The Yeager's Kawasaki Ninja 250R 2008 Ride Journal

The Ninjette Journal for 2008

Monthly Journal Entries

January, 2008 -- The 2008 Ninjas began to appear on the coasts and I ordered Signal Dynamics headlight modulator and LED conversions and JT Sprockets 38 tooth rear sprocket for the 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250.

Ride Report: January 5-6, 2008 -- After almost a month I got the chance to ride a bit locally. The weather for the first few days of January was quite frigid with lows in the teens and a biting wind. I was able to tool about Fannin and Hunt county. On Saturday I had an hour and rode to Celeste, Bailey, and Randolph. Sunday between church services I toured the perimeter of Fannin County. I took FM 151 to Whitewright and then FM 898 to FM 1752 through Savoy. FM 1753 was traversed east to Ravenna and then north and east on FM 274, briefly south on Texas 78. I turned east on FM 1396 and then north on FM 273 through Ivanhoe. Telephone, and Monkstown. From Monkstown I rode FM 100 to Honey Grove caught Texas 34 through Bug Tussle and Ladonia to Wolfe City. From Wolf City it was FM 816 to FM 272 and on through Leonard via Texas 78 and FM 815 on home. Strong 25 to 35 MPH southerly winds made traveling south at the 70 MPH speed limit a challenge in top gear and strong gusts made rounding curves less than eloquent.

Ride Report: January 11, 2008 -- My family and I along with both our parents have season tickets to the Greenville Entertainment Series. Tonight was the Fiesta Folklorico, a Latin Song and Dance troop, concert. As the day progressed everything pretty much went south. Victoria had basketball game and Nathaniel got sick at the last minute. We tried to get a last minute sitter but to no avail. Nathaniel wanted "mommy" so I ended up going to meet our parents for dinner and the concert alone. Well it is indeed hard to turn down a shot to ride a 70 MPG motorcycle on the back roads to Greenville. The ride to and from Greenville was enjoyable and the concert was wonderful.

February, 2008 -- No 2008 Ninja 250s have hit the Red River as of the first week of February. All accessories are in hand.

Ride Report: February 4, 2008 -- I took a quick trip out to meet Tyler Bowman, Chris Hollahan, and Brian Parker returning from the First Baptist Church Men's Retreat at Pine Cove Christian Camp between Sunday services. I took the back roads through Merit, Texas. I caught up with the group a few miles south of Greenville, Texas. We returned to Trenton via the same route.

Activity Report: February 8-9, 2008 -- The regional Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) Seasons of Refreshing was held at Word of Victory Outreach Center in Canton, Texas. Wing and a Prayer played three sets of for Seasons of Refreshing.

Ride Report: February 16, 2008 -- It was an awful, cold, wet Saturday but several of the King's Kruizers Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter had committed to a long overdue fellowship, so the dinner ride was on. Nathaniel and I met wit the rest of the chapter at Crossroads Assembly of God, Greenville, Texas at 4:00 PM and drove (yes, drove, not a real biker in the bunch it seems) to the Oasis Mexican Restaurant in Quinlan, Texas for some good Mexican food and great fellowship.

Dinner and fellowship at the Oasis Mexican Restaurant.

Happy Birthday Nate Smith! Nate, son of Charley and Beth Smith got a free sopaipilla with whipped cream for getting older -- now there's a deal.

Ride Report: February 24, 2008 -- After the morning worship service Nathaniel went with the church youth group and Joleen and Victoria went shopping. Left alone I took a quick trip out on the Ninjette. I traveled FM 151 through downtown Whitewright where I saw Tyler Bowman and other church members standing outside a local Mexican restaurant visiting after lunch. Tyler mentioned he was going to ride later when he got back to Trenton. I went on to FM 697, Texas 5, and then FM 121 back to Trenton. When I got back to town I went by Tyler's home to see if want to come outside and play for a bit. We went to Blue Ridge and caught FM 545 to Melissa and then Texas 121 back to Trenton where I arrived in time to pickup Nathaniel from the church youth trip.

