It's a problem faced by most faired motorcycles. Crouch so that you're offering the smallest possible cross-section to the wind. A tank/tail bag (or a big backpack) will make your problem worse. Ride slowly, because the wind is unpredictable and you don't want to veer off course because of sudden gusts.

As close to the redline as possible

The engine feels dead under 7000rpm, but above that it also tends to get hot quite quickly. Make your choice.

Regular petrol + octane booster that you can purchase yourself, if you're intent on saving a little money. STP, Wurth, Bardahl...

I have not written one - did not keep tab of the details during the journey. So have nothing except memories and a few pics.

Btw complete the travelogue fast buddy.

Mithun

This is not a correct answer.

Ideally one should upshift at 11k i.e. at peak power. Only if you are reaching your destination without upshifting, should you rev it more. I am not saying redlining would harm the engine but for quicker travel, one should ride between peak torque and peak power points.

I am in my running in phase. Like I mostly do 50 - 60 kmph. I can see that the bike comfortably cruises in 6th gear. Then someone said that I would be putting strain on the engine making it pull hard. But if I run in 5th gear, the speed at 4000 rpm is too slow. 6th gear is cleanly pulling from 38 kmph upwards. Didnt try anything below that. That was the context of my query.

Did not understand your question.

The horizontal part is what is fitted on radiator and it covers just the edge of radiator (below fins). The vertical part is what actually stops mud from being thrown on radiator

I had gone on a 200 km ride yesterday to Amby valley. It was a rainy, foggy ride. This is the photo of my bike after returning from ride.



This is the photograph of the radiator. Free from any mud at all.



First of all congrats on your bike.

How exactly did I help you to deserve this special thanks?

Your question is an absolutely valid and logical question. Beware a wall of text is coming up. . . unless you have much spare time, don't bother reading further.

Please understand that I am neither a Kawasaki nor Honda fanboy so your ultimate decision about whether or not to buy N250 does not make any difference to me. The reason I made this clear upfront so that you can understand that the answer below is absolutely unbiased.

I have owned a N250 for nearly 3 years now, covered 31,000 km on it and also have the priviledge of having a CBR250 currently at my home. (my friend has gone to US for 6 months and have left the bike in my custody) So I can safely say that I have ridden both the bikes extensively and am eligible to comment on a comparative performances.

First of all, CBR250 Non ABS should be compared with N250 (as it does not have an ABS). N250 costs nearly double that of CBR, has slightly more power, slightly lower torque, has considerably higher fuel consumption, N250 parts are extremely expensive and both bikes have nearly similar top speeds.

Case closed. . . . CBR wins hands down. . . . or does it?

CBR is built for a price and naturally all the parts are cheap looking. With N250, all the parts are fantastic to look at and this is the bike that gives you immense pleasure just to look at.

Top Speed : If some idiot claims that he has achieved 174kmph on a CBR250, his claims are utterly false. Even N250 is rated at 165 kmph top speed. There is a slight speedo error in both. However, all the top speed claims are made on a slight gradient and with tail wind. This is not a real life test.

The real top speed should always be measured by runs both ways on the same road immediately after one another and then average of both runs should be considered as top speed. Ninja is much faster than CBR in all scenarios (more torque not withstanding. . . why? I would come to that shortly). If anyone disputes this, please request him to bring his CBR at his place of choosing and let’s have a shoot out.

Why is N250 faster than CBR in all scenarios . . . Here fast revving nature of N250’s engine scores. CBR might have more torque at xyz rpm but the time taken to reach that rpm is considerably more than what N250 takes. This is because N250 has a 2 cylinder engine meaning two smaller pistons moving. Single larger piston of CBR having more mass than either of N250 piston, takes more time to reach its peak torque. By the time reaches peak torque, N250 has already crossed it and reached its peak power or already in next gear. This is the reason why N250 is faster.

Fuel economy : A CBR delivers around 30-40 kmph in normal riding and N250 delivers between 22-26 in same conditions. This again depends on how you ride, where you ride etc. I have mentioned ballpark figures. Here CBR beats N250 hands down.

CBR’s 6th gear is an overdrive. It means it does not have any torque. You can’t accelerate in it. You need to achieve your top speed in 5th gear itself and can just maintain it in 6th gear. The reason for this overdrive gear is to deliver better fuel economy. However, this becomes frustrating overtime. You need to downshift from top gear every time you want to speed up. N250 goes about its business in all the gears. In fact, there is so much power in top gear, I normally upshift from 5th to 6th around 140 kmph and even in 6th gear, still feel that one more gear is remaining.

CBR having single cylinder engine gets buzzy at higher speeds whereas N250 relishes riding at high speeds. In fact, N250 goes like a dog after a postman after 8000 rpm.

CBR’s sitting position is commuterish and N250’s is not. Before someone jumps on me for this statement, please understand that CBR is narrower across its mirrors so is much more maneuverable in traffic than Ninja.

Pillion : CBR’s pillion gets grab rails which makes it possible to actually sit pillion on it for long rides. Ninja does not have grab rails so the rear seat is strictly for inside city riding. However, CBR’s rear footpegs are positioned high so any pillion above 5’6” height feels cramped if riding long distance. This is not the case for Ninja.

