Anyone ever ride trails on the Ninja??

[LoneRonin]

I get bored easily and look for crazy fun **** to do...that means sometimes I don't want to stop where the road does. I'm planning to go hit some mountain bike trails on my 250... any of you guys ever tried that yet? I will GoPro it.

Wish I had a dual sport and a super sport...since I don't baby Ninja has to suffice

[csmith12]

Good luck! Your gunna need it. Search for @Skippii for ninja + trails action.

[nickjpass]

I ride my sex-r into my gravel driveway every time i come home or leave.

[Skullz]

You could do something to the ninja like they did to the Ducati.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[LoneRonin]

Originally Posted by Skullz

You could do something to the ninja like they did to the Ducati.

Link to original page on YouTube.

hell...didn't even think I'd be able to get something in 250 sizes but these are stock!!!



tonight's run however will be on Diablo Rosso II's!!

[Desmoluci]

[NevadaWolf]

I've not ridden on mountain bike trails but I have taken my bike off onto dirt roads, washboard, rutted, and rocky. The fairing over the headers hangs down really low so watch your ground clearance.

My only trouble was the washboard rattled loose almost all the bolts.

[Yakaru]

Link to original page on YouTube.

[KawiKid860]

I do on my 500, did on my CBR, haven't gotten the 919 too dirty yet though. Taken it through some gravel in 2nd gear and had a fun time spinning up the rear haha

[subxero]

Dirt roads, old logging/mining roads are one thing but you say mtn bike trails...

When i think mtn bike trail i think pretty rugged intense and narrow.

I think the amount of fun you have will depend on the trails especially with street rubber. Any mud is going to be interesting to say the least and if you get the bike stuck it's going to suck. Pushing a dirt bike out of the mud sucks, so i can only imagine pushing a 400lb street bike with essentially slicks on is going to suck on a whole new level.

TLDR - stick to the dirt roads well maintained trails and steer clear of any mud and you should be ok and come to the realization that you will most likely go down so take precaution for it, not sure how much you care about your plastics.

[LoneRonin]

Originally Posted by subxero

Dirt roads, old logging/mining roads are one thing but you say mtn bike trails...

When i think mtn bike trail i think pretty rugged intense and narrow.

I think the amount of fun you have will depend on the trails especially with street rubber. Any mud is going to be interesting to say the least and if you get the bike stuck it's going to suck. Pushing a dirt bike out of the mud sucks, so i can only imagine pushing a 400lb street bike with essentially slicks on is going to suck on a whole new level.

TLDR - stick to the dirt roads well maintained trails and steer clear of any mud and you should be ok and come to the realization that you will most likely go down so take precaution for it, not sure how much you care about your plastics.

Not too much...I have 3 sets and the bike has over 50k miles. It performed very well. Some trails were wider, some were narrow single track types. I only got held up trying to cross one log when the fairing lowers got stuck on it. It caused the side fairing to flex and pop out from under the front cowl. Ahhh well...it was worth the fun.

I will post the video later today. Here's a google earth image

[Ninjinsky]

Makes about as much sense as eating a hamburger with a spoon.

[NevadaWolf]

Well done.

[LoneRonin]

Originally Posted by Ninjinsky

Makes about as much sense as eating a hamburger with a spoon.

Who cares as long as you're having fun and doing no harm...

I'm not looking to win any sanity awards...

[subxero]

for some real fun, get a used cheap small cc dirt bike and beat the snot out of it.

crf150r's are great small fun if you can find one for a decent price, and klx140's are pretty good fun as well on any trails.

[LoneRonin]

Originally Posted by subxero

for some real fun, get a used cheap small cc dirt bike and beat the snot out of it.

crf150r's are great small fun if you can find one for a decent price, and klx140's are pretty good fun as well on any trails.

Only problem is I'm in the city...its at least an hour to get to these types of places. If I get a dirtbike then I need a hitch and trailer as well. I'm looking for something like a DRZ400 or KLR650. At the same time I want a supersport too...

[Desmoluci]

Originally Posted by LoneRonin

KLR650.

/thread

[verboten1]

KLR is a great bike, we rode to James bay a few years back, mine was the workhorse of the bunch, I actually passed my buddy on his speed triple down hill, because he didn't know I was coming.... Lol

I really want a DRZ for more off road riding, but I just couldn't do long hauls on that 2x4 of a seat!

[Desmoluci]

Originally Posted by verboten1

KLR is a great bike, we rode to James bay a few years back, mine was the workhorse of the bunch, I actually passed my buddy on his speed triple down hill, because he didn't know I was coming.... Lol

I agree, a good rider on a KLR will have no trouble keeping the sporty bike guys in sight on the right road.

