Getting experience; trading up

I bought a 250 Ninja last August and have ridden about 2000 miles.  I like the bike and had no plans to consider trading up any time soon, but I can't really ride with friends on 600s and faster bikes and expect them to wait for me.  I want to be safe and make sure that I maximize the learning experience of my 250; how many miles should I ride it before considering trading up to faster bike?  What is a recommended next bike?  Does one merely get a GS500 or a 500 Ninja, or does one move on to something like an SV650, Honda 599, or FZ6, or does one purchase an older 600?  I'd like to acquire enough experience to be able to go to a Keith Code School and maximize my learning there.  Please help.  Thanks.  

I'd say get out and ride that thing more (if you can, dunno how much "free" time you have for riding).  2k miles in 10-11 months isn't that much (imo).  When out with your friends on their 600s just maintain a pace you feel comfortable at, with the more miles you stack up the more comfortable you will get and you'll just naturally start going faster (slowly but surely).  Theres no need to press yourself so early to keep up with them or even close the gap, wait until you have a few more miles and riding on a comparable machine.  When it comes time to trade up, I wouldn't look at GS500s or 500 Ninjas...you've already had good saddle time on a great beginners bike.  You'll be fine on a SV650 (which I'd highly recommend over a 599 or FZ6 just because of it's v-twin motor ).  Before you move up, try and get a ride on one of your buddies 600s and someones SV650...see which one you like better.  

enp83 gave some great advice.  I agree with him that the best thing you can do for yourself is get out there and put some more miles on.  2000 miles, in the scheme of things, is nothing.  I put that on my bike in about a month.  The more experience you get the better rider you'll be.  Wouldn't it be better to hang on to that 250 a little while longer and truly have it mastered than to jump onto a larger bike thinking you'll automatically be faster?  I say this because getting on a bigger bike won't necessarily make you any faster and could slow you down as a more powerful bike has a tendency to scare less experienced riders (even though most don't have enough testosterone to admit it).  Mastering your skills on the 250 will put you ahead of your buddies when you take that next step and up the size of your bike.

Depending on how long you wait and how many miles you're able to get under your belt will vary what bike you should move to next.  If you move sooner rather than later I'd highly recommend the SV650.  If you wait for some time and really master your street riding skills on the 250 then moving to an older 600 wouldn't be so bad.  A lot is going to depend on your skill level and common sense.  I've gotten some great deals on bikes over the years because someone either started or moved up to something too big and too fast way too soon and it scared them out of the sport.  While it benefited my pocketbook because I picked their bikes up for dirt cheap it didn't help our sport any, and that's ultimately what I like to see, is people having good experiences and helping the sport to grow.  

I had planned to keep the 250 for a while, and your confirmations have reassured me.  I've been reading the Guide for Beginning Riders, which Trevitt has posted, and as you've indicated, I have many miles to cover and experience to acquire before I move up to a 650 or a 600.  I've never actually gone on a ride with my friends because I know I would only jeopardize my safety.  Thanks for your recommendations.  

You need to be riding with faster/more experienced riders. It is the best way to learn. If you friends make you nervous with their riding habits, get new friends to ride with.

I have seen the best improvement in new riders when they attend a track day. Find a good group that has some novice level instruction and try it out [www.sportbiketracktime.com]. This will do two things. It will allow you to test just how capable your bike is [and I promise you it's waaay more capable than you think] and it helps you develop situational awareness. Most new riders have tunnel vision and look at the road 100' ahead of the bike. This makes you feel that you are going much faster than you really are. Looking up and further ahead and loosing that tunnel vision will allow you to watch the more experienced guys you ride with. You can learn loads about body position, line selection, up and down shift points just by following a better rider. After a while you will find that it’s no problem to hang with the 600s in most situations. When you do switch up to a bigger bike you will find that your faster than those other guys on the 600s.

It is a method that works and allows you to stay in your comfort zone and it does translate to the street. You might take my path which was to get a 600 for the street and also a 250GP bike for the track. Not only is a 250GP bike a great skills bike, you can use it to eat bigger bikes for lunch, especially on a technical track. It is funny to see the looks on the GSXR-1000 riders faces when this little weed-whacker sounding, smoking, wispy little bike blows them into the weeds. Follow the path your on and after a while you will be a better rider than 90% of the other riders out there.  

