Ninja 250R/500R

[dogugotw]

<all opinion>

Take the MSF. It'll help you answer a lot of your questions. The big thing on a bike is staying inside your comfort and skill zone. If you venture outside of that bubble, you're going to get hurt. The more you ride and the more you PRACTICE riding skills, the more comfortable you'll be in any given situation.

Freeways? Let's see, fast, conjested, cagers talking on cell phones, what could go wrong??? Lots of bikes ride on freeways. If you pay attention, plan ahead, have escape routes ready to use, and don't drive like a flipping idiot, you'll probably do fine. When the blond in the Hummer pulls over on top of you, it's gonna suck...Something to keep in mind - most accidents happen at intersections so freeways are actually safer than town driving. The downside is that, at 70 mph, any accident is going to be serious. Then again, if you're thinking about a bike, death and injury can't be much of an issue

1000 mile trip? Bigger is more comfortable. I'd probably take my 500R on a long trip, but I'd be sure to take time at every gas stop to stretch and revitalize. Most folks who do long long rides often ride cruisers - there's a reason they're big, have luggage and windscreens.

Weather - it's all about the gear. If you wear jeans and crap gloves, you're gonna suffer. HINT: Gerbing makes electric clothes. I've ridden at 22 F with their gloves and my hands are toasty warm. If you're planning a long trip in the cold, I'd go for the full suit.

No clue on how long a bike will actually last. I've never kept one long enough to find out. From what I understand, the 500Rs are built to take a ton of punishment and just keep working (main reason I bought mine). Do the maintenance and it'll last longer.

Welcome to the world of 2 wheels and have fun.

Doug

ps - speed wobble?? If you're talking about the tires being out of balance, I gotta believe on a bike it would be less than fun, but then again, we're back to that maintenance thing. Mine sits on the road like it's glued. Heavy cross winds (40 mph) tend to blow me around, but don't bother the bike at all. Groove pavement - nooo problem.

[dogugotw]

Re loud muffler - opposing opinion here.
If they have their windows rolled up and the radio on, it doesn't matter how loud your bike is, the WILL NOT HEAR YOU. I saw a program where the re-enacted a train/school bus crash. At the crossing, with the train blowing his horn, and the bus simulating typical kid noise, the horn was impossible to hear.

Need more? Ever see a cop running full lights and sirens behind some jerk in a car yapping on the phone just not seeing or hearing anything? Oh, oh...look a cop....10 miles after he pulls in behind said doofus.

If you think your little ol' muffler is going to make a difference, you're thinking wrong. Assume the cagers have no clue you exist, plan for them to cut you off, be ready to move, and you're ahead of the game.

Just one guys opinion.

Doug

[cartmanea]

I just bought a wrecked 2004 Ninja 500R that needs a little TLC. It runs fine, but needs some body parts and a small amount of frame work in the seat/tail area.

I would like to get a good service manual for it, what do you guys recommend? Clymer has one for the 500R, but it only lists coverage through 2002, is everything pretty much the same in 2004 or should I get something else?

Thanks!

[Inflame]

Originally Posted by dogugotw

Re loud muffler - opposing opinion here.
If they have their windows rolled up and the radio on, it doesn't matter how loud your bike is, the WILL NOT HEAR YOU. I saw a program where the re-enacted a train/school bus crash. At the crossing, with the train blowing his horn, and the bus simulating typical kid noise, the horn was impossible to hear.

Need more? Ever see a cop running full lights and sirens behind some jerk in a car yapping on the phone just not seeing or hearing anything? Oh, oh...look a cop....10 miles after he pulls in behind said doofus.

If you think your little ol' muffler is going to make a difference, you're thinking wrong. Assume the cagers have no clue you exist, plan for them to cut you off, be ready to move, and you're ahead of the game.

Just one guys opinion.

Doug

But if your on a normal city road, your chances of being spotted are higher... maybe on the highway too, cagers aren't a buss full of kids, theres a higher chance with a louder muffler!

