Almost traded my ninjette...

kamikaze · July 5th, 2011, 12:41 PM

So I was on a local forum, and found a guy that wanted to trade an 07 Ninja 650R straight up for an 09+ 250R. Since I've been wanting a little more power lately I decided to entertain the idea, and meet up with him to check out each others bikes. His reasoning for looking for the 250 was that his wife had dropped the 650 and wanted something smaller. The frame slider took all of the hit, but it was rashed up a bit from the previous owner. The cosmetic stuff I was willing to overlook, but I really wanted to ride it to see if I liked it.

After about a 20-30 min ride, about 60% highway and 40% twisty stuff I decided that it's just not for me. I didn't like the clutch and front brake at all, and the handlebars felt too tall. On one hand, I'd only had about 20 to 30 min on it, so I'm not sure that I wouldn't have gotten used to it, but with the only complaint about my 250 is the power (well, that and the cast iron seat

) I felt it was better to stick with what I had. By the end of our swap, he seemed really happy with the idea, but I wasn't excited at all. We went our separate ways and I emailed him this morning telling him that I'd be keeping my bike. Something still tells me I'm passing up a great opportunity but at the same time I don't want to be stuck with a bike I don't love and don't like riding.

That being said, I did ride an FZ6R a couple weeks ago and really liked it, and i'm hoping that a local dealer will let me take a used GSX650F out for a rip to see what it's like.

Flashmonkey · July 5th, 2011, 01:45 PM

I think you made the right choice. If a bike doesn't fit it doesn't fit.

That would've been a bitchin' deal, though.

sombo · July 5th, 2011, 01:53 PM

I agree on both your decision to not go for the deal since it didn't feel right, and on liking the FZ6R. I road both for demos and felt the similarly about the bikes. I didn't really like the feel of the 2012 650R but loved the 2012 FZ6R. That has become my #1 choice atm for future bike. I too want to test the GSX650F to see how that feels. Kinda cool we have similar tastes in bikes.

kamikaze · July 5th, 2011, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

I think you made the right choice. If a bike doesn't fit it doesn't fit.

That would've been a bitchin' deal, though.

It was a great deal, other than trading a near mint bike for one that's rashed up a bit. The other thing that bothered me was that it was a US bike and the 06-08 had analog clusters so it's primarily in Mi, and I don't think you can switch the odo to KM like you can on the 09+ with the digital dash. Not that I'd care where it came from, but it's easier to resell when you can change it all over to KM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sombo

I agree on both your decision to not go for the deal since it didn't feel right, and on liking the FZ6R. I road both for demos and felt the similarly about the bikes. I didn't really like the feel of the 2012 650R but loved the 2012 FZ6R. That has become my #1 choice atm for future bike. I too want to test the GSX650F to see how that feels. Kinda cool we have similar tastes in bikes.

I really liked that FZ6R. If I can find a 2010 in the black/gold colour for a reasonable price it's game over for the ninjette. I think the similar taste comes from liking the sport touring bikes in the 600cc class. I've never been dead set on the looks of Suzuki's. To me the front end is all kinds of wrong, but at this point I don't care really what it looks like as long as I enjoy riding it. If I happen to like how it looks too, well that's just icing on the cake.

sombo · July 5th, 2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kamikaze

I really liked that FZ6R. If I can find a 2010 in the black/gold colour for a reasonable price it's game over for the ninjette. I think the similar taste comes from liking the sport touring bikes in the 600cc class. I've never been dead set on the looks of Suzuki's. To me the front end is all kinds of wrong, but at this point I don't care really what it looks like as long as I enjoy riding it. If I happen to like how it looks too, well that's just icing on the cake.

I couldn't agree more on that. In fact I agree with the styling of the Suzuki's, I'm not all that psyched about the looks either. I would even take a Ninja 500 if it rides nice and has the power I want. I've found sites that have different (more complete style) fairings that look better (imo). Plus, many of the same mods available for the pre-gens are available for the 500. I personally don't want/need anything bigger than a mid-size sport tourer (or as they put it a do-it-all bike).

kamikaze · July 5th, 2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sombo

I couldn't agree more on that. In fact I agree with the styling of the Suzuki's, I'm not all that psyched about the looks either. I would even take a Ninja 500 if it rides nice and has the power I want. I've found sites that have different (more complete style) fairings that look better (imo). Plus, many of the same mods available for the pre-gens are available for the 500. I personally don't want/need anything bigger than a mid-size sport tourer (or as they put it a do-it-all bike).

