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5 Common Wear and Tear Items on Motorcycles
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molintorchParticipant
yeah the Ninja 250s have a great reputation. Rather than lowering the bike itself, you might also look into having the seat lowered. This way you dont affect the lean angle (lowing the bike, would reduce your available lean angle). Just a thought. Best of luck finding a bike!!
molintorchParticipantfor me, hands down my mini corbin tank bag has been the best addition to my ninja 650r. I use to carry the basics in my jacket (wallet, phone, keys), and I find I ride much better without that added junk in my jacket!
Not sure if thats what you are looking for… but hey theres my answer!
molintorchParticipantIn my case, I went into a dealer near my office and spent some time discussing what i wanted vs what I needed. I told the guy exactly what I was looking for, and he was more than happy to watch for a used bike for me. While I really wanted the ninja 650r, he respected the fact that I had enough sense to need to find a 250. About 2 weeks later, I got a call, and he had a gz250 come in as a trade. I ran down, and the bike looked great. It hadn’t been “cleaned” yet, so I could really see how the original owner had maintained it. The sales rep offered to let me ride, he knew I was ready to buy, and i respectfully declined. I didn’t trust myself enough to take it out on the road, plus the dealership was on a very busy intersection. instead I had him ride it for me. Bike looked great, I took it home!
fast forward to jan 09 and I get a call from the sales rep again. He wanted to let me know they had a 650R returned that was basically brand new. Someone else took the “new bike” hit, and I could easily save $2K on it if I wanted. I ran down there, checked out out, and once again he offered to let me ride it knowing I was a serious buyer.
In the end, I think it just like what SantaCruzRider was saying. If they think you are serious, then they will spend the time, and let you take it for a spin (assuming its used). If you are kicking the tires, then I wouldn’t be surprised when they dont offer the opportunity.
molintorchParticipantThought I would take a moment and share my experience too since the 650R seems to get overlooked at times. I started riding Aug 08, passed BRT from Team Oregon, and bought a Suzuki GZ250. I put 200 or so miles on it, most doing low speed practicing in parking lots, over and over and over and over. I tried riding the GZ out of town for a bit at highway speed but it was too buzzy for me and the ergos didn’t work at all. I found I couldn’t ride the bike more than 45 min without having issues. In Jan 09, I stumbled on a deal for a 08 650R. The bike was two weeks old from the dealer, used with 56 miles. The owner bought it at xmas, realized he couldn’t afford it, and gave it back to the dealer. Looking it over, the bike was definitely only 56 miles old, the tires weren’t even broken in. it had a few scratches on it, and had been dropped once at a standstill based on a scuff I saw. I bought it, delivered to my house, for $5200 including all the DMV fees (no tax in oregon). Felt like I got a great deal.
Since Jan I have already put 2500 miles on the bike. If its not raining (hard) I have been riding. My longest day was 289 miles of curves with very little freeway. I only stopped that day cause the sun was going down. I’ve made several mods to the bike, but really to make it fit me just right (corbin seat, 1×1 bar riser, heated grips, double bubble tall windscreen). The riding season is just beginning here, and I feel like I am ready to go!
Comparing a 250 single to the 650 twin is pretty easy… The 650 has ALOT more power, but its very linear, predictable, and manageable. Both the clutch and break levers are adjustable for 5 settings, both pull smoothly and easily. I definitely know at low speed there is 100 more lbs on the 650 vs the 250, but its balanced very well. With a little rear brake, I can almost stand it straight up without moving (was caught on the slab in stop and go traffic, so I got some good application of my practiced skills that day). The bike does require good throttle control, I could pretty easily raise the front wheel, but from what I can tell it would have to be intentional on my part.
The issues I have seen so far… The stock seat is bad… either find someone to rebuild it, or replace it with an aftermarket seat. Black is WAY easy to scratch (ok, not 650 specific, but its what I have learned from my 650). The 08 bikes do not have the buzzing issues that the eariler years did, UNLESS you start taking the pieces apart and putting them back together. The foam kawasaki put there to stop the vibrating will wear easily if you pull the parts off and on much. The fuel light will come on very early. I see it come on at 125-130 miles, but you can go to 200-210 easily if you are cruising… I have personally gone to 185 with 3/4 of a gallon left. As far as vibration while riding, I really dont notice any. I have progrips 713’s on the bars (stock grips were hard as a rock) and my boots seem to absorb any vibrations in the pegs there might be. The 250 with its single cylinder thumper, now that was buzzy, I felt like parts were going to fall off the bike all the time and my hands would be numb after 20 mins at highway speeds.
And lastly… you will spend a fair amount of time explaining the bike to non-riders… It looks sporty. People assume its a crotch rocket, but I would describe it much more like a standard, except the pegs are slightly behind your knees. In my case, the corbin seat actually moved me back a good inch, and my pegs are almost directly under my knees now, which I find very comfortable.
Overall the 650R feels like a “real” bike to me, while the 250 always felt like a scooter. For reference, I am 6 ft 245lbs. I never felt comfortable taking the 250 over 50-55 mph tops. The 650 easily rolls down the freeway at 70-75 in 4th without feeling it its over-reving. The 650 really requires discipline I believe. I went to pass someone on the freeway, and by the time I was passed their front bumper I was right at the edge of triple digits. it wasn’t my intention to accelerate that fast, its just that smooth and easy… Point is, its a great bike, but it will require some respect and discipline, else it will get you into trouble
Oh yeah, and I guess the bike will lean really well into corners, but to be honest, my chicken strips are a good inch in width. I am still riding my own pace even if the bike will allow me to do way more than I am ready to haha!!
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