Resale – N250 is a specialized bike and has limited market. CBR is easier to sale and also loss due to sale would be lower (due to lower buying price). For N250, you need an enthusiast who wants to buy it. Otherwise, you can’t give it away free. This may take some time but if you are patient, you are assured reasonably good price. If you are in a hurry though, you may end up loosing a lakh or more of purchase price.

Repairing – Spare parts of N250 are extremely expensive. Eg. Headlight bulb (only bulb) costs 1200 bucks, rear rim costs 26,000 bucks, one side fairing costs around 15,000 bucks. Spare parts of CBR are much cheaper.

So if you can, try to go for low mileage Ninja. You can get decent bikes with 5-7000 km running around 2.00 - 2.15. You save more than a lakh and then it suddenly starts making much more sense.

Hope this satisfies your query.


BTW, Latest episode of my Rajasthan travelogue is now up. Check it out -

Vishwas has explained it all terms i.e maintenance , pocket and performance! Mainly buying a ninja is not a big deal but the legacy to follow is main! That is Pocket and Passion= Ninja. It's maintenance might scare any person, But it's true and it's quality is also top notch!! Please think and move ahead!!
#I changed my R15 rear rim for 3.5k and Ninja is 26k. So even passion has it's own price to be paid! anything running and used need maintenance so Ninja is what to read below!! This is owing passion to be legendary!

Yes price should be low but can't help it.

Bro you explained all the points very simply!! Great writting. This should really help any discussion over CBR Vs Ninja and what it takes to have a Ninja in current scenario!!
Even the last part is awesome for second thoughts!!

tnx a lot nov i am completely convinced .. and ya spare parts not a problem at al.. hmm i had called up d PBK showroom at 1pm 2day dey said i ll b getting my bike on 26th dis month.. just need to wait nov

...and here I thought I had everyone fooled! While we're being pedantic, what you're saying would be correct for maximum performance. Which would suggest a racetrack. Which, I believe, wasn't the intention of the original query. Which is why I gave a generic answer to his question - which, mistakenly, I think, you've left out of your quote.

Of course, if I'm wrong I'm sure you'll be quick to point it out.

Now that I have quoted whole sequence of questions....

The question asked was - ideal speed band for each gear.

You replied - as close to redline as possible.

I replied - between 8 - 11 k. 8k is where we have peak torque and 11k where we have peak power.

There is no discussion about race track / road. 8 - 11k is the ideal speed band for each gear.

Some inputs from a recent ride of Ninja & CBR in Leh

I own and CBR and my friend a Ninja. We returned from a trip Leh trip last week, where we had a go at all the terrains on both the bikes.

Some things we discovered:

1. Fully loaded bike with saddle bag + bungeed bag: Ninja still offers excellent cornering experience. CBR sways from the line. Even the RE Thunderbird accompanying us was allowing better cornering. Rear Suspension spoils it all.
   
2. The quality of bolts on CBR (and the side stand) is pathetic. The heads give out quickly. You need to hammer the allen-key in and then try them. The quality of foot pegs and even the bar end sliders is not up to the mark. On the other hand the best parts have been used in constructing the Ninja.
   
3. A few vibrations and the mirrors will come out on the CBR due to fallen bolts; nothing from the Ninja. Mirrors on Ninja provide the best view and adjustment possible, where as the ones on CBR have low grade ball-socket.
   
4. The one area where the CBR scores is the low-end torque, which helped in passes like Khardung & Rohtang. To get a Ninja running from dead-stop in mud or stones needs some time, but I managed that at attempt #2, thus protecting the Clutch Plate.

One more thing. I bought a spare Air Filter from Honda Service Center in Amritsar which I tried replacing at Leh; but to my dismay, it didn't fit!! I carried on by re-fitting the old one again. I have some hands-on experience of cleaning-replacing filter on my unicorn and the usual AFR mumbo-jumbo, but couldn't get this one just replaced

I would surely be going for a Ninja within a year's time. Bye-bye CBR.


PS: This is my first post on Xbhp. Hope I don't sound too critical of the CBR, but everything I have mentioned here comes from a recent first hand experience of both bikes.

I'm going to respectfully suggest that you read my entire answer to his query, which consisted of two sentences. You've quoted only one of them, which puts my answer out of context.

Either way I'm not going to take this forward any more in public, it is a waste of other people's time. And have you considered the possibility that he wanted to know the ideal band for traffic, or the highway, or the best fuel economy? He didn't specify what he wanted, so you can't answer in absolutes.

[QUOTE=trustvishwas;838873]Did not understand your question.

The horizontal part is what is fitted on radiator and it covers just the edge of radiator (below fins). The vertical part is what actually stops mud from being thrown on radiator

I had gone on a 200 km ride yesterday to Amby valley. It was a rainy, foggy ride. This is the photo of my bike after returning from ride.



This is the photograph of the radiator. Free from any mud at all.



Ohhh okay now I got it after looking at the picture. Thank you man.
Very helpful

Problems

Gave my ninja at the chennai pbk for a few repairs and problems.
1. Roller sensor gave up and after week of torture they finally got the sensor.
2. The gearbox now is ROCK SOLID. Too hard , so had tell them (Don't really know what they would do for a hard gearbox)
3. Removing the saree guard and also the number plate bracket
4. The tail light has literally come out so told them to check on it
5. Some problem with the clutch switch ( don't know what that is).
So if you guys have encountered similar problems please do let me know what the solution would be and what it really means?
Good day

Extremely sorry if I have offended you.