[w1ngzer0]

I drive a diesel truck and I didn't hear the sirens or engine of the fire truck behind me until I looked back and herd the horn. I always see motorcycle guys, because I look around and give you guys’ space because I know how it is. When im on the highway, the only time i hear any mufflers is when they're in front of me. If you think about the science behind sound and how it works, it makes sense.

Why do some people on motorcycles call people in cars "cagers"? It doesn't make sense. Most motorcycle riders are scared of the rain or drive a car in the winter season.....

[dogugotw]

Cager = somebody riding in a cage. I think the term is mostly used by folks who think of bikes as their primary means of transport rather than the fair-weather 2 wheeler. I don't use the term in a derogatory fashion, heck, for 5 months of the year, I'm a cager (won't ride on snow or ice and in NH, we have a looong winter).

Thank you for the confirmation on the loud muffler issue. In the days when AC didn't exist and everybody rode with windows down, it might have made sense. Today, with everybody riding windows up, stereo blaring, cell phone to ear, and cars designed to block out road noise, outside noise just doesn't exist.

w1ngzer0, thanks for watching out. I try and give trucks plenty of reason to see me, let 'em in when then need over, and pass them quickly (man do I hate seeing people just run side-by-side with an 18 wheeler).

Doug

[01250ex]

Im wondering if anyone has any advice on pumping up the 250 some. Ive got to pop the clutch at about 6 grand to get the front off the ground. Im thinking about doing some carb work and maybe some engine work. Any sugestions?

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by cartmanea

I would like to get a good service manual for it, what do you guys recommend? Clymer has one for the 500R, but it only lists coverage through 2002, is everything pretty much the same in 2004 or should I get something else?

Thanks!

Haynes (Hanes?) Makes a manual that quits around the same year. It's pretty much the same bike. The illustrations in the Haynes manual are really small for some things. The wiring diagrams are really good.

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by dogugotw

Cager = somebody riding in a cage. I think the term is mostly used by folks who think of bikes as their primary means of transport rather than the fair-weather 2 wheeler. I don't use the term in a derogatory fashion, heck, for 5 months of the year, I'm a cager (won't ride on snow or ice and in NH, we have a looong winter).

Do people really ride bikes when it snows? I know it's not illegal but I think it's one of those things they REALLY didn't need a law to enforce.

Yeah, my bike is my primary means of transportation. Second only to my running shoes. I guess that makes me a Cager too. I'll ride in just about anything.

[cartmanea]

Originally Posted by Prototype

Haynes (Hanes?) Makes a manual that quits around the same year. It's pretty much the same bike. The illustrations in the Haynes manual are really small for some things. The wiring diagrams are really good.

How many pages is the Haynes manual? The other brand I looked at was around 250 pages and had pretty good instructions. Thanks!

[w1ngzer0]

Originally Posted by 01250ex

Im wondering if anyone has any advice on pumping up the 250 some. Ive got to pop the clutch at about 6 grand to get the front off the ground. Im thinking about doing some carb work and maybe some engine work. Any sugestions?

Get a bigger bike. When you slide around corners with your 250R. Then its time to upgrade . Thats why i'll be upgrading soon enough.

Thank you, dogugotu. Here in Sacramento, a lot of the truck drivers get into accidents because people cut us off then the traffic slows down fast and you're screwed.

I know a few folks in Russia that ride their cruiser in the snowy seasons. I remember an article on it

[dogugotw]

Originally Posted by Prototype

Do people really ride bikes when it snows? I know it's not illegal but I think it's one of those things they REALLY didn't need a law to enforce.

Yeah, my bike is my primary means of transportation. Second only to my running shoes. I guess that makes me a Cager too. I'll ride in just about anything.

There's a guy where I work who used to put studded tires on his bike and rode all winter. If the story I got is correct, he went down a few years ago and now doesn't ride on snow. He is pretty hard core. I started this year with the temp at about 22 and he'd already been riding for a couple of weeks.

