Can 2007 Ninja 250 handle the highway?

[greg737]

Originally Posted by CaliGrrl

Yeah, I know, redline's at 13. It just feels so strange to rev it up!

Mental adjustment, getting used to how it feels. Working on it. Hopefully get to ride a few miles on Monday. Work, getting in the way of having fun. Pshaw.

I feel you on the mental adjustment. And, I think this adjustment is different for different people.

I found that for me this mental adjustment to trust/confidence in the bike was knowing about the EX250's mechanical workings and feeling like I was the responsible party.

When I first got the EX250 (after 22 years of not riding) I found myself being very conservative with the revs (and with speed). But as I spent time working on the bike to maintain and upgrade it to meet my needs the more confident I became in using/enjoying the bike's full rev range.

Now that I'm confident about the bike's mechanicals:
- I know the oil is good, I maintain it myself, never allow it go too long.
- I know the Cam Chain Tensioner is good, regular inspection and lube.
- I know the Valves are properly adjusted, I do the adjustment myself.
- I know the chain and sprockets are good, proper care/regular inspection
- I trust the brakes, rebuilt them myself, installed stainless steel lines.
- I trust the tires, good Pirelli tires rather than cheap Dunlops.
- I trust the suspension, rebuilt/upgraded the forks myself, replaced rear shock
- and there's a lot more, there's nothing on the bike I won't work on.

So now I use and enjoy the best that the EX250 has to offer, which is the range from 9,000 to 12,500 rpm. This is where the bike really delivers.

[choneofakind]

Lol, why does everyone, and I mean everyone, say that the 250 feels/sounds like a weed wacker??? those engines are not even remotely similar!

[Mohawk]

I'm with you, I've only ever riddeena bike with less than 10krpm redline, I don't see the point, if you want a hog or a car, then buy one. You buy a sports bike regardless of size primarily because its fun to corner on & to do that well it needs very wide rev range to ensure you always have a right gear for every corner.

My ZZR250 sounds like a motoGP bike, its addictive, I love it

The nicest thing is if I do rev my 800 like that it will do 160mph, the Ninja is great as you can cane it everywhere & generally be safe from losing your license & in the winter it does not want to spin up the rear on every little damp patch phew

[Geezer-60]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Lol, why does everyone, and I mean everyone, say that the 250 feels/sounds like a weed wacker??? those engines are not even remotely similar!

I got over it I don't feel that way now.

[greg737]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Lol, why does everyone, and I mean everyone, say that the 250 feels/sounds like a weed wacker??? those engines are not even remotely similar!

Like a lot of things, it's an exaggeration. But... like a lot of things if there wasn't a bit of truth mixed in there it wouldn't be such a common exaggeration.

In all honesty the EX250's exhaust note just isn't a naturally wonderful, ear-pleasing thing and that's due to the firing order of a parallel 2-cylinder engine with a 180 degree crankshaft: two combustion events separated by only 180 degrees of engine rotation followed by 540 degrees of nothing. It's not the prettiest pattern (actually I don't know if there's a worse sounding 2-cylinder engine configuration) but obviously Kawasaki was going for performance first and aesthetics second (or third) when it developed the EX250 engine.

So yeah, the EX250 sounds a bit farty at idle and not all that pleasing until about 6,000 RPM. But from there on up that odd exhaust pulse pattern comes into its own and sounds great (IMO).

[choneofakind]

Exactly!!! it sounds great at higher RPM's, where weed wackers spin like mad...

Idk, it's lost on me. I don't get it at all. I know guys who can tell the difference between a chevy V8 and a Ford V8, yet insist that the 250 sounds like a weed wacker.

[Ghostt]

Some aftermarket exhaust systems do make some bikes sounds better, and some worse.

Just like music, tastes vary.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[verboten1]

My '08 with the carbon yosimura pipe sounded amazing, especially at 11,000 rpm!

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Lol, why does everyone, and I mean everyone, say that the 250 feels/sounds like a weed wacker??? those engines are not even remotely similar!

Agreed. The 250 on song sounds great.

Singles like the one in the RC390, though.... now that really does sound like a weed wacker. One of the few things I don't like about that bike.

[RacinNinja]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Agreed. The 250 on song sounds great.

Singles like the one in the RC390, though.... now that really does sound like a weed wacker. One of the few things I don't like about that bike.

My vintage 350 is going on the dyno this coming weekend. I'll get some video to see if that changes your mind.

My 250 with the full Tyga with Maggot muffler is going on Thursday night. I'll get vid of that too for comparisons sake.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Agreed. The 250 on song sounds great.

Singles like the one in the RC390, though.... now that really does sound like a weed wacker. One of the few things I don't like about that bike.

Nah, even those don't sound like a weed wacker. Totally different displacement and totally different sound.

Saying a KTM 390 sounds like a weed wacker is like saying a 1992 CBR250RR sounds like my 2006 Scion tC. 0.250L I4 at 19,000 rpm redline vs 2.4L I4 at 6300 rpm redline. But they're both I4's so obviously they sound the same...

[dreadfalcon]

Stay loose.


At first I thought the interstate was scary, now I don't even notice it.

Just stay loose and relax. Don't let the wind bother you. Be smooth. Tuck in behind the win shield and hug the tank if that helps.


And always, always wear your full gear when riding on the interstate. Can't stress this enough. The grade of asphalt is very coarse on the interstate usually. You will lose half the skin on your body if you fall in a t shirt.

[Omarel]

Just got on the highway the first time yesterday. One thing I noticed very subtly was I felt the bike do a slight pogo from right to left, left to right about 2 times in a 20 minute ride.

I couldn't tell if the tire was losing traction, sliding on something or just wind. I couldn't tell what it was doing. It was very subtle.

[CaliGrrl]

Good to notice that, and see if it keeps doing it on different types of pavement or conditions. There can be grooves in the road that will do it, or wind, or whatever.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Omarel

Just got on the highway the first time yesterday. One thing I noticed very subtly was I felt the bike do a slight pogo from right to left, left to right about 2 times in a 20 minute ride.

I couldn't tell if the tire was losing traction, sliding on something or just wind. I couldn't tell what it was doing. It was very subtle.

If only the rear tire when going over bumps, the pressure of the rear tire is too high.

If both tires, it could be cross gusts or grooves of the surface.
Nothing more to do in that case than developing the healthy habit of firmly clamping your feet and knees against the bike while relaxing your shoulders, arms and hands.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by Omarel

Just got on the highway the first time yesterday. One thing I noticed very subtly was I felt the bike do a slight pogo from right to left, left to right about 2 times in a 20 minute ride.

I couldn't tell if the tire was losing traction, sliding on something or just wind. I couldn't tell what it was doing. It was very subtle.

A gust of wind will do that, as will surface irregularities in the pavement. It's important not to panic and over react , rain grooves will really get you wiggling around.

[Ghostt]

Tires, tire pressure, OEM suspension, which sucks if you weigh more than 100lbs/ 9 stones

Upgrading the suspension is the best thing you can do, and it's easily and inexpensive to do on the PreGen Ninjette. Stiffer fork springs, New fork oil, different weight fork oil sometimes, and a rear shock from a NewGen Ninjette. Setting the sag is also crucial.


@InvisiBill can explain it better than me.

[JohnnyBravo]

No it will explode like all those model T cars did