Ninja 250 tyres?

[blairh]

Has anyone out there replaced the tyres on their Ninja? I remember before I brought the bike, I was reading lots of reviews which said the stock tyres are fairly average.

I've had a few moments on the bike when leaning that I've felt like it wasn't fantastically grippy... obviously I'm still a noobie so maybe I'm just not used to leaning so far...

Has anyone changed the tyres, and did it make a difference? Any recommendations? Cheers =)

[NZJONESY]

Hey,
Gotta agree with you there, they do tend to slip round a lil especially the dam front. Not very confidence inspiring. I was thinking about changing them but its not worth it for me. Its a learner bike and I'm going to save that money for the bigger bike tires. The only thing which would justify replacing tires that are still great condition is if you were going to keep the bike when/if you get a bigger one. Me?, I'm ditching the 2fiddy soon as I get the appropriate license.
Just a thought ;)

[Reido]

just keep the tires till they need replacing, then get better ones.
just burning money otherwise

if you have the money however go for it,

[blairh]

Yeah I think I will hold on to them for a bit.. but if anyone has tried some other tyres and found them *much* better, I might be able to justify spending the money..

[ducatilover]

bt090s or sport demons would be the best bank friendly option

[Jerry74]

Running the Pirelli Sport Demons on my Kwaka sticks like glue should last quite a while too.

[YAMASAKI]

I've run IRC road winner rx01's with both my 250s (ZXR and FZR) with very good results. They're designed specially for smaller/lighter sports bikes unlike some of the other tyres mentioned which don't heat up as much as they should.
They get nice and hot and sticky on my KTM520 too (only weighs 115kg). I rate them very highly and they aren't that expensive either :niceone:

[Roki_nz]

Has anyone out there replaced the tyres on their Ninja? I remember before I brought the bike, I was reading lots of reviews which said the stock tyres are fairly average.

I've had a few moments on the bike when leaning that I've felt like it wasn't fantastically grippy... obviously I'm still a noobie so maybe I'm just not used to leaning so far...

Has anyone changed the tyres, and did it make a difference? Any recommendations? Cheers =)

What sort of tyres are on there now?

The Ninja I habe got has Dunlops on it as the stock tyres, however two people i went for a ride with on sat who had just gotten there ninjas had a brand called "road Winner"

[YAMASAKI]

What sort of tyres are on there now?

The Ninja I habe got has Dunlops on it as the stock tyres, however two people i went for a ride with on sat who had just gotten there ninjas had a brand called "road Winner"

sounds like the IRC ones i mentioned, did they look like these? http://www.cameronhonda.com/eshopprod_cat_4107-41280-12940_product_530105.IRC_ROAD_WINNER_RX-01.htm

[blairh]

What sort of tyres are on there now?

I've got the Dunlops..

[vtec]

Had you thought of trying to put ex supersport 120/70R17 fronts on the rear of your ninja 250's? These tyres rule, just have to be very careful on them when they are cold or wet. But you can pick them up with tonnes of tread for probably $80, and with the massive power output of the ninja 250 I'd say they'd last quite a while, and you couldn't ask for better traction.

[blairh]

just have to be very careful on them when they are cold or wet
Probably not the best for Dunedin then... it's *always* cold here :(

[Howsie]

Cant say i have had any issues with the tyres on mine so far. Chicken strips are less than 1cm ea side but havnt really pushed the bike into corners at speed. Iv done 2000kms on mine so far.

I thought about changing them but decided it was best to change them when its needed rather than waste money.

Besides, the manufacturer would not put on a tyre that would cause issues for learners otherwise the bike wouldnt sell as well as it has. I think learners on the bike should be more focused with general riding ability, identifying hazards and getting their mental attitude right rather than pushing the tyres to their limits.

Once you are confidant on the bike or when they have worn out, then perhaps change tyres (run them in properly first!!!!) so you can start to take that corner a bit faster and go a bit quicker with a bit more confidence in what is keeping you on the road. Building upon the skills you have already gained of course.:scooter:

[Roki_nz]

I've got the Dunlops..

Hmm you should be fine with them then. They looked alot better than the "Road Winners" I have seen on other new Ninja’s. I haven’t had a problem with the Dunlops, only drifted once and I think that was because I used too much throttle in the corner.

Just use them until they need replacing. Much cheaper that way

[ducatilover]

I've run IRC road winner rx01's with both my 250s (ZXR and FZR) with very good results. They're designed specially for smaller/lighter sports bikes unlike some of the other tyres mentioned which don't heat up as much as they should.
They get nice and hot and sticky on my KTM520 too (only weighs 115kg). I rate them very highly and they aren't that expensive either :niceone:

they dont offer much in the way of rear tyre lean....mine is always sliding on the edge and they are incapable of letting me get the peg down. absolute puss. front end grip isnt very good either. spend the little bit extra and get the sport demon or bt090 :clap::first:

[YAMASAKI]

they dont offer much in the way of rear tyre lean....mine is always sliding on the edge and they are incapable of letting me get the peg down. absolute puss. front end grip isnt very good either. spend the little bit extra and get the sport demon or bt090 :clap::first:

I've never liked dunlops, bad experiences. same goes for bridgestones(. would rather have the IRCs any day. I've never had any problem with grip, and I don't have any chicken strips. They warm up really nicely on the track and hold there heat better than my mates continental road attacks.