[spooph]

I rattled off the VIN plate attached to the steering neck when I went to an ADV meetup a few years ago... The key to off road is slow and balance.... You can do some pretty crazy stuff with things that aren't designed to do it. Search for Geek and his Loser on advrider.com. Probably the best example of a road bike doing some knarley off-road riding...

[LoneRonin]

So, I put my money where my mouth is...here is the video as promised

Link to original page on YouTube.

[ForceofWill]

Damn. You've got some balls my friend.

[subxero]

hopefully you can see more than I can

Looks like you had a good time, but like i said earlier dirtibkes are more fun in the dirt than a streetbike is in the dirt.

lots of options out there, doesn't take much to make a dirtbike streetable making trail access easier, and there are large and small dual sports all rip roaring ready to go

Personally if I had the cash I would get a ktm 300xcw and get it street legal would be a hoot

@Alex has a crf250l <-- I think that's right
Now that I think about it, it's been while since an update, how is all that jazz going?

[verboten1]

the few seconds I watched that, looks like it's pretty smooth, I would probably do it, on anything I have. Ran the old cruiser down 2 tracks before

[Alex]

Originally Posted by subxero

@Alex has a crf250l <-- I think that's right
Now that I think about it, it's been while since an update, how is all that jazz going?

Fun bike! I haven't been out on it as much as I'd want, but it's been good to chase my kid around on. The forum is still a little slow (link in my sig), but a few folks have been posting some very cool trail videos of the bike.

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by verboten1

the few seconds I watched that, looks like it's pretty smooth, I would probably do it, on anything I have. Ran the old cruiser down 2 tracks before

Agreed the trail didn't look too bad. The scraping seemed to come more from line choice vs rough terrain. Cameras never pick up headlights that well so I bet you could see more than we are able.

Looks like a lot of fun. There are old mining roads around me I'd love to explore but not brave enough to take the Ninja onto anything past hard pack forest service roads.

[spooph]

Awesome dude! You definitely got the adventurer spirit! This is a dirt track before a hooligan race I did a few months after getting my bike back in 2008... Serviced it right before and didn't feel like putting the body back on.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[ally99]

I've ridden my bike off-road a few times. My totaled 08 250 became a farm bike down at my mom's house. It was fun riding around down there, street tires and all. Sounds like a fun adventure ahead for you! Good luck!

[Jim L]

I'm going to Idaho next week for a week of trail riding.
Here's some of the trails for this year.
Cheers,

[subxero]

Originally Posted by Jim L

I'm going to Idaho next week for a week of trail riding.
Here's some of the trails for this year.
Cheers,

^ your doing this with the ninja?

Trails look pretty cool, would be awesome to do some hill climbs out there

[Xtina]

please take video. I need a laugh.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Ninjinsky

Makes about as much sense as eating a hamburger with a spoon.

me and kevin used to ride the 250 and 636 on ohv trails. it's good fun and a good work out

[Desmoluci]

^^

[alex.s]

lol

"I SEE!" said the blind man to his deaf daughter

[spooph]

Originally Posted by alex.s

lol

"I SEE!" said the blind man to his deaf daughter

while walking around the corner of a round table...

[Firefishe]

Originally Posted by LoneRonin

I get bored easily and look for crazy fun **** to do...that means sometimes I don't want to stop where the road does. I'm planning to go hit some mountain bike trails on my 250... any of you guys ever tried that yet? I will GoPro it.

Wish I had a dual sport and a super sport...since I don't baby Ninja has to suffice

Hello,

After reading the post above, I just had to register and comment. I'm 48 years old and have been riding motorcycles for a very long time, and what I read above just reeks of trouble-in-the-making.

I've owned a 1971 Yamaha 125 Dual-Sport ("Enduro"), Honda 200 Twin Star, and a Honda Silver Wing; I've ridden many friends' motorcycles, and have always practiced safe motorcycle handling techniques. I'm still alive because of these techniques, principally Because I Do Not Take Stupid Risks, Break Laws, Or PUT OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER!*

*Note The Poster: You're Putting Mountain Bike Rider's Lives In Danger By Riding Your 250 On Mountain Bike Trails! (Just thought you should know.)

I'm looking at various sport bikes, maxi-scooters, and whatnot, to try something new. The Ninja is among the possibilities.

Now, what is not among the possibilities is what I'm reading in this post: Riding Motorcycles On Mountain Bike Trails Is A No Go!

