Yamazaki's '08 Ninja 250R

[Yamazaki]

Today I finally got plates for my motorcycle and just got my rider's permit last week, so I can ride it outside the neighborhood. Since it's here to stay, I'll make a "ride thread" about it. I don't expect it to get as long as my other threads though, since I have no further desire to modify it.

The day I got it:


What it looks like now:

[98legwag]

Very nice. Who would have thought you would have painted it blue?

[rkrenicki]

I guessed Neon Orange, but hey.. what do I know.

[Dead91silvia]

Love how it matches the STi's! Looks so much better in person also. Really a nice job with the color change.

[Yamazaki]

I just love that I can legally ride it finally. I've had it now for 8 months or so.
And yeah, it's actually amazing the H6 didn't get the WRB color treatment. When it gets redone, that'll be corrected.

I did come up with a modification/addition I want to do to the bike though. I can't carry crap with it, so I want to have some kind of locking compartment added on.

[Dead91silvia]

Oh cool! Did you get your endorsement back home in CA?

[chevyman1968]

Oh very nice bike! I like the WRB paint job looks great! I love the little 250s great mpgs and they are way more fun to run canyons on than a big cc bike. You don't have to hold the bike back like you do on a 650 or 1000. One thing though. It looks like you took off the 2 brothers exhaust that was on the bike? Did you want to keep the bike quiet? The 250's have a very boxerish sounding rumble to them with that exhaust.

[Yamazaki]

Oh cool! Did you get your endorsement back home in CA?

Kind of. I have a rider permit until I can take the safety course. That just means no riding on the freeways, at night, with a passenger, or in inclement weather. Fine by me, that's all still scary to me.

One thing though. It looks like you took off the 2 brothers exhaust that was on the bike? Did you want to keep the bike quiet? The 250's have a very boxerish sounding rumble to them with that exhaust.

Nice catch! Yes, the 2Brothers exhaust was insanely loud. I don't like loud. That's also why I have a silencer for my Impreza.

I did come up with a modification/addition I want to do to the bike though. I can't carry crap with it, so I want to have some kind of locking compartment added on.

So I took care of this. My first (or second if you count the color change) mod to the bike was actually just getting a backpack to wear when I ride. Problem solved!

[Dead91silvia]

Cool! With you getting this bike and watching you get setup for ridding it, is kinda making me want to get one also. I learned how to ride a quad a couple years ago and that was a blast! I just have never learned on a motorcycle yet.

[Yamazaki]

Cool! With you getting this bike and watching you get setup for riding it, is kinda making me want to get one also. I learned how to ride a quad a couple years ago and that was a blast! I just have never learned on a motorcycle yet.

I got it purely for money-saving purposes. The insurance is $136/year and it takes $10 to fill the tank which lasts for 2~3 weeks. Compare that to the Impreza that takes about $60/week in gas and insurance runs $160 per 6 months. It'll take a few years to offset the initial cost, but after that the bike'll have paid for itself.

Oh, and motorcycle parking is always better than available car parking in any given lot. However, I'm starting to wish I had gone the cruiser route instead of the sportbike route. They seem more comfortable. I'm not a fan of crushing and freezing the boys against the gas tank when I'm riding.

[amgarrety]

Can confirm, cruisers are insanely comfortable.

[dodik]

cruisers are only more comfortable on an open road, once you hit the city and have to pay attention to pot holes and cagers they become less comfy. If you do mostly cruising then yes go for it just be prepared to sacrifice fuel gauge, tach, separate blinker lights and bunch of other technological items that come mostly stock on sport bikes or pay more to have them installed. Sport bikes are not for everyone as well they are great in twisty roads, city traffic but could be way more uncomfortable on long hauls.
I prefer standard bikes they are sort of like a subaru legacy, have most of the tech goodies without the complications of sport/touring bikes and are more maneuverable then most cruisers while both comfy in the city and on the open road

ps. please take the MSF course it will help you become a better rider,
think of it this way when a new rider gets a bike your pockets are full of luck the trick is to fill the pockets with skill before luck runs out, MSF course helps at that tremendously. And remember ATGATT

your 250 is a great beginner bike, buddy of mine had one for almost two years before upgrading to 650 ninja, after about 10k miles and almost zero maintenance still sold for 200 bucks less than he bought it

[Yamazaki]

cruisers are only more comfortable on an open road, once you hit the city and have to pay attention to pot holes and cagers they become less comfy. If you do mostly cruising then yes go for it just be prepared to sacrifice fuel gauge, tach, separate blinker lights and bunch of other technological items that come mostly stock on sport bikes or pay more to have them installed. Sport bikes are not for everyone as well they are great in twisty roads, city traffic but could be way more uncomfortable on long hauls.
I prefer standard bikes they are sort of like a subaru legacy, have most of the tech goodies without the complications of sport/touring bikes and are more maneuverable then most cruisers while both comfy in the city and on the open road

When I took my bike in for the state inspection, I got to see some other bikes. That's actually where the idea that I made a poor choice came from. There was one bike that even had power folding mirrors, a 12v accessory plug, ipod integration, and cruise control! It was fantastic (it was also $17K, but hey). It seemed like all the cruisers I saw had everything on them, but the sport bikes only had turn signals, tach, and speedo. That's it. Since I don't have any experience with any of the bikes out there, my experienced was colored somewhat by this one visit. If you say the average cruiser doesn't come with all the bells-and-whistles, then I feel a little better about it. I don't even need all of that other stuff (although it'd be nice), I would just like to be able to see the cars behind me in the mirrors...

ps. please take the MSF course it will help you become a better rider,
think of it this way when a new rider gets a bike your pockets are full of luck the trick is to fill the pockets with skill before luck runs out, MSF course helps at that tremendously. And remember ATGATT

I enrolled three weeks ago for the course. At the time, the earliest open class was in late June, so that's when I am scheduled. I can't do anything else about that. It's not like I am avoiding it (in fact, I cannot get my full license until I've completed the course).

