Low & Slow's Ninja 250 project

[greenjoe]

Well done L&S, I guess that leaves the rest of us shooting for 125mpg,lol. Thanks for the pics. nice to put a face to the project. I can't wait to see how much better it will get.

[theycallmeebryan]

Awesome job L&S! I figured 100mpg would be relatively easy to hit with aeromods. I don't think 110mpg is out of reach with some aerodynamic refinements.

[sendler]

Originally Posted by low&slow

Sendler, Thats a pretty tight tuck. Do you have a large tankbag to help prop you up? Very small frontal and side area though.

I am actually already laying on the tank when I ride like that. The tank on the CBR250R sits up much higher than my new gen Ninja which is again higher than your pregen. The Honda is really made perfectly for laying on the tank. Very comfortable and relaxed for all day rides. The handle bars are wide as most "normal riders" prefer. I am going to move my hands in 2 inches with new bars and get my elbows in on my knees with setback pegs. An aero, boattail trunk for my groceries (camping gear) and down two on the back sprocket to go with my plus one in the front and I will be done with that bike. When Craig gets his fairings done, I will try a feet forward dustbin with a CBR125R or SH150i scooter.

[low&slow]

Greenjoe & Bryan, Thanks! Next steps, raise gearing and more aero refinement.

Sendler, Your CBR250 looks like it has great potential beyond what you have already achieved. A good tailsection and taller gearing should get you more mpg.

[beatr911]

Vic, very nice work on the MPG, and it's good to see you only using mild hypermiling techniques. Keep it up!

For the chain oiler, before I went to a shaft drive bike 14 years ago I imported some of the first Scottoilers to the US. It really did increase the life of the chain by 3-5 times, reducing adjustment intervals and sprocket life by the same amount. And it works best with non o-ring chains. The maintenance is really minimal, not as good as a shaft but much better than a conventional chain set-up. Over oiling isn't an issue as you can use regular (or used) engine oil not a sticky heavy oil, and the excess just slings off at the tight radius of the countershaft sprocket. Being a lighter oil, it removes easily with a spritz of diluted Dawn diswashing liquid and a garden hose.

One of the benefits of the Scottoiler is that it is continually cleaning grime and grit off of the chain which is partly responsible for the increased chain life, the rest being consistent lubrication. Once the Scottoiler is adjusted correctly, which is super easy, it doesn't make too much of a mess. On the Zongshen, I'm cleaning the chain area whenever I do an oil change, about every 1500 miles, at which time the whole bike needs a bath anyway.

The Scottoiler is vacuum actuated so it's pretty hands off in day to day operation. In cold weather it needs to be dialed up a little to account for the oils viscosity, also in the rain, dial it up a bit. Back down when it's warm and dry. It becomes habit to check the chain and adjust the rate a bit every few days or whenever.

If I were a rider who takes my bike to the shop to have all work done, I would still probably have the wherewithall to operate a device a simple to use as the Scottoiler. Someone like you or many other motorcyclists will have no problems at all installing and using a scottoiler.

[beatr911]

Sendler, I really like what you're doing with the CBR and am seeing you on the CBR250R.org forum. Could you start a build thread on the CBR? It would be good to have all your lessons learned and mods in one thread for future and could be owners.

Your current and planned mods and resourcefulness in sourcing parts are some of the main reasons that I'm considering selling my other bikes an getting the CBR. Others are probably in the same boat.

[HHOTDI]

YES Please...Build/Mod thread posted here for us to see and follow! I would love to get a nice little CBR250R or the equally cool little CBR125R, but I don't thing i would fit very well on one at 6'6" and 240lb, it'd kinda be like a monkey wrestling with a foot ball! LOL :{)

[sendler]

I don't plan any extreme mods for the CBR250R But I will make a thread when I get the gearing, handlebars, and luggage done. 6'6" will still ride on that bike as the tank doesn't have a large flair at your knees as the newgen Ninja does. You wouldn't be able to tuck though so top speed would be 85mph and highway FE would be 70mpgUS.

[HHOTDI]

wonder what i'd get out of that little CBR125R from Canada...? Hmm, tempting to go up to Vancouver and get that one that guy has for sale with only 5400km on it... Nay, i'd better stick with my diesel build for now! :{)

[sendler]

Originally Posted by HHOTDI

wonder what i'd get out of that little CBR125R from Canada...? Hmm, tempting to go up to Vancouver and get that one that guy has for sale with only 5400km on it... Nay, i'd better stick with my diesel build for now! :{)

The CBR125R is 1.5 inches smaller everywhere than the 250. You would have to sit on the back seat to ride it. This reviewer is 6'1" and 190 pounds and he looks quite cramped.