Changing Handle Bar Position Er-6F Ninja 650?

[madjbs]

karlos - Sadly for just that little bit more oomph the 650 will give you it will also cost a lot more than a CBR250R. Yes, compared to a legal 600 SS import the ER6 seems cheap, but compared to a CBR250R which is much more of a sport bike it just doesn't seem worth the price at more than double the cost. Sad but true.

Hardly just a "little bit" more is it when you are comparing a bike with just over 20hp to one with over 70hp, that is a massive three times more power. They are absolutely worth the price, and I really don't know how anyone could think otherwise. Yes, it's more than double the price of the CBR250, but that is hardly a sports bike either, it's a heavy 250cc single!

[YipYipYa123]

karlos - Sadly for just that little bit more oomph the 650 will give you it will also cost a lot more than a CBR250R. Yes, compared to a legal 600 SS import the ER6 seems cheap, but compared to a CBR250R which is much more of a sport bike it just doesn't seem worth the price at more than double the cost. Sad but true.

a 650 is not a small increase over a cbr250r ,it IS more like triple the bike

twist the wrist on a cbr250r and not much happens

do the same on a 650 ninja and the front will lift off the ground

you must be a bit cautious on a 650 ,you can ride a 250 balls to the wall

a 250 is lucky to get 160kmph ,a 650 can hit 220 and gets up there a lot faster too

650 has abs as standard ,you need to pay another 20k to get abs on the cbr so its not that bad value IMO

sure ,a 600 ss is in another world ,but the total cost of ownership (price,import fees ,excise,parts ,servicing ,green book ) is

in another world as well

[illy]

Beautiful illy. Thanks for posting. 2011 or 2012 model?

By the way, what years is your ER6? As long as it is older than the new 2012 model there are Sports Bars available for it as Tony mentioned earlier in the post.

the CBR600R is actaully a 2009 model and the Ninja 650 R is also 2009

[loserlazer]

karlos - Sadly for just that little bit more oomph the 650 will give you it will also cost a lot more than a CBR250R. Yes, compared to a legal 600 SS import the ER6 seems cheap, but compared to a CBR250R which is much more of a sport bike it just doesn't seem worth the price at more than double the cost. Sad but true.

Hardly just a "little bit" more is it when you are comparing a bike with just over 20hp to one with over 70hp, that is a massive three times more power. They are absolutely worth the price, and I really don't know how anyone could think otherwise. Yes, it's more than double the price of the CBR250, but that is hardly a sports bike either, it's a heavy 250cc single!

Well man, yes 71 hp to 26 hp - with mods 30 hp - but cbr 250 is 50 kg less then er6n at the end and in Bangkok, you have no chance to use those 70 hp and it just end up in your a.. as more petrol bill here besides lots of effort to carry a 206 kg bike with you on a high traffic rush hour. Means, lots of waiting behind the big diameter exhausts of f....... BKK buses. - you can fill your head in those exhausts man, that big.

For me, the bike needs to carry me not me carrying the bike.

Biking is all about the reasons and emotions. I need a bike to commute efficiently and cbr looks better and sportier than er6n, more wind protection, less petrol bill as well on top spare parts are cheap as chips.

So overall, with cbr 250, i do not feel like i am riding a horse but er6n does not only feel like a horse, it also looks like a horse design wise unfortunately - new one is better, thanks god! - which i will end up buying my horse next year if there will no other reasonable option coming up:)

I might be thinking not that positive about er6n but it is the only option for me after a cbr 250 here at the end. But truth is truth and it is good to speak it loud.

Sorry for killing the topic again but i could not hold myself.

Edited March 30, 2012 by loserlazer

[madjbs]

And you can mod the ER6/Ninja as well, so that is irrelevant. The 650s are fine in Bangkok in my opinion and there are plenty of opportunities to open them up a bit, unless you are just riding around Sukhumvit all the time. They are plenty small enough and easy to manoeuvre in traffic too, the advantages of a CBR250 over a ER6 in BKK trafic are not very great as they are not that in different in size. If you want a bike for driving through traffic jams, just buy a scooter.

