Off-Roading my Ninjette and a Crash!

[Jono]

So I crashed my ninjette for the third time this evening! It wasn't bad though. Just twisted the forks, broke off my left bar end mirror, and popped the headlight out of its bucket. And I am just fine. Will probably just have a bruise on my right knee. These bikes can take a lot of abuse.

So here is the story. Me and a friend (who also rides a ninja 250) started our ride around 6:30ish tonight. Went and hit up some gravel roads because I recently discovered how much fun it is to ride on gravel. And the gravel road we were on turned to single track dirt/gravel which was also fun! Then we decided to head to the backroads for some decent twisties. We turned onto a road that we have never ridden on and it was soooo nice until the road was fenced off about a mile down from where we turned off of. We then turned back around because I noticed what looked to be a trail of some sort.

I went for it. It was a nice trail which had ATV tracks all over. There were a few muddy patches but it was mostly dry. We rode on the trail for like 2 minutes and came to a stop. We then saw a little shed with wood set out for a bonfire. And there were empty beer cans around. Seem like someones little get away. Anwho. It was getting very dark so we turned around and decide we would come back another time during the day.

On the way back out to the road I hit some slick mud and lost the rear end. The area was a bit slanted so I was leaning to the left some. The bike just slid out from under me. Damn you Bridgestone bt45r, why u no have grip offroad! lol I tried to save it but just ended up flooring it. Next thing I know the bike was on the ground. I hit the kill switch as fast as I could. Lifted the bike back up and rolled it out of the mud. Then tried to start it but it didn't fire up because it was on its side for a couple of seconds. Eventually got it running again and headed out of the woods. Oh and did I mention it was super dark at this time! Haha.

But I got home safely thanks to my friend riding in front on the way home so I could see. My headlight was a little messed up and I didn't have the tools to fix it on the road. I also got the forks straighten back out and the bike is the way it was before the crash minus a broken bar end mirror. But they were just cheap cycle gear mirrors so no worries.

I just can't wait to ride my ninjette back out to this trail and do some more off-roading and exploring! Will get some footage on my GoPro and hopefully post up here.

For those of you who haven't taken your ninjette off a paved surface you are missing out! I think there are a lot of skills that can transfer over from offroading to street riding. I should have bought a dirt bike before I bought my ninjette (first bike).

I am currently saving up for a dual sport but I think my ninjette will do in the mean time.


All in all it was a great ride!

[n4mwd]

Ninjas are street bikes not dirt bikes. Its not good to subject your Ninja to that kind of abuse. Gravel and mud are things to avoid.

If you like riding off road then you should get a dirt bike. They are dirt cheap and in many states they don't even need titles or tags.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by Jono

For those of you who haven't taken your ninjette off a paved surface you are missing out! I think there are a lot of skills that can transfer over from offroading to street riding. I should have bought a dirt bike before I bought my ninjette (first bike).

I am currently saving up for a dual sport but I think my ninjette will do in the mean time.


All in all it was a great ride!

If you're actually suggesting that I do that despite your experience, I've just gotta say: You're crazy, man!

[Sigma.40]

Originally Posted by CZroe

If you're actually suggesting that I do that despite your experience, I've just gotta say: You're crazy, man!

+1
Using the Ninja to go off-road is equivalent to all those people who buy a diesel 4 door long bed dually pick up to go grocery shopping.

[Alex]

Dirt and gravel roads are a-ok with me, especially if they lead to fun out-of-the-way paved roads on the other side. Mud is a different story, so I'll avoid them if it's been raining the past week or so.

[Jono]

Yeah I was not expecting mud because it hasn't rained in a while. But it was just one big patch of it. It could have been easily avoided during the daylight. So my advise is to try this out during the day!


It was a whole lot of fun! I like exploring new things.


And our ninja 250's can definitely handle light trail riding and riding on gravel. So to all of those to scared to go offroad, don't. But you are missing out.

[espacef1fan]

Originally Posted by Sigma.40

+1
Using the Ninja to go off-road is equivalent to all those people who buy a diesel 4 door long bed dually pick up to go grocery shopping.

No, the 4 door dually to go grocery shopping is more similar to BMW1200GSA(farkeled to the max of course) to ride down a gravel road from your house to the main highway on the way to work!

[etiainen]

I was following my dad(he was in his truck, I was on my Ninjette) one day out in the Pine Barrens and he forgot to tell me we were going to some farms....

