I never had a problem with stock tires. Plenty of stick to get low enough to drag a footpeg.

Edit: are you going to be track or street use for this bike? The biggest problem with the stock tires is the 'stiff' feel they offer.

 

Thanks! I'll be doing both. I want to be able to push the bike to it's limits as preparation for my next bike. The idea being, as an experienced rider I should be able to push this bike all the way and in doing so I'd be pretty setup to get the most out o the 600cc bike I choose this summer. I want to do all the crazy stuff on this "cheap" bike so I can explore the limits of my skills without too much worry about damaging the bike.

So why would anybody upgrade the tires?

 

For better traction and feel. As mentioned, the stock tires don't let you feel the road under you so traction may feel unpredictable.

 

Bought a ninja 250 so you could practice turns on it for 2 months then grab a 600? Wow.

 

To your comment and the other guy that asked what is the rush. Well, I have not ridden in about a year and it's been driving me nuts. I used to ride 7 days a week and now I look at riders on the road with sickening envy. I'm an addict and motorcycles are my drug and I've got CRAZY withdrawal right now. I'm also looking to buy a "track ready" bike this summer, but rather than be arrogant and rely on my clean riding record and the skills I've developed, I've chosen to reacclimate myself on something light and small AND CHEAP. Because I'm going to pushing my skills to the limit. Catch up where I left off and then go further without the pressure of a nice shiny new bike.

I'm also looking forward to my first experience on a 250 sport bike. Also my priority on a bike is handling so a light bike like this should be a blast. Finally, I'm going to be producing a training DVD of my own that among other things, will promote the concept of beginners using small displacement bikes instead of big bikes to impress their friends and get killed. Message being...if at my level I can have a blast on a Ninja 250, then so can YOU!

"Putting your money where your mouth is" if you will.

 

I'm starting to question the seriousness of this thread already...

 

Experienced rider eh?

Whats the big rush with this summer? Does your 250 turn into a pumpkin?

BTW more lean angle doesnt make a better rider, nor does dragging pegs.. trust me...

 

I disagree. A rider who has the skill to maintain maximum lean angle on a track is certainly a better rider than one who cannot. Being able to lean that far means you can potentially handle some pretty high corner speeds in really tight turns.

Consider this. Two riders with equal skill. One can lean the biker right over and the other cannot. There is no way the rider who cannot achieve maximum lean angle can compete with the other. If he tries to go into turn at same speed in an upright position, he will for sure go really wide and run off the road.

Anyway, I'm not going to go into that further. It's very clear that you have probably made some very wrong assumptions about me and I'd probably be thinking the same thing. Some context for you however:

-Been riding for over 6 years.
-Used to average 15,000 miles/year
-Love to get up at dawn on a sunday and pick a state to ride to and get lost on winding back roads.
-First bike was a KLR 250 which I loved and only upgraded because sweating in the WINTER while trying to push start some 10+ year old bike to get to work everyday was getting old REAL fast.
-I got a 650 VTwin bike and loved it also. rode from NYC to cap cod, Boston, Philly and south Virginia
-Rode my 650 to Louden race track one Friday after work. Did a Carl track day
-I did basic MSF
-I did advanced MSF
-I've done DVD based rider training
-I have several good books on performance riding
-I'm extremely confident in my abilities(ZERO accidents) and in the fact that further improving my skills will be a lifelong journey
-I've ridden a Hyabusa, Ducati 999s and an R1 and R6 and Daytona 675s
-The bike I love the most is the Daytona 675 above all others
-I do all my own work on my bikes(I currently have more than 2)
-I usually ride solo because I think most riders are crazy (no gear and passing you in YOUR lane to name 2 things for example).