[TylerBKK]

Yes, the HP of an ER6 is triple that of a CBR250R, but it's still not that much HP for a 650cc class bike. That was my point about it being a lot more money, but not that much more bike. A used 600 SS bike 4-5 years old in the price range of an ER6 would give you a lot more HP for the same money and a much more pleasurable riding experience. A SS bike will be lighter, more responsive, and a much higher spec. Sure, we can go back to the argument in favor of an ER6 that it is new, legal, locally made and serviceable, but it still not an exciting bike and not that cheap if you consider a what you could get in terms of higher specifications with a used SS bike in the same price range. I'm still not sold on the value of an ER6 for what it offers. Or should I say what it doesn't offer.

[Hili]

I was driving a cbr250 before now i am on a er6n i thought the same before that i will have a disadvantage in the city but it turns out not just replace the standard mirrors with flat ones and your are fine to go i also change the barends to shorter ones and can squeeze into the traffic nicley. The 250 with its elephant ear mirror is even worse, plus the ER has plenty of tourque to get away off idiots. I also noticed that with a nice sound cars tend to make more space than to smaler bikes.

[YipYipYa123]

Yes, the HP of an ER6 is triple that of a CBR250R, but it's still not that much HP for a 650cc class bike. That was my point about it being a lot more money, but not that much more bike. A used 600 SS bike 4-5 years old in the price range of an ER6 would give you a lot more HP for the same money and a much more pleasurable riding experience. A SS bike will be lighter, more responsive, and a much higher spec. Sure, we can go back to the argument in favor of an ER6 that it is new, legal, locally made and serviceable, but it still not an exciting bike and not that cheap if you consider a what you could get in terms of higher specifications with a used SS bike in the same price range. I'm still not sold on the value of an ER6 for what it offers. Or should I say what it doesn't offer.

i dont know of anyone in the world that thinks the er6n is the best bike money can buy,its just the best of a very limited selection of bikes that can be bought legally in thailand in its price range ,the next nearest is the ducatti at 400k and its 800k for a proper litre bike from honda or suzuki or yamaha ......

look at the bikes it gets compared against in the USA and you will see there are more powerful alternatives but TIT and we are shit outta luck ,i would get the z750 etc or cbr 600 or even a hornet 600 with the detuned cbr engine in it or a whole pile of other bikes but i wont go over 100k thb on a non-legal/dodgy book bike so if i lose her im not losing an absolute fortune

spare parts availabiity and cheap servicing and not having my bike confiscated in the next "crackdown " is quite important to me so i wont be paying big money for any imports

[madjbs]

Yes, the HP of an ER6 is triple that of a CBR250R, but it's still not that much HP for a 650cc class bike. That was my point about it being a lot more money, but not that much more bike.

Twice the price but over three times the power. Seems a pretty good deal to me....

If you are going to compare new bikes with 5 year old bikes, you could buy a second hand Ninja 650 for not much more than a new CBR250. So if you say there is no point buying a new Ninja 650 because you can almost get a 5 year old CBR600RR for the same price, you could also say the same about the CBR250 when you can buy a second hand Ninja 650 for not much more.

Personally I like the FZ8 which is going to be available from Yamaha for about 490k.

Edited March 30, 2012 by madjbs

[TylerBKK]

Beautiful illy. Thanks for posting. 2011 or 2012 model?

By the way, what years is your ER6? As long as it is older than the new 2012 model there are Sports Bars available for it as Tony mentioned earlier in the post.

the CBR600R is actaully a 2009 model and the Ninja 650 R is also 2009

lilly then surely you can get a set of those Sports Bars for your Ninja. I think the 2.0 model will surely fit.

[loserlazer]

And you can mod the ER6/Ninja as well, so that is irrelevant. The 650s are fine in Bangkok in my opinion and there are plenty of opportunities to open them up a bit, unless you are just riding around Sukhumvit all the time. They are plenty small enough and easy to manoeuvre in traffic too, the advantages of a CBR250 over a ER6 in BKK trafic are not very great as they are not that in different in size. If you want a bike for driving through traffic jams, just buy a scooter.

