Upgrading to R3 from a Ninja 250? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Upgrading to R3 from a Ninja 250?

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Ridin2TheGym

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Is the r3 a good upgrade over a ninja 250? Ive been riding my 09 ninja for 2 weeks now (first bike) and have racked up about 1100km (yes my gyms pretty far lol) I was wondering if the R3 would be a noticeable upgrade over the 250 because I sat on many bikes today at SnowCity and I feel like the R3 was the most comfortable. The ZX6r was too aggressive and the 650 was too upright.
 
It wont be a big difference but at the same time you'll probably get bored of it too and want a 600! On a side note I workout and want to ride to the gym.. Did it one day and my gear stank until I fabreezed that ****, what do u do squid it? I'm no squid
 
I have a ninja 300 - was looking at the R3...both are AWESOME - first season riding. I now want at least a 600...so will be upgrading next year. Probably Gixxer...I need a little more power - shame its not easy to test drive.
 
Best to spend a decade or two learning to ride your current bike.

if you jump too big, too soon, you won't learn to shift to get power out of it until much later.
 
2motors said:
It wont be a big difference but at the same time you'll probably get bored of it too and want a 600! On a side note I workout and want to ride to the gym.. Did it one day and my gear stank until I fabreezed that ****, what do u do squid it? I'm no squid
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True, I would prefer a supersport but I feel the handlebars are too low on them, I sat on a gxsr600 and xz6r..maybe the cbr600rr will be different.

To be honest I had no intentions of squidding when I bought my bike. I went out and bought gloves jacket and boots as well..but I'll use gloves only if Im just gonna be hauling around in town.
 
toyopl said:
Go for CBR650F, should be a nice upgrade over the 300.
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I second this, or the Ninja 650R with clip-ons. As much as I liked the 600RR, I couldn't imagine being able to do 2-3+ hour rides on it without having to stop every 30 mins for a break. Factoring in extra insurance, running costs, and risk of theft sealed the deal for me.

With that said, if you only have 2 weeks on your current bike, seriously, keep it longer. 250s are not fast bikes, but it does take a fair amount of time to really learn how to use what it does have. I kept my CBR250RA for almost 3 years and put around 12,000km on her before I switched, and I'm glad I did. I'm also not sure where you've been riding (guessing downtown based on your username?) but use the long weekend and take the bike up north (think Bobcaygeon, Kawarthas, etc) and actually ride. Big difference between commuting place to place, and riding the barren twisty roads a few hours north of the city.
 
conundrum said:
I second this, or the Ninja 650R with clip-ons.
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This ^^^^

I sold my 650R for a 600 (Ninja zx-6r). Looking back, it wasn't the best decision. I love my 6r, don't get me wrong, but the 650R, with aftermarket bars, was more than enough bike -- more than enough power, fun in the twisties, reasonable insurance to name just a few of the 'advantages'.

My next bike will be something in the 650 class.

Just my $0.02. YMMV.
 
Baggsy said:
Best to spend a decade or two learning to ride your current bike.

if you jump too big, too soon, you won't learn to shift to get power out of it until much later.
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Joke right?

OP, forget upgrading. Look into Total Control, Racer5, or FAST.

I'd recommend doing Total Control before Racer5 or FAST. All three courses upgrade the weakest link on any motorcycle: the rider. You'd be amazed at what a 125 can do. Most Racer5 students are uncomfortable bringing their 600/750/1000s onto the track once we've taken the course because there is more to learn on the 125.

Demo a few bikes once you do the above to see what suits your riding style once you've developed it using the above courses. I'd really recommend against upgrading so soon as you haven't figured out how you ride yet (corner charger, methodical, hang off like a monkey, chicken ****, etc. lol)
 
not worth it...Its like upgrading to a 636 from a regular 600, yea you get an incremental increase in performance but is it worth the extra costs, no.
 
