[Nikolaos]

hey guys, so riding season is basically coming to a close in north eastern ontario so that means putting the little 250 away. I put close to 8000km on it since April 2010 when i bought it new. This season i realized that I really need a bigger bike, the 250 is great for whipping around town but I find im doing major highway legs way too much for this little guy to handle, riding highway underpowered is not safe imho, or at least i dont feel comfortable with it. Anyways, a dealership is giving me the option of taking it in for 4-4.5k on a nice used bike. Im looking for more of the zx6r/r6/gsx6r/600rr kind of bikes, and would probable only be willing to pay 1-2k more than that afterwards for the difference in price.. anyone have any opinions on the whole situation? should I trade it in quick or hope to find someone to sell to, and go through the hassle of ownership transfers, safeties, etc? what bike should I seriously consider purchasing for the money im willing to spend?

 

[Zandit]

Nik, just to clarify what I thought might be a typo, have you only had this bike for 6 mths, and you have already put on 8k kms on it??!! Thats pretty awesome!
As far as upgrading, does the idea of doing all of that highway riding in a relatively cramped position do it for you? The 600 s/s bikes are built for the track, and while they thrive in the twisties, what is going to be the majority of riding that you will do? All of these need to be considered, especially if you pull the trigger, buy a 600 and then hate it after a couple of months.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to steer you away from what you think is the right bike for you, just make sure you do make the wrong uninformed decision!

 

[BlackBoar]

For a trade in value in Ontario, I think that 4 to 4 and a half is very good. I only got 3 grand for my 2009 Ninja 250, with 14,200 kms on it, and I was happy with that. As a trade, it will reduce the HST taxes on the new bike by lowering its price, so a $3,000 trade equates to a value of about $3,400 with the tax reduction. I found numerous 250s for private sale asking about $4,000, so I figure they probably sell for closer to $3,500, making my trade in a good value.

Add to that, I did NOT have to deal with ANY of the P.I.T.A. factors... advertising, taking calls, meeting with test pilots and low ball hagglers trying to buy my beloved bike for nothing. Worse, I didn't want to defend the awesome qualities of the Ninja 250 over and over to prospective buyers who think "well, its kinda small, probably gutless, maybe not the right bike for me etc etc..." And, when I traded my bike, there were 12 Ninja 250 for sale in my city on kijiji alone, lots more within an hour's drive, so I think it would have been a hard bike to sell without some hassles and price cutting, just because of their popularity.

So, there's my 2 cents on the trade. As for your new bike +1 to zandits comment. If you want to continue doing the sort of distance you have been doing (great season by the way - 8 grand!) you'll want a comfortable bike, maybe with some reasonable cargo capability too. Not to mention the evils of insurance.

Good luck.

 

[spooph]

Nik, I would recommend a Ninja 650 or something like that.... And trade-in for sure, sounds like they really get you guys with taxes and such. Do it!

I have no problems with my 250 on the highway BTW, except when everybody else is going 90mph as well.... But that's just me.

 

[Nikolaos]

Thanks for the quick replies. Yeah i put on 8k in 6 months, I have a car too but I found myself playing with the ninja too much. The problem for me on the highway is not being cramped, im 21, 6'0-6'1 pretty average size and besides the horrible seat, I dont find it uncomfortable, its more the lack of power in 6th, and seeing I only have 3000rpm left to get me around something is disheartening. I dont mind if you guys have oppinions on other bikes other than the rr type, thats why I was asking. I didn't ever go crazy far with the 250, everything in ontario is just crazy far away from everything else, so it seemed every time i went to visit my family I would put close to 600km on it when all was said and done.

And to boar, thats exactly what I was thinking, people on kijiji are the worst, especially 16yo that want to test drive the bike, and ask why they shouldnt just go to the dealership and spend 1500 more for a brand new bike. plus the dealership did mention that hst was only put on the difference of the price, so if im looking at paying 1-2k difference, ill probably only be paying 130-260$ in tax which is wicked.

Spooph I like the newer ninja 650s, but I absolutely hate the older ones with the 250r's headlights, and for 5-6k i wont be looking at any 2009+ bikes. I am really partial to inline 4s now also, or 3 cyls like the daytona.