Also, a thing to consider is that if you were to get extremely comfortable with your bike, there's a good chance you could actually be  faster than intermediate riders on 600s. Remember, a bike can only perform to the rider's capabilities. Besides, think of the look on your friends faces when in a year or so they're trying to keep up  you ! The example of the 250GP bike against the 1000s is perfect. So I'd say still with that little bike and ride 'er for all she's got!  

I started on a 250 also and I kept it for one Michigan season.  I put about 3,700 miles on the clock before I felt I was ready to move up.  That is still not many miles but that is when I felt I had learned a large portion of what I could on the bike.  I know you can always learn more on any bike but it was time to move up.  I knew this when I finally started keeping up with and sometimes leading my buddies on their 600's in the twisties (they didn't ride their bikes as much as me)...in a straight line they ate me up and I was tired of that.

If you have not already figured out I bought a Honda Superhawk after that.  I know a 250 to a 1000 ( ), but the Superhawk is a forgiving bike that does everything well.  I took it easy for the first 1,200 miles keeping a smooth pace through the corners to learn the bikes "feel" and brake/throttle response.  I rode almost 7000 miles that first season on it and I each succesive mile I learned that much more about how to ride the bike.

So the moral is more miles will always help because you never stop learning.  Although when you feel comfortable with your skills and YOU are ready to move up, then do so.  Everybody learns at different paces.  Enjoy your 250 and good luck in all your future 2 wheeled decisions.  

To all the people that respond to my query,

I thank you for your advice and plan to follow it diligently.

As far as track days and schools go, would I learn much if I went to a two-day novice school with Keith Code and brought and rode my own bike?

Max600, do you ride an Aprilia RS250 at the track?  I love two-stroke bikes and would actually like to get one when I do trade up.  How big is the performance gap between an Aprilia RS250 and a Ninja 250?  Is there a reason besides greater power to ride a 250GP bike on the track rather than a 125GP bike?  

Sorry for the delay. Gone on vacation.

It is a Yamaha TZ250, which is a full on, track only, GP bike. Up until 2003 you could get an equivalent bike from Aprilia. Aprilia also made a street version. The street version is a little underpowered compared to the GP version but all of them have more power than you ninja. I went with the Yamaha mostly because I wanted a race bike and spare parts and upgrades for the TZ250 are less expensive than the Hondas and Aprilias.

The TZ250 is equal in power to weight ratio to a modern 600 race rep. Its advantage over the 600 and liter bikes is it’s vastly superior handling and light weight. If you need to make ANY corner on a 250 GP bike, just keep on leaning until something drags. My bike gives me much more confidence going into corners fast compared to the 600rr that I also take to the track from time to time.

If you like to tinker and you are mechanically inclined you will love the TZ. It is a bike that loves to be tuned and tweaked. There is a good supply of used bikes out there, in the right circles of course, so that you can pick up a good mid-90s bike for $3500-$4000 with spares. You will need the spares. While the bike is a blast to ride, they weren’t made to last. Expect to get about 500 miles out of a TZ motor before you have to do a tear down and refurbish. Fortunately, on a 250 2-stroke, that is relatively easy and inexpensive.  

Max600,

Where does one find used TZ250s and RS250s?  Ebay?  What do you think of TZ125s and RS125s?

Would going to Keith Code's two-day, novice-level school benefit me at this point, or would riding another few thousand miles on the street allow to learn a lot more from such a school?  

For GP bike you could try the WERA bulletin boards. They have a 2-stroke board just for GP bike discussions. Also try the USGPRU site. They are an organization dedicated to 2-stroke GP racing here in the states. In my neck of the woods [the southeast] you usually see them running events with F-USA and CCS. You could also try www.tz250racing.com . It’s a good site for meeting some hard core gp racers and also find equipment and get technical help.