[chevyman1968]

The MSF course is great. I learned how to ride when I took that course. In PA the course is free the state pays for it. So, I got my permit and took the course right away. I didn't have a bike before I took the course though. Its amazing everything you learn translates over to driving cras as well.

[dodik]

a lot of times you only get a tank mounted speedo with idiot lights, like below, my biggest problem is you cant see anything with a full face helmet on without taking your eyes of the road. Not all of them like that but metric cruisers are like that. But then again my bike has more stuff than modern bikes do lol so i am a bit spoiled




ps just looked over your bike again, looks like you are missing sliders, since you are new they should be almost mandatory

[Yamazaki]

I've been busy....
I guess it's a fair assumption that if I say I'm done with something, I'll do some more to it. Conversely, if I have some grand plans or project, I'll end up not doing anything.

Anyway, I got side mirrors with integrated turn signals:


But what are these wires inside the fairing...?


Oh, they go to this!


And that enables me to run this:


Yes, I have a compact sportbike with a GPS unit now. However, I cannot take it with me whenever I go somewhere and I cannot leave it exposed on the bike....

So I got a bigger "trunk":



Now in the interest of NOT doing anything further to the bike, I'm going to say that I have some great elaborate plans to make it more like the Merc (adaptive HID headlights, dynamic seats, parktronic, airmatic suspension, etc).

[amgarrety]

As much as I don't want a bike less than 500cc, if you give it all of those fun upgrades, I'll be begging you to buy that too.

You wouldn't want to trade it for a '85 Honda Shadow 500, would you? :P

[Yamazaki]

Okay, I've been LOVING 60mpg on regular gas, but I want something a little different. I rode for about an hour last weekend and my ass was pounded so badly that I felt like I had done two years in prison.

It just so happens that a coworker will be leaving in about a month and a half and he doesn't plan to take his bike with him. He plans to sell his Suzuki VZ800 Marauder for $1800. I get first dibs if I want it. The thing is, I LOVE how cool my current bike is and its mileage is simply unreal. He says he gets about 45mpg on the Marauder. Plus it's 11 years older and has just over twice the mileage of mine....
However, I can't imagine the wife agreeing to trips out on the Ninja, but I can see it on the Marauder. Plus his bike has saddle bags and can carry a lot of stuff, which is very convenient.

I can't have both (for once), so may I have some help figuring out which one I should get?

[Dead91silvia]

Thats more info then I really wanted to know... haha

What color is it?

[TheGreenGTBmachine]

If your having trouble getting used to the seat, why not take it to an automotive upholsterer and have them shae it better for you. They can even add some gel to it for comfort. Or you could try to do it yourself. It is relatively easy if you can get ahold of the materials. You can also get some bags for the ninja if you need to hold more stuff.

[dodik]

what setting is on your spring? might be worth to soften it up a bit

[Yamazaki]

If your having trouble getting used to the seat, why not take it to an automotive upholsterer and have them shae it better for you. They can even add some gel to it for comfort. Or you could try to do it yourself. It is relatively easy if you can get ahold of the materials. You can also get some bags for the ninja if you need to hold more stuff.

There is a tank bag for the Ninja, but it is small and gets in the way. I've been using a backpack, but I've found that it makes me very unstable aerodynamically. If I keep the Ninja, I'll look into getting a better seat. I honestly hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the tip.

what setting is on your spring? might be worth to soften it up a bit

It's on the softest setting already.


Next week my coworker and I are going to trade bikes for a couple days so I can get a better feel of his bike to see how I like it. I wish I could have both. I'd use the Marauder for weekends and the Ninja as my commuter. But that's out of the question.

[Yamazaki]

Okay, I've ridden the Suzuki home and I get it all weekend, but my initial impression is that I want to keep the Ninja. I am not liking the lack of a tach and fuel gauge. Especially the fuel gauge. It also seems to be temperamental. I lost power on the highway and had to pull over for awhile. It just dies out sometimes....

I'll see how the weekend goes, but the Ninja is way more favorable right now.

[Muse]

Thats more info then I really wanted to know... haha

What color is it?

*looks into a potential future, in which Yama gets the Marauder*
Hmm... Looks like it's *gasp* World Rally Blue! Who would have guessed that?!

[Yamazaki]

Thats more info then I really wanted to know... haha

What color is it?

*looks into a potential future, in which Yama gets the Marauder*
Hmm... Looks like it's *gasp* World Rally Blue! Who would have guessed that?!

Ha ha ha, no. That would be ridiculous. It'd be almost as bad as having the Merc painted all WRB.

[amgarrety]

It's not yet?

Oh right, it's already one shade of blue

[Yamazaki]

Got a new bike, so this one is for sale now for only $1500.

I'll make a new thread for the new bike tomorrow.

[Dead91silvia]

That was fast! Why only $1500 for this one? That seems really cheap!

[Yamazaki]

Yeah, I didn't realize how cheap it really was. It sold in two days. I should've asked for more.

[dodik]

But then you'd be sitting on it for a while,
So what did you get?