"new " project bike
 

After the recent Las Vegas to Barstow Vetter Challenge I have thought a lot about my future participation in these real-world fuel economy contests. While I'm pleased to have improved a 40mpg bike into a 60mpg+ machine I have to recognize the inherent disadvantages my 550cc shaft-drive bike presents versus the 250cc gas bikes and the diesel bikes that have been the previous winners ( 134 mpg to ~ 150 mpg). I decided to start looking for a used 250cc bike to modify for future fuel economy runs.
After about 2 weeks of searching I found I a 1999 Kawasaki Ninja 250 in good running condition for a good price and well under my project budget. After I get it titled, registered and serviced ,I'll make some baseline runs before I start doing some gearing changes and adding aerodymanic body panels. There has been some good work done with the Ninja 250 particularly by friend and fellow competitor Alan Smith so I will start by following some of his successful modifications. I'll try to keep you all posted on my progress.
Merry XMAs L&S

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No pics?

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Sorry , here you go.

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Cat , Do you still have all 8 motos? You must not be married or else you got a very cool wife :) !
all the best, L&S

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Garage is constantly revolving with occupants..

I got into 2-wheel way before the wife came along, she know that it comes with the terrotory. She's slowly catching on:

https://www.fuelly.com/attachments/fo...807f5519ac.jpg

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I want a bike that shaped like a coffin so when I get creamed on the highway they can just bury me in it. :)

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With that kind of mindset, it's just a matter of time.. want me to buy you some life insurance when you get that bike? :D

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Agreed, ride to live, live to ride!!! Cat, good work with your wife!!!

I gotta this little Ninja registered so I can start riding it.
Merry Xmas

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Lil'Ninjas are definately fun bikes to ride, quite a cult following, too.
If you ever need FAQs about the lil'Ninjas:

Ninja250.org

Ninjette.org

Re: "new " project bike
 

Thanks Cat, good info.

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My 1999 Nija 250 was a salvaged bike and so I had to have it inspected and the engine and frame #s verified to get it titled and registered for street usage.
I adjusted the valve clearances, sparkplug gap, cleaned and re-oiled the air filter and changed the oil and filter. I topped off the tank and rode it around running errands for a few days before doing my first official mpg calculation: 65 mpg.
Today I rode with Alan Smith( Ninja 250 streamliner ) and another stock 2008 Ninja 250 as well as a Triumph 1100 and a BMW 1200. We topped off our tanks at the start of ride and refueled at the end of the ride 126.7 miles later. The ride was at a spirited pace on twisty backroads on a cold day with with about 15 freeway miles on the way back. Alan got 89.47 mpg, the 2008 ninja got 62.1 mpg and I got 72.8 mpg. I was pleased with how the bike runs and how well it handles. It was interesting to compare the 2 stock ninjas with Alan's to see how effective his modifications are.
Now that I have my baseline I'm ready to start my modications. I'll start with a larger countershaft sprocket ( 15 tooth vs 14) and larger windscreen with rear sprocket and more aero mods to follow. I'm pleased to already have beaten my best tankfill on my Vision 550cc ( 66.8 mpg) . I'll try to keep posting on my progress.
Happy new year, L&S
Happy New Year , L&S

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Report #2 After getting the baseline for the Ninjette ( 72.8mpg ) I could hardly wait til I started doing some mods. I haven't bought sprockets yet so I decided to start modding the front end of the bike. I removed the windscreen and front fender . I made a longer, taller windscreen out of coroplast and mounted it on the stack faring. I made a fully faired front fender out of sheet metal, coroplast and some outdoor sign stock. Since I'm going with a Vetter tail, I just bungeed on a plastic trash receptacle behind me until I start building the tail. I need to do another run see how it works. more to follow.
all the best, L&S

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Here some pix of the mods. Irode it yesterday and today and it handled the winds very well. I also rplaced the stack seat with one i made to lower the seat height. I ordered a larger countershaft sprocket and test it soon.

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I filled up today and got 59.3 mpg. Disappointing. I may do one more tankfill before I install my 15T/33T sprocket combo so I can better evaluate the aero mods. The taller gearing should make a differenece.
alll the best, L&S

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How'bout somthin' like this:

https://www.fuelly.com/attachments/fo...b8920f6d70.jpg

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All that setup needs is a windshield wiper. :)

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I did another test run today before installing the taller gearing and the results are.... 74.6 mpg. So at least some improvement over the stock Ninja configuration with the aero mods. I'm going to install taller gearing and will go with a 15T front/ 41T rear combo for now. After some discussion with Alan Smith I decided to try the 41T rear first before going with the extremely tall 33t sprocket that Greenjoe sent me. I feel very optiimistic as the Ninja feels very short-geared, easily pulling 6 th gear at 35 mph.

Cat, interesting bike, a bit too much height in the windscreen and no boatailing for rear . It looks interesting but it probably wouldn't do much better than a stocker.
Tradosaurus did you get a bike yet?

