I had a Continuing Education Seminar to attend in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Monday....and the weather was great so I rode the little Ninja.



I rode the back roads rather than taking the interstate, and I was able to turn a 3.5 hour trip into a 6 your trip!  I took Route 68 from the Blue Lick Battlefield area down through Harrodsburg, then I took 152 over to the Bluegrass Parkway to 65 South - the trip was 243 miles. The Ninja and I got a room for the night that was about 10 miles north of Bowling Green - I am always a bit nervous when I have to park my motorcycle outside - but on this night we were warm and cozy in our room!




The trip was the longest I ever took on the Ninja with the goal of getting somewhere, and it did great.  I got 71 mpg on the 60 mph back roads, and when I did the superslab the traffic mandated 75 mph to keep from getting run over, and the mileage dropped to 58 mpg.  The only issue I had was the small windscreen deflects the air off my body and right at my helmet, and the warm weather seemed to bring a lot of small bugs out.  I had to stop several times to clean the bugs off my face shield - they were so thick that I just couldn't see anymore. 

This would have been a much more enjoyable ride if I didn't have to ride most of it in the dark - but unfortunately the sun sets too soon this time of the year.  I left Bowling Green at 5:30 PM and didn't make it home until midnight.....so 4 of those 6 hours riding was in the dark.  It was a really nice night as the sky was clear, the moon was big and bright and most of the time I was riding straight toward it.....it was really a pretty night to be riding.  I don't know if we will get any more 70-80 degree days this year - but I sure tried to take advantage of the last 2!

Glad you got to get out and ride considering we may not make it back to the Dragon this year.  

Is it just the perspective of the image, or is your Ninja lowered some?

stewmills wrote on 10/18/16 at 06:58:25:


Probably sagging a bit under the weight of a full tank of fuel,  the tank bag and the backpack!

I do think the front has a bit too much sag and it needs a bit stiffer front springs, and some work with the fork oil....the forks are really way too soft.  The rear.....I hear that the adjustable shock from an EX500 is the ticket!

I enjoyed reading about your trip, thanks for posting it.  I've always had a soft spot for 250cc bikes, my first real freedom in life was riding around to different destinations in my  state on a 250 but that was a long time ago.  When I look at the Ninja I have to wonder how an older guy's knees would hold up.  I like to be able to stretch my legs out a little but have never really tried riding a bike with the pegs set back to the rear.

Wow 14,000 redline , 250 single or twin ?

Looks like you "house trained" your ninja
Hope it didn't make an "accident" on the carpet, ROFL

Last night I had to go over to my uncle's house for a bit, and I decided to take the Ninja on one more ride.  We had a really nice day, and the sun was out and the temps were in the high 50's, and when I was stacking wood and doing yard work I even taken my sweatshirt off.....I could squeeze in a ride as it only takes 20 minutes to get to his house!

I left at 4:30 and I put on a sweatshirt, and when I picked up my jacket I noticed the liner was not zipped in......and I just didn't want to take the time to put it in - I would be fine (mistake).  I took the road down by the Ohio river...it was chilly!

When I came home it was after dark, and I decided to take the roads on top of the ridge rather than down in the valley.  US 27 is built on the ridge between the Ohio and Licking Rivers, and it would be warmer than it was in the valleys.  As I approached home I was really cold....and when I got home I discovered the temperature had dropped to 43!

We have had a great fall and there has been some really good riding weather.  The bike gatherings are over for the year, and it is 26 degrees outside this morning.......I suspect our riding days are pretty much gone.  I fired up the outdoor boiler yesterday, and we are now heating with wood - fall weather has officially arrived in northern Kentucky.

My cafe racer is on the bike stand in pieces while the tank, fender, seat pan and side panels are out being painted. So that's bike won't be ridden again until the spring.

Once the cafe racer is off the stand (hopefully before the end of the year) my FZ06 goes on the stand because it hasn't seen any love from me in over a year. I was having so much fun riding the cafe racer that it wasn't even started once during 2016! The tires need to be replaced and I want to grease the axles and swing arm.

So I'm done riding for the season. It's a little soon (I usually ride into December) but I couldn't wait to get the paint project started. And there is now way I'm going out on tires I don't trust.