Currently I ride a 2009 ER-6N. I don't race on the track. For the most part I ride on weekends ether by my self of in a group ride. For me the ride usually starts on the freeway for a bout 20 minutes, portions are 55mph and 70mph max speeds. Then, county roads until I get to city Prescott in Wisconsin, from there I usually take 35 south which is mostly a nice scenic ride with wide sweeping turns never exceeding 75mph. Some of the offshoot roads on 35 south have really nice twisty roads that never require high speeds to enjoy them.
On group rides, usually same for the most part, but on occasions I have reached higher speeds on the straights. I don't have to go crazy on the speed since during group rides every one waits until the last person shows up before taking off on route changes. So there is no pressure there.
During the higher speeds, which never last for more than a few minutes, I have noticed that it would be nice to have a fairing and a screen to tuck under.
The Ninja 300 looks really good to me.
I'm not trying to start a thread on which engine displacement is better.
What I would like to know, from some of you who had smaller displacement engine and moved up, or had larger displacement and went down, what to expect. What was your experience.
If I get the 300 what would be the noticeable difference for me, based on how I ride now on the ER-6N. Mind you, I'm mostly a weekend rider.
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2009 ER-6N
Modest Paint Job / Blue Reflective Wheel Stripes / T-Rex Frame Sliders / MotoWerk Flatfoot / MotoWerk Lowering Kit / MotoCircle Swing Arm Spool Sliders in Blue / Evotech Grill Guard / Blue Levers / Renthal Street Fighter Bars / Driven Gripps.
Just wondering, if you are happy with your current bike then why not trade to a faired 650r, it's a ride you are already familiar with...
If its more about fancying a change, then yes, go for the new 300, perhaps you could ask your local dealer for a test ride so you can feel the difference. I've only traded up in engine size so I think it would feel a bit weird to have less power, you will have to modify some of your riding habits to accommodate, right? Probably save some money on gas too.
You will definitely notice a difference in acceleration, however the handleing will improve by a large degree, and you will find the twisties even more fun than before.
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2010 Kawasaki Ninja 650R ABS Island Metallic Blue. Yoshi Exhaust, Sport Bars 3.0, CF Rim Tape, CF Bar ends, CF Spools, Givi & Ventura Luggage, New Ninja Decal, Tony's Frame Sliders, Double Adjustable Levers, Driven D3 Grips, And one Awesome Wing Nut between the seat and Handle bars!!!!
The bike I had before my current ER-6N was an 08' 250r. It was a fun bike... but I wouldn't trade the ER for a 300. Folks can talk about how great the 250 handles all day... and it does... but the 650 twins aren't crumpled crap either. Likely as not, the 300 will have a better chassis, and with a slightly larger tire, braking performance will be similar or better as well.
I know you don't want a motor discussion, but it's a big difference to completely ignore. While it was fun to zing the little bike from idle to redline without committing a felony, it's much nicer to have torque when you want it, and to not rev the guts out of it all the time. I certainly do not use the motor on the ER to its capacity, and could get by just fine with less power, but why?
If you want to go faster in the twisties on a budget, why not look into a decent used 600cc sport bike? The 300 looks like a real nice ride, and with a bump in power over the 250 even more so, but it's a kind of pricey alternative to what you have, especially since dealer will want to charge a set-up/assembly fee and likely as not, not be willing to negotiate on price since they will sell well anyways.
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2008 Passion Red Ninja 250 - Sold!
2009 Plasti-dip black ER-6N
Thanks for the input guys. I actually like my bike. The screen I already tried and took it off. The wind noise was unbearable. The oly time the wind is an issue is over 85 mph. Otherwise I have no problems what so ever on freeways.
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2009 ER-6N
Modest Paint Job / Blue Reflective Wheel Stripes / T-Rex Frame Sliders / MotoWerk Flatfoot / MotoWerk Lowering Kit / MotoCircle Swing Arm Spool Sliders in Blue / Evotech Grill Guard / Blue Levers / Renthal Street Fighter Bars / Driven Gripps.
You want the farings when you are going faster ...
But you want a 300 with less power ..
The 300 will do well , but were it will hurt you a bit is your "coming out of the corners" power ,if you are looking for fairings then a older SS would do fine since I don't see the point of getting a whole new 650 just to get fairing .
Now if you told me you want a beater bike to commute to put a shit load of miles and not care about depreciation then the 300 is a clean winner I think , just the 300 does not appeal to the performance end if you ask me
To be honest... I think you would be disappointed.
Again, I'm comparing the ER with 10,000 miles on the Ninja 250R, which has less power than the 300. But not by much. As far as handling goes, maybe the 300 will handle better... but I'm willing to bet you're not maxxing out the capability of the ER, at least I hope you aren't, riding on the street and all.
You know how your bike accelerates when you go wide open at say... 3,500-4,000RPM? That about how much the 250r has... at most.
My advice, wait until Kawi does a demo ride in your area, and actually ride one before committing to buying it. Make friends with a 250r owner... and test ride theirs.
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2008 Passion Red Ninja 250 - Sold!
2009 Plasti-dip black ER-6N
ER-6N Vs Ninja 300 for me only
Linear Mode
