Asking about ABS is probably not a good idea. You'll have to go out and ride an ABS equipped bike for yourself. Mine had ABS, I have it on my scooter too. That should say plenty. I've had that thing engage one a week at a minimum around town where the road surface is like glass. Needed it maybe once or twice on open roads where I'm sure I would have crashed waaay before riding up to the reason of the hard braking just from locking up the front. This is at 23.000 miles. Brake pads? I had about 40% of the pads left when I sold the bike, again, at 23k miles.
A couple of items, I agree the engine braking is strong and will surprise a person new to the bike but my Ninja throttle has never surged. It's quite steady, just touchy. If you had an older model maybe that was problematic with them or you had a bike in need of repair. Maxi-scoots are great, the two biggest flaws that is endemic with the lot of them is cheap suspension and cvt lag. The TMax overcomes both of these somewhat but even the best scooter suspension is no better than the worst entry level motorcycle. Also, the Ninja doesn't have a 72hp motor, at least not the one I own. Closer to 64hp which is still more potent than all scooters. Finally, I agree with Cortez, ABS is a great option to have. You hardly ever need it but the one time it saves your bacon it's worth every penny.
Yeah, mine was the first gen 650R, and it was my first bike back then (2007), so no surprise about the engine braking. I had a couple of rides on a ZX6R (2004 636) before taking delivery of my bike to get used to a bike with some power, but the 650R ended up being way more dangerous for a novice, as long as you kept the ZX6R at low revs that is. Surging on mine was never fixed, and it was tried many times. Cleaning up the injectors, throttle body sync, new chain, endless stuff. It wasn't very bad, but that's the thing I'm most sensitive about on a bike. Cheap suspension is right, but it's no worse on my scoot now then it was on the 650R actually, but the scooter is harsher. CVT problems are easy to fix. Dr Pulley sliders do wonders. Aftermarket CVTs do wonders too. I actually use both. It'll get up to 60mph almost as fast as a NC700X. And ABS ftw, I wouldn't buy a bike without one again.
Uhh, that's weird..Ive been riding longer than most here have been alive, and Ive never been down once..ever. And no abs..just lucky I guess, or I learned to ride early. Can you put yourself in a position to where it might make a difference? Sure..people do dumb stuff all the time. Gary
I had a bike with ABS, rode it for three years and put around 21,000 miles on it. Only once for sure did the ABS kick in and it was because I wasn't paying attention to the road in front of me, when I turned my head back around the traffic had stopped and I hauled the bike down jamming on the brakes. The nose dove a little but the bike stopped straight and true. This was my first bike and my first season riding, glad I had the ABS that day. Don't know if I would have stopped the bike in time without it. Every bike I've owned since then has been without ABS. For what it's worth, I haven't been down on any of my bikes either and hopefully won't. All things being equal I would prefer ABS on my bike but I wouldn't let it be the deciding factor.
Finally put on the bar risers. Took about 5 minutes. Very nice. Much more relaxed position. Rotated me back so I sit more on the back part of my butt instead of the back o my thighs. Next couple of weeks ill get the peg lowering kit. Then to decide between custom mounting a Givi set or just going with the SW-Motech Blaze setup.
Don't have a pic, but I just picked up a 2012 650R yesterday. Amazing bike so far- but then again I'm coming off a cbr250, and have only ridden it for about 25 miles, so take that as you will.
How many of you 650 owners came from Ninja 250s? How did you like the change? My friend has been talking about making the transition for a while now.
I was banging my head against..something.. earlier, does that count? Besides if winter doesn't end soon I may never ride again. Gary
Here's my 2012 Ninja turned ER-6N with ZX6R front end. More and larger pics can be seen here. http://www.bikepics.com/members/versysrider/12er6n/
Hey, I've got one of those! Initial review after a few weeks of ownership (2009 model) Great engine, turns in fast, starts first time even if I leave it two weeks (unlike my old Ducati), I can ride it like a V twin and stay in one or two gears riding from corner to corner using the engine braking and torque, only two issues so far are the seat which is a pain after a few miles and the suspension, which just seems second rate after my Aprilia (which did have an Ohlins rear). If I was keeping it long term I'd change those two items and be pretty happy with the package. Lots of fun, good back roads scratcher, great urban tool.
Hmm...could use your green bits to change my red '12 to the proper color. Except these simple projects tend to become expensive and complex. With factory fuel tanks costing more than the price of a new bike....ok I'm joking, but still very afraid to price it all out. :eek1:huh
Versysrider, that modded 650 looks pretty good. What happened in that first photo? Looks like the front of the fairing was cut out.
Figured out how to post larger pics. That's how I bought it, the headlight mounts were broken as well as some of the fairing. When I loaded it on my trailer the headlights almost fell out, I had to catch them so they didn't hit the ground.
Short version: Love it. Great transition that I have no regrets making. Longer version: I went from a Ninja 250 (first bike!) to a 650 a little over a year ago. Everyone has their reasons for going for a bigger bike, mine was primarily the fact I would commute 100 miles a day on highways and the little 250 was a bit strung out hauling my large frame around. Loved the 250 in town, and felt it was great to learn on as a beginner rider. Easy to rev, easy to handle for a guy my size. But I knew I wanted something bigger, and there is just something about the 650 that called me. As soon as I rode the 650 off the dealer's lot I knew I made the right choice. It's shocking at first how much more oomph the 650 has over the 250. When I first merged onto 494 to ride it home, and twisted that throttle and felt the pull, I can just imagine the huge grin I must have had. It has a pretty comfortable riding position that I have no problems with, and gives me more leg room than the 250 did. It's not a liter bike, but it has the kind of acceleration and passing ability that makes me smile every time I ride it. IMO anyone who has a 250 and feels they are ready to jump to something bigger, should seriously consider a ninja 650.
Updated pic with the new Penske shock, added 2 inches of ride height over stock, compliments the ZX6R front end very well.
