Noob question

[kunoichi]

Hey guys!

I know that this is probably a really silly question, and u probably thinking 'omfg, how can a biker NOT know this!!? :shit: ' , but here goes... My bike has 6 gears and i heard that the engine is happiest wen both needles are pointing up (100km at 8rpm on my bike), and being a noob, not allowed to ride past 110kph, i find that i don't need use of my 6th gear, but am happily sitting in 5th with both needles pointing up. Wen i was breaking in my bike, the advice was try to use all the gears. Now that I'v broken in my engine fairly well, I'm woundering if i'm doing my baby any damage by not using her 6th gear very often?

[Morcs]

Hey guys!

I know that this is probably a really silly question, and u probably thinking 'omfg, how can a biker NOT know this!!? :shit: ' , but here goes... My bike has 6 gears and i heard that the engine is happiest wen both needles are pointing up (100km at 8rpm on my bike), and being a noob, not allowed to ride past 110kph, i find that i don't need use of my 6th gear, but am happily sitting in 5th with both needles pointing up. Wen i was breaking in my bike, the advice was try to use all the gears. Now that I'v broken in my engine fairly well, I'm woundering if i'm doing my baby any damage by not using her 6th gear very often?

Should use as much of the box as you can.

The less revs you are doing at any given speed, the less stress on your motor.

Even on my 600's which can sit at 100 in 2nd, ill use 6th in 50k zones, only dropping down when I antipate either coming to a stop, pulling a wheelstand, or nailing it.

[gatch]

You wont be damaging anything per se, by staying in 5th, your motor will wear ever so slightly faster i think, also maybe just using a little more fuel by running at higher rpm at open road speeds..

If you can use 6th without your engine laboring that would be good..

Just a thought, I could be wrong, but I thought the latest ninjas were of the gpx250 variety ??

[The Baron]

I would suggest that you have six gears... use them.

[kunoichi]

You wont be damaging anything per se, by staying in 5th, your motor will wear ever so slightly faster i think, also maybe just using a little more fuel by running at higher rpm at open road speeds..

If you can use 6th without your engine laboring that would be good..

Just a thought, I could be wrong, but I thought the latest ninjas were of the gpx250 variety ??
Oh! so my suspicioun was correct about using more fuel at higher rpm. Alrighty then, i'll start using my 6th gear then. Thanks :)

As for latest model of ninja's, i get mixed feedback from different ppl. some say it's essentially a gpx with a zxr casing, others say it's a zxr, and others still say ninja is different from a zxr. I have given up trying to figure it out. Wen ppl ask it's simply a kawasaki and it's mine! :p

[Anarkist]

How did you get your bike license if you're unsure about that?

Riding a bike is quite a mechanical thing to do really, which is why most women can't ride a bike or cook a bbq for that matter (also, inb4sexism).

Unlike a car which is just sit down and plod along I always thought you should understand at least basically the theory behind how everything works before doing something you trust your life unto.

[stevewederell]

Now I'm very green to riding also but I've heard that running a bike in "3rds" is another method. i.e if you red line at 12K then optimum is around 4K regardless of gear. I used to cruise around at 60kph in fifth, but I had fouling issues which I've not had since changing my "style"...now I just have other fuel/fuel line issues.

Not sure if this is right or helpful, just what I've read

[gatch]

How did you get your bike license if you're unsure about that?


being on a learner license I don't think knowing the finer points of riding at 110kmh is part of the criteria, did you know everything about your bike before you rode it ?

[Anarkist]

did you know everything about your bike before you rode it ?

Not everything, but I knew I was better off using top gear than revving unnecessarily high unless I was trying to power out of something.

Suppose it's better he asked than stuck not using it though.

Suddenly, DANCING BANANA :wari:

[kunoichi]

Well i got all the info about it, and did my lessons on the demo (Mt eden Mbikes rule!!!), but as is my problem with all my hobbies, i don't know what questions to ask. How is one to know what questions to ask, if they don't know what they are supposed to know? My bf rekns i made a shit choice, but i like riding my bike, and she fits better than some of the others i got on to.

