My '07, not finished yet...

 

here is my 08 250. I've added new bridgestone 090s and moved the rear turn signals since the pics were taken.

 

Hayes, what's your impression of the BT 090's so far? Did the 140 rear tire change anything? TB

 

Just wondering the off-road usefullness of this bike.. how is she?

Given the small amount of displacement and the prallel twin I doubt it has anything like the *snap* of a thumper. Even more than that I doubt it could really handle anything more than a trail, but I'm interested to know if you did any serious off-road distance and what your reaction was.

Thanks,
E

 

well i ran a few miles of a trail system in northern idaho on it. It has alot of small washes (big enough to swallow the Ninjas front tire) and exposed rock. I was standing on the pegs and keeping it in first gear the whole time. For what it is it did great, i was able to negotiate it better than a buddy on a BMW 1200GS. You just cannot be afraid to shift your wieght ALOT and once off the beaten path dont even think about sitting down because youll be moving your body all around and youll need to use your knees to take alot of the bumps to help keep the suspension from bottoming out. I havent done single track stuff and honestly dont plan to on this bike. But it handles gravel extremely well (the light wieght means you can realy kick the tail end out and slide it around). All that said, i mainly just stick to actual roads or one type or another, Im saving for a KLX250 for the dirt stuff...

 

the 140 didnt change anything in the gearing. it is a touch taller, but not enough to really notice. it is a bit wider and has to be lined up just right to keep from hitting the chain guard, but i took mine off anyways because i use a chain wax that doesnt fling. they have a much steeper profile so its quite a bit more tippy at speeds below 30mph. It seems more stable at speeds above 30 and its like riding a whole different bike on the intestate. the radials are WAY more stable and smoother. the 090s grip alot better on the twisties, but the front tires doesnt like the painted lines, so stay off the yellow line on hard turns. Ive put more than 1000 miles on them and it seems like I am about half way to the wear bars, so I dont expect to get much more than 2000 miles. (I got 7000 miles on the stock 045s) the edge of the rear tire isnt as low as the stock tire so I find that I ride on the edge of the rear tire alot more, but it seems to be the opposite way on the front (I cant get anywhere near the edge of the front tire) My cornering confidence and ability has dramatically improved with these tires so overall I am very impressed.

 

Thanks for the report Hayes, I do appreciate it. Did you stay with the stock size front tire though?

 

yes I did

 

Just received from the store, 2008 250R with 2.900 miles on it :





cya,

Pato Concha
Southamerica

 

2005 ninja 250 with to meny mod to list!! done all by me