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It is not about the size, it s about the weight, looks and what you feel while riding them. How and why you use them.

i rode both and you cannot compare the lightness of cbr 250 and i m sure you take a taxi cage for commuting in bkk if you are defending an er6n over cbr 250 for traffic, commuting. How long have you been living in bkk?

A scooter? In bkk? Why did not you buy a horse i would like to ask you as well? we are talking about bikes here man.Besides, i bought my bike nearly one third of an er6n, and i pay one third of what you pay for petrol, too. keep in mind man.I m not a marketing agent of honda here or honda is not my father's company also.Just the reality man.Still, i will buy er6n next year and change the handlebars of it, really.

Edited March 30, 2012 by loserlazer

[madjbs]

i m sure you take a taxi cage for commuting in bkk if you are defending an er6n over cbr 250 for traffic, commuting. How long have you been living in bkk?

Yeah? Actually I have lived in Bangkok for the last 6 years and commute every day on a BMW F650 without any problems or hassle at all. I much prefer riding my BMW around the city than any of the smaller bikes and scooters I have owned. My bike is bigger than an ER6, so I imagine the ER6 and Ninja 650 are pretty easy to ride in traffic as well. The slightly lighter weight of a CBR250 does not make up for the lower levels of performance in every other respect, especially as it physically the similar size as a ER6 (which in my experience is the main factor for ease of riding through heavy traffic).

[TylerBKK]

What I think is the interesting consensus here is that most or nearly all the people who have bought some form of the ER6 was because its the only choice for a 650cc bike made in Thailand. I am yet to read here from anyone saying they bought it because they love the bike and it's just what they wanted.

On the other hand many people who bought the CBR250R love the bike. Sure, we all know about it's power limitations, but it's a nicely put together bike, efficient, handles well and good for most riding situations in Thailand.

As again for the ER6, it seems that the other half of the people who haven't bought one it is because we are not willing to pay a quarter of a million Baht and settle for a bike that isn't what we really want.

So just imagine how many more big bikes Kawasaki could sell if they put out a thrilling big bike made in Thailand that people would really want to buy for a change and didn't buy it simply because they have no other choice.

[madjbs]

I don't think that is the consensus at all. It is pretty obvious that if there is only a few different bikes available here then they are not all going to be exactly what everyone wants. Apart from the street bikes, the Versys is actually a fantastic bike too and very popular in the USA and Europe, it's not a sports bike so it puts some of the wannabe poser/racer types off, but is actually a very capable road bike too.

Why did you buy a CBR250 over a Ninja 250, or even a second hand Ninja 650? Surely the Ninja 250 would have been a better new choice for you seeing as you seem to want a sports bike.

[YipYipYa123]

What I think is the interesting consensus here is that most or nearly all the people who have bought some form of the ER6 was because its the only choice for a 650cc bike made in Thailand. I am yet to read here from anyone saying they bought it because they love the bike and it's just what they wanted.

On the other hand many people who bought the CBR250R love the bike. Sure, we all know about it's power limitations, but it's a nicely put together bike, efficient, handles well and good for most riding situations in Thailand.

As again for the ER6, it seems that the other half of the people who haven't bought one it is because we are not willing to pay a quarter of a million Baht and settle for a bike that isn't what we really want.

