Rear tire?

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by snot

Function over Form

FTFY

[Ausoi]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought for the new gen 250 you had to get a tire that was 16 for the rear. Hence the limited number of tires that will fit.

I recall buying one rear tire that was larger and I spent one hell of a time trying to get it on, eventually I resorted to using a ratchet strap and finally came to the bright conclusion that no way in heck was the thing going to bead properly. Live and learn

[verboten1]

Michelin Pilot Street, Best Bang for the buck you can get, traction, life, awesomeness.
140 rear size will be a bit bigger, still work just fine.

My 105 HP Ténéré only runs a 150, and on top of that, I'm running knobs. I've ridden this thing around some turns faster than I've ridden any other bike, even the ninja. When I'm hanging off the bike on the edge of the knobs, I was getting some looks. It was awesome.


I have a ninja 650 Wheel that matches the style, is an extra inch wider so a 150 will look proper. I'll sell it. it wouldn't work for me, tire too wide, many other things, but hey someone else can give it a shot.

[verboten1]

Originally Posted by Ausoi

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought for the new gen 250 you had to get a tire that was 16 for the rear. Hence the limited number of tires that will fit.

I recall buying one rear tire that was larger and I spent one hell of a time trying to get it on, eventually I resorted to using a ratchet strap and finally came to the bright conclusion that no way in heck was the thing going to bead properly. Live and learn

good luck getting a 16" tire on a 17" wheel....lol


2008+ is 17"

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

So... You realize there's about 1,000 differences between a ninja 250 and a 600cc Supersport... right?

Pardon my density, but how in the heck did you narrow it down so quickly and confidently to just that one variable; tire width?

I didnt say it was a 600, I said a BIGGER bike...

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by allanoue

It is a bad idea to put 130s on the front.

Agree, looks aside, a 120 is a good compromise between big bike look and ridability. And... there are sooooo many 600's with a 120 front.

EDIT: realistically, the front end of a ninja has enough problems on it own without adding to them.

[ZeroGravity360]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

Two thoughts on this:

It could be the suspension. The stock Ninjette suspension is not the best even when tuned and if not appropriately set this could easily make the ride feel bumpier/less stable

It could also be the advantage of the Ninjette: light weight/flickability. A larger bike will weigh more and thus have more momentum keeping it going the way it's going. It will also have wider tires for reasons already discussed. If you're tight on the bars or otherwise giving input in rough situations then this ease of maneuver could work to your detriment and make the bike feel less stable. Good throttle control and light on the bars is the number one way to stabilize a bike, regardless of size.

Very good advice, I try to to be light on the bars, but the instability feeling comes from the rear, it constantly feels like it s wobbling back and forth after each bump.

[verboten1]

old tires, bad wear, wrong pressure, poor suspension setup.


all things that could cause that, not 3/4 of an inch less of usable tread width

[Ausoi]

Originally Posted by verboten1

good luck getting a 16" tire on a 17" wheel....lol


2008+ is 17"

I must have gotten an 18 then

Been a while since I did a tire change on the 250 : )

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by Ausoi

I must have gotten an 18 then

Been a while since I did a tire change on the 250 : )

or your 08 is really an 07

[Ausoi]

Originally Posted by allanoue

or your 08 is really an 07

That would be sad

I'm not that old am I?

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360

I didnt say it was a 600, I said a BIGGER bike...

Out of interest what was it then?


Most bikes do have much better suspension and components than the ninja, our bikes are built out of the bargain bin

also, if you're on the original tires it may be a good idea to switch them out anyway since they'll be near the end of their lifespan (tires and helmets, 5 year rule)

I'd go for michelin pilot street radials (make sure they're the radials, the R3s are coming out with a bias ply version which is not as good despite being cheaper)

140 rear is the most I would put on the 250. On the 300 I'd consider a 150 but it's not remotely needed.

The michelins offer the following:
-good grip in the dry for street use, you can drag knee on these without too much issue. If that's your goal go with the pirelli option since they really love to lean
-excellent grip in the wet (designed as a toned down rain tire)
-fantastic life, I got ~10k out of mine and I wasn't remotely easy on them. I can also put them back on if I really want to. I've heard as high as 20k miles out of these which is more than enough for anyone to be happy with.
-They'll provide that more planted feel you're looking for

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360

Very good advice, I try to to be light on the bars, but the instability feeling comes from the rear, it constantly feels like it s wobbling back and forth after each bump.

$5 says that feeling is from the front, not the rear. Those symptoms are all frequently caused by the front.

Either the rider is too tight, the suspension is cheap and isn't doing much for those road irregularities, or some combination of both. The rider part is likely because you're new, no offense. This is also a cheap bike. It has cheap suspension components. Also, I'd be floored if you, as a new rider, could tell the difference explicitly between what the front and back of the bike were doing. I know I couldn't. That took time and some brown'd pants to figure out.

That said, check that your back wheel isn't loose, same with the suspension, etc. It's a worthwhile check to make sure that your bike is safe to ride. Easy stuff first.

