First off, before I confuse anyone, I'm not exactly "new" to riding. I own two motorcycles (listed under my avi) and my experience with motorcycles started last August. So don't take this write-up like this a brand new rider, but I'm no season vet either. I'll try to be as honest and non-comparing to the other bikes I own as I can. With that said, let me continue...
A friend of mine was lucky enough to get his hands on a used '08 Ninja 250 last week. I think the odo read something like 1,350mi, so to me that's practically new; electric blue, lowered 2" (previous owner was a short girl), and in almost mint condition (right indicator is busted due to a fall against the garage wall before purchase).
I get the call from my buddy that he's headed up to Tulsa to go pick up a bike. I let him borrow my truck to get it back to OKC, as I could not get out of the office on such short notice to ride the bike back for him. Anyhow, he arrives home at dusk and I head on over to his house to take a gander at his new sex machine.
Upon arrival I noted how sexy the bike looks in person. Don't get me wrong, the pictures online look good too, but when you're looking at it in person it's much, much better. Anyway, we carefully unload the bike from the back of the truck, roll it into the driveway, and I throw on my helmet. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, I was getting giddy at the thought of riding another bike.
"Not bad", I thought as I reached for the handgrips. The body positioning on the 250 reminded me of how my GS500 felt - comfortable as hell. I don't know if it was due to the fact that I haven't ridden the GS in quite some time, but the 250's handlebars felt a tad lower. I turn the key to the 'ON' position, hit the 'Start' button, and it kicks over. I must say, turning that bike on for the first time reminded me my first test-drive in a Honda Civic - smooth and quiet! I click down from neutral to first and start my journey out of the driveway.
As I'm duckwalking her to the road I let the clutch pull me through. This bike seems like it's stall-proof! I attempt to give it a little throttle and it "chirps up" as the tach rises. I enter the street and off I go. Kinda.
You know how I said the bike felt stall-proof? Wow! Like I said, I'm used to riding bikes that are a little bigger in CC's (I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to compare
), but it was like I couldn't get the bitch to go! I ease the throttle back a tad bit more... and here we go! First gear was a little sluggish below 6k RPM, but once I found second it was smooth sailing to third, and fourth... and fifth! I was having so much fun listening to the 250 scream that I wasn't really watching my cluster. 70mph! No problem!
On a residential side street. I don't know if it snuck up on me or if I was being overzealous with the throttle while listening to the bike... but anyhow, I pulled her down to the speed limit with the quickness.
As I turn on to a main four-lane'er, I noticed that I should've waited for the traffic that was coming to pass. With all the fun I was having in the high rpm's, I kinda forgot about the first gear drag. It could've been that I wasn't accustomed to the bike though, but I quickly found out what the Ninja's second gear @ 10K+ rpm felt like as I hauled ass to preserve my ass.
I broke away from traffic with no problem. After ringing out third I was sailing again. I was surprised by the bike's flickability as I changed lanes. It felt so light and nimble! After a few miles, and a couple of big smiles, I came to a stop sign. Downshifting felt good; seemed like it was just the "perfect opposite" of the stall-proofing I experienced earlier. I broke out to a clear, two-lane road and I wound her up again. Fun, fun, fun! Once I passed the 6K rpm mark it (in any gear) it felt like the bike was hitting the sweet spot. It was starting to get dark and during my rush to get over to my friend's house I forgot to change my visor out, so I headed back to his house before my visibility became compromised. The ride back was just as enjoyable as I topped through the gears. All of my turns had been stop signs on my way out, but on my friend's street I managed my first 25-30mph turn-in on the bike. Sweet sassy mollasy, that thing can turn! It wasn't the lean that got me, it was the fact that I damn near scraped his peg through an easy turn. I wasn't thinking about the 2" drop the bike had before I started my lean... all was good though! As simple as it was to pull over through the turn, it was just as easy to bring it back up. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but it wasn't anything you had to put any effort into doing.
The next day I took the truck out to my friend's house and had him follow me to a local parking lot (I drove his bike there). And wouldn't you know it, he stalled it!!
BUT!! And a big "but" here, he did amazing on his first experience with a motorcycle. He only had a couple of stalls. I gave him a few pointers I have picked up along the way and off he went. Circles, figure 8's, downshifting, emergency stops... Anything I threw at him he pulled off! Granted, things weren't as smooth as they could have been, but c'mon! The guy had never ridden a bike before in his life!!! Anyhow, I think he'll do just fine when he gets to the MSF course (they're booked up right now and he's on a waiting list). Until then, we'll probably do a few more parking lot days and see how things go. I was really impressed with him and how he handled himself on the bike.
Overall, I think his decision to get a smaller bike was great! He's not a small guy either (6'4", 210lbs), but he seemed to be comfortable on the bike and the 250cc's were plenty... even for his size!
When people say this is the "perfect beginner's bike" they're right! But don't let the "beginner" lead you astray. I had a blast riding that thing!! If Kawasaki had changed their design in 2007, I probably would've bought the Ninja instead of the GS... but let's not get too crazy here! I love that GS and so does my girlfriend! In fact, my girlfriend and I just got back from a short ride (she's still getting her feet wet in traffic with the GS). It's good to know that there are bikes out there for people to make minor mistakes on and still be able to ride off... and hell, I think the GS looks good... but the Ninja looks like the hotter, younger sister
My thoughts on the '08 Ninja 250R
