Ninja 250 to Ninja 650

[zacc93]

So I was considering the possibility of selling my 250 for a 650. Mainly because I want a bigger bike to take to the track and ride more comfortably on high speed roads and freeways which I commonly have to travel on to get to Uni and work. I thought I'd come here and get some advice on this situation from the experts, as i'm sure plenty of people have been in this situation.

What should I expect? What would you reccommend?

[Diaz93andrew]

before you read this, im NOT an expert, but i started riding and learning on a 750 and when im obeying the road laws, i gotta say when someone does something stupid on the highway or even main streets, im ALWAYS thankful that i have the power to speed away from a potential accident. HOWEVER. most important thing about the 250 is that is MANEUVERABILITY with just the slightest touch vs a 600^ which requires ALOT of body leaning and you MUST be able to maintain the weight of the bike, so id say try and just sit on a 600^ and you dont even have to ride, just take it off the kickstand, and lean to sides a bit to get a feel for the weight. if its too much for you standing up, then dont touch it.Stick with the 250 OR just get a 500(500's tend to give more power while not losing the maneuverability of a 250)

anyways, like i said, im no expert,but all i do all day is research and research and research,talk to motorists and ex-riders for point of views,and this is the best advice i offer you

[zacc93]

Thanks, I also wanted to hear more about what the 650 as a bike is like, is it a good transition after a 250? I definitely like the looks of the 2012 model.

[Diaz93andrew]

its a great transition if you can handle the weight difference, and you will LOVE the increase in power, but dont make the #1 mistake that people transitioning make, RESPECT the power of your new 600 because unlike the 250, if you handle a 600+ with a cocky attitude or you arent paying attention, she WILL throw you off. its a hell of alot easier to fuck that up

[[1up]]

The 650r isn't a true sports bike in the same respect as say a zx6r or any other 600cc bike its really for sport touring, it weighs near the same, but its weight is more centered and lowered so the bike feels very light. The 650r (twin) would be a dog on the track vs other riders on 600cc (inline4) bikes, you would be getting crowded and passed constantly on a track, depending on how crowded it is.

If you have enough experience and you feel its time to move to something bigger, and get into track riding. I would get a 600cc any brand from 2002 on. If you do end up getting a super sport, i would baby it around the local roads for a few months to get used to the power and weight before getting anywhere near a track.

[zacc93]

Thanks 1up. The thing is the bike will also need to be a daily commuter. So i'm worried if i get say a ninja zx-6r that i may be in danger of having a generally poor daily ride? Is there another bike that would fit my situation better?

[[1up]]

Its really about what kind of riding you wanna do. The 650r will be more than enough for everyday use and has easily enough power to be confident in traffic. The zx6r is a race bike, tuned to be run on the track at high speeds, you can always adjust the suspension for road use though. Just takes some light tuning.

I would really suggest sitting on both at a dealership or something if you can, better yet see if the dealer will let you ride them both so you can more easily make up your mind.
I don't think you can truly know which is better suited for you and your riding style without riding them both.
Try to find a local dealership that will allow test rides.

[GreenGhost]

So I had a 2011 Ninja 250r for around 3,000 miles, then someone hit the bike in a parking lot... around that time I had felt I needed more power, and wanted something bigger so that I could have that punch of power IF and only if I need it. So I test road my buddys Yamaha R6, super super fun, BUT I knew right then and there it wasn't for me, it WANTED to go faster, it WANTED speed and if you didn't give it up it just would putt putt around, so then I test road my buddies Ninja 650r... by the next week I had bought a 650r. It doesn't have that racing position, that some people love it had a more up right cruiser style position with a sport look and had all the speed I'd ever want, been riding for about 2 days now and I love my bike, very happy I didn't get a R6 but people will swear to the heavens there better so all on prefrence, I'd recommend riding both to see what you like but yea the step up really wasn't that hard, just respect the bike. (I don't know if I mentioned it I have 2012 ninja 650r no real mods out for it thou, like sliders or even seat cowls that I can find for that matter.) Anyways best of luck!

[beefunk]

This is my first post , I love the 650r. I bought a new 2011 model about 3 weeks ago that a dealer still had left over. It is my first bike and its been awesome. For the first few days I was just putting around side streets and have since brought on the highway and I have no complaints at all. Like they were saying though you have to respect the power and weight.