[ducatilover]

I've never liked dunlops, bad experiences. same goes for bridgestones(. would rather have the IRCs any day. I've never had any problem with grip, and I don't have any chicken strips. They warm up really nicely on the track and hold there heat better than my mates continental road attacks.

wow, i find the irc rxo1 lacking in grip, lean and feedback :crybaby:

[racefactory]

It's a fact that the Bridgestone bt090 is the most grippy tyre you can put on this bike.

[dave_a]

I used to scrape the shit out of the footpegs on my ninja, tyres never saw me wrong pushing it VERY hard, had the rear kick out once but tyres where cold and to much throttle

[ducatilover]

It's a fact that the Bridgestone bt090 is the most grippy tyre you can put on this bike.
but the bt090 costs a fair amount more than its competitors, and i almost got a set today but my bank account said otherwise

[YAMASAKI]

Just out of interest, what size rears are on the new ninjas? i saw one today and it looked VERY narrow... I know they're more of a sports/tourer now but it really did look way too narrow. I had a 140 on the back of the ZXR.

[R6_kid]

After seeing the OEM tyres on the new Ninja 250R's i was a bit worried, especially for the people who are building confidence in their ability to ride 'fast' but not knowing that the tyres their bike has are decidely average.

If you intend to do any mods or upgrades, replacing the tyres would be the very first step. I would suggest sticking to Bridgestone/Pirelli/Dunlop as they are all known to make good tyres for 250's, especially Bridgestone and Dunlop.

Better tyres well improve the road handling of your bike, and will also provide superior grip for cornering and stopping. You shouldnt need to question why IRC and Kenda don't have 250GP bikes running their tyres.

[Meanie]

Put new Sport demons on Monies Ninja 250r before we sold it, she did 12000 ks on the standard batalax that the bike came on with no probs
We sold it to extasy eyes, she may be able to tell you how they handle, they were certainly good value for money without buying cheap

[dave_a]

After seeing the OEM tyres on the new Ninja 250R's i was a bit worried, especially for the people who are building confidence in their ability to ride 'fast' but not knowing that the tyres their bike has are decidely average.

If you intend to do any mods or upgrades, replacing the tyres would be the very first step. I would suggest sticking to Bridgestone/Pirelli/Dunlop as they are all known to make good tyres for 250's, especially Bridgestone and Dunlop.

Better tyres well improve the road handling of your bike, and will also provide superior grip for cornering and stopping. You shouldnt need to question why IRC and Kenda don't have 250GP bikes running their tyres.


This doesnt sound like its coming from experience, Do you have any proof or have you even ridden one of them

[steelestring]

dunlops..... gpr-a10 sticky sticky :yes:

Sport deamons take a bit longer to to warm up, on a casual pootle around the twisties they act almost like the compound is designed for a heavier bike!!??:gob:

IRCs give off a great "rooster tail" of water trail in the wet but thats about it.:blink:

[GinjaNinja]

Ive got the Road Winners on my Ninja - i've done 5000kms on them so far and they are fine. That includes leaning way over on them.
They only time they have not gripped as they should was when we had 35 degrees here the other day and i rode over some melted tar.
The old man had Dunlops on his Versys and they were scuffed to buggery at 5k. The ninja 250 was originally going to ship with Bridgestones but they changed just before release. The 08's had Dunlops and now the 09's have RW's. Oh well.

[ducatilover]

you should come see my set of road winners i took off the spada. they are ripped form braking and peeling at the rear from giving it death out of corners, all over the edge too. im not a fan of the nylon based IRC "rubber"....
but i have just fitted a set of sport demons now and they are pretty decent, still not too confident on extreme lean angle but they grip great and seem to warm up good too. they cost me $239 rear and $191 front. including gst :yes:

[gatch]

cost me $239 rear and $191 front. including gst :yes:

jesus really ? last sport demon i bought retail and had fitted $180 for the rear, the front was 170 i think

[ducatilover]

what sizes did you get? i got a 140/80 rear [not what i really wanted] and 110/70 front i think:scooter:

[gatch]

stock sizes for both 140/70-17 rear, 100/70-17 front

the last 2 rears i got for cheap cause i know a dude in the industry, $180 fitted, and the one before that was $150 and a box o beers for fitting :D, mad !

[Monolith NZ]

I have the road winners, and they are doing me fine. My pegs have been on the road a good 10 times or so (6500 K's), and I can't remember any times when the tyres have done me wrong so far.