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341 Posts
The adjuster can up with a grand total of about $5500 yesterday to fix my $4200 Ninjette so I was off to a non-a**hole, non-Kawasaki dealer today for a new CBR!
Off the cuff after 2 rides and about 45 miles:
-I like the power/torque. It was strange to reach a comfortable cruising speed and then realize that I still had another gear to go, on the Ninja I was often flipping the shifter for that non-existant 7th gear after I got up to speed. It remains to be seen what I'll think of the engine once I get through the break-in and onto the highway but so far I have no objections to the power.
-The clutch is definitely different. I stalled it the first time I tried to move off the dealer lot because the CBR seems to require a bit more of a bump in power to get moving while releasing the clutch. With the Ninja as long as I was smooth on the clutch in 1st gear I didn't really need to mess with the throttle.
-The CBR engine feels... less free revving? Granted that's just a difference in the inherent characteristics of the 2 bikes but the Ninja was very smooth in the 6000-11000rpm range as long as it wasn't bogged down so the engine acceleration seemed slower and more labored(?) on the CBR. The distance traveled so to speak is still pretty much the same between the 2 bikes in that a CBR will accelerate the same amount from 4000-8000 as the Ninja would from 6000-11000 so it's just something to get used to, neither situation is better or worse, just different. (I just made up the rpms to illustrate my point, wasn't trying to be specific) Related to this is:
-The throttle. I got used to modulating my speed on the Ninja using the throttle but I'm finding that harder to do smoothly on the CBR. Because of its torquey and less "revvy" nature a change in a few rpms on the CBR seems to make more of a difference than the same rpm change would on the Ninja so I found myself bucking around a bit more as I manipulated the throttle on both twisty roads and in traffic. Time will likely smooth that out but this is a "first impressions" post after all.
-There's a clock! Minor difference but very nice to have. Which lead to...
-The console/dashboard/display/whatever... Much more intuitive and easy to read than the Ninjas. I love having a digital speedo, less thinking and interpretating than analog and less thinking is always a plus for me. And yes I know "interpretating" isn't a word, I just like it.
-The brakes. Now here is a characteristic of the CBR that I'm definitely not crazy about so far, the brakes just feel sooo much weaker than the Ninjas. It seems to me that the amount of force needed for a relatively normal but spirited stop on a CBR would have me locking up the rear wheel, crunching the family jewels into the tank, and then doing a stoppie on the Ninja. IMHO with these brakes ABS would be much more appropriate and beneficial on a Ninja 250 than it would be on a CBR. I feel it would take about 90-95% of my strength to lock up a CBR while maybe only 70-75% would be required to lock up a Ninja. I've locked up my Ninja before, it's not hard to do when you're a hothead like me, just ask BKP!
-Seat/riding position. Definitely noticed a difference in the seats between the 2 bikes. After becoming accustomed to the forward leaning, family jewel-squashing cant of the Ninja seat I feel like I'm going to slide off the back of the flatter and more neutral seat on the CBR.
Again, just my first impressions...
Off the cuff after 2 rides and about 45 miles:
-I like the power/torque. It was strange to reach a comfortable cruising speed and then realize that I still had another gear to go, on the Ninja I was often flipping the shifter for that non-existant 7th gear after I got up to speed. It remains to be seen what I'll think of the engine once I get through the break-in and onto the highway but so far I have no objections to the power.
-The clutch is definitely different. I stalled it the first time I tried to move off the dealer lot because the CBR seems to require a bit more of a bump in power to get moving while releasing the clutch. With the Ninja as long as I was smooth on the clutch in 1st gear I didn't really need to mess with the throttle.
-The CBR engine feels... less free revving? Granted that's just a difference in the inherent characteristics of the 2 bikes but the Ninja was very smooth in the 6000-11000rpm range as long as it wasn't bogged down so the engine acceleration seemed slower and more labored(?) on the CBR. The distance traveled so to speak is still pretty much the same between the 2 bikes in that a CBR will accelerate the same amount from 4000-8000 as the Ninja would from 6000-11000 so it's just something to get used to, neither situation is better or worse, just different. (I just made up the rpms to illustrate my point, wasn't trying to be specific) Related to this is:
-The throttle. I got used to modulating my speed on the Ninja using the throttle but I'm finding that harder to do smoothly on the CBR. Because of its torquey and less "revvy" nature a change in a few rpms on the CBR seems to make more of a difference than the same rpm change would on the Ninja so I found myself bucking around a bit more as I manipulated the throttle on both twisty roads and in traffic. Time will likely smooth that out but this is a "first impressions" post after all.
-There's a clock! Minor difference but very nice to have. Which lead to...
-The console/dashboard/display/whatever... Much more intuitive and easy to read than the Ninjas. I love having a digital speedo, less thinking and interpretating than analog and less thinking is always a plus for me. And yes I know "interpretating" isn't a word, I just like it.
-The brakes. Now here is a characteristic of the CBR that I'm definitely not crazy about so far, the brakes just feel sooo much weaker than the Ninjas. It seems to me that the amount of force needed for a relatively normal but spirited stop on a CBR would have me locking up the rear wheel, crunching the family jewels into the tank, and then doing a stoppie on the Ninja. IMHO with these brakes ABS would be much more appropriate and beneficial on a Ninja 250 than it would be on a CBR. I feel it would take about 90-95% of my strength to lock up a CBR while maybe only 70-75% would be required to lock up a Ninja. I've locked up my Ninja before, it's not hard to do when you're a hothead like me, just ask BKP!
-Seat/riding position. Definitely noticed a difference in the seats between the 2 bikes. After becoming accustomed to the forward leaning, family jewel-squashing cant of the Ninja seat I feel like I'm going to slide off the back of the flatter and more neutral seat on the CBR.
Again, just my first impressions...