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No not yet. I did find a a few ninjas in my area but not in my price range.

https://texarkana.craigslist.org/mcy/2796182555.html

https://texarkana.craigslist.org/mcy/2747819342.html

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tradosaurus, with winter here you should be able to get a good bike for your budget. Patience grashopper:D ! I was checking CL every morning and made several lowball offers before I got my Ninja for $799, much less than the $1500 I had budgeted for.

I rode the bike today with the 15/41 gearing ( vs 14/45 stock ) today and it is much improved. I can confirm that the rpms are now down to ~6000 at 60 rpm. The bike still accelerates very well and actually it can handle even taller gearing. I'm using Alan Smith's spare rear sprocket right now and he also has a 39 tooth rear he offered to let me use. He is currently running a 37 tooth rear right now. I also have a 33 tooth rear that another motorcycle hypermiler sent me ( thanks GreenJoe) . I'll run this setup for a bit and test it. I'll post the results shiortly.
all the best L&S

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During the rainy weather, I took advantage of some down time to do some work on the Ninja. I added some small "wings" to the windscreen/fairing and a right side mirror. I also spray painted my additions so it looks somewhat better. I went ahead and extended the tailsection to a full boattail and added sidepanels over the rear wheel. I still haven't done enough miles to merit a fillup but I will use the Ninja tomorrow to run some errands and may top it off to see how the new 15/41 sprocket combo is working.
Attached are some pictures of the latest configuration.
Next steps: smaller rear sprocket , possibly a 39 tooth and check with Craig about starting work on another Vetter tail.
all th best, L&S

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I filled up this afternoon after running some errands and the results are ....
78.47 mpg ( 2.35 gal for 184.4 miles) So close to 80 mpg. The taller gearing is working great, still good acceleration and I think some room to go taller. I have GreenJoe's 33 tooth rear sprocket but I think that might be too much, plus I would have to shorten my chain or get a new one. I may see if about testing Alan's 39T. I need to talk to Craig about getting the 3 rd Vetter tail. Things are looking up. :thumbup:

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I refilled the Ninja today and the results are .... 104.35 mpg!!!!!
Needless to say , I'm very happy with this and am suprised that I was able to break the 100 mpg barrier so quickly. I was hoping for a tankfill in the 80mpg range and now this. I have mentioned in previous posts I was impressed with how easily the bike was running with the 15/41 sprocket combo and I was looking to bump it up some more. I thought I would need to do this to break into the 100mpg range. What a pleasant surprise.

Thanks to you all for your support, advice and encouragement. It means a great deal to me and I truly appreciate it.
Low&Slow ( Vic)

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Congrats!

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Congrats! I've never exceeded the 100mpg mark, no matter how hard I coasted and P&G'ed. OK, a 250 is potentially more efficient when someone travels in my pace. I still don't regret my choice, I can go over 90 too. When it's warmer, of course. Now it's -14C outside (7F) and snowing, so I won't ride anywhere :o

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Jay & Alvaro, Thanks!!

Alvaro, what you do with a 650cc bike is incredible. I'm still hoping to someday break 70 mpg with my Vision. Ultimately the limitations of our machines is what holds us back. The 250 ninja was a good choice for me. It has shocked me with how easy it was achieve the 100 milestone with it. Its also proven to be a fun and sporty little bike to ride around with.
all the best, L&S

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Here are some new pix of my Ninja 250

https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...ja_250_001.JPG

https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...ja_250_003.JPG

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Looks efficient, but....No fear of decapitation if you endo?

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Thanks HC! The windscreen is coroplast so it would crumple pretty easily in the disastrous event of collision.

I rode the little Ninja to Carmel yesterday to visit Craig and Alan. They have finished with a fiberglass nose section for the Ninja streamliner kit and it is a work of art! :thumbup:
When I arrived in Carmel, we met for lunch and it was great to see all our streamlined bikes plus Craig's 2 sons' Alcan faired bikes in the parking lot.
I got to see the new nose, front framework , new windscreen, and the vinyl wrap that Craig is considering for future kits. We talked a lot about our favorite topic and took tons of pictures. It was a great day! The only down side was my fuel usage for the trip....74.54 mpg. I guess I enjoyed myself a bit too much. Pictures to follow.

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The pix:
https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...isit_2_043.JPG Craig, me and Alan

https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...isit_2_025.JPG New Ninja kit nose vs Alan's Streamliner


https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...isit_2_002.JPG

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Latest update: refueled today, mixed riding in cool to cold weather, 209.5 miles, 2.63 gallons to refill... 79.7 mpg . My 3 tank average is 83.3 mpg , OK but I want more!

Next steps; taller gearing and redo the tail section. My current tail is a bit small to hold the Vetter-mandated 4 bags of groceries so it's time to go all out before the May 4 Vetter Challenge in Carmel.

