250 sport bike opinions

[kabob983]

So this lead me to the Kawasaki Ninja EX250, abd EX500. I've read that these things won't give all the accel. that you may want, but the handling is pretty kick "O Ring".

The EX500's 0-60 acceleration time is (from what I've read, not positive it's true but I wouldn't think they'd have a reason to lie) 3.76 seconds. How is that not fast enough? That's faster than almost any Ferrari!

[VermilionX]

really? 3.76 secs???

have you tried it before on yours?

[StyleZ]

I heard in the 5.xx range, doubt it's 3's

[dieziege]

The ninja 250 is in the 5.x range. The 500 is faster.

[StyleZ]

Found this on another forum

Ninja 250
0-60 5.5 sec
1/4 Mile 15.5 sec
Top Speed 115Mph
HP@Wheel 28
Torque 14ft-lbs@9500rpm
Fuel Eff. 55-75mpg
Dry Weight 304lbs


Ninja 500
0-60 3.76 sec
1/4 Mile 12.73 sec
Top Speed 140Mph
HP@Wheel 52
Torque 31ft-lbs@8000rpm
Fuel Eff. 48mpg
Dry Weight 388lbs

[Bubble Gum Jr.]

Found this on another forum

Ninja 250
0-60 5.5 sec
1/4 Mile 15.5 sec
Top Speed 115Mph
HP@Wheel 28
Torque 14ft-lbs@9500rpm
Fuel Eff. 55-75mpg
Dry Weight 304lbs


Ninja 500
0-60 3.76 sec
1/4 Mile 12.73 sec
Top Speed 140Mph
HP@Wheel 52
Torque 31ft-lbs@8000rpm
Fuel Eff. 48mpg
Dry Weight 388lbs

Nice the 250 is faster my '91 Accord EX, woot!

[BigChickenStrips]

who told you you'd out grow it? the sales guy who would rather make comission on a $6000 ex500 than a $3500 ex250?

has the person who told you this ever even ridden one? most people i know who have bigger bikes want to get a 250 as a second bike because they are so much fun, light, cheap to ride, and not too unfortunate looking [for the price].

i dont know who tells everyone that the 250's are bad but everyone i know who owns one loves it.

[earwig]

who told you you'd out grow it?....

I am one of the people that tell others interested in a 250 that they will probably outgrow it I also say that this is just my opinion and the opinion of many others I have spoken to in real life (not on the forum). This forum seems to attract many people that read something and repeat it or believe it, while the type of people that do not go on forums either speak from experience or listen to what someone else says and believes it/repeats it, so take your pick on who to listen to I just know, speaking from experience, I would not be happy/satisfied having a 250 as a primary bike after I considered myself "experienced".

most people i know who have bigger bikes want to get a 250 as a second bike because they are so much fun, light, cheap to ride, and not too unfortunate looking [for the price].

I agree with this... I want a small scooter or small bike to play on/ride around town or to work sometimes... but as a primary ride/bike I wouldn't want a 250.

[Anonu]

Does the sounds of a 250 get annoying when cruising at 120km/h? I imagine it's screaming a bit louder than a 500 at that point.

[dieziege]

At higher speeds (and with the stock exhaust) you can barely hear the engine... it is just a faint "mmmmmmmm" in the background. It is almost like you outrun the exhaust noise. Wind noises take over as the major source of noise...at least with my helmet and wearing earplugs.

To address Earwig's point...

Having fun usually requires being challenged. Either your sensibilities (e.g. rollercoasters), your skills and reflexes (e.g. twitch video games), your physical abilities (weighlifting), your mind (chess)...or something else...of course most activities challenge you on more than one front. Once the challenge is gone a large part of the fun is gone.

The ninja 250 is a relatively unchallenging bike. You can't flip it over backwards with bad throttle control. You can't pitch-pole it with bad brake control. It can mess you up, but it isn't actively trying to fight you. For the most part it does what it is told. That doesn't mean you can't be challenged riding it... you can be, easily, no matter what your skill level... but you aren't going to be challenged as much by it.

Which raises the question of where you get your enjoyment from riding in riding. Where the challenge comes from for you. If the challenge is what you do with your bike... e.g. trips you take, twsties you travel, etc... it will take a good long time to outgrow a 250. If you don't have external challenges... no challenging roads, no exciting destinations, no personal goals... then you will outgrow the 250 quickly.

I still say, after about 2500 miles on my 250, that I don't think I'll outgrow it. Not in the sense that I'll say "I've done everything that bike can do, get rid of it!" There are times when I wish I'd bought a bike closer to my "ideal" (e.g. a V-Strom or BMW GS)... but to be honest I haven't done anything that requires the higher abilities. Until I start saying "I can't do that ride because my bike doesn't have __________", I won't buy another bike. Most of the skills, tools, and knowledge you need (e.g. riding dirt/gravel roads safely requires skill, requires the ability to partially deflate (and later reinflate) the tires, and requires the knoweldge to know when and how much deflation is required) for the 250 will move over to the higher performance bike.