[Panda]

Whenever I hear of these symptoms on a 250 I always assume the blinker fluid is low. It's surprising the amount of things that the blinker fluid impacts.

I'd check that first.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by Panda

Whenever I hear of these symptoms on a 250 I always assume the blinker fluid is low. It's surprising the amount of things that the blinker fluid impacts.

I'd check that first.

It could be the catastrophic converter.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by RacinNinja

130/60 is what was ZeroGravity posted here. 60% of 130 is 78. 98-78mm = 20mm. half of that is 10mm.

She was wrong, it's 130/70. And you're unnecessarily halving that too - a 130/60 really has a 20mm shorter sidewall than a 140/70. The overall diameter would be 40mm shorter (627.8mm vs. 587.8mm including the 17" wheel). http://www.invisibill.net/ninja/tirecalc/ for people who don't want to think about the math.

140*70% - 130*70% = 98-91 = 7mm. Or (140-130)*70% = 10*70% = 7mm.

The sidewall is 7mm taller, meaning the tire diameter is 14mm larger, and the rear axle would be raised 7mm (~1/4"). And yes, these are based on the tire size category numbers; different tire models will have slightly different measurements in reality.

That extra 1/4" will raise the seat a bit, and make the steering a bit twitchier. As stated, it's not going to drastically alter how the bike operates, but it will be slightly different, and that much harder for a short person to reach the ground.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360

After reading so many people giving good advice on here, I researched it hard yesterday. A few people even went to 150/70/17 on th eback and 130/70/17 on the front. They reasons they gave was because they like the way it makes it look like a 600. I agree it loos much better with bigger tires, even if it doesnt improve handling, i think it is cosmetically appealing :-p

I did my wheel swap mostly for appearance. It was also somewhat for some better tire choices too, as the PSR hadn't been released yet, and I didn't see a whole lot of choices I liked in the stock size (it's possible I was simply looking in the wrong places, but there are definitely more small bike tire options now).

If you want to change the looks of your bike, go for it. Just don't lie about your reasoning. It's pointless to yourself and to others, and only hurts your credibility. As someone who upgraded from the stock 130/70 to a 150/60 on a wider wheel (on a slightly-bigger little Ninja), I can tell you the wider tire does not alter the stability on a rough road.

P.S. I spent $923 in total on this upgrade. You can compare the pics above to see how visible the change is and if it's worth the money to do it right.


The NewGen isn't as bad as the PreGen/500, but the single best change I've made on my bike is spending $90 and 30 minutes to drop in new fork springs to match my weight, within a few months of buying the bike. On the other hand, I've had a Penske shock (~$800 new) sitting here for over 2 years that I haven't bothered to install yet, because my cheapo swap is miles ahead of the stocker for my weight. Real Soon Now™ I'll get that Penske in...

I'm not stupid enough to ask a woman about her weight, but you can look at the links above to see how well the stock rates match your weight. If the springs are too soft, the wheels will be flailing around excessively underneath you. If the springs are too stiff, the wheels can't absorb bumps and will skip. If the springs are mismatched, the bike will act like a rocking horse. Getting springs of the right rate will allow the wheels to move the proper amount to absorb bumps while supporting your weight. It's amazing how much smoother my ride is now that I have stiffer springs.

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

I wouldn't recommend the pilot powers. They lack a lot of feel.

I like my Pilot Powers so far, but I honestly don't ride that hard (MI isn't known for its canyons), only have a experience on a handful of different tires under a couple very different bikes, and any performance radials should be better than durability-focused bias-ply tires.

What else would you suggest in 150/60 and 110/70?

[Skullz]

Originally Posted by ZeroGravity360

Very good advice, I try to to be light on the bars, but the instability feeling comes from the rear, it constantly feels like it s wobbling back and forth after each bump.

I would honestly get a new tire and wheel bearings if the wheel feels as if it gets wobbly over bumps.
I would really have someone check the rear out to make sure all the bearings in the wheel and swing arm are good with no problems.

[yenome]

Im currently trying to decide between a few tires for my 09 250. i was going to decide between a battleax bt45 and conti go or even now perhaps the pilot street. but im sticking with the stock sizes of 110/70/17 and 130/70/17 anything bigger in the front and you will probably have to move the fender up to keep it from cutting into the front tire. anything bigger than a 140 in the rear changes the entire reason for owning a 250 in the first place. got to ask your self would you put a bigger tire on your car than the rim calls for?

*edit*

you also answered your own question. you said you rode a bigger bike and it felt more stable. that was because its a bigger bike. bigger in general is always going to be more stable, and i don't mean just tires. weight plays a lot into it as well. tire quality, suspension. all of those are gonna be better even in stock form on a bigger bike than a stock ninja 250.

[rojoracing53]

have you considered a new rear shock? ohlins makes a much better shock then stock and with the properly rated spring in the rear i'm sure all your stability issues would disappear. Also a slightly tall shock will make the bike sportier looking.