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I just finished skinning my new tail section today. I used coroplast panels on the sides and plasticized sign papers for the rounded top. The coroplast is very easy to work with and pretty rigid in line with the tubes. I built my framework with 3/8" and 1/4" plywood bulkheads, light wood and sheetrock edging stringers. The coroplast is very light and provides additional stiffness to tailsection. The more I use coroplast the better I like it. The coroplast doesn't bend that well and is much better for straight panels. The sign paper is weather resistant, bends easily and is great for the curved portions of the structure. I used 1"x 3/4" wood lathe for some of the stringers as it is light , rigid, easy to attach with glue and screws. I also used some bamboo for x-bracing and just hot-glued it into place.
I tested the new tail today and it works great. The only modification I'll need to do is add another attachment from the tail structure to the MC frame as it has tipped downward slightly. I'll run another tank and see how much improvement there is with the new tail.

https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...nja_v3_003.JPG
https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...nja_v3_002.JPG
https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...nja_v3_001.JPG
https://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...nja_v3_007.JPG

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I took the Ninja for a good hard ride on Saturday on the local backroads to test the new tail and to test the accuracy of my odometer/tripmeter. The new tail worked great and seems to be very sturdy. My destination was a local motorcycle hangout ( the Livermore Junction ); the brothers and sisters there seemed to like the streamliner. I had some fun and found that my odometer under-reported distance traveled by 9.2 %.

Yesterday, I decided to go ahead and change to the smallest rear sprocket I had: GreenJoe's 33 tooth. I also lubed my swingarm and shock linkage, shimmed the cush drive and shortened my chain by 4 links. Today, I rode the bike to Fremont on some errands and found that the taller gearing was manageable. It starts from a dead stop OK , accelerates at an acceptable pace and brings the rpms way down while cruising. Hills and headwinds now need quick downshifts to maintain speed and often need dropping down 2 gears at a time. We'll see how it goes.
I fueled up on the way home and got ..... 90 mpg !!!
I'm pleased with this and hope to keep the upward trend continuing.

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I wondered what 2 people on a bike would get in mpg?

https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2043/...296581a624.jpg

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I don't know what a streamliner could get 2-up, but in my log there are a lot of mostly 2-up tanks, especially from 2010, but my 2011 entries are even better because they contain an estimated percentage of 2-up rides per tank.

On a stock (no streamlining, stock gearing) bike it seems not to impact FE too heavily - the difference looks <10% to me. When it comes to streamlining it becomes tricky, I think - low&slow's tail makes the bike a one seater, so if you want to ride 2-up, you'll have to design a different one.

L&S: a big YAY to having to downshift :D That means good in terms of efficiency, IMHO - now you have a real cruising gear and don't have to mess with high speed pulse&glide :D

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Tradosaurus, Did you get your bike yet?

Alvaro, Thanks! the 15/33 gearing definitely make 6th gear "oveerdrvie for the Ninja now. I need to tear into the carbs to see if I can the bike to pull better at lower rpms.

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No. I thought long and hard but the two lane road to work, even though it's only 8 miles worth, would be dangerous early in the morning.

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Tradosaurus, That's too bad, I was hoping you be joining the motorcycle hypermiling revolution. Maybe you'll reconsider when the weather gets better.
I still haven't worked on my carbs yet but I have adjusted to the taller gearing and have the feeling it will pay off with some good results.

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Latest update: I decided to clean my carbs. They actually didn't look too bad inside. I got it all back together and rode around some today and refueled.... 92.1 mpg
It appears the improved tail and taller gearing are doing their job. I need to adjust the carbs some more as it has some flat spots as I accelerate. Once I'm above 6K rpms it runs very well.

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Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I've been away from home a lot the last 3 weeks with more work travel scheduled just before the 5/4 Carmel Vetter Challenge.

I have my bike running better after cleaning and adjusting the carbs and installing the 15/33 gearing. The last tankfills have been 90mpg, 92 mpg and 76 mpg. The 76 mpg tankfill involved a lot of hard, fast running over 70mph playing with throttle response in top gear. My bike is now pretty susceptable to lugging in top gear at the low end of the power band so I need to downshift a lot more than previously. This week will be my last opportunity to work on the Ninja before I compete in the 5/4 Carmel Vetter Challenge so I will be doing some testing and refining it to get ready. I was hoping to do some riding with Alan Smith and see his new Vetter front end but he is going dirtbiking in Utah next week. The new front end looks great and I'm curious about how much of an improvement it will be over his previous one. I will probably go this route if it shows a signnificant improvement oveer the faired front fender/frame fairing combo.
I plan to seal up some opening in my front fairing, change to new spark plugs. Alan is leaving me a 37 tooth rear sprocket to try out, which I may do if testing indicates a problem with the current 33 tooth rear sprocket. I'm very pleased with the new tail and have worked on the interior to improve its cargo carrying capabilities ( over 4 paper grocery bags ) . We'll see how it goes.

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Sounds like you got a lot to get done! Good work.