not fast enough?

Question

just for fun, i decided to roll to a dealer in salem that just happened to have 3 different 'flavors' of the ninja. the 250, 500, and the 650r. the 250 would be passable, but the left bar would graze my left knee in a full lock turn, the 500 was spot on for the most part.
what i cant figure out is: with a redline of about 13,000 rpm, and a max speed read-out of 130 mph.....isnt this ninja-250 fast enough? or is it just that u'd rather wipe out at 180 mph so u can get a closed casket funeral....and in enough pieces to need a small box.

Answer 1

That 250 will do maybe 100mph probably closer to 90 unless you got lots of room to let it get up that fast. When youre riding it down the hwy at 65 it doesnt have alot of poop to get out there and pass.
Just because a big cc bike has lots of horse power doesnt mean you twist the throttle to the stops, I realize you can do that on a 5 ton cruiser with 30hp, but on a sportbike you actually use throttle control, rather than on/off. I have a 250 that I do run pretty hard, cause I can w/o breaking to many laws, I also have a liter bike, that I click up in 6th gear and bomb thru the twisties at about the same pace. Can it do 180?....maybe. Am I going to do that on the street? No. They do have track days for that. But I will zoom down the back curvey roads at around 65/70. I dont need to wack open the throttle between corners. The going thru the corners is the fun part.

Answer 2

if you are ever in a full lock turn on a 250? it is probably because you are going 130mph off a cliff.

the 250 is a wonderful learner bike. It is very capable, but not 130

Here is the question. Where around Salem can you RIDE at 130mph? I've been on those roads, you need a commuter, not a rocketship.

as a racer, i've seen track prepped bikes run-
ninja 250 = 98-101mph
ninja 500 = 100-105mph

when you look at speedometers, it all looks brilliant, till you actually see the speeds on radar. It costs a lot of money to get those few extra mphs.

If you want to "wipe out" at 180mph? you need to spend a lot more money. Consider the ZX14.

If you want a solid, economical learner bike, the 250 is good, the 500 is better if you are a bigger human.

please post video of a full lock turn at any speed above walking pace.

Answer 3

The 250 has basically twice as less power with not that much less weight. I'd go for the 500 because with a bigger motor you can accelerate faster which helps in traffic. Get the 250 if you want but your want something with more power within a few weeks of buying it. Personally If its your first bike get a 500 or 650 like the gs500 and such.

Answer 4

That 250 is NOT going to go 130 unless it went off a cliff! Just because the speedo goes that high doesn't mean the bike will do it. The speedo on my ZZR600 goes up to 190mph, but it will top out at around 150 or so.

The 500 is a nice size for a newbie, and the 650R is a parallel twin and is also not too bad for a first bike (twins have more torque and less top speed).

Remember all the cartoons and comics, where the hero's mentor said, "With great power comes great responsibility!"

It's like that.

Just because you CAN go fast all the time, the reality is that you WON'T (at least, not for long).

Answer 5

Let me know when you're doing 130mph on a 250. It's not going to happen unless you ride off the side of a tall bridge.

One thing you totally forget is that bigger bikes have more than bigger motors. The suspension on my CBR600 is much better than it was on my Ninja 250, which makes for better riding and more confidence in handling (no wiggles in the bars).

If I need to get out of someone's way in traffic, I can do it faster with a 600.

Answer 6

As has been said, it's the ride and stability. If your on the freeway behind a semi or two on a 250, you are gettin blown all over the place, especially if any play in fork or wheel brgs.
A 500 is better, for handling and for newer riders,lots of power still.
My 1100 rides like a dream, little buffeting if any, and will still pull the wheel in first/second. ( older V-65 Magna is why )

Answer 7

fast is never to fast if your in the right sitution but if your on the road with other drivers then just get in the slow lane and who cares about them if your going the speed limit just be a safe driver your chances of getting in a wreck are way less probable

Answer 8

You rarely ever make a full lock turn. depending on your experience/need you are the only one who knows what bike you should get. If your inexperienced then you dont want a crotch rocket that will get you into trouble you cant handle.

Answer 9

Are you really trying to understand the need for speed, or are you just lecturing?

Probably the latter. So I won't bother giving an answer as you probably wouldn't accept it anyway.

And I won't counter with a childish argument.

I'll just say - if you don't understand it, and don't want to understand, you never will. Just agree to disagree and live and let live.

Answer 10

It's nice to have the power and agility when you need it. 250 is kinda sluggish and non-responsive.