Ontario riders???

[mr.niftie]

Hello all,
Anyone out there interested in the odd ride? I usually go for about 2 or so hours.
Most days are good for me. At least until the kids are out of school in June and then it's evenings only.
Heading out shortly to Guelph with everything but Ninja's. ie. a Ducatti, BMW, and some noisy HD's.
Have a Happy!!!

Regards,
Mike

[KTRacing38]

Hey... I'm in TO, but my ninja is for the track only.

[joyinc]

do you ever post on gtamotorcycle.com they have lots of rides.

I'm in Brantford, but not group riding till she's all broken in

[KTRacing38]

GTAM is great for meeting other riders, but some group rides are better than others. Try to stay away from the really large ones... it only takes one person not respecting their limits for a great day to go south quickly! Try going to some of the meet ups first, get to know some people and then ride with them.

[joyinc]

i totally know what you mean I've only gone on one really big ride, but i showed up with riders that i already knew and trusted who rode around me anyhow... i've heard lots of stories about people though on the big rides! these days i'm going to stick to the people i know. i'm not a crazy rider anyhow, i dont want to feel pressure to keep up... i just like to ride. but having said that, i was on a 125 and there were 2 of us who kept up with all the big bikes (so i know i can, i just dont want to have to lol)

[KTRacing38]

Originally Posted by joyinc

i was on a 125 and there were 2 of us who kept up with all the big bikes (so i know i can, i just dont want to have to lol)

lol! Problem here is that if one of the "big bikes" does something stupid and attracts the wrong kind of attention, they have a way better chance of getting away! Trust me. One ride I was on, a guy on a litre bike did a wheelie past a speed trap. He and the 3 other guys on litre bikes took off, leaving me on my 250 and a noob on a 600 well behind. Even if I wanted to (and I didn't) I couldn't have kept up with the speeds they were travelling.

[joyinc]

omg! that doesnt surprise me lol

you really have to be careful who you ride with! i feel pretty lucky that i found some decent guys the first time i ever went out

[mr.niftie]

Thanks all.
I'm not necessarily looking for big groups and long outings.
Sometimes, I just don't want to ride by myself . . .

[mr.niftie]

Heading out tomorrow mid-day. Should be a nice day.

[mr.niftie]

Heading out today @ noon again.
I really should post more in advance. My bad.

[joyinc]

dan on the 125 forum was looking for a ride today i think?

[mr.niftie]

Thanks for the heads up.
Which web site is that exactly?
Tomorrow might work and Friday looks open.
Tonight won't work as I've got a Hemi meeting.

Originally Posted by joyinc

dan on the 125 forum was looking for a ride today i think?

[joyinc]

the cbr 125 forum... you post there right? i recognized your name

[mr.niftie]

I was just asking because there are several different ones.
I think the only one I ever belonged to was cbr125r.ca.

[joyinc]

i post there alot... seems to be mostly local guys

[SSR]

With a couple of 250 riders in the area, I thought we'd create a thread to coordinate some rides.

[Alexdurmann]

That would be awesome, weather is starting to shape up too.
Anybody have any favorite routes they like to take a trip on?
Winding flat roads?

[Alex46]

Cool, i'm in. I know the Gatineau Park is really nice...

[SSR]

Problem with Gatineau Park is a ton of cyclists that think they own the road, lots of really slow cagers and cops galore. But if we hit it up now before the cycling/tourist season starts, it should be perfect!

I'm away this weekend, but next weekend is free. Or we could meet up in the evening some time and just cruise around. Wednesday nights are the best for me.

[Alex46]

Nice, Wednesday nights are good for me too. I'm going to a hockey game tonight but next Wednesday perfect.

[08ninja250]

hey guys, I converted my bike strictly to race this year but If you guys want to have a tech day or something im happy to help out.

[SSR]

Originally Posted by 08ninja250

hey guys, I converted my bike strictly to race this year but If you guys want to have a tech day or something im happy to help out.

I've really been thinking about shimming my bike. Looks easy enough, but always nice to have a watchful eye around.

How hard is it to do the sprocket modification?

Regarding a get-together, Wednesday night seems to be the general answer so far. How about this Wednesday at 7:30...somewhere in the middle? I'm in Ottawa South, by the airport.

[Alex46]

Looks like tomorrow Wed will be raining all day

Wednesday is a good night though, maybe next week if it's nice. I found some other 250 riders here, I'll invite them:

http://www.ott-motorcycles.ca/index.php?topic=48988.0

Yea we could meet downtown somewhere. In the meantime if you want to go for a ride hit me up.

I want to ride as much as possible this summer...

Peace

[SSR]

Yes, it is a little wet outside isn't it?

Next week should be very good, someplace downtown would be good. We'll need a place with a parking lot. You have any ideas?

[08ninja250]

did any of you ride through smiths falls today?

[SSR]

Originally Posted by 08ninja250

did any of you ride through smiths falls today?

Nope. See a 250 I take it?

[08ninja250]

yeah I saw a group of 3

[opc]

Hi Guys,

I just got my 09 ninja 250 a few months ago, and if it ever stops raining, I'd be interested in joining along for a group ride or a meet and greet.

I'm in New Edinburgh just east of the market, so I'm pretty easy going as far as location goes.

I also bought my bike used, and I think the previous owner may have had a little bit of a modification bug, so I have a few tech questions if someone in the group is knowledgeable about general motorcycle stuff. I'm also going to post a few pictures of a few of the items here for comments.

Glad to see there are so many 250 owners in Ottawa!