I think you mistake me for somebody who thinks dragging their knee is a skill because they don't understand the purpose. The purpose being to measure your lean angle so you know how much more lean you have left. This is separate from "hanging off" which is to keep the bike upright for higher corner speeds achieved through superior grip. I think it's very clear that a rider with my experience who would buy a 250cc bike (even though many people think it's a "girl's bike") is not in it to show off how much I can drag my knee. I'm in it because I'm passionate about MOTORCYCLES and RIDING, not about looking cool and impressing anyone. People can laugh all they want while I'm smiling from ear to ear blasting through switchbacks on my new featherweight bike!

 

Max lean angle isn't hard, max cornerspeed takes a lot of work and money. The first thing you need to do is get the safety wire done on the bike, then tape up the lights and remove the headlight/tailight fuses.

Then sign up for some trackday schools and start putting in the effort required to go fast. Keep adding seat time until you are fast. If you manage to wear out a set of tires, then consider "upgrading".

Max Lean Angle is easy, I'm dragging the sidestand bracket with the OEM IRC "Road Winner" tires at my second trackday, without any instruction.

Putting the knee on the ground in the corner is easier than the bracket.

 

My main use of the bike will be to practice turns with extreme lean angles. I want to drag my knees and pegs and I want to carry maximum corner speeds. I'm told this bike is very capable of those things WITH better tires. What tires should I get? Pilot Power CTs? Also I want to protect the plastics from when I do drop it(likely). What do you recommend?

I'm an experienced rider. Been on the track once.

THANKS!

Uh huh, sure.
Once on the track and you're a pro

I'm starting to question the seriousness of this thread already...

^this

Experienced rider eh?

Whats the big rush with this summer? Does your 250 turn into a pumpkin?

BTW more lean angle doesnt make a better rider, nor does dragging pegs.. trust me...

^this

I disagree. A rider who has the skill to maintain maximum lean angle on a track is certainly a better rider than one who cannot. Being able to lean that far means you can potentially handle some pretty high corner speeds in really tight turns.

Consider this. Two riders with equal skill. One can lean the biker right over and the other cannot. There is no way the rider who cannot achieve maximum lean angle can compete with the other. If he tries to go into turn at same speed in an upright position, he will for sure go really wide and run off the road.

Anyway, I'm not going to go into that further. It's very clear that you have probably made some very wrong assumptions about me and I'd probably be thinking the same thing. Some context for you however:

-Been riding for over 6 years.
-Used to average 15,000 miles/year
-Love to get up at dawn on a sunday and pick a state to ride to and get lost on winding back roads.
-First bike was a KLR 250 which I loved and only upgraded because sweating in the WINTER while trying to push start some 10+ year old bike to get to work everyday was getting old REAL fast.
-I got a 650 VTwin bike and loved it also. rode from NYC to cap cod, Boston, Philly and south Virginia
-Rode my 650 to Louden race track one Friday after work. Did a Carl track day
-I did basic MSF
-I did advanced MSF
-I've done DVD based rider training
-I have several good books on performance riding
-I'm extremely confident in my abilities(ZERO accidents) and in the fact that further improving my skills will be a lifelong journey
-I've ridden a Hyabusa, Ducati 999s and an R1 and R6 and Daytona 675s
-The bike I love the most is the Daytona 675 above all others
-I do all my own work on my bikes(I currently have more than 2)
-I usually ride solo because I think most riders are crazy (no gear and passing you in YOUR lane to name 2 things for example).

I think you mistake me for somebody who thinks dragging their knee is a skill because they don't understand the purpose. The purpose being to measure your lean angle so you know how much more lean you have left. This is separate from "hanging off" which is to keep the bike upright for higher corner speeds achieved through superior grip. I think it's very clear that a rider with my experience who would buy a 250cc bike (even though many people think it's a "girl's bike") is not in it to show off how much I can drag my knee. I'm in it because I'm passionate about MOTORCYCLES and RIDING, not about looking cool and impressing anyone. People can laugh all they want while I'm smiling from ear to ear blasting through switchbacks on my new featherweight bike!

...there is SO MUCH WRONG with what you wrote, that I gave up on trying to pick it apart piece by piece

Let's put it this way
I've got almost 6 years of riding experience street and ~22 trackdays under my belt, and I'M STILL A NOOB compared to so many of the track riders.