[gatch]

what is the difference in rpm between 5th and 6th at 100kmh ?

moi spada did about 8500 at 100 in 6th, and just over 9000 in 5th, bugger all between them really..

[Anarkist]

Who cares if he reckons you made a shit choice, that way he won't ask you to ride it himself and if he does you can ask why he'd want to ride something he thinks is shit :yes:

They are nice bikes though. Good because they feel small and nimble, but not small enough to feel like your knees are touching.

What colour did you get?

[Anarkist]

Ah actually I remember I met you on the Northland Loop, haha.
Your bf rides the GT250R eh?

[gatch]

Your bf rides the GT250R eh?

shit choice.. lol the irony is too sweet

[Anarkist]

shit choice.. lol the irony is too sweet

Hahah.. Yep. :laugh:

[rabidnz]

what!? i was expecting him to have a litre machine or something really nice to give you shit about a ninja. Yours is a great girls bike, and his is somewhere way down the list of girls bikes :)

[kunoichi]

LOL, yip i find my bike to be a great big little bike, so to speak. She's the original kawasaki colour, green, as all kawasaki's should be, i thinks. I almost lost it in the weekend wen i had a crash on friday morning. But then hubby and his dad came by and managed to fix most of it so she's back on the road. Speaking of which, do you guys know of general rules about riding the rain? Kuz right now, i'm just feeling my way through wet days.

As for the hyosung, it's not a bad bike. Or maybe it's just kuz he's been tweeking with it. Kuz i remember on the first couple of rides we did together, my bike handled better around corners and we were roughly the same riding level. Lately i can't really keep up with him though, he's tweeked it so it's lighter, more nimble and plus he put an exhaust on it that makes it sound fantastic (admitadly it sent my pulse racing the first time i heard his new exhaust). Plus i think he's more throttle happy than me, even if he tells me off sometimes for not keeping my distance.

[sinfull]

How did you get your bike license if you're unsure about that?

Riding a bike is quite a mechanical thing to do really, which is why most women can't ride a bike or cook a bbq for that matter (also, inb4sexism).

Unlike a car which is just sit down and plod along I always thought you should understand at least basically the theory behind how everything works before doing something you trust your life unto.


Who cares if he reckons you made a shit choice, that way he won't ask you to ride it himself and if he does you can ask why he'd want to ride something he thinks is shit :yes:

They are nice bikes though. Good because they feel small and nimble, but not small enough to feel like your knees are touching.

What colour did you get?
Loved the turn around when ya found she was a chick lol


LOL, yip i find my bike to be a great big little bike, so to speak. She's the original kawasaki colour, green, as all kawasaki's should be, i thinks. I almost lost it in the weekend wen i had a crash on friday morning. But then hubby and his dad came by and managed to fix most of it so she's back on the road. Speaking of which, do you guys know of general rules about riding the rain? Kuz right now, i'm just feeling my way through wet days.

As for the hyosung, it's not a bad bike. Or maybe it's just kuz he's been tweeking with it. Kuz i remember on the first couple of rides we did together, my bike handled better around corners and we were roughly the same riding level. Lately i can't really keep up with him though, he's tweeked it so it's lighter, more nimble and plus he put an exhaust on it that makes it sound fantastic (admitadly it sent my pulse racing the first time i heard his new exhaust). Plus i think he's more throttle happy than me, even if he tells me off sometimes for not keeping my distance.

You have a bike which most would say is far superior to the Hyo, think you'll find that in time to come !
Think you will also find he is being slightly more throttle happy than you (don't let him drag you to speeds your uncomfortable with) Let him have his ego trip and arrive a few seconds behind him (as thats about how much time he'll save)
Wet riding is something you need to practise, white lines will bite ya in the rain ! won't tell ya how to ride in the rain, but a good start is to head to an empty carpark on a wet day and try ya braking and learn the difference (in a safe environment) white lines scare most ppl in the wet and i tend to avoid them !

[Morcs]

I have to correct, it is not a zxr250 and nothing at all like the zxr 250.

The 2008 ninja 250 is an entry level bike with a very tame engine, and built on a budget.

