[ExtraJ]

So I love my 250 I bought a few months back, but it's starting to get on my nerves. I've basically been riding it exclusively since I dropped the insurance on my VTR.

The side stand touches down ALL THE TIME on lefts. Even sometimes in traffic, but all the time when I ride twisties. So I figured I'd take the lefts softer and have my fun on the rights...
WRONG!!

Yesterday I was following my plan and scraped the fucking exhaust header. Almost lost it.
I'm thinking the issues are mainly due to suspension, even though it could use some rearsets and higher mounted cans...
So I'm left with two options:
Buy good suspension, brakes, exhaust, jet kit, etc. and rock the ninja, or buy a sportier bike. (thinkin sv650s or f4i)

i threw in some pics of the damage I'm doing to my baby..

all the mods I'd need to do would probably cost about a grand if I budgeted it. and I could easily spend $2000 with racing suspension and rearsets.

what would yall do??? I'm leaning towards a new bike. wouldnt mind having a little more power too.

 

[oober]

new bike.... do you really even need to ask.......

 

[XxIcEmAnxX]

So I love my 250 I bought a few months back, but it's starting to get on my nerves. I've basically been riding it exclusively since I dropped the insurance on my VTR.

The side stand touches down ALL THE TIME on lefts. Even sometimes in traffic, but all the time when I ride twisties. So I figured I'd take the lefts softer and have my fun on the rights...
WRONG!!

Yesterday I was following my plan and scraped the fucking exhaust header. Almost lost it.
I'm thinking the issues are mainly due to suspension, even though it could use some rearsets and higher mounted cans...
So I'm left with two options:
Buy good suspension, brakes, exhaust, jet kit, etc. and rock the ninja, or buy a sportier bike. (thinkin sv650s or f4i)

i threw in some pics of the damage I'm doing to my baby..

all the mods I'd need to do would probably cost about a grand if I budgeted it. and I could easily spend $2000 with racing suspension and rearsets.

what would yall do??? I'm leaning towards a new bike. wouldnt mind having a little more power too.

Thats like asking what do you guys think,should i fix up the ford tempo, or buy a corvette

 

[fengler]

buy an sv650

 

[ExtraJ]

Thats like asking what do you guys think,should i fix up the ford tempo, or buy a corvette

damn man... why's my bike gotta be a ford tempo???
lemme at least be a '89 civic hatchback.

 

[XxIcEmAnxX]

damn man... why's my bike gotta be a ford tempo???
lemme at least be a '89 civic hatchback.

Too fast, we will compromise and call it a saturn

 

[King Cobra]

Mod the 250!!!

 

[seppuku]

dang extraj.... On my bike the peg feelers touch before anything else so it lets me know not to push it that hard.

 

[JohnH#1]

If you mod the 250 will you really be happy after you put all the money into it if your not happy you will have a real hard time trying to sell it and get you mod money back. Sell the 250 get the bike you want because even if you mod the 250 you will always want more power and other mods. Just my thoughts.

 

[redcbrla]

I don't know much about the Ninja 250, but if it offers preload adjustment you could start with that. It still sounds like you are pushing that bike pretty hard. You might want to look into an SV650.

Also I would just add that it sounds like you might be riding a bit aggressive for the street. Let us know what you end up doing.

 

[ExtraJ]

a couple things I like about keeping the 250:
-It's cheap to insure and maintain.
-I want to start doing track days, and crashing the ninja would be alot cheaper to repare/replace.
-I can whack on the throttle and run in through the gears all over the city without killing myself or getting arrested. there's somehthing great about using a bike's full potential, even if it's not much.
-I love when big bikes can't hang and then find out it's a 250.
-it's cheaper to NOT BUY A NEW BIKE.

but obviously I'd like something that handles better and has some more kick. so thats what i've been looking into recently.

what would yall go with? the main two Im looking at are a 2003-05 sv650s or a 2001-2003 cbr600f4i.

I don't know much about the Ninja 250, but if it offers preload adjustment you could start with that. It still sounds like you are pushing that bike pretty hard. You might want to look into an SV650.

Also I would just add that it sounds like you might be riding a bit aggressive for the street. Let us know what you end up doing.

little bikes got all the fight in em. gotta prove itself to the big fellas.
not under my control partner...

 

[ExtraJ]

dang extraj.... On my bike the peg feelers touch before anything else so it lets me know not to push it that hard.

no more peg feelers for me buddy...
that's what the side stand is for.
interestingly enough, most people touch the pegs and the center stand first.

I've touched neither...
and I only push it like that on roads I know... the exhaust went down on a corner I've taken 50+ times.
cant say that for the side stand though... that motherfucker usually gets down on the way to work.

