2002 Ninja 250 - Talk me out of it...

Found this on the internet... http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/5494474375.html

Looks pretty nice, sounds really nice, and all the modifications seem like they are thought out. 22k miles, I don't know about that... Needs a rear tire, not a huge deal.

I currently have a 1993 Yamaha XJ600, but it seems like there is always something that needs fixed on it. I'd like to be able to make 2-3 hour rides on the highway.

Also, for my size, as I haven't riden a ninja 250 before. I'm about 5'11" and ~210lbs.

AWSX1686 wrote: Found this on the internet... http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/5494474375.html I'd like to be able to make 2-3 hour rides on the highway.

On a 250? Seriously? Enjoy your 10k RPM cruising

That's why I'm asking.... My XJ isn't that much better.

And he did add a tooth to the front gear and adjust tire size to help lower the rpms some.

Eventually I want an r1150r, but...

Nice beginner bike and really tossable fun. That looks like a decent example except for the back tire. Wonder what he meant by less than 2k on the drivetrain? As a former owner of a 2002 ex250 I'd have to say they're not much fun as a highway bike. I'd rather have it's bigger brother the 500 or something else. For me it felt almost too light for highway duty - at least around truck & suv traffic and at 75-80 mph there's not a lot of reserve power left to get you out of the way and I'm a littler shorter and lighter than you.

That's kinda what I was afraid of. Part of me doesn't want a faster bike, but part of me also feels like I really need it if I am going to do any highway driving. Might just have to hold out with the XJ until I can afford the BMW. :)

Thanks for the input guys!

I am 5' 11" & 205lbs., I don't think I would be happy on a 250. You own an XJ 600 so you've ridden a bit and want to do 3 hour runs; something a little heavier that soaks up bumps (less tiring) would be more suited.

Put a café or fly screen fairing on this and have a good time. http://york.craigslist.org/mcy/5452130059.html

Dan

You know, a GoldWing stripped of all its plastic makes a pretty nice driver, lots of torque, low CG and pretty darn comfy. Sell off all the plastic and get most of your money back.

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/5492885142.html

That is not a 2-3 hour on the freeway bike. Not in a million years.

SV650

For his 250 budget?

how about a bmw rt?

If you want to do longer rides I would pick up something else. For the same money there are a lot better options that won't need a new rear tire right away. For longer rides you want a fairing and some power with decent gearing. What's your price range? Honda vfr comes to mind.

I guess I've been doing it wrong because I've taken countless 2-5 hour rides on a sub 200cc bike. With 6 volts and drum brakes, no less. I did keep it off the interstate, though.

If you are interested, someone I work with is selling his 09 Ninja 500. I'll find the cl link later. Located in eastern PA.

How bad is the Yamaha? The $1500 for the ninjette would go a long way towards making that a much better/reliable ride, assuming that it's not past the point of no return all ready.

I know they are kind of dull to look at, but they aren't bad bikes. And they look pretty good naked.

I do like the Yamaha naked conversions. I guess maybe it's not in that bad of shape for the age. I am lining a new fuel tank this week, and then it should be ridable, but then I have to pretty quickly rebuild/reseal my front shocks which are leaking.

914Driver wrote: For his 250 budget?

2K for one that is a runner is easy

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/5493757118.html

Here is a super clean one I bet you could get for 2500$.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/mcy/5497795697.html

I don't know if Sonic is still selling it but his SV650 was for sale a couple months ago and he is in PA..

I don't think you'll be happy with the Ninja 250. I've had countless friends start of the 250 and sell within 6 months.

There are a lot of good, inexpensive bikes for the $1500-2000 range. The goldwing and SV650s have already been mentioned.

You're going to hate riding that thing at highway speeds. I even found the GS500 to be exhausting for the trip between Lexington and Cincinnati to the point that I'd ride US25 instead of I75 just because I didn't have to keep it wound up so far just to avoid being run over. And that was after I had a different sprocket installed to lower the cruising RPMs.

I've got a '91 Nighthawk 750 gathering dust in my garage right now -- that was my move up from the 500 and I did a number of longer trips on it. Not as nice as the Oldwing for highway cruising, but it's still fairly lightweight and works well as a commuter bike that can do a road trip. They're cheap and reliable as gravity.

Just add an efi conversion & turbo.....you'll make more power than the sv650 then.

The xj600 is an interesting looking bike I will give it that. My sister had a '92 Seca II. I had heard it was a good beginner bike and it was cheap. I wasn't able to check it out before she bought it. I would have told her not to. It was really buzzy and felt underpowered for a 600.

Conversely, I picked up a 1988 Yamaha Radian around the same time and I still have a soft spot for it. Lots of torque and not buzzy. It had a different frame and a cam designed for torque. They can be had cheap. Certain parts can be hard to come by. Great street bike.

My 250R was is one my favorite bikes I've ever had. I am about to sell it now but that has nothing to do with its performance. I've taken it on days-long road trips, long highway commuting... If you can't go fast on a 250, you really need to be riding a 250. The only reason I'm selling is because it's slightly too small and upright for me - I thought about buying rearsets and clipons for it, but I ended up buying an RC 390 instead, which basically gave me little sports bike already mostly set up.

But until the KTM came out, the Ninja was most definitely my favorite bike. You can use all of it without going to jail! I can use the tiniest little sliver of what my Ducati 999 has to offer and it's cranky riding around through town. My Bandit doesn't care where it rides, but even it is frustrating to ride because it wants to GO and it can't. I like lightweight bikes with small engines because I can actually ride them. Sure, it's nice to have torque in reserve... But, honestly, when are you ever going to use it if you care about things like speed limits and tickets and whatnot?