So just imagine how many more big bikes Kawasaki could sell if they put out a thrilling big bike made in Thailand that people would really want to buy for a change and didn't buy it simply because they have no other choice.

its not solely down to kawasaki that there is a piss poor selection of bikes available in thailand

i would blame it on the demographic ,the average customer in thailand is not a retired farang with

hundreds of grand to blow on a bike

last years "big bike " sales were nearly 10,000 units in a country of 67.5? million people

of those 10k more than half were just 150 and cbr 250s ,that leaves 5000 bikes sold from all the other manufactures combined

next biggest % were probaby ninja 250s and dtrackers

a very smal amount would of been 600cc+ or even super sport bikes

Basically the market is so tiny for these bikes that kawasaki ,yamaha ,honda and suzuki dont see fit to even cater for it domestically

why move factories and set up production lines and install machines and train workers for a market that may only be worth a couple

of hundred bikes per year BETWEEN ALL OF THEM ?

it just doesnt make financial sense ,unless like ,the versys etc ,they produce them them here for export also but theres talk of a minimum wage

being enforced so the cheap labour might not be cheap ,it might flood again and they could lose more millions ,a polictical riot might kick off and halt production and there could be many other reasons that we dont know about also that mean its not worth producing ss bikes here

[TylerBKK]

I looked at used ER6 bikes before . At first I didn't know there was a fairing version

[TylerBKK]

(hit send by accident) All I saw for used were the naked version back then. Hated the look of the naked version and the handle bar position (remember that's what this whole thread was about before we go so far off topic). So it was a non starter. I also wanted a new bike at the time. I looked at the 250 Ninja. The gauges and other elements looked cheap to me and it was 50% higher in price than the CBR for the same amount of cubic centimeters of engine. So it didn't make sense to me. On top of that I like Honda better as a brand and the look of the CBR design much better.

[TylerBKK]

What I think is the interesting consensus here is that most or nearly all the people who have bought some form of the ER6 was because its the only choice for a 650cc bike made in Thailand. I am yet to read here from anyone saying they bought it because they love the bike and it's just what they wanted.

On the other hand many people who bought the CBR250R love the bike. Sure, we all know about it's power limitations, but it's a nicely put together bike, efficient, handles well and good for most riding situations in Thailand.

As again for the ER6, it seems that the other half of the people who haven't bought one it is because we are not willing to pay a quarter of a million Baht and settle for a bike that isn't what we really want.

So just imagine how many more big bikes Kawasaki could sell if they put out a thrilling big bike made in Thailand that people would really want to buy for a change and didn't buy it simply because they have no other choice.

its not solely down to kawasaki that there is a piss poor selection of bikes available in thailand

i would blame it on the demographic ,the average customer in thailand is not a retired farang with

hundreds of grand to blow on a bike

last years "big bike " sales were nearly 10,000 units in a country of 67.5? million people

of those 10k more than half were just 150 and cbr 250s ,that leaves 5000 bikes sold from all the other manufactures combined

next biggest % were probaby ninja 250s and dtrackers

a very smal amount would of been 600cc+ or even super sport bikes

Basically the market is so tiny for these bikes that kawasaki ,yamaha ,honda and suzuki dont see fit to even cater for it domestically

why move factories and set up production lines and install machines and train workers for a market that may only be worth a couple

of hundred bikes per year BETWEEN ALL OF THEM ?

it just doesnt make financial sense ,unless like ,the versys etc ,they produce them them here for export also but theres talk of a minimum wage

being enforced so the cheap labour might not be cheap ,it might flood again and they could lose more millions ,a polictical riot might kick off and halt production and there could be many other reasons that we dont know about also that mean its not worth producing ss bikes here

I don't mean to patronize, but you are just repeating everything we discussed before about the economics of why there aren't more big bikes produced and sold locally. And that wasn't my point of my concensus.

My point was the reason why people buy the ER6 at all is that there is no other choice versus there being a deep rooted desire to buy one in the first place. So it's a bike that's hardly anyone's first choice, but sells heavily by default.

I am almost certain that if Honda sold a locally made form of a CBR600R that they would sell close to as many of them as they are selling of the CBR250R at present (which is incidentally the top selling locally made model bike right now above 150cc). And ,as a result ,probably would cause sales of the ER6 to fall through the floor.

[TylerBKK]

Two more points. I would gladly pay the price for a new Ninja 650 if it was the bike I wanted. So it's not the price stopping me as much as it is the bike itself.