There's so much more to learn and you really need to shelve the "attitude".
You're not hot shit and I'm pretty damn sure you're not the next Valentino Rossi.


BTW WRONG! You don't want to use lean angle, you idiot. The point is to use as little lean angle as possible for a given corner at a given speed.
The more upright the bike, the more throttle you can give.
The only reason you take corners at a lean is so you can preserve as much speed so that you have all that speed coming out of the corner.

Sit down, shut up, and start learning instead of pretending like you know everything. It doesn't impress anyone around here or on the track when you act like the big swinging dick on campus.

 

Say what??!!

Let's put it this way
I've got almost 6 years of riding experience street and ~22 trackdays under my belt, and I'M STILL A NOOB compared to so many of the track riders.

There's so much more to learn and you really need to shelve the "attitude".
You're not hot shit and I'm pretty damn sure you're not the next Valentino Rossi.
[/B]

How on earth can you read a post where a person says "the fact that further improving my skills will be a lifelong journey" and you get "attitude" and the next "Valentino Rossi"??? I mean really! What arrogant person do you know with attitude that thinks they know everything and would say it would take them a LIFETIME to master riding????? This when most riders think they can start on a liter bike and think they are good riders after SURVIVING for a few months. I've done everything I can to learn all I can and I'm dedicated to a lifetime of learning. I continue to read and speak to pro riders(with less attitude than yourself of course) and practice practice practice. I mean if my purchase of a 250cc bike after tens of thousands of miles on way more powerful bikes did not clue you in, then I don't know what will. I mean do you seriously think any know it all rider is going to be caught dead on a 250cc bike? You know they would be on a "pro" bike like a portly slow in the turns liter bike that they can nearly survive on and will never fully tap the power of the bike. These are the guys in T-Shirt who eventually "have" to "lay her down" because they don't know basics like counter steering.

You are not even close to making any sense at this point. Wow. Welcome to the forum to me I guess. smh

 

BTW dragging peg is a TERRIBLE thing.
It is way too easy for the peg to stick into the ground and lift the damn bike.

Keep in mind, I'm sure dragging peg is in the repertoire of some of the more pro riders, but they sure as hell know what they're doing way more than me, and definitely way more than you.

 

Yes you are correct. I am well aware of this fact. I kinda picked it up somewhere around 30-40,000 miles of riding.

FYI...the point of mentioning the pegs is because an experienced rider will know that if you are scraping your pegs, you are just about done with lean angle. It's an easy way to communicate max lean angle. Although I suppose an experienced rider would just as easily understand "maximum lean angle". lol.

I have many skills...perfection is not one of them.

P.S. For the record. My interpretation of the sound of pegs scraping is "STOP NOW!! THE GROUND AWAITS YOU!!".

 

There's so much more to learn and you really need to shelve the "attitude".
You're not hot shit and I'm pretty damn sure you're not the next Valentino Rossi.


BTW WRONG! You don't want to use lean angle, you idiot. The point is to use as little lean angle as possible for a given corner at a given speed.
The more upright the bike, the more throttle you can give.
The only reason you take corners at a lean is so you can preserve as much speed so that you have all that speed coming out of the corner.

Sit down, shut up, and start learning instead of pretending like you know everything. It doesn't impress anyone around here or on the track when you act like the big swinging dick on campus.

Did you actually read what I said? WHAT pro that thinks he is hotstuff buys a 250 ninja? Are you kidding me? I don't know any rider humble enough to do something like that. You really lost me on your attitude comment and me being a pro. That statement defies logic if you read what I said.

And the lean angle thing? Are you serious? You said exactly what I said. Did I not specify that maximum corner speed requires maximum traction which requires the bike to be upright. That being the point of hanging off? Then I also specified that the dragging of the knee is your angle gauge. The more you lean, the less traction so eventually you will slide if you keep leaning at to high a speed. Hence, you hange off to fight the momentum pushing you outside the turn, instead of using your bike to do the same thing(by leaning) but with the price of traction and therefore speed.

