How much harder??? 250 to 600?

Question

Hello,

i have just recently learned to ride motorcycles ( one week ) i bought the 2008 Ninja 250r to practice on and learn all the basics. Now ive been getting out on the busy streets and i feel like i don't have enough power to get me out of difficult situations. So my question is how much harder is it to ride a 600cc bike instead of my 250. I just don't want to kill myself trying to move up to a faster bike, but i do feel that its necessary if I'm going to be driving on busy streets.

Will it be easy for me to ride a 600 since i already know how to ride the 250 really good??

Answer 1

The Ninja 250 has plenty of power for urban traffic.  You are cutting into traffic too close, and you need a lot more practice than 1 week.

Learn not just the limitation of your bike, but your own limitations.  It is hard to not let ego get in the way, but people ride 50ccs every day in traffic with no problem.  I ride a 650, and I often blow away bikes twice the displacement purely by knowing when to shift.

Power will not help you, only skill will, and right now your Ninja 250 will out accelerate my touring 650, so learn thy bike!

Answer 2

Busy streets, speed limit around 30mph, how can a 250 (capable of well over 100mph) not have enough power? If you've learned to ride in one week, you cannot know how to "ride the 250 really good", if you are looking for an excuse to get a larger bike then that is not a valid argument. Besides it is not a case of learning to ride a 250 well, it should be learning to ride any motorbike well, that includes observation, understanding what other road users are doing, knowing how far a bike can lean, how a bike reacts to braking, acceleration – that is why 250s are recommended because you can learn these things and more on a relatively unthreatening machine.

Sorry if this is harsh.

Answer 3

A 250 Ninja should be exactly what you need. You can't have experience enough in a week's time to go to a larger bike because of power. My guess is you want to run with the big dogs? Stay out of the limelight for a season and then upgrade to an even larger one. I cut my teeth on a YZ250A and then went to a 250 Enduro. I rode those two bikes three years. Then I went to a CB450 twin Honda. I rode it about three years and when I finally took a breather from riding I was somewhat experienced. Did I mention that I quit riding because I felt I couldn't cope with the stupid drivers back then because they were blind? A really close call had me park the bike and trust me, no amount of power in the world would have saved me from that crash. I had to jump the curb and go into a guy's yard to get out of the way of the fool that was passing another car in a no passing zone at about 50mph. I just started back riding about five months ago on a 750 cruiser. I still don't feel like I have a h**l of a lot of experience but I have avoided the crash so far. Enjoy learning on a smaller bike and move to a larger one next spring and it'll be like you've never ridden before.

Answer 4

Odd question since a 250 Ninja will out accelerate nearly every car you're running into on the road.   A 250 will out accelerate, out brake, nearly any of the cars you're encountering on the road.  

After only 1 week of driving a motorcycle and claiming to be very good at it I'd suggest you stick with this bike and wait until you feel that it's adequate to "get you out of trouble" by itself before getting a more powerful bike that may get you into more trouble than it gets you out of.

I'd say your inexperience is what's making you think you don't have enough power to get out of trouble.   If you're a good cycle driver you don't "get into trouble" since you are always anticipating and avoiding trouble in the first place.

Take a motorcycle course and learn defensive cycle skills before moving on to a bigger bike.

My two cents

Good Luck

RoyG

KC

Answer 5

not hard at all, keep the revvs low, and take it easy...

learn to ride before you push your limits...

Answer 6

You will be fine. Just don't crack the throttle open until you get used to the extra power. Ride like a normal person and you get the feel in a day or two. I learned to ride on the highway on a 600cc.

Answer 7

You're going to notice roughly a 50 pound difference. The 'o8 Ninja 250R weighs 333 pounds. An average 600, let's take the CBR600RR, weighs about 370 pounds. So that isn't bad at all.

Before I start on how the engine is considerably different, know that if you're going to f*** around on a motorcycle, 250cc or 1300cc, you're eventually going to regret it. Ride responsibly.

The 250RR is very mild compared to let's say, a supersport, like the popular CBR600RR, R6, ZX6R, GSXR600, Triumph 675. There are watered down middleweights like the F4i, FZ6, 650R, and GSX650F, and SV650, which can be called sport tourers.

You will notice an immediate change when you open the throttle fully at a general RPM range of 6000-8000+ RPM, depending on the bike. The secondary fuel injectors kick in, this is the biggest difference. The Ninja 250R is carbeurated, so it's the same most of the time, despite some jets and c**p blah blah. Not to mention it has about 20% of the hp an average 600 kicks out (about 105-110hp). If you aren't holding on with your hands and knees on the tank you will most likely violently slide back against the passenger seat, beacuse they can get violent. The front end will come up upon request in first and second gear.

You will notice that giving the 600 full throttle is totally unecessary in traffic. You can do about 65mph in first gear. Therefore it's a rocket on two wheels.

The ergonomics are going to be different. the 2008 ninja sits almost upright. A supersport inline 600 puts you over the tank. A new rider will have to get used to looking more upright and craning the neck and taking weight off your wrists and arms.

If you don't crave that amazing power then get a sport tourer, like an Suzuki SV650, Suzuki GSX650F, Triumph Street triple, Ducati Monster, Honda CBR600F4i, Kawasaki Ninja 650R, Yamaha YZF 600R, Yamaha R6S, Yamaha FZ6, Aprilia Shiver 750, etc.

Answer 8

stick with the 250 for at least  6-8 months  you need a good year before you can even say you know how to ride (just how it is bro) when you are ready to step up go to the 750 or up. the 600 class has a very uneven power band its a dog in the low end then out of nowhere you have all the power in the world the 750 or 1000 class has a smooth power band and as long as you can keep your hand out of it they are much safer

good luck and ride safe