To start off, this is not a question of which is "faster," "better," etc... As a current Ninja 400 owner, I just have a few specific questions on the R7 I'm hoping to get some more info on.
A quick background and context for these questions:
I've been tracking cars for about 10+ years, but about 2 years ago I made the switch to motorcycles in the interest of cost.
One of the things I learned is that horsepower is a crutch, and a slower vehicle is usually best to gain good fundamentals, so I started on a Ninja 400.
Note that I have a Triumph street triple as my street bike, and my wife has an Aprilia RS660. I would track one of those, but I'm more emotionally prepared to write off a $5k ninja than one of those...
The Ninja has almost a "naked" bike riding position stock, so it requires rear sets and clip ons to get into a sporty position, and I think therein lies my problem:
Actual problem / question:
I am not sure if it's just me, or the fact that this is a small bike, but I am just not able to get comfortable on the Ninja. My hips always feel very cramped, I feel like my body is just not in a position where I feel natural in the corner... I just feel like I'm really fighting with the bike instead of being able to ride it. The fact that my wife's RS660 feels GREAT really is just making me doubt continuing with the Ninja.
I had my wife measure my "rider triangle" on the Ninja vs her 660, and on the Ninja my hands are 2" closer to my hips, and my feet are 3" higher, closer to my hips. It's just a very small and cramped cockpit.
So, my main concern is anyone going from a Ninja to an R7. I don't care about "better," "faster," etc... as dumb as it may seem, please understand the context of the question, my main concern is if it is more comfortable (on a track).
I feel like the R7 and 660 are really the only 2 bikes that kind of fit into this middleweight sport bike category of around 80 - 100 hp, ~400 lbs, for a somewhat reasonable price (much more so for the R7).
Really just brainstorming what I think my next steps are and appreciate any input. Thank you.
A quick background and context for these questions:
I've been tracking cars for about 10+ years, but about 2 years ago I made the switch to motorcycles in the interest of cost.
One of the things I learned is that horsepower is a crutch, and a slower vehicle is usually best to gain good fundamentals, so I started on a Ninja 400.
Note that I have a Triumph street triple as my street bike, and my wife has an Aprilia RS660. I would track one of those, but I'm more emotionally prepared to write off a $5k ninja than one of those...
The Ninja has almost a "naked" bike riding position stock, so it requires rear sets and clip ons to get into a sporty position, and I think therein lies my problem:
Actual problem / question:
I am not sure if it's just me, or the fact that this is a small bike, but I am just not able to get comfortable on the Ninja. My hips always feel very cramped, I feel like my body is just not in a position where I feel natural in the corner... I just feel like I'm really fighting with the bike instead of being able to ride it. The fact that my wife's RS660 feels GREAT really is just making me doubt continuing with the Ninja.
I had my wife measure my "rider triangle" on the Ninja vs her 660, and on the Ninja my hands are 2" closer to my hips, and my feet are 3" higher, closer to my hips. It's just a very small and cramped cockpit.
So, my main concern is anyone going from a Ninja to an R7. I don't care about "better," "faster," etc... as dumb as it may seem, please understand the context of the question, my main concern is if it is more comfortable (on a track).
I feel like the R7 and 660 are really the only 2 bikes that kind of fit into this middleweight sport bike category of around 80 - 100 hp, ~400 lbs, for a somewhat reasonable price (much more so for the R7).
Really just brainstorming what I think my next steps are and appreciate any input. Thank you.