You really did not read what I said and that is very clear in that you are not even remotely speaking to what I said, moreso you are speaking to your assumptions about me. Dare I make assumptions about you.

 

Moving on...seems the consensus is the tires are good enough

I'm going to respect the knowledge of you guys on the 250, so I'm scratching tires for now. I'm going to play around with the stock tires and go from there. All I require is that they allow me to feel confident and that they stick(given that I respect the throttle and balance of the bike itself). Can you guys let me know what the stock tire feels like just before it's limits? I used to use pilot power sports and they seemed to feel a bit loose just as you begin to loose traction, but once in that zone, there is no more warning. Once they start to feel loose, they could go at any time. I began to slide them a bit in turns as I increased my corner speeds but it was not too violent. They just stepped out a few inches then settled back down(GRANTED you respected the situation and was VERY smooth). In all the hours and hours of practice turns, I actually lost all traction and went down maybe 2 times (not on street...in practice).

What will stock ninja tires do if I'm leaned way over and upset the suspension or something?

Also it seems shogun is the way to go for sliders?

Thanks to those who gave useful answers rather than spend time trying to belittle me. I'm not going to bother going into debates. If people think that I'm a noob or an idiot, I'm fine with that. I ride for ONE reason only and it has nothing to do with what others think about me and my bikes. So they wanna misread what I said and think I'm an idiot...more power too you! I assure you, I will not be thinking about them after work when I pick up my new bike!!

 

I'm going to respect the knowledge of you guys on the 250, so I'm scratching tires for now. I'm going to play around with the stock tires and go from there. All I require is that they allow me to feel confident and that they stick(given that I respect the throttle and balance of the bike itself). Can you guys let me know what the stock tire feels like just before it's limits? I used to use pilot power sports and they seemed to feel a bit loose just as you begin to loose traction, but once in that zone, there is no more warning. Once they start to feel loose, they could go at any time. I began to slide them a bit in turns as I increased my corner speeds but it was not too violent. They just stepped out a few inches then settled back down(GRANTED you respected the situation and was VERY smooth). In all the hours and hours of practice turns, I actually lost all traction and went down maybe 2 times (not on street...in practice).

What will stock ninja tires do if I'm leaned way over and upset the suspension or something?

Also it seems shogun is the way to go for sliders?

Thanks to those who gave useful answers rather than spend time trying to belittle me. I'm not going to bother going into debates. If people think that I'm a noob or an idiot, I'm fine with that. I ride for ONE reason only and it has nothing to do with what others think about me and my bikes. So they wanna misread what I said and think I'm an idiot...more power too you! I assure you, I will not be thinking about them after work when I pick up my new bike!!

Don't mess with bubbles man , we will break your face in and dance Salsa on your balls..

 

Use the search function. Everything 250 related has been covered several times. You'll get faster answers (none definitive) and no one will pick on you.

 

Wow...

 

I don't see what you said to upset people so much besides coming across a bit cocky. A lot of people who don't normally post on forums and suddenly try come across this way, get ripped on, and leave I've noticed though. There's one I work with who had it happen when she asked questions on a road biking forum that is known for having smarky sarcastic posters on it. Don't take it personally. It's all in the wording and proper articulation from brain to keyboard.

Also this search engine known as google finds almost any known answer to my questions so I don't have to ask them at all.

 

THANKS!

I respect what you saying about coming across wrong. I was trying my best to set the record straight because I know what I'd be thinking if I saw a post about a guy buying a 250 and taking about scrapping pegs. Something like this "Who is this know it all noob who thinks that dragging his knee is the ultimate goal in riding??". So I was trying to give a snapshop of my riding experience so reasonable people could think "Oh...weird that he is downgrading but he seems to take his riding seriously and with his experience, his goals with the 250 should be easily attainable".