conundrum said:
...With that said, if you only have 2 weeks on your current bike, seriously, keep it longer. 250s are not fast bikes, but it does take a fair amount of time to really learn how to use what it does have. I kept my CBR250RA for almost 3 years and put around 12,000km on her before I switched, and I'm glad I did. I'm also not sure where you've been riding (guessing downtown based on your username?) but use the long weekend and take the bike up north (think Bobcaygeon, Kawarthas, etc) and actually ride. Big difference between commuting place to place, and riding the barren twisty roads a few hours north of the city.
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This. Also it's not only that you need to learn the mechanics of riding, but also to learn to predict and stay away from the potential danger of vehicles around you. Learning the mechanics of the bike is the easy part. Staying safe and not being in the "wrong place at the wrong time" takes much longer to learn, but will keep you safer in the long term. Remember that even the smallest car can take out the largest bike. Ride in a car's blind spot, inadvertently, and you could be in for a world of hurt.

After a solid year of riding, get whatever bike you want. Did you do a new rider's course? The ninja 250 and R3 stats, so there won't be a performance upgrade. You'll need to go up to a 500-600cc bike to make a difference. Do you need to do this? Check your insurance rate before you buy, as it'll be much higher than your 250.
 
Someone help me out here, and no offence @Riding2theGym, as you are not the first to post these intentions in this time frame...now I'm going on my 5th season as a rider. I don't have a long commute, and with 2 kids, I don't get out as much as I would like, but I haven't even thought of getting a different ride. Yes, it's a 750, but it's a Shadow -- 42~hp. I'd be willing to bet those 250's will leave me in the dust all day, every day. Is it because I'm old? Because I ride a cruiser? Because IDGAF whether others think I'm cool? (which, btw, I am). Or is it because we live in such a fast paced world, where our attention spans have been all but eliminated, that we get bored of things, like 250's, after 2 months?
 
conundrum said:
I second this, or the Ninja 650R with clip-ons. As much as I liked the 600RR, I couldn't imagine being able to do 2-3+ hour rides on it without having to stop every 30 mins for a break. Factoring in extra insurance, running costs, and risk of theft sealed the deal for me.
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If you cant ride the bike for at least a hour how the hell are you going to get to any good roads?
ive done 6+ hr trips on my 600rr and only stopped for fuel.
 
Big fan of the Honda 500 series. Loving my new 500x but given you like the ninja or r3, take a look at the 500r or 500f. I think this is a good progression from the 250/300 series of bikes but a little easier upgrade than to a 650. The 650gsx is a lot of motorcycle coming off a 250.
 
Demo an R3. The differences between a Ninja 300 and R3 are vastly overstated by the media.

I'd advise to save your money, keep on the 250 as long as you can and then look to the 600 sport tourers. There are tons of Ninja 650s, SFV650s, FZ6's used and they go cheap.

Even if you like the R3, by the spring they will be <$4K used.

You cannot actually put clipons on a 650R, you can put on lower sport bars with an adapter.
 
EaZ8 said:
If you cant ride the bike for at least a hour how the hell are you going to get to any good roads?
ive done 6+ hr trips on my 600rr and only stopped for fuel.
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That's part of the reason why I decided against a SS and got the CBR650F instead. Still more than enough power for our roads & limits, but cheaper and much more comfortable ergonomics. The hour might have been pessimistic, but I still remember after the demo rides I knew I could do maybe double and then would want off the RR. In contrast, I rode for 5hrs pretty much straight coming back from Ottawa a few weeks back, and only got off the bike for maybe a total of 10 mins (2 stops) essentially for gas and a drink of water.

Not really trying to start the old SS argument here, but essentially those bikes are built for high speed racetracks, and not with commuting in mind.
 
Bikerider said:
What does this even mean? You were too comfortable on it?
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I felt the same actually when sitting on it (Ninja 650R) or a FZ6R. I like a bit of a forwards lean -- Not fetal position, but not bolt upright either. CBR650F has a bit more of a forwards lean than my CBR250RA did, and a little less than the VFR800F. Makes me feel more like-one with the bike, vs balanced on top of it.
 
It's not hard to install higher bars on a SS that uses clipons and tune to taste. The clipons actually work well on highways.

A huge part of discomfort is people resting weight on their wrists and hands, whereas the upper body should be supported by the legs gripping the tank, which typically requires some type of tank grip because for some stupid reason few manufacturers make grippy tanks for the sake of aesthetics.
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