mechanically the ninja can be taken any where no probs but may i suggest the following:

OEM tyres on the ninja the thread pattern is basically for the track / good roads. on bad roads with mud/slush/rain combination you have to be very careful as there may not be much grip from your tyres.

a small brush ( soft possibly made by 3M ) and a spray bottle (like coleen ). with this clean the radiator exterior with water every day or twice daily as the situation warrents. but ensure that the radiator is not hot when u do it. i will suggest you use drinking water for this.( soft water )

carry radiator coolant mixed 50:50 in a bottle for top up if required.

now the petrol part you have to put in 90 octane and above rated petrol or else its bye bye to the catalytic converter fitted on your original silencer.

no fuel filter on the fuel tank filler opening. do some DIY filter or be careful while filling petrol.

fit a tyre hugger for the rear tyre as given in the DIY page in this forum detailed by Blue volt.

batteries are everything for your ninja. carry a jump starting wire's as detailed in your owners manual in case your batteries go weak due to cold.

last but not the least . give some VIP treatment for your ninja it really helps.

A tankpad doesnt protect your whole fuel tank.
What can you achieve by protecting the whole fuel tank ? You are never protecting the tank made of metal. You are protecting the paint.

There is a reason why you see a tankpad where you see it. It is on the area where you would be brushing against your tank time and again when crouching at high speeds or when cornering. The texture of your protective clothing, or the zipper ends , will scratch the tank in that area or the constant rubbing will simply result in the colour fading in that area in an year or two.

If you are gonna put something out there...why not be a little creative...hence u see tankpads in different sizes and colours.

A tankpad on a Pulsar220 for example has no functional use...only aesthetics !

As for the back support, maybe you can look at something like this? http://www.cramster.in/images/mc_backsupp2_big.jpg

hope no other bruises or scratches..

what you can do is invest in a good back support for riders.. That will do u good..

@harikeshpk: Sorry to hear about the fall, but I think every bike has to have a small fall&yours is done with this minor one. My R15 was tipped over in my building in the 1st 3 weeks of my buying it by a curious onlooker who wanted to check out the paddock stand!
As for the back support, maybe you can look at something like this? http://www.cramster.in/images/mc_backsupp2_big.jpg

Sorry to hear about the fall,harikeshpk

He strained his back trying to lift the bike right...how can a back protector help him?

dropped my ninja in my own parking. couldn't hold her and i had to come off. there was some sand and grit from some construction work on the floor and she just skidded under me. the best part is i lifted her up straining my back in the process. lost the front right indicator.

cooling my heels now. lesson learnt that at my age 45+ be careful of lifting the bike without any assistance.

couple of weeks off from riding depending on my back getting okay.

dropped my ninja in my own parking. couldn't hold her and i had to come off. there was some sand and grit from some construction work on the floor and she just skidded under me. the best part is i lifted her up straining my back in the process. lost the front right indicator.

cooling my heels now. lesson learnt that at my age 45+ be careful of lifting the bike without any assistance.

couple of weeks off from riding depending on my back getting okay.

Waiting time for ninja (green) in hyderabad ? ? ?

There was a video in youtube on how to lift a heavy bike without much strain....!



dont know abt the new date....but it was upto 3 mnths few months back...it should have come down now. Heck...if ur lucky u can get the delivery imm. Just keep buggin ramesh(pbk manager)...he'd make the delivery faster

dropped my ninja in my own parking. couldn't hold her and i had to come off. there was some sand and grit from some construction work on the floor and she just skidded under me. the best part is i lifted her up straining my back in the process. lost the front right indicator.

cooling my heels now. lesson learnt that at my age 45+ be careful of lifting the bike without any assistance.

couple of weeks off from riding depending on my back getting okay.

There is a technique that I learned about 20 years ago from a young boy/mechanic working with Yezdis and Bullets and I recently found the same being advised by other people too. In fact you can watch a video of this method here - YouTube - How To Pick Up a Dropped Motorcycle.

Guess it's never to late to learn something new!