Whizbang's Spinning Wheels: September 2004

150 On A 250

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

Just the sound of it's name strikes fear in the hearts of the street racers around the world. Those that have actually ridden fast enough to catch a glimpse of her scarcely live to tell the tale. Those that have can only whisper about it for fear of conjuring the demons they encountered as they broke the barriers of time and space. What is it about this technological terror that sends chills down the spines of those who would challenge her? Is it the supercharged 250cc engine? The racer inspired lightning-etched fairing? The nightmarish howl of its twin exhaust pipes, blasting down the road like a rocket burning pure evil for fuel?

How do you tame the untamable? How do you stop the unstoppable? How do I keep typing without bursting into a fit of laughter?

The Ninja 250R is a beginner bike. The premier starting motorcycle if you're interested in sport riding. It's no secret that she's one of the best motorcycles on which to begin your motorcycle riding career. Many have said that the staffers here on Beginnerbikes.com are the venerable Ninja's biggest cheerleaders on the Internet. I've always had little to say on the subject, never having ridden the old gal...until recently. I was lucky enough to wrap my legs around this beast and take her for a loooooong spin. Like 150 miles straight through from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Lanesboro, Minnesota!

After 2 years of riding as a passenger on the back of several different bikes, my girlfriend Amanda had had enough. To my surprise, she started talking about picking up a ride of her own. With glee, I helped her search the Internet for deals. After about a month, Ebay came through with a 2000 for less than $2K, but she was in Iowa.

ROAD TRIP!!!

The plan was to drive down together in Amanda's car, then I would ride the bike back to Minnesota. I had no idea what to expect. I knew I'd be riding this little bike at least 150 miles. Some of those miles would surely be on super slabs, unless I wanted to plot a route that avoided them. Members and guests on the Beginnerbikes.com forum boards have said that she's fine on the highways. I would soon discover what "fine" meant. We drove to Cedar Rapids through some seriously fun twisties in both states and headed straight for our Ebayer's home on the outskirts of the town. After sealing the deal with our friendly soon-to-be-former-Ninja-owner, I suited up and threw a leg over - after convincing Amanda to stop hugging it long enough for me to do so. She kept saying, "HI PONY!!"

(C'mon. Admit it. You always wanted a pony, too, didn't you?)

The first thing I noticed about her is her comfortable seating position. At 6'1" I was concerned that I'd be too cramped to really enjoy riding this bike, especially on an interstate trip. Not so. You sit very upright compared to all of the 600cc sport machines I've test ridden and/or sat on. The Ninja's seat is small and firm, but pretty well contoured. I wondered if people actually toured on these bikes. (I've since seen a fully-loaded 250 screaming through the Navajo Nation headed for Lake Powell, AZ, with what looked like a very happy, comfortable rider). After starting her up, I learned that she's greedy for choke. A real cold-blooded animal. She takes more than 3 minutes to really warm up completely. The folks at the Ninja 250 Riders Club online suggested that one actually start her up, let her warm at full choke for a few minutes, then start riding gently at a quarter choke for a bit. When she's chugging along comfortably you can close the choke and trust that she'll hold idle, which should be around 1200rpm. I was used to my YZF600R's relatively quick warm up period, so the long warm up made me question if she needed service. Her original owner said she was good to go, but she had sat in the garage for a while. At the time of writing this article, she's running like a champ. These babies just like to be ridden.

The first few corners were a little hairy. Her wheels are smaller than I'm used to. She felt like a scooter. You can dive into corners with very little steering input. I almost dropped her in a turn because she goes right over! Girly can TURN, dig? Once we were out of town it was straight onto the highway. The on ramp would be an excellent test of this little bike's get-up-and-go...and she sure got-up-and-went! The key is not to be afraid of the redline. I whacked open her throttle and she spun up to life in a flash. Her first gear is a little short for my taste, but once you're out of the starting gate she revved up and took off just fine, toting my 185lb can up to speed. "Fine" on the highway means, absolutely fine. Truly folks. Don't let anyone - including your nearest motorcycle dealer - tell you differently. This little bike will do 80mph all day long. You won't be making sudden passes or engaging in any unplanned bursts of acceleration, but she can hang with the best of 'em out there. Her low windscreen means you'll be getting a lot of wind in the chest, but the slight forward lean angle of your body keeps that air from pushing you back in your seat like on a windshield-free cruiser. She is a sportbike, after all. She likes it when you remember that.

I have but one complaint about this bike: her seat. Granted, I don't think it was designed to carry someone 150 miles in one sitting, but about 60 miles into it, my butt was all done with the trip. I got off the bike and stretched my legs at that point and my rear end was pleading with me to end the ride. Amanda says the seat doesn't bother her because you end up taking breaks anyway, even on long day trips. She's also a LOT lighter than I am. I'm a Corbin man myself, and was disappointed to find that they don't make a replacement seat for her. Surely there's someone out there that does. If any of you find someone, please post it in the forums.

Once my butt had reformed to back to bootylicious (see my first Spinning Wheels article for proof), we hit the road again. As we approached Minnesota, I heard God say, "let the twisties BEGIN!" First it was just wide sweepers. The bike enjoyed these moves and held her lines all the way through, though here again she was very sensitive. That might just have been about my body's particular steering geometry. A smaller person with a lower center of gravity might feel more rooted. I really got to play with her when we hit the 30mph posted twists. I started getting off the bike a little more and riding the throttle just a few 1000 rpm's under redline to maximize control. What a blast! She's like a sexy lawnmower, cutting through the curves like a high-powered Toro cuts through Kentucky Bluegrass.

All in all, I found this bike to be an absolute, all-around winner. Anyone can ride this bike and have a good time. ANYONE. She's as forgiving as you need her to be, but can be as playful as you want her to be. The key is not being afraid of revving her up. Go ahead. Bounce off her rev limiter like a trampoline. She wants you to go there. This bike is begging to be ridden hard. At the same time, she's a quiet, well-mannered around town gal, too. Your Ninja 250 can do 150 with no problems. Try her out. Take her for a day trip. Pack the bags and hit it. Or maybe you haven't yet bought a motorcycle. In that case, consider the fact that this bike will do highway speeds with ease and comfort, while a 250cc cruiser would be screaming. Whatever your riding style, this bike is probably the best bang for the buck, and she's perfect for those of you who are just starting out.

That's that for this month! Stay tuned for 600 on a 1000!

Just kidding. I did 600 miles in one day once. ONCE.

Ride safe, people.