Cheers,
Owen

[08ninja250]

id be happy to help out with some tech stuff what do you want to do?
Posted via Mobile Device

[opc]

I actually just have two concerns about some things I noticed when I was working on the bike the other day.

1. The previous owner seems to have installed a red coloured chain, and when I look at it, it appears as though the chain is too wide for the sprocket. I know the chains and sprockets come in a variety of different widths, so I'm concerned he just bought whatever and tossed it on. I've attached a picture of the chain on the rear sprocket for reference.

2. The previous owner also upgraded the exhaust (a full Yoshimura system, not a slip-on) which is actually pretty nice. I just noticed today during some investigative digging that he also installed a K&N 2508 air filter and I'm guessing he also installed a jet kit since that seems to be the package deal. How do I know that the jetting was done correctly and that the bike isn't running too rich or too lean? I noticed that if I blip the throttle from idle, the revs jump then drop well below idle and slowly increase back to normal idle (around 1500). The bike seems to work quite well overall, and it pulls strong and never stalls, but I just want to be sure everything is legit.

Any help with the above would really be appreciated!

Cheers,
Owen

[08ninja250]

im not sure about the chain, if you feel uncomfortable with it id recommend replacing it with a stock one. as for the exhaust and jetting, it would not be running if he didn't jet it so he did the jettubg for sure. the rev drop then slowly return to idle is normal! if the bike is running good through the power band with no studders he got the jetting right.
Posted via Mobile Device

[opc]

Thanks! I'll sleep a little better a night knowing the jetting was probably done to an acceptable level.

As for the chain, I might just replace the whole drivetrain sometime this season. I've been wanting to go to an aluminum rear sprocket and a different gear ration that would drop the highway RPM's down a little, so I'll probably just buy a new front and rear sprocket, and a chain to go along with it.

Thanks for the tips!

Back on topic, I'll be looking to go out for a ride tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday as well. both days look to be warm, sunny, and rain-free, so I'll be heading out for sure. If anyone wants to do a group ride through Gatineau Park either day, then I'd be in. If there are any takers, let me know.

Cheers,
Owen

[SSR]

So the long term weather forcast for next Wednesday looks good, so let's plan a meeting spot.

It sounds like the general concensus would be downtown. I live in the south and know how to get to places downtown, but I'm not familiar with any good "get-together" spots. Or we could always meet at a Timmy's someplace else. There's one on Bank Street, just after the Riverside bridge. That's probably the most "center" one that I can think of that's an equal distance from Kanata/Orleans/Barhaven/Gat.

Anybody got any place better?

And how does 7:00 sound?

[opc]

Hi SSR,

That would work for me. Parking in the market can be a bit of a pain, and that location should be just far enough outside of the core to make things easy.

Is anyone else here interested?

I'm also looking for some fun places to ride in the area, so any suggestions would be nice. I keep going up and down the parkway, but it's usually full of cars going 40km/h which makes the twisty parts a lot less fun. Gatineau park is also closed until later this month, but even then I hear it's pretty heavily patrolled, and still pretty busy.

If anyone has a favorite spot or route, maybe we can plan to cover it on Wednesday.

Cheers,
Owen

[SSR]

Originally Posted by opc

That would work for me. Parking in the market can be a bit of a pain, and that locations should be just far enough outside of the core to make things easy.

To clarify for anyone else, here's the location: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=45....0~&form=LMLTCC

Originally Posted by opc

I'm also looking for some fun places to ride in the area, so any suggestions would be nice... Gatineau park is also closed until later this month, but even then I hear it's pretty heavily patrolled, and still pretty busy.

Heavily patrolled is an understatement. It might not be so bad early, but when I was last there in the summer, there was like a cop on every corner (slight, but not by much exageration). Then there's the cyclists who think they own the rode by cycling 4 wide, and the cars who are gawking about. You'll be lucky if you hit 50kph.

Going out west is pretty good, out towards Lanark county. There's a few nice roads, but you have to ride a bit out to reach them. The most popular would be Calabogie, out by Black Donald Lake. You'll see a ton of bikers out there:
Black Donald Lake

[Alex46]

Im in too! Sorry for not getting back earlier.

Bank location is good. Merivale could also work.

Haha yea the parkway is always fun.

Thx for organizing SSR. Out west could be cool. Will it be too dark though?

We might not be many first time out but ppl will add to group. Alot of 250s in Ottawa.

[Alex46]

Or

We could just do a little loop around Ottawa, going north to Wellington then Parkway then Woodroffe then Fallowfield... Something like that.

I did a little ride to Chelsea (Quebec) a few weeks ago, there are some nice curves there, we could go there and back.

I'd rather follow you guys though if you don't mind since relatively new rider.

Hope it still works, I'll be riding this afternoon anyways.

[SSR]

Yeah, out west, as in Calabogie out west is an afternoon ride.

Just around Ottawa is cool, there's enough nice roads (Colonial By, Queen Elizabeth II, parkways...)


Enjoy the ride. I'm stuck at work.

[opc]

hmm... looks like it's just Alex and myself. Anyone else in?

I'll be there from 7:00 to 7:15 at least, so you can look for the red 250 pictured to the left. I've got a white and black helmet, and a white and black Yoshi jacket. I'll be inside having a tea.

Hope to see at least a few people there...

Cheers,
Owen

[Alex46]

I went but nobody there

Hopefully nxt wed will work for more ppl.

I suggest other location, parking lot was small.

Maybe Tim H at Innes and Cyrville? A little far for me but right next to highway which is good. Saw a few sportbikes there tonite.