In the area of helping out your fellow riders, I think 2-strke riders/racers are a breed apart. They always seem to be willing to lend a hand, advice, part, tool, or anything else you may need. It’s a very friendly crowd of folks. Good luck if you decide to go that route and don’t be worried about buying what may seem to be an older bike. Mid ‘90s bike are still plenty fast and competitive.

I don’t know about Keith’s school, having never taken one of his classes. I came through Ed Bargy’s school mostly because he does instruction in my area. I have always respected the articles that Keith writes though. He has a very analytical method of problem solving that is similar to the way I think. I do plan to take one of his courses in the future. There are lost of good schools out there run by very experienced and competent instructors and racers. I think it’s always a benefit for any rider to get expert instruction. Even if you only get 20% of what their talking about, it will still put you way ahead of most riders. Find someone who teaches using a style that suits the way you learn.
 

You might be getting a little ahead of yourself here. While all the suggestions of everyone here are well-intentioned, they're overlooking the fact that two-stroke racebikes are indeed a completely different breed of motorcycle to get along with on a daily basis (with the possible exception of the Aprilia RS250 production bike).

First, you've only got about 2000 miles of riding experience. You will need quite a bit more before I'd really think you're ready to tackle the high-maintenance world of two-stroke  race machinery.  These bikes are racetrack-only; are you sure you'd be willing to put up with the fact that you could only ride them there? They also require constant maintenance; you need to premix the oil with the fuel, and in the right ratio with the correct type of fuel (in my opinion, you are taking chances just using any old pump fuel; you need higher octance race fuel to ward off any chances of detonation, which is deadly to the two-stroke). Two-strokes are also very susceptible to climatic changes; temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure greatly affects their performance, and you need to keep on top of the air/fuel ratios (constantly disassembling the carbs to change jets) in order for your bike to perform decently, or worse, avoid possibly seizing up on you while out on the track. As stated before, their overall engine component life is much shorter than a four-stroke; at a minimum, you will need to replace pistons/pins/bearings at 250-300 miles to avoid possible failures (this also means that you need to keep track of your mileage; there's no odometer on a two-stroke racebike).

The two-stroke racebikes also require a deft clutch hand to get rolling, due to their extremely tall gearing.  A novice rider will have a tough time dealing with that, and probably go through a couple of clutch sets learning just how to get out of the pits.

The only two-stroke that would be adaptable enough for a novice rider is the Aprilia RS250 production streetbike. In stock form, they use oil injection, which precludes the pre-mixing of oil/fuel I mentioned before, and their overall performance and gearing is compromised to make them more "streetable" and less maintenance-intensive.

I would recommend getting a bit more experience on your 250 Ninja first, then looking at something like a Suzuki SV650 or used 600 as others mentioned.  

Sorry, I get a little excited discussing my favorite bikes. Wheelspin is absolutely correct. 250GP bikes [and 125GPs for that matter] are track only race bikes. They do require a higher level of commitment to live with. You have to be willing to do mucho track days or amateur racing to spend any significant time with the bike. There are street versions of the Aprilia 250 and the TZ250 but they are still more maintenance intensive than any 4 stroke you could buy. If you are looking for an equivalent experience on the street you could hunt down an older CBR400 or NC30. Suzuki and Yamaha also made some pretty fantastic 400cc race replicas. A little suspension work and you would have a very light, agile, fun to ride and street legal ‘race’ bike. I have wanted to own an NC30 for the longest time. They are just beautiful bikes, but they are a little rare.

I will say that the TZ250 is only tall in the first gear and starts are really the only place you have to get acclimated to the clutch action and tall gear. You only have to start once per race [or practice session], right? No worries. All joking aside, if you are considering one of these bikes, consider it for your 3rd or 4th bike, not your next bike. Wheelspin is giving you good advice. I still say get in a class as soon as you can even if you are still on the ninja. You will always come out smarter than you went in no matter what you ride. Take your ninja to a sportbiketracktime track day and find out what you and it can really do.

‘Once you go track, you never go back’
 

I appreciate your elaborations and wheelspin's; I don't plan on buying a two-stroke racer any time soon, but I always like to know the basic details of what's out there.  I'll ride for a while before I move on to anything else!