Shifting on the Ninja 250?

[kdah101]

Does anyone have any advice for shifting up on the ninja 250? Specifically, what RPMs they like to use when shifting from 1 to top gear. I find that I'm pushing the bike to hard at times off a red light to reach cursing speeds. What RMP should I shift at so that I dont compromise performance?

[RacinNinja]

Originally Posted by kdah101

Does anyone have any advice for shifting up on the ninja 250? Specifically, what RPMs they like to use when shifting from 1 to top gear. I find that I'm pushing the bike to hard at times off a red light to reach cursing speeds. What RMP should I shift at so that I dont compromise performance?

Anywhere between idle and the red line. You're not going to hurt it.

[allanoue]

Shift just before you bounce off the rev limiter
Seriously

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by kdah101

Does anyone have any advice for shifting up on the ninja 250? Specifically, what RPMs they like to use when shifting from 1 to top gear. I find that I'm pushing the bike to hard at times off a red light to reach cursing speeds. What RMP should I shift at so that I dont compromise performance?

This will depend on the tuning of your bike, but "in general", the majority of dyno charts that I have see show the power starting to drop off somewhere near the 12k rpm mark (give or take 500 rpm).

[RacinNinja]

Originally Posted by csmith12

This will depend on the tuning of your bike, but "in general", the majority of dyno charts that I have see show the power starting to drop off somewhere near the 12k rpm mark (give or take 500 rpm).

Ask and ye shall receive!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by kdah101

Does anyone have any advice for shifting up on the ninja 250?.......

Welcome, Karim !!!

This is for after you upshift all the way up:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/show...t=downshifting

[Omarel]

On local roads, on my 250 I find that you really can't do anything in gear 1. You really have to get to gear 2 pretty quick. Then 3. Otherwise it's pulling hard but not really moving.

I think it's mostly on the 250 specifically, gears 1 and 2 are for really low speeds that you barely use when you're keeping up with car traffic. Just for complete stops and slow turns.

This is the shifting chart for the 2006 pregen ninja 250 from the Kawasaki manual:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4...3Z4NGJtdHd4bVk

[Ghostt]

Anywhere you want to shift, power band is roughly 8~12.5k, anything higher and you just making noise.

Don't be afraid to cane it, it loves the revs, so have fun with it.

SIDENOTE: PreGen doesn't have a rev limiter, the CDI mapping just runs out, it's a basic stupid CDI.

.. the CDI.

The EX-250's CDI uses a very simple advance curve: 2-dimensions, X and Y, with no compensation for load. It's pre-historic, rudimentary.

At about 4,000 or 4,200 rpm, depending on the year-model of the EX-250, the CDI has the ignition timing at full advance (38 degrees BTDC for the older engines or 42 degrees BTDC for the newer engines).

When you roll-on full throttle at about 4,000 rpm you suddenly make the air/fuel ratio much richer. In a modern car or motorcycle engine the ECU knows when this happens and it retards the ignition a bit because richer air/fuel ratios burn faster than leaner mixtures.

Because the EX-250 CDI has no way to compensate for the sudden rich (faster burning) mixture the ignition advance stays way up there at 38 or 42 degrees and you end up with too much of the burn occurring before the cylinder reaches TDC.

Instead of instantly making a lot more power (as you're anticipating when you open the throttle wide) you make only a little bit more. And the engine slowly lifts itself out of the situation.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by Omarel

On local roads, on my 250 I find that you really can't do anything in gear 1. You really have to get to gear 2 pretty quick. Then 3. Otherwise it's pulling hard but not really moving.

I think it's mostly on the 250 specifically, gears 1 and 2 are for really low speeds that you barely use when you're keeping up with car traffic. Just for complete stops and slow turns.

This is the shifting chart for the 2006 pregen ninja 250 from the Kawasaki manual:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4...3Z4NGJtdHd4bVk

I don't up shift until I hit at least 10,000 RPM. Try to keep the bike between 10,000 and 12,000 unless I am just cruising down the highway, then it's around 7,000 to 9,000 depending on my speed.

[rojoracing53]

I shift between 5-6000 because that all I you need to be faster then 99% of traffic when you know how to shift. If you thinking about any aspect of your shift while on the bike then you have a ways to go, but fear not, most get there eventually.

[rojoracing53]

Video example a made long ago for another member claiming they needed more rmps to safely keep up with traffic. After they saw the video they realize their individual shifts where way longer then optimal which was the reason for cars overtaking them.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[DEFY]

I shift between bhrwarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr [right here] rRRRRRRRRRRR {POP}

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by Omarel

On local roads, on my 250 I find that you really can't do anything in gear 1. You really have to get to gear 2 pretty quick. Then 3. Otherwise it's pulling hard but not really moving.

I think it's mostly on the 250 specifically, gears 1 and 2 are for really low speeds that you barely use when you're keeping up with car traffic. Just for complete stops and slow turns.

