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I found this site a few days ago. I'm in my 60s & have owned many MCs including both early & 08 EX250s. I perform service on them as well. Several years ago there was a whole group of us that got together & worked on bikes (shop nites). We had a lot of fun with it & did almost everything imaginable to the baby ninjas. We were not into hypermiling, but we did gear up our bikes for better mileage. I have a 15/38 gearing. most of the others have 39 on the rear. The best mileage any of us got was 78MPG, but as I stated before we were not riding for super high mileage. After reading threads, from this site, I am going to see what type of mileage I can achieve with my current gearing. Not to change the subject, I have done some things to the bike which I feel anyone would enjoy, mainly with suspension mods. Part of my background is working with professional motorcycle roadracing, and as you can imagine the importance of handling is at the very top. A baby ninja can easily handle like a dream with a small amount of money & a little time. This is the major downfall of the 250. For those interested in the formula I will be happy to share. Other issues, which I feel are important, are related to safety. The original Ninja 250 site has lots of great info & how to articles for working on bikes. Depending on what part of the country you live will determine which oils you might choose. Since hypermiling will require the least rolling resistance possible, I would choose a light weight fully synthetic oil for the engine. Synthetic oils are so good, I use nothing else, including my lawnmower, and worth every cent. The chain lubes, in a can, are very good & my favorites are Maxima & PJs, O-ring chains rob power and will last no longer than a well maintained regular chain. Regular non o-ring chains are just as strong (tensile strength) and can be had for a fraction of the price of an o-ring chain.
OK, so here's my spin on why I think the 07 or earlier 250 is a better candidate for hypermiling. First. The later bike was made 30 pounds heavier & as much as 1 1/2 HP lower than it's predecessor, for the sake of looks. It's much harder to do service on & the parts cost more, except for the sprockets, which are the same fitment. The front sprocket splines are the same, but the earlier sprocket has the holes pre-drilled & tapped for the keeper locking ring. (which should definitely be safety wired) Maybe that was the reason for the change. I personally know of 4 people, including myself, who had the front sprocket come loose while riding! NOT GOOD. It only makes sense to safety wire anything you don't want to fall off your bike, cause it will more than likely do it when you're on a long ride & you're in the middle of Timbuktu, or in the freezing rain. Happened to me once on a Ducati. After owning many a bike, I would damn near kill to have that 235MPG streamlined 125 that's on this site. Or the diesel powered Thunderstar sportbike, which never went into production. And last, but maybe not least, is I'm not that tall, so I like the bar end mirrors better than the stock ones. I have no problem seeing out of them. I would strongly recommend doing the daytime running light mod (DRLs). Makes you 300% more visible to oncoming traffic.
If I can help anybody with anything, don't hesitate to ask. Glad I found this site.
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