw in my two cents since I haven't really been riding the 250 and I've been riding different bikes often recently. I completely understand why you want a different bike. Especially now that you've ridden other motos. A motorcycle does 3 things: turn, stop, and accelerate. The ninjettes do all of those horribly. They're fun in the sense that you can wring 100% of the performance on the street... But in real world applications it does nothing a real motorcycle can, which includes the benefits during street riding. Now that you've ridden a couple I'm sure you see things for what they are. The ninjette is an extremely limiting machine.

January 31st, 2014, 12:23 AM	#40
anacron ninjette.org guru Name: Adi Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): Triumph Street Triple R Posts: 380	@CycleCam303 Awesome! I'm torn between the Street Triple and the Daytona 675. I mean, I absolutely love the 675 and that test ride was incredibly fun. I'm setting up a test ride on the Triple and see how those two compare. The Triple seems like a good compromise between comfort and sport, at the inconvenience of crappy freeway riding. Honestly though, if I'm making a trip down to SoCal it'd be cruising on Hwy 1 every time. So, I'm not that bothered with wind blast on a mellow pace -- but we'll see if my impressions change after the test ride. As for the Fz-09, great looking bike, excellent price point, but its not a Triumph Long story short, yes I do want a supersport but I might just hold off on that and get an "everyday" bike and then go for a Daytona 675 for the weekend stuff. __________________________________________________ Here's my Youtube Channel. Here's my Flickr Photostream.