This is the shifting chart for the 2006 pregen ninja 250 from the Kawasaki manual:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4...3Z4NGJtdHd4bVk

After thinking about this and paying attention to my shifting on the ride home last night, I have to totally disagree. I use mostly 1st and 2nd gear in traffic, I don't shift out of 2nd gear until over 40 MPH, even on the interstate on my crowded commute home I rarely get over 60 MPH and out of 4th gear. With the engine over 9,000 RPM I have much better throttle response and engine braking for slowing down. The only time I use 5th or 6th gear is if I am riding at an indicated steady 70 MPH or more. I use the word "indicated" as that's what the speedometer says which I know is not my real speed,

I'm going to take the opposite response and say for most in town riding 5th and 6th gear are not needed. Let that little motor spin. Find out what it is like to really ride your Ninja 250. The engine really has no pull below 5,000 RPM and doesn't make good power until 9,000. Look at the dyno chart @Racingninja posted, the most power is between 9,000 and 12,000 RPM. Keep the bike in that range to make the most of it.

[Omarel]

Originally Posted by VaFish

I use mostly 1st and 2nd gear in traffic, I don't shift out of 2nd gear until over 40 MPH

Really? I can't imagine staying in 2nd up to 40 mph... but maybe your engine is performing much better than mine!

Maybe the newer models make better use of the 1st and second gear.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by Omarel

Really? That seems odd. I can't imagine staying in 2nd up to 40 mph... but maybe your engine is performing much better than mine!

Maybe the newer models make better use of the 1st and second gear.

Mine are all pregens, I have an 1988, 1989, 2001 and 2007. I was riding the 2001 yesterday.

The redline is 14,000 RPM and the rev limiter doesn't kick in until 15,000 RPM. But as the dyno chart above shows they power starts to taper off after 12,000 RPM so there isn't much sense in running it up to redline. But these little engines do like to spin fast. It's fun keeping them between 9,000 and 12,000.

[InvisiBill]

Assuming the gearing and tire sizes that http://www.gearingcommander.com/ has are correct, that should show your max speeds in each gear. Keep the optimistic speedo in mind too; those are actual speeds, so the dash will read a little higher than those numbers.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Omarel

.........This is the shifting chart for the 2006 pregen ninja 250 from the Kawasaki manual:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4...3Z4NGJtdHd4bVk

With all the deserved respect to Kawasaki, that table is absurd:
6th would cover from 28 mph up to max speed while accelerating and from max down to 15 mph when decelerating !!!

If you follow it, the engine will perform as a 50 c.c.

Some general practical guidelines here:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Acceler...changing_gears

Consider that higher rpm's for any gear favors good lubrication.

This is how a 250 should be ridden in sport mode (courtesy of @choneofakind, our Ninjette's youngest mechanical engineer):

Link to original page on YouTube.

[wendyjboss]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

I shift between 5-6000 because that all I you need to be faster then 99% of traffic when you know how to shift. If you thinking about any aspect of your shift while on the bike then you have a ways to go, but fear not, most get there eventually.

This is my 2nd year riding. When I became more active in the forums, I learned about the benefits of riding in the 8000-9000 rpm range. Up to this Spring I was shifting in the 3-4000 rpm range and always felt that lack of power. Shifting higher on the dial, like around 7000rpm totally freed up my riding. +1.:dance cool:

That said, I found myself riding in 3rd gear a lot ... I commute on back road twists and 35-45 is the max speed I hit generally. Is that okay -- to be at 3rd gear for a 25-30 minute ride. Granted I get out of 3rd when the needle goes past 9000, it often is right in the middle of that 8-9k range I mentioned above.

[Brother Michigan]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

Assuming the gearing and tire sizes that http://www.gearingcommander.com/ has are correct, that should show your max speeds in each gear. Keep the optimistic speedo in mind too; those are actual speeds, so the dash will read a little higher than those numbers.

I'm not going to bother finding what's wrong, but I'm guessing something isn't right here given the <90 mph top speed...

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by Brother Michigan

I'm not going to bother finding what's wrong, but I'm guessing something isn't right here given the <90 mph top speed...

http://www.gearingcommander.com/base...pup_maxrpm.htm

The M.P. RPM (Maximum Power RPM) in the GC database is the RPM when reaching the top of the power curve (Max power @ x RPM) stated by either manufacturer (when available), bike reviews, published Dyno-runs or other sources when available. It is not the red-line RPM on your tacho nor the RPM the rev-limiter kicks in!

Assuming the bike makes enough power to push the air out of the way at less than peak horsepower, you can go faster at a higher RPM than that. If you bump it up from 11k to 13k, it becomes 105.6mph.

[Brother Michigan]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

http://www.gearingcommander.com/base...pup_maxrpm.htm

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the explanation on the max power front.