Gear Indicator
One thing you see a lot of people asking for is a gear indicator for the ol’ 2Fiddy… And usually the response is something along the lines of “Learn your RPM’s!” or “Learn to Count!” etc.. etc.. I must admit I sorta agree that telling what gear your in on the 250 Is not that hard once you have a couple tics on the ODO..
But, this weekend I found myself searching for 7th a few times, and once or twice unsure if I was in 5th or 6th. What I realized is, once you get this bike over 60 the difference between 4+5 and 5+6 are pretty marginal, and I understand how people can easily guess wrong using the RPM method. (Also — With the RPM fluctuations when the cable heats up can further confuse a rider) Inexperience? Perhaps. But misleading? Defiantly.
So, I did some searching and found a neat gear indicator which appears to be a pretty simple install for the 250, and can help daily riders or racers alike. I don’t foresee myself adding one to my bike, but if you really, really, really need / want one here yah go!
Price: ~$90.00
Manufacture: Data Tool?
Purchase: Motosports.com
Outinthedark Said,
August 18, 2008 @ 12:18 pm
Searching for 7th?
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Mr. 2Fiddy Reply:
August 18th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Yeah — I was in 6th, but the RPM’s seemed high for the speed I was going, so thinking I was in 5th trying to up shift to 6th — When in reality — I was already in 6th, searching for 7th, which of course wasn’t there…
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Outinthedark Reply:
August 18th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The way it was written I thought you were serious..!
Btw off topic but have you thought about registrations? I’d rather not “Add an Avatar” but rather have all my info in one place and not have to input it every time. Just a thought…you need bbs for stupid questions like this!
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DrRogg Reply:
August 19th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Disqus FTW
Terry Said,
August 19, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Nice Find!
I am still debating on getting one of these.
This would come in handy in traffic, sometimes you just don’t remember what gear you are in and with everything going on it would be nice to have this.
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Matty E Said,
August 20, 2008 @ 5:57 am
I have the Acumen DG8 installed on mine. I don’t know if it’s because the gears are so close together but it has difficulty judging the gears. It misses 3 and 5 all the time, and sometimes jumps from 6 to 4 even though I’m cruising in 6th.
Found that when I was in learning mode it took a few goes to get the gear. The first few times it wouldn’t learn 6th at all. Even when it did learn I get the indictions above so might have to try it again..
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Julian Emmett Turner Said,
August 20, 2008 @ 9:09 am
I’ve always figured that the flaky tach would affect the indicator and that the indicator could therefore not be a solution for the flaky tach. I had no basis for thinking this though, considering that I don’t know how either works.
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DJAZ Said,
August 21, 2008 @ 1:51 am
Ha, 7th.
Sometimes I swear this is a 5 speed.
None the less, 6th is 1000rpm higher than the speed. 7000rpm = 60mph roughly.
If you can’t move up any higher you are in 6th. Everything else is down. simple. :0
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shizane101 Said,
August 22, 2008 @ 4:39 am
I completely agree with you on the 5th - 6th gear problem. Your RPMs don’t change much between 5 and 6 when you’re doing between 50 - 70. I’m constantly tyring to shift into “7th” as you put it, only to find I’m already in 6th. I used to have trouble with the other gears, but experience has changed that. However, I’m not sure I’ll ever get this one.
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Terry Said,
August 22, 2008 @ 9:17 am
My RPM’s
Morning:
60 MPH - 8,000 RPM
Afternoon:
70 MPH - 8,000 RPM
This would have come in handy the other day when my clutch pedal fell off while I was on the bike.
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Owen Reply:
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:17 am
??? i totally dont get this….
and i presume the clutch pedal is either the clutch lever or gear shift …. :S
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Terry Reply:
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 am
I meant my shift pedal -
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Owen Said,
September 2, 2008 @ 9:05 am
thought so…. not sure why ur bike does more revs in the afternoon than in the morning… that doesnt sounds right???
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Mr. 2Fiddy Reply:
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:18 am
Owen,
Some Ninja owners have noticed that as their tach cable heats up, the RPM’s change quite drastically. The Bike is not actually turning more RPM’s, Just the tach is saying that it is turning more RPM’s.
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Owen Reply:
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
ooo thats the clutch slipping i think!! interesting to note…
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Jay in Calgary Said,
October 15, 2008 @ 3:52 am
This for the 2008 Ninja 250 or the old model? Not much use for me but the wife may find it useful seeing how she’s a new rider. But how complicated is this to install? Has anyone actually installed one and can share what was involved?
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Troy Said,
February 10, 2009 @ 12:21 am
I heard that this only works on the fuel injected models. Any one know for sure?
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Brad Said,
March 7, 2009 @ 1:17 am
is there a wiring schematic out there for the ninja 250r 08. im trying to get a wiring loom made up for an instant plug and play for the gear indicator.
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Jeff Said,
May 26, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
I’ve been thinking about one of these, but it is really more for downshifting. I don’t have much issue knowing what gear I’m in for upshifting, but at times I lose track as I’m downshifting. This can be a big problem when I let out the clutch before getting into a turn. A few times I’ve gotten down to 2nd when I thought I was in 3rd and the bike really jerks when I let out the clutch. My brother has an indicator on his ZX-10 and it is pretty handy, although his bike can certainly handle the downshifting better than mine.
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tony strong Said,
July 8, 2009 @ 8:37 pm
these gear indicators don’t work on cable speedos the are digital so for get about it.
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tony strong Said,
July 8, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
these gear indicators don’t work on cable speedos the are digital so forget about it. !!
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Ethan Mann Said,
March 9, 2010 @ 11:20 am
Ninja 250 Tachs are Analog not Digital. A Gear Shift Indicator is Digital therefore they are not compatible. pls don’t waste your money they do not work on ninja 250s…. I almost made that mistake before making this realization at the last moment.
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eppo Said,
June 27, 2010 @ 7:11 am
it aint that hard to remember wat gear your in lmao……..if ya that dumb n cant remember then go bak 2 drivin a fkn car!!!!! atleast the numbers r on the gear stick so u dumb kuntz no exactly wat gear ya in……………..
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J.T. Said,
June 28, 2010 @ 10:50 am
judging from your spelling i’m going to assume you’re a kid as i refuse to acknowledge any adult actually spells like that simply because it’s faster… do you really feel that strongly about the subject that you feel the need to express yourself so negatively?
if you can tell what gear you’re in without an indicator, then good for you… just be careful riding if you’re as quick to anger on the road as you are on the internet… just calm down in general and think about what you say before you say it, much like you’d use S.E.E. while riding, if you do use it…
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