In the future, I think I'll try to keep more of the details to myself as not to confuse anyone. I kinda expected some people to not take me seriously, just not as bad and especially after I clearly address all the incorrect notions. Oh well....

Did I mention how EXCITED I am about riding today!! I think I want to go back to my daily riding routines. I just want right back "on the horse"! Been too long!

Now....if I can just find a way to actually get ANYTHING ELSE done since I'm going to be trying to make a permanent butt print on my seat. Oh and that nice twisty road I found that I've been dreaming of riding on....

ok...ok, I'll stop. This is almost as exciting as when I bought my first bike.

 

Again, tape the lights, remove the fuses. Wire the drains. Remove the sidestand if you're feeling froggy. Pick an air pressure around 30psi. Go ride it.

It is a lot of fun on the track, and a lot more pros than you might think own and ride them as training aids, along with the even smaller TTR's with slicks.

If you must change the tires, the ones on there now might be ready to be replaced, consider the Dunlop. It's the current tire of choice for the WERA and NESBA 250 riders.

I have only one bit of advice for improving your communication skills. If you're going to ask for advice, accept it. You don't have to follow it, but arguing with the people offering it is poor form. If you already have all the answers, don't ask.

 

It takes a reckless rider to know a reckless rider..

Let me be the first to tell you that trips to the Emergency room aren't cheap.

Maybe if you almost died before you would understand.. I have, learned from it and want to tell you the deadly risks you are taking.. Barely survived a wreck and am taking a good chunk of my free time to reason with you so you don't mess up like I did.

Visualfxpro, if you were a skilled and experienced rider you would know not to scrap pegs. Thats very unsafe, scraping pegs long enough will give you the lovely experience of low-siding.

I scrapped pegs and the center-stand on my 07 250 the first week a got it, but in reality I had severely improper body position and was lucky I didn't crash.


You say you want risk your life on the street because you haven't crashed yet.

Its not a matter of if you crash, it's when (and specifically for you, where).

What if and the "when and where" was at the time an inattentive driver crosses the double stripped line in front of you in the middle of a blind corner on a country road? Aren't you going to be at max corner speed and max lean on every corner as you previously stated?

You would be fucked.. If you were at max corner speed you couldn't safely stop in time, and since you were at max lean angle you couldn't re-correct your line.

You learn many things through trackdays, most of which you can never regularly experience on the roads. I suggest rethinking your "training". You aren't some fucking Rocky on a motorcycle, dude.

Please don't continue to push the limits with your bike on the street. You said it yourself, you are pushing the limits on your bike. If you pass that limit, you are going to have a bad time.


The bottom line is that practicing track oriented riding on the street is plain stupid.. You are going to get yourself hurt, or more importantly, someone else.


Again, take your ambitions to the track only dude.. With the lack of precaution you have for yourself, the only thing you will "win" while racing on the back-roads is a casket.

Note: This isn't a personal attack towards you from us, its a warning to let you know your actions are going to hurt someone!

 

^what badger said

I've given up on trying to reason with OP, he's so far off the map

I hope you have better luck reasoning with mr.max lean angle, badger.

 

 

Can I lock this?

 

How did you escape the PWT?

 

OP?:

 

OP?:
DirtWise Riding Tip - Circle Rut - YouTube

:Laughing rolling: i nearly shat my pants ... and i have the intestinal flu right now

 

I was transported here through some portal! I think it's called a link? :dunno:

 

I post up this fail of a thread 3 times and you only notice it when badger posts up

I don't feel loved

 

Weird. We should have an admin look into that.

 

I hope the OP is digging a hole in his yard and finding some knobbies for his 250 right now.

 

So I can haz lock now?

 

Do they make knobbies in a 180? I wanna put a fatter tire on my 250 so it looks cooler

 

Haha let's not start that discussion up again. With a twist. knobbies.

 

Burn it to the ground.

 

Yeah, we're done.


Haven't done that in awhile. Feels good, maaaan....