[DrunkenMonkey]

Hi all,

After years of dreaming about riding, the planets aligned, and I finally signed up for the Basic RiderCourse that I had been putting off. I was ready to accept and manage risk in order to get at the enjoyment of riding. After a roasting hot and clear weekend of riding and testing, I got a sunburn on the left side of my neck, passed the class, and got my endorsement the following week.

I've decided to get a 500R, and I'm curious about the street price of the 2005 and 2006 models. The first response I got from a dealer claimed an out-the-door price of about $6,200 for a 2006 Lime Green 500R (including setup, documentation, licensing, and 8.8% tax).

I was a little taken aback , given the alleged $4,441 ready-to-sell cost of the bike, and the fact that $6,200 is just $100 shy of the 650R MSRP.

I had been hoping for a tab slightly closer to $5K than $6K, and I figured that the introduction of the 650R would have put downward pressure on the 500R prices.

So of course I lost a few weekend hours surfing 650R reviews and convincing myself that as good as it sounds, getting all that nice bodywork might be a bad idea for my first bike. And then there's the healthy suspicion I have for a first-generation anything, even though it sounds like Kawasaki got it mostly right on the first try, aside from the brake feel.

So, anyone who knows the actual going price of a 2005 or 2006 500R, if you don't mind sharing, please help. Thanks!

[Bancho]

Where did you get that quote? I'm in Maple Valley and have been poking around Renton cycles looking at that exact same bike.

Did they break down what all the extra charges were? Percentage wise, I've paid much less extra fees (excluding tax) buying a new car.

[DrunkenMonkey]

Originally Posted by Bancho

Where did you get that quote? I'm in Maple Valley and have been poking around Renton cycles looking at that exact same bike.

Did they break down what all the extra charges were? Percentage wise, I've paid much less extra fees (excluding tax) buying a new car.

Waldron in Issaquah. The sales rep didn't break down the price tag--that would have been nice.

Did you get any quotes from Renton Motorcycles?

[Bancho]

Originally Posted by DrunkenMonkey

Waldron in Issaquah. The sales rep didn't break down the price tag--that would have been nice.

Did you get any quotes from Renton Motorcycles?

Not yet. I'm taking my MSF course on June 6th and 7th so I've restricted my browsing to simply sitting on the bikes making "vroom" noises. FWIW, they currently have the exact green 500R that you're looking at in Issaquah. You may want to check them out.

So far, based on my finances after I finish the course, I plan on trying to get a 500R (or 250R if finances aren't what I'd hoped). There sure isn't much out there used at the moment so I'd be buying new like you.

ps - The Full Throttle Cafe has a some pretty decent food so you may as well stop up and grab a bite while you're there. I take my son when I go and he loves hanging out at that place. He gets a burger and I let him sit on all the quads and goof around.

[dagger1278]

I got my fiance's '06 500r for a base price of like 5,300. After taxes and other fees, including a 2nd helmet and gloves (first helmet and gloves were free), *and* $300 for the extra 36 month warranty from Kawasaki, total was like $5,900. $6,200 is way overpriced.

[Ninja06]

It all depends on the dealer I suppose. I looked at a 250R at one, out the door was $4399.00, The other dealers price was $3899.00 out the door... So guess were i'm going.

That includes all fees. (dock, shipping blablabla)
The second place honored Kawi's website price.

[DrunkenMonkey]

Originally Posted by dagger1278

I got my fiance's '06 500r for a base price of like 5,300. After taxes and other fees, including a 2nd helmet and gloves (first helmet and gloves were free), *and* $300 for the extra 36 month warranty from Kawasaki, total was like $5,900. $6,200 is way overpriced.

Yeah, I thought it failed the smell test. Thanks for the info.

[DrunkenMonkey]

Originally Posted by Bancho

Not yet. I'm taking my MSF course on June 6th and 7th so I've restricted my browsing to simply sitting on the bikes making "vroom" noises. [snip]

Ha, do you mimic the MotoGP whine on the 250s and make throaty sounds on the twins?