 

[21 natas]

after you mod the 250 how long do you think it would hold your intrest? I probably would lean towards a new bike.

 

[TTsixxer]

a couple things I like about keeping the 250:
-It's cheap to insure and maintain.
-I want to start doing track days, and crashing the ninja would be alot cheaper to repare/replace.
-I can whack on the throttle and run in through the gears all over the city without killing myself or getting arrested. there's somehthing great about using a bike's full potential, even if it's not much.
-I love when big bikes can't hang and then find out it's a 250.
-it's cheaper to NOT BUY A NEW BIKE.

but obviously I'd like something that handles better and has some more kick. so thats what i've been looking into recently.

what would yall go with? the main two Im looking at are a 2003-05 sv650s or a 2001-2003 cbr600f4i.




little bikes got all the fight in em. gotta prove itself to the big fellas.
not under my control partner...

Go look into a '99-02 SV650, they can be found for cheap and are awesome bikes. Trust me, you won't be dissapointed. Also some of the SV fans swear that the 03-05 chassis is not as nice as the 99-02.

 

[2_wheeled_slave]

I'm not sure why you'd want an SV over an F4i. I've never ridden an SV, so take what I say with a grain of salt, and I'm trying not to be biased.

The F4i is built much more for the corners than the SV and has more power. As much as I like the SV (can only go by looks and what I've read), and I really do, it sounds like you want a bike for some performance. You'd have to dump more cash into the SV after you bought it to make it perform like the F4i. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Jahx]

slap a new rear shock on it, the sv or ex500 will do, either way you get preload, which your stock 250 doesnt have, and do something about the front.

Lets face it, are you ever going to be able to hit 14k rpms in the first 5 gears with a SV or a F4I? At the track maybe, but not on the way to work everyday :lol .

Drop 500 to 1k on the 250 and keep enjoying it. Plenty of folks who keep their 250s as commuters for years, check out www.ninja250.org for information on what kind of suspension mods you might want to look into.

 

[jiffy]

Well first off most of these people have never been on a 250. I have. The 250 is one of the best sportbikes for what it is. A 15 year old design that has been tried and true over those years. My first response to your dilemma would be it's a suspension problem. A ninja 500 shock is a cheap mod and easy to install and so are ninja 500 springs in the front. This is assuming you weigh in at 200 or so pounds. Second I would say that if that does not work your leaning the bike way more than necessary to make a the turns presented to you. I live in the hill country and work my bike through some mad off camber 15mph posted twisties in my area and I barely scrapped a peg. No flaming intended here. I went double the posted limit on those turns and lots of guys go triple and above that posted warning. This road literally eats bikes FYI. I would do those cheap upgrades for sure. They are easy to do and worth it. Like you said the 250 is cheaply insured and one of the most fun bikes to ride all around. Because, you can WOT the thing all of the time. It's just a cheap bike thats tons of fun...ask the guys at 250.net some of those guys race and have been riding for years. They keep coming back to the 250. That is not because it's boring to ride or a waste of money and time. Again no flaming intended just trying to help. If you really want to pust a few $$ into it make sure you get new tires. Not the stock Dunlop 230s they are crap, the bike feels like a new bike with a pair of Pirelli sport demons or something similar. Also you can get a works performance shock for $300 or so. It is not adjustable but custom made for your weight and so on. Then you could get emulators and springs from racetech. That is all if you want to spend some $$ , this is what you would do if you plan to keep it for some time and want it right the first time.

 

[erac4019]

I'm new here but do you also have a VTR1000? If you do why buy another bike?

 

[R6JUNKIE]

slap a new rear shock on it, the sv or ex500 will do, either way you get preload, which your stock 250 doesnt have, and do something about the front.

Lets face it, are you ever going to be able to hit 14k rpms in the first 5 gears with a SV or a F4I? At the track maybe, but not on the way to work everyday :lol .

Drop 500 to 1k on the 250 and keep enjoying it. Plenty of folks who keep their 250s as commuters for years, check out www.ninja250.org for information on what kind of suspension mods you might want to look into.

Right on
i wouldnt drop more thana few hundread on it. get a ex500 shock since its a drop in (ebay $50) and progresive front fork springs (denis kirk $55).also adjust your fron preloads with a few peices of pvc pipe. the sv shock if i remember right has to be ground down in the eyelets so its not really a drop in. some woodcraft peg risers. about 200 bucks or more.
another thing that is a free mod and elimnates alot of scrapeing , get your ass off the seat and drag that knee. it keeps bike up right and able to take your turns quicker.

 

[R6JUNKIE]

I'm new here but do you also have a VTR1000? If you do why buy another bike?

i wondread that to.
welcome to sbn. I was in sant clairsville last weekend shopping. i leave next to marietta oh