I thought about the 500 too, but i think part of what makes the FZ6R and GSX650F so appealing is that they are FI inline 4 engines. The torque from the Kawi 650R is insane, pulls hard from 3k rpm but it doesn't feel as smooth as the inline 4 on the FZ6R.

sombo · July 5th, 2011, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kamikaze

I thought about the 500 too, but i think part of what makes the FZ6R and GSX650F so appealing is that they are FI inline 4 engines. The torque from the Kawi 650R is insane, pulls hard from 3k rpm but it doesn't feel as smooth as the inline 4 on the FZ6R.

I thought the same thing. I also thought that those who kept saying how quiet the 650R is stock never really road a bike with aftermarket exhaust before. IMO it was actually kinda noisy for a stock bike. I almost thought it already had an aftermarket can on it. The FZ6R on the other hand was soft and smooth with a gentle purr. Also I found the seat to be 1000x better then the 650R. It seemed to cradle you and truly support you in all the right places. The 650R on the other hand seemed to collapse on the sides and wedge stiffness right up the center making it start to be uncomfortable on a DEMO ride. I couldn't imagine it on a 600 mile trip or something.

Snake · July 5th, 2011, 08:01 PM

Like Johny Cockren said: "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit".

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Traded the kx125 for a xr100	ninjamunky85	The Ex-Ninjetters Lair	10	December 11th, 2014 10:07 PM
So I traded in my ninjette...	oreX	The Ex-Ninjetters Lair	22	January 25th, 2013 05:24 PM
just traded up to a zx10r	diohji	The Ex-Ninjetters Lair	18	April 21st, 2012 08:02 AM
I traded my bike today......	Bosgarage57	General Motorcycling Discussion	13	March 26th, 2012 08:35 PM
traded the ninjette in last friday	richierich781	The Ex-Ninjetters Lair	21	April 25th, 2010 09:19 PM

July 5th, 2011, 12:41 PM	#1
kamikaze ex-ninjette.org guru :o Name: Trevor Location: Barrie, Ontario Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2003 SV1000 S Posts: 475	Almost traded my ninjette... So I was on a local forum, and found a guy that wanted to trade an 07 Ninja 650R straight up for an 09+ 250R. Since I've been wanting a little more power lately I decided to entertain the idea, and meet up with him to check out each others bikes. His reasoning for looking for the 250 was that his wife had dropped the 650 and wanted something smaller. The frame slider took all of the hit, but it was rashed up a bit from the previous owner. The cosmetic stuff I was willing to overlook, but I really wanted to ride it to see if I liked it. After about a 20-30 min ride, about 60% highway and 40% twisty stuff I decided that it's just not for me. I didn't like the clutch and front brake at all, and the handlebars felt too tall. On one hand, I'd only had about 20 to 30 min on it, so I'm not sure that I wouldn't have gotten used to it, but with the only complaint about my 250 is the power (well, that and the cast iron seat ) I felt it was better to stick with what I had. By the end of our swap, he seemed really happy with the idea, but I wasn't excited at all. We went our separate ways and I emailed him this morning telling him that I'd be keeping my bike. Something still tells me I'm passing up a great opportunity but at the same time I don't want to be stuck with a bike I don't love and don't like riding. That being said, I did ride an FZ6R a couple weeks ago and really liked it, and i'm hoping that a local dealer will let me take a used GSX650F out for a rip to see what it's like.

July 5th, 2011, 01:45 PM	#2
Flashmonkey Professional belly dancer Name: James Location: Toronto Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 1992 GSX-R 750 Posts: A lot.	I think you made the right choice. If a bike doesn't fit it doesn't fit. That would've been a bitchin' deal, though.

July 5th, 2011, 01:53 PM	#3
sombo Newb..... on a steeek! :D Name: Mike Location: Windermere, FL Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Harley Davidson XL883L Sportster Superlow Posts: A lot.	I agree on both your decision to not go for the deal since it didn't feel right, and on liking the FZ6R. I road both for demos and felt the similarly about the bikes. I didn't really like the feel of the 2012 650R but loved the 2012 FZ6R. That has become my #1 choice atm for future bike. I too want to test the GSX650F to see how that feels. Kinda cool we have similar tastes in bikes.

July 5th, 2011, 08:01 PM	#8
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	Like Johny Cockren said: "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit".