SilliG

Hello everyone my name is SilliG I am an 4th yr engineering college student. I have always been into cars but this fall I was searching for a new driving experience and found my way into motorcycling. I started saving up some $ did a lot of research online. I took a MSF course , got my full motorcycle license , and over my winter break just recently I purchased a 2009 Ninja 250r.

I chose this bike because of all the research I did online. I am a pretty reserved guy but I do enjoy speed. I know the risks with being on two wheels and I am just making sure I do it right and don't hurt myself. Bigger bikes are appealing to me but I rather have a strong foundation and know what I am doing before I start adding speed. Also another reason I purchased a 250 is because I am a college student and my parents dont help me $ wise since they are paying for school. i.e. I don't have deep pockets lol. Price of the bike, insurance, tags title registration , and gear are enough for me to miss a couple of meals. But it still allows me to be on two wheels, get some learning experience , and have fun.

About the bike:
I just purchased a 2009 Ninja 250r in Candy Thunder Blue which is a beautiful color. It has 12k miles , fresh new rear tire , oil change , and has never been dropped! Which was a big thing for me. It was purchased for an amazing price as well.

Now onto the Semi-Bad or the areas that need adjusting

This bike was originally owned by a female who was pretty short and she added lowering links to the rear. I am 180lbs 5"11 athletic build male .... This is not going to work can anyone help me find a link to how the heck I can raise the bike back up. I have been searching the forums and YouTube with no avail.

2nd this bike has no frame sliders installed, As I said before I am a pretty reserved guy I rather add frame sliders to the bike just in case the bike tips over I don't want to be scratching up my fairings. Any advice onto which is the best brand to get for frame sliders. I seen some on amazon for about $45 tht look decent.

3rd besides the bike being lowered it is 100% stock the stock muffler is too quiet for me. I'm young I like loud cars and bikes. Also I want people to hear me coming for added security so I will be on the lookout for an exhaust I like the MGP growler exhaust from what I have heard online.

Besides that the bike is perfect I look forward to doing a little Maintaince and enjoying my time on two wheels. Any advice is welcomed. I hope this community has some great individuals and information I look forward to being apart of it.

locknload

The best advice I ever got: Never kick a fresh turd on a warm day.

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Jeff in Kentucky

Welcome here.

Forum readers have usually learned to have the attention span of a gnat- my advice is ask one short question at a time, in the 250 Ninja section for your bike.

"Can anyone help me find a link to how the heck I can raise the bike back up?"

You need to replace the lowering links with the stock back shock links, or aftermarket adjustable links that include the stock height.

"Any advice for which is the best brand to get for frame sliders?"

You can do a search for favorite frame slider brands here. Frame sliders are designed to protect the frame during a crash- the fairings will likely still get scratched up and cracked during a crash, but maybe not as much for a slow speed fall.

"The stock muffler is too quiet for me."

You can also search for slip-on exhaust brands here. Different people like different sounds. The Danmoto Chinese brand is the cheapest, but you might not be satisfied with the quality. It is best to buy a carb rejet kit when changing the exhaust, or adjust the pilot mixture screws and add washers to raise the jet needles, but it is not absolutely required for only adding a slip-on.

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"He had never counted on anything except surprise and unpredictability and danger" from Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble novel (2007)---------------
"There's always the chance I'll screw up. That's what keeps it from getting boring."
from Dean Koontz's The Eyes of Darkness novel (1981)

SilliG

Thanks Jeff In Kentucky I appreciate the help

Bboytaktix

Welcome SilliG! It's funny, I just graduated from bachelor of Engineering university program almost a year ago, and soon as I graduated and started working, I decided (over the summer) to do my license as well. I've also always been into cars. Good choice in bike too. Ride safe and have fun!

S3aturnR

SMART man. 250 is perfect to learn on. anyone who says different or says that you'll "grow out of it" is full of shit.

try finding a local bike shop. they should know how to get it back to normal. lowering it definitely kills the handling of the bike. it's not like a car in that respect.

frame sliders (in my opinion) are a double-edged sword. on one hand, they can totally save the day for you in a low-side crash. on the other, they can end up punching a hole in your engine and do more damage than no slider at all. a frame slider doesn't have much chance from a standing drop. it has a much better chance if you wash out at full lean around a curve.

my advice; case covers or case savers. contrary to popular belief, frame sliders are not called "fairing sliders" for a very good reason; they will not save your fairings from damage. if you go down, you can expect to mess up your fairings, no matter what you use. case covers, however, will definitely save the day, keep your oil in the crank case and help get you back home in the event of a minor "off". you will still need to fix your fairings after, but you'll reduce the risk of punching holes in your engine.

ride it for awhile longer before you decide on an exhaust. chances are, you'll like the stock one enough to stick with it. loud pipes do not, in fact, save lives. that's an old wive's tale started by harley riders.

keep your eyes open for something inexpensive because buying an exhaust that costs 30% of the value of your entire motorcycle is just silly.

practice, be wary of riding in groups, weigh any advice you get based on the experience of the advisor, wear all your gear EVERY TIME no matter how short the trip (my off was less than 1 mile from my house and 2 minutes into my ride). don't skimp on shit that will save your ass. decent boots, gloves, helmet and jacket are what i consider minimum attire. back and chest protectors and full leathers sound like overkill until you hit something really hard.

oh, almost forgot; WELCOME and stay safe!


s3aturnr

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clark280

"About the bike:
I just purchased a 2009 Ninja 250r in Candy Thunder Blue which is a beautiful color. It has 12k miles , fresh new rear tire , oil change , and has never been dropped! Which was a big thing for me. It was purchased for an amazing price as well."

that good And bike color is my favorite too. How much you're paying for it?

Kawikid72

Never kick a turd on a warm day regardless.

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All this is just ADVICE because at the end of the day, you can do whatever the FUCK you wanna do.

Whore your slut out

williamr

Two things to consider. Remove the lowering links by all means - they're nasty horrible things - but it won't make any difference at all to the relationship between the seat, pegs and bars. I'm guessing that you're maybe feeling a touch cramped, so you might need to change the bars or fit aftermarket rearsets. Get some decent mileage on the bike first so that you setlle into it and get a proper feel for what you need to change.

Fit loud pipes if you like them, but they won't be heard any better than quiet ones except by cars that you're accelerating away from and are no danger to you. Don't expect them to make you even a tiny bit safer.

Read Motorcycle Roadcraft for a good tutorial on defensive riding and positioning so that other vehicles see you.

I've dropped a few bikes off the stand, walking it around or stalling while not paying attention, and sliders have protected the plastics every time. At higher speeds they're more open to question. I don't think of them as sliders so much as drop protectors. If the bike's laid right on to its side it should be supported on the tyres and slider so that the engine cases etc are well clear of the ground. If that isn't the case, they won't do the job. Front tyre is often lifted off the ground by the bar ends. There isn't much you can do to protect bar ends, levers and mirrors.

Rob