The zxr250 is much more sports orientated, has a screaming Inline 4 motor, and not built on a budget. (i believe they were 10k ish new)

[ital916]

Hey guys!

I know that this is probably a really silly question, and u probably thinking 'omfg, how can a biker NOT know this!!? :shit: ' , but here goes... My bike has 6 gears and i heard that the engine is happiest wen both needles are pointing up (100km at 8rpm on my bike), and being a noob, not allowed to ride past 110kph, i find that i don't need use of my 6th gear, but am happily sitting in 5th with both needles pointing up. Wen i was breaking in my bike, the advice was try to use all the gears. Now that I'v broken in my engine fairly well, I'm woundering if i'm doing my baby any damage by not using her 6th gear very often?

omfg, how can a biker NOT know this!!?

haha jokes

Well you've broken the bike in, so warm her up well and rev the bastard, sixth gear = boring haha unless you just sitting at 120 where it comes in handy as an overdrive gear.

[fatzx10r]

do you guys know of general rules about riding the rain? Kuz right now, i'm just feeling my way through wet days.

practice, practice and more practice. oh and keep away from white line's and man hole cover's

[madbikeboy]

Well i got all the info about it, and did my lessons on the demo (Mt eden Mbikes rule!!!), but as is my problem with all my hobbies, i don't know what questions to ask. How is one to know what questions to ask, if they don't know what they are supposed to know? My bf rekns i made a shit choice, but i like riding my bike, and she fits better than some of the others i got on to.

PM QuickChick and get a mentor session organised. She will answer all your questions... Ignore the abuse above...

[90s]

Ride to the conditions is appropriate here - also on the "advert" kick 100kph is the max. speed limit not 110kph ...

Anyway, use your gearbox fully. When trickling along where you have space and time, sitting in low rpms in 6th is fine. If you are doing the same speed in heavy traffic you need to be in a lower gear to have more control over the bike and to get instant acceleration if you need it. You can also if splitting etc use low gears to generate more noise and "pressence".

You can be at the same speed even on a 250 in a range of gears. Different combinations you will learn suit different conditions. Learn this and let the mechanics take care of themselves. If you only ever commute rush hour you might never touch 6th - this is fine and won't really harm your bike. Over 1000s of Ks of the same riding style a pattern an engine will display the signs of its riding in wear etc but this is not why you ride a bike. You won't own this 250 in 5 years so just learn to ride and enjoy.

[Renegade]

Ride to the conditions is appropriate here - also on the "advert" kick 100kph is the max. speed limit not 110kph ...

You won't own this 250 in 5 years so just learn to ride and enjoy.

i agree with the above statements fully, just ride for yourself, you will know when you have out grown the bike cos giving it everything its got is no longer scary :zzzz: thats what i found when i had my hyobag.

[Starky307]

i don't know what questions to ask. How is one to know what questions to ask, if they don't know what they are supposed to know?

I was once told, The only the "dumb" question is the one you don't ask.

[kunoichi]

Thanks for the gear tips guys. I'v been riding around in the last week, playing around with my gears etc, and realised how much gas i was wasting by riding the way I was. I used to go through 1/2 tank in about 150K's, now at on 180 and she's no where near 1/2 tank!!!! Score for a student! :2thumbsup

I had a little accident on my bike of friday though, was a wet and stormy day. I'm too nervous to skip into a carpark/empty space by myself on a wet day and just play around. The last thing I need is to loose my only mode of transport. I'll give QKchick a pm and see if she's willing to get alittle wet :p

[Anarkist]

Loved the turn around when ya found she was a chick lol

More when I realised I knew her and trolling wasn't appropriate :sweatdrop

Plus, the gender symbol gave it away :innocent:

[kunoichi]

LOL! Trolling is always appropriate :laugh:

[Anarkist]

It's about as appropriate as farting during sex.
Sure, it's funny but you won't be seeing her again :cool:

[kunoichi]

LMFAO!! :rofl: That would be hilarious, and i'd be back for 2nds if that happnd! HAHAHAHA!

(yes, some gurls actually have a sense of humour! :gob: )