What if a mountain bike rider wanted to do some night riding with a high-powered lighting system, then just happens to, ahem!, Run Into That 250 Of Yours?

Get A Clue, Please!

Mountain bike trails are for mountain bikes, motocross trails are for dirt bikes. You want to put dirt tires on your street bike and ride them on the dirt trails? Sure. Fine. Go For It! I support you one-hundred-percent!

I do not support you riding a motorcycle on mountain bike trails. Unless They're For Dual Sport Use!

I don't quite see the purpose in the above, but I suppose that such trails exist, such as in a multi-sport area, where 4x4's (regular vehicles or ATV's), motorcycles, and mountain bikes share the road; however, this is dangerous if not downright idiotic in my opinion on the part of any land managers who adopt this type of policy.

Please! Let's ride our "rides" on the proper streets, trails, and stay off of non-motorized bicycle trails. We lose privileges when we all don't follow the rules, obey the laws, and practice proper safety measures when on motorcycles-in-general.

Granted, we have a decent legal lobby for our two-wheeled sports, but let's not put them--and by definition, "us!"--in a position where we have to explain why some of us are riding street bikes on bicycle trails, "mountain," or not!

Thank you for reading.

A rider, on and off, for over thirty years!
Sincerely,
--Firefishe

[csmith12]

Welcome Firefishe!

[Firefishe]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Welcome Firefishe!

Thanks, csmith12, I appreciate the comeback.

I trust my post didn't get anyone riled too much. It's just that I'm also a mountain biker. Go figure. ;-)

We have a park area near where I live that has mountain-bike-specific trails. There's also a newly-built disc-golf course with heavily-wooded holes that intersect mountain bike trails, and I know from almost being hit by mountain bikers that hikers need to stay off the mountain bike trails, or, at least, be very much aware of what's going on, not look down, keep one's head moving, and keep alert at all times.

Kind of like driving a tractor-trailer combination vehicle.

I've almost been hit by mountain bikers because I wasn't paying attention. Not the mountain biker's fault, but my own for not looking and getting across the trail to the next tee pad quickly.

The disc golf course is a new one. The mountain bike trails have been there for over ten years and there's even a regular bike race held on the park trails. The bike trails have seniority, really.

The new disc golf course is designed to be a championship-level course, and everyone's going to have to learn to get along. I trust this won't be a problem, as we have a great bunch of people working with Parks and Recreation to create a top-level experience for everyone's interests at the park.

But back to the hiker/biker/impact matter: If me, being a hiker, gets scared out of his wits when I wasn't looking, and a mountain biker, using the specified trail, almost hits me because I wasn't paying attention, imagine how much more fear-inducing it would be if a mountain biker, riding at night, using a high-powered lighting system (or not), comes suddenly across a rider on a 250 Ninja (Great Bikes! :-) ) on a trail not designed for it?

Deer-In-The-Eyes-Effect....Light Approaching....*KABOOM!* One gets the idea, eh?[Michigan Accent]

(As an aside, our mountain bike trails would blow a 250 Ninja into oblivion, but I digress ;-> LOL).

Okay, 'nuff said. Thanks, again, for the hello and welcome. I plan on behaving myself.

Peace,
--Firefishe

[sumdawgtwigg]

After I bought mine I was going out of town for a few days and had to store it in a friends garage. He lives about a mile up a rutted out dirt road. Taking it there was no problem since it was in the back of a truck but I took it back out myself. It's also a very steep grade most of the way. Only took about twenty minutes lol

[spooph]

Originally Posted by Firefishe

*Note The Poster: You're Putting Mountain Bike Rider's Lives In Danger By Riding Your 250 On Mountain Bike Trails! (Just thought you should know.)

Get A Clue, Please!

Thank you for reading.

A rider, on and off, for over thirty years!
Sincerely,
--Firefishe

I understand your point, but the only grounds for berating the poor guy is on the legal side of things. Around my area there many mixed trails and people seem to get along, although nobody likes the dirt bikes, the runners/ dog walkers don't like the mountain bike people because they are considered dangerous and too fast and so forth... Also, most of Moab is mixed trails.... All I'm trying to say is that thinking outside of the box is a wonderful thing, as long as it can be done safely... To me, the ninja and the imaginary night riding mountain biker both have good brakes and are very engaged/focused riders meaning there should be no safety issues....

So, if the rider was doing something illegal, the cops should be called... If he wasn't, and was able to pull it off safely... well then, he just learned a ton and had a great time thinking outside the box...

baaaaa