theycallmebryan -
I've been half wondering about something you mentioned earlier in this thread (maybe in another one) about the fuel economy of the '08+ Ninja 250's:
The newest models are touting less FE and more top-end power than the earlier models, right? They also have radically redesigned body work, and are slightly heavier...
What I'm getting at: What if the FE numbers aren't necessarily lower b/c of the new DOHC FI engine? What if it's aero and added weight that's taking those extra few MPG off the ticker?
Looking at pics of the old gen and the new gen, I can actually see how this might be possible... things like a front fairing that necessarily dumps airflow right into the rider's chest at an upward angle are indicative of styling leaning more toward "Oh, look, it's a fast bike" than "Oh, look, it's aero-efficient".
Also, it seems like the newer gen has more frontal area than the older gens do, all things considered, but that could be perceptive from pictures being inconsistent in size and angle.
From this image:
it's rather apparent that your feet and hands are sticking out there, as it were. Of course, this was also the case on the older gen, as far as I can tell. Maybe a few extra ounces of plastic could make up a good bit of lost MPG due to aero at highway speeds? Even just popping out the sides of the front fairing more, so that the high-speed flow is pushed slightly further outward as it detaches from the plastic, so it doesn't run into your hands on the bars.
Maybe closing the upper part of the doghouse to airflow and adding to the body fairings down onto the front fender's nose would add to the MPG numbers, as well?
In either gen's case, those turn signals should be flush mount, and the mirrors are... wow.
And lastly, why don't we see bikes in wind tunnels?
19 total images of the '08+ Ninja 250R can be found here!