Wasn't muddy but extremely sandy. Didn't crash but it was quite the experience. Wasn't too bad once I got the hang of it.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Jono

And our ninja 250's can definitely handle light trail riding and riding on gravel. So to all of those to scared to go offroad, don't. But you are missing out.

A Ninja can handle packed gravel roads without too much trouble, but loose gravel is another story. But even with packed gravel, you can't safely get up enough speed to keep the bike from overheating. Dirt and trail riding tend to be slow riding (< 30mph) and aren't good for the Ninja.

I say again, if that's the kind of riding you like, then get a dirt bike. Its the right tool for the job. They also tend to be lighter and less susceptible to damage when you go down in the woods.

[espacef1fan]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

A Ninja can handle packed gravel roads without too much trouble, but loose gravel is another story. But even with packed gravel, you can't safely get up enough speed to keep the bike from overheating. Dirt and trail riding tend to be slow riding (< 30mph) and aren't good for the Ninja.

I say again, if that's the kind of riding you like, then get a dirt bike. Its the right tool for the job. They also tend to be lighter and less susceptible to damage when you go down in the woods.

Thats why you keep an eye on the temp gauge..also with this logic...stop and go traffic will kill a ninjette.

I say dirtbikes and sportbikes are both motorcycles. Only you know how comfortable you are on what surfaces and on what bike...ride accordingly.


Getting a dirtbike to handle a dirt road is no better than buying a ZX6R to handle commuting on a two lane highway in the mountains....

Buy what you want..ride where you want.

ADVrider forum will open your eyes to what "street only bikes" can do.

[Custom Seat Creations]

Just plain crazy, but if you're having fun good on ya. Try not to kill yourself.

[Jono]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

A Ninja can handle packed gravel roads without too much trouble, but loose gravel is another story. But even with packed gravel, you can't safely get up enough speed to keep the bike from overheating. Dirt and trail riding tend to be slow riding (< 30mph) and aren't good for the Ninja.

I say again, if that's the kind of riding you like, then get a dirt bike. Its the right tool for the job. They also tend to be lighter and less susceptible to damage when you go down in the woods.

Whaaaa! Not true! My bike didn't overheat once. The radiator fan never kicked on. I should add that my bike is naked. But my friend on his 07 ninja 250 with fairings didn't over heat either while riding on gravel! So yeah, your wrong.

And you can definitely safely ride the bike on gravel at 30mph. Why is it not good for the ninja?? Give me some good reasons. It isn't good if you fall but that can happen anywhere.


And what espacef1fan said!



I'll post up my video of riding on gravel once it uploads which my take a while.

[etiainen]

Sometimes you just end up on gravel roads.

A lot of hiking trails I've gone on have trailheads via gravel access roads. I've had to climb to the top of a very large mountain on my Ninjette on gravel.

Best part was getting stuck in a hole in a turn going up. It was quite the learning experience getting out of that one. Coming down felt scarier than going up though. Kept it around 15MPH because it was pretty steep.

[alex.s]

sounds like you had fun.

you can ride just about any bike anywhere. obviously some bikes do better some places but the ninja handles dirt fine. mud sucks cause you get stuck in it and its nasty, but gravel, dirt, dust, whatever. its fun

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Jono

Whaaaa! Not true! My bike didn't overheat once.

Didn't you say you were riding after dark? That makes a difference in overheating. And yes, idling in traffic for long periods in town is bad too. Especially in the summer. In cold weather I can idle all day long without overheating.

Regarding gravel and dirt roads, it all depends on how stable it is when determining the max safe speed. I live on a dirt road that is very stable so there is never a problem, but not far from here is a dirt road that is really just a long trough of sugar sand. Generally, your not going to be able to go through mud pits and sugar sand at 30 mph. Ok, you might, but the rest of us want to keep our mirrors and plastic from being broken off.

[highpsiguy]

My concourse 1000 was terrible on dirt. I did'nt feel safe at all. Tried my Honda Sabre.... it sucked as well on dirt. The versys, klr and vstrom did excellent. The ninja 250 does VERY well on dirt/gravel, almost as good as the true dualsports. I find myself at 40-45mph plus on good dirt roads. I have the ex500 rear shock and beefed up front forks... does great. Thinking about puting on a good set of dual sport tires and seeing what she will really do.

[Jono]

Here is the video of me on some gravel. I am going slow in the first part but go quicker on the singletrack! I am really comfortable on single track because I mtn bike. The bike can handle much quicker speeds. I was just taking it easy and learning how the bike responded on gravel. This was only my second time riding on gravel.

Link to original page on YouTube.