Forum Replies Created
The Kymco People 250 ‘S’ – Review & 3-Way Scooter Shoot-Out
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“you’re not getting another motorcycle until you sell one of the bikes you already have!”
It’s hard when you loose ownership of a bike they just don’t make any more, even harder when you see one decades later and it has become a prized classic, I’m afraid to even ask what model year it was and sure hope he replaces it with something equally great.Maybe something in a nice metalflake red
This may not even be the correct thread to post this, but just thought to point out;
250 Ninja ~$4500
wheelbase 55.1″, weight 375 lbs. seat height 30.5″, width 28.1″, length 82.1″, 37 mm forks, front travel 4.7″, rear travel 5.1″, 17″ wheels, Steel frameZX-R Ninja ~$10500
wheelbase 55.1″, weight 421 lbs. seat height 32.1″, width 28″, length 82.3″, 41 mm forks, front travel 4.7″, rear travel 5.3″, 17″ wheels, Alloy frameVery clear from these numbers the difference between a 600 cc Hyper-sport and a 250 Ninja is not weight, dimension or rider position. So sitting on them in the show room will reveal little. (take a hunk of sheepskin for the seat of the 250 and I’m guessing they butt test very close) The major differences are cost, frame, brakes and engine performance. One will do ~100 mph in 6th. gear, the other will exceed 100 mph in second gear.
…question is; are you up to riding a road legal motorcycle that can accelerate to 80 mph. in first gear ?Tire size availability can end up being the determining factor more than a preference for a given manufacturer, particularly if you are fitting an older bike or a small displacement metric cruiser. Stick close or right on to the original size and profile or you may experience swing arm, chain guard or front fender clearance problems.
Stay away from tires made in China their best is Cheng Shin and it’s crap, so I’d hate to see the rest of them.
Best name brands include: Michelin, Dunlop, Bridgestone, Metzler, Continental and Pirelli. I recently fitted my K bike with Avon tyres, I like the rear but the front induces wiggle and shake unless I over-inflate it. I contacted Avon about this problem and they pleaded ignorance rather than offering to replace it. …obviously they have no clue how many ‘tyres’ I buy every year and from now on I will only buy ‘tires’.
Shinko purchased their tire manufacturing technology from Yokohama, I have no experience with Shinko but the Yokohama motocross tires were good, don’t recall if I ever ran Yokohama street rubber.
Softer compound tires obviously stick way better and wear out much quicker, so selection always involves trade-offs. My personal preference is rectangular block tread pattern on the front and a rear tire with lots of rubber in the middle where they wear the fastest. I go for tires that appear better suited to rain over slicks that have the occasional grove on them. It’s not like a race bike where you might swap them out according to weather conditions.
Previously I ran Bridgestone dual compound tires and liked them, they performed better when they were new and later in life held their tread very well, eventually the sidewalls checked. In theory nitrogen filling should extend tire life in cases where the bike is stored for extended periods.
I mounted Pirelli Phantom’s on my Ascot once and the first day out discovered that some manufactures coat their tires with some kind of preservative, it makes them slippery for a while so be careful with brand new tires until the initial ‘shine’ is worn off …that was the only time I ever low sided a street bike
Take note if there is a country of origin branded on the sidewall, sometimes the same tire is made in different countries and the rubber compounds are dissimilar. An example of this is the X-1 Michelin 2-ply soft compound radial, X-1’s made in Spain out perform the same tire stamped in USA
There you go, way more information than you ever wanted
I love the idea of GPS based tracking devices, the technology has certainly come of age. I like Jeff’s idea of the bike cover too:) …the rattier looking and more foul smelling the better.
Locks and chains are fine for deterring honest people, but the rest won’t stop at anything, short of earning the cash to buy their own stuff
Loud alarm is good if you or someone who cares is close enough to respond, but when you live rural as I do the best cure is to park her close and keep the hunting bow close at hand. The way I read it you hit their passenger side and rode away with minimal damage. If you were traveling anything less than 80 mph, at most you hurt her feelings and I bet the insurance people arrive at the same conclusion. Sounds like it might have happened even if you were driving instead of riding, so don’t sweat that part. You learned way more from the experience than the other person, she doesn’t even recognize a failure to see the danger and maybe next time it will be a Tanker Truck.
Chalk it up to experience and in future; anticipate that anyone within a mile might be out to run you down. ( or even just get in your way ) BTW: did she signal left in advance of entering that left turning lane, or lead you to anticipate she was traveling straight through ?
Which goes to show you, fault is seldom so clear and you should never volunteer liability at the time of an incident. …You should have maybe anticipated she might drive straight at you without warning, that happens too.One thing about riding a motorcycle, if you must take a longer route to avoid a dangerous traffic situation ( such as making left turns across a busy multi-lane roadway ) at least you get to ride more
Concerned about too tall for a Ninjette, but your avatar shows you riding a pocket bike. …in shorts !:o
+1 on take a rider training course, in fact the sooner the better, with dirt experience you are sure to have a better time.
Even if you are a great rider on that KTM and regardless of what street bike you select, riding the street is going to introduce you to a completely different riding style, skill set and experience. …I envy your newnessThere is no doubt 250 Ninja is a terrific commuter bike, I know I’d love one and I already have a litre bike in my garage, but then I also want a 125 street bike if I can just get past the pain of insuring yet another motorcycle !
Would you be thrilled by the power of a bike like that? …coming off a KTM300 2-stroke, No. It’s a far heavier bike with roughly the same power as what you ride in the dirt now, minus several inches of suspension travel, seat height and wheel size. Still might be the perfect bike for one up street riding, depending on where you ride and your need for speed.I’m not so sure on the dual-sport concept, considering you now ride a competitive Motocross bike. BTW what year & model is the KTM and where and how good can you ride it ?:i
Nobody is born a skilled motorcycle rider, it’s a practiced thing.
it takes time, practice and persistence ) One thing I have learned is; don’t practice what you do well, analyze and practice things you find difficult, and in your case that would seem to be go slow riding technique.Glad you weren’t injured, I thought to write more but don’t want to sound preachy.
Just, get back on that horseI’ve ridden lots of bikes with bent bars before, feels really wierd. I’m guessing there is also a little scar on your front fender too, yes?
Biggest danger is with your throttle hanging up, so check that out before you ride it again, usually the levers get bent too and you might be looking at new grips if the left grip doesn’t come off the old bar easy and stay tight on the new one. A few bikes have the electric wiring routed inside the bars and there is a possibility of wiring or controls being damaged on those bikes, this should be obvious with some visual inspection. Make sure the kill switch works first, then put her on the center stand (if so equipped) and with it running at idle, make certain it doesn’t rev up when you turn the bars from lock to lock.
Bars are one of the easiest things to change if you have some tools and mechanical aptitude. It won’t be cheap to tow it to a dealer and have them do it, but that’s your call either way. I’ve even removed and bent my bars straight so I could finish a competition event. Note: these were very expensive alloy bars and not cheap steel ones.
Once the bars are replaced, it’s easier to visually inspect the front forks for damage, that is something you should look for if you went straight into the car, as opposed to a glancing blow.
Take it easy for a while, an incident like that can really shake your confidence. Bent bars or not riding the bike will feel strange for a bit.
