Going the Distance

I took my first long distance trip on my 2007 Ninja 250R yesterday. 177 miles at an average of 65 mpg. Here's a breakdown of the experience.

Preparation - New Grips: I knew I'd need better grips than the stock ones or this would be a very long trip. Based on recommendations from the Ninja 250 Riders Club, I ordered some Oury Road Grips. They required some modification to get them to fit over the bar ends (didn't want to bother with taking the weights off) - I had to cut a hole in the end of the left hand grip and cut the right end off of the right hand grip to keep it from binding the throttle when released. I cut the stock grips off with a utility knife (cutting up as not to scratch the throttle tube and handlebars) and initially tried soaking the new grips in dish soap and water for install. The left hand grip would still rotate a little once dry, so I decided to give hairspray a try. Hairspray seems to be the way to go! The grips slid on much easier than with the soap/water method, and the hairspray appears to be just sticky enough to help hold the grips in place once dry. The comfort of these grips is much better than the stock grips. I'm glad I made this upgrade before yesterday's trip.

Preparation - Luggage: I also needed a way to haul some of my stuff on the bike, of course. I came across some luggage on clearance, and after taking some measurements I found a tail bag I thought would hold my laptop and saddlebags that would fit without interfering with the rear turn signals and exhaust. I got the Fieldsheer Compact Saddlebags and Fieldsheer Expander Tail Bag. I had to get a smaller "sport" laptop case ($20 at Wal-mart) to get the laptop to fit in through the opening in the tail bag, but now it slides right in no problem. The saddlebags fit-up fine, too. With both tail bag and saddlebags installed I initially felt a bit crowded when sitting on the bike, but once I got settled in I was fine. The luggage stayed very secure the entire trip.

Luggage installed and ready to roll

The Ride: At first I was nervous and I had a bit of a death grip on the throttle. Anyone who rides knows that is a good way to make your hands tired very fast. I remember thinking to myself after just 11 miles: "This is going to be a long trip with lots of breaks!". A few more miles down the road I think I relaxed a bit and felt fine. I felt so good that I decided to forgo my initial plans of stopping for a break every 60 miles and decided to wait until I was past the halfway point before breaking for lunch (85+ miles). I found about 80 miles seemed to be my limit for comfort. That's about when my butt started to get sore, I was starving, and needed a bathroom break. Plus, I needed to get the bugs cleaned off my helmet visor - it was getting difficult to see clearly! After the break and lunch I felt good again. But then I ran into some pretty strong wind (even stronger when riding 65 mph!) and my death grip on the handlebars returned. I think the last 30-40 miles of the ride wore me out more than the first 140. By the time I got to my destination my butt was sore, my right hand was sore from the death grip, and my neck was sore from wind buffeting. But I had arrived safely without any problems (this part of course made my wife's day)!

Stopped for lunch - my visor was caked with bugs

End Result: The bike and I are now both safely where my wife is living (and I am living part-time). I'll put the bike in storage for the winter here. I calculated up the gas mileage for the 177 mile ride: 65 mpg. I've heard of people getting 70 mpg on Ninja 250Rs. Maybe if it hadn't been so windy and the luggage hadn't been on the back I could have gotten closer to 70 mpg? In any event, it was fun and I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I'll be taking rides of this distance on a regular basis. Based on yesterday's experience, rides of <100 miles shouldn't be a problem on the Ninjette, though.