Also, the argument that the reason there are so few big bikes on the road in Thailand is because of economics I think is hardly the case. There are more Mercedes and BMW automobiles on the road in Thailand than in most countries of the world. I think simple there is more of a desire to own an expensive car than an expensive motorcycle. Motorcycles are still viewed as a poor man's form of transportation. So if someone can afford a car that's what they will buy rather than an expensive bike.

For as long as I have been in Thailand I have never had the desire to own a car, but I love motorcycles. So I think sales of bike bikes are heavily driven by desire and not financial limitations.

A CBR1000RR fully legal is still cheaper than a new bottom of the line Honda or Toyota. But which one sells more, a Honda Jazz or a Honda CBR RR?

[YipYipYa123]

What I think is the interesting consensus here is that most or nearly all the people who have bought some form of the ER6 was because its the only choice for a 650cc bike made in Thailand. I am yet to read here from anyone saying they bought it because they love the bike and it's just what they wanted.

On the other hand many people who bought the CBR250R love the bike. Sure, we all know about it's power limitations, but it's a nicely put together bike, efficient, handles well and good for most riding situations in Thailand.

As again for the ER6, it seems that the other half of the people who haven't bought one it is because we are not willing to pay a quarter of a million Baht and settle for a bike that isn't what we really want.

So just imagine how many more big bikes Kawasaki could sell if they put out a thrilling big bike made in Thailand that people would really want to buy for a change and didn't buy it simply because they have no other choice.

its not solely down to kawasaki that there is a piss poor selection of bikes available in thailand

i would blame it on the demographic ,the average customer in thailand is not a retired farang with

hundreds of grand to blow on a bike

last years "big bike " sales were nearly 10,000 units in a country of 67.5? million people

of those 10k more than half were just 150 and cbr 250s ,that leaves 5000 bikes sold from all the other manufactures combined

next biggest % were probaby ninja 250s and dtrackers

a very smal amount would of been 600cc+ or even super sport bikes

Basically the market is so tiny for these bikes that kawasaki ,yamaha ,honda and suzuki dont see fit to even cater for it domestically

why move factories and set up production lines and install machines and train workers for a market that may only be worth a couple

of hundred bikes per year BETWEEN ALL OF THEM ?

it just doesnt make financial sense ,unless like ,the versys etc ,they produce them them here for export also but theres talk of a minimum wage

being enforced so the cheap labour might not be cheap ,it might flood again and they could lose more millions ,a polictical riot might kick off and halt production and there could be many other reasons that we dont know about also that mean its not worth producing ss bikes here

I don't mean to patronize, but you are just repeating everything we discussed before about the economics of why there aren't more big bikes produced and sold locally. And that wasn't my point of my concensus.

My point was the reason why people buy the ER6 at all is that there is no other choice versus there being a deep rooted desire to buy one in the first place. So it's a bike that's hardly anyone's first choice, but sells heavily by default.

I am almost certain that if Honda sold a locally made form of a CBR600R that they would sell close to as many of them as they are selling of the CBR250R at present (which is incidentally the top selling locally made model bike right now above 150cc). And ,as a result ,probably would cause sales of the ER6 to fall through the floor.

a cheap locally produced yamaha r1 / gsxr 600,cbr 600rr etc etc would also probably send sales through the floor for kawa 650's

i wont be holding out waiting on it though,if it even happens i my lifetime

Why does it make financial sense to make the ninja 650 /versys /er6n in thailand ? but not any other decent/bigger bikes ?

im talking about for export ,because weve already covered the fact the domestic market alone is not worth catering for

interesting to know why its profitable to make a versys in thailand and not a zx6r or a z1000 for example

[TylerBKK]

That is a good question. Maybe there is a lot more precision involved in making super sport bikes to begin with and the Japanese manufacturers only feel comfortable to build them in Japan where they can keep a close eye on the manufacturing process. That's the only reason I could think of. Certainly making them in Thailand would be cheaper because of labor cost so I guess cost is not a concern. So who really knows for sure.