March, 2008 -- No Black 2008 Ninja 250R as of the first week of March.

Ride Report: March 2, 2008 -- After the morning worship service I was left alone again so I took a quick trip down FM 151 to FM 697 and back home.

Ride Report: March 8, 2008 -- Nathaniel went on a campout at Coffeemill Lake a little north of Honey Grove. Previous to his departure we searched for the twin sized air mattresses to no avail. After Nathaniel was dropped off at the Trenton First Methodist Church where the Boy Scout Troop was departing I discovered that Tyler Bowman still had the air mattresses. I called troop leader Allen Lambright and determined that Nathaniel did need an air mattress. Sounded like an excuse for a motorcycle ride on a Saturday afternoon.

The Ninjette donned the Tail Trunk Saddle and I headed to Coffeemill Lake and to Bonham for a quick Wal-Mart run. I took FM 151 north out of Trenton to FM 898 at Whitewright. FM 898 through Ector to just north of Bonham and caught Texas 121 north to Texas 78 north. I headed east on FM 1396. At the intersection of FM 1396 and north/south FM 273 the remained of 1396 was under construction. Not wanting to travel down 5 miles of gravel road I turned north on 273 and headed toward Telephone, Texas. As I traveled on FM 273 I had the opportunity to marvel at the amount of snow still on the ground in shaded north facing areas and the stupidity of the local drivers. Once in Telephone I turned south on FM 2029 and then east on FM 409 to Coffeemill Lake. At the lake I visited a bit and headed on to Bonham. To avoid the construction I continued east on FM 409 and south on FM 100 to Honey Grove. At Honey Grove I took US 82 west to Texas 121 at Bonham. After visiting the Bonham Wal-Mart I continued on Texas 121 south to Trenton.

Ride Report: March 14, 2008 -- Thomas Osburn of McKinney, Texas initiated a breakfast run to Bonham, Texas in order to build some fellowship and camaraderie in to the group attempting to form a Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) chapter. G. E. and Janis Vaughn joined me as representatives of the King's Kruizers Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter of Greenville. Tam Pho (aerox of the Ninja 250 Riders Club), Hugh Mantooth of Trenton and Jeff Johnston of Princeton attended as well making the group 15 riders strong. We rendezvoused at the Chevron on the northeast corner of US 380 and US 75 in McKinney. We traveled north on US 75 to Texas 121at Melissa and then east via FM 545 to Blue Ridge where we continued east on FM 981 and then Texas 78 in to Bonham. We traveled east of the square on Texas 56 a bit to the Riverbend Cafe, a solid purveyor of down home cooking, where a innocent request for a pancake resulted in two flapjacks that literally almost covered the full-sized dinner plate they were served on. During Breakfast G. E. and Janis in particular did a fine job of meeting all those attending as well as some of the local patrons.

After breakfast the group headed south on Texas 121 to Bailey so the Leonard hills on FM 896 could be ridden. From Leonard Texas 87 lead the group back to Blue Ridge while I broke off at FM 815 and headed north back to Trenton. Once at Tiger Lane I decided that I was not ready to go home yet so I continued to FM 151 and then FM 697 to Sherman for the purpose of harassing the folks at Sherman Power Sports to see if they had any word on the arrival of the Ninjette II. As it turned out Robert Rambo was trying to call me while I was on the ride to let me know the black 2008 was in.

Event Report: March 15, 2008 -- Wing and a Prayer played during the Palm Sunday morning service at First Christian Church in Lone Oak, Texas. This was the fourth time we had been asked to play for Palm Sunday service at the church. After service we fellowshipped over Bar-B-Qued brisket in their fellowship hall.

Leonard Schilling and G. E. Vaughn chat during set up.

The Do-Whops, Alice Finney, Beth Smith, Leatha Smith.

Motorcycles fill the front parking lot.

Serving up some good brisket.

Visiting and fellowship.

More visiting and fellowship.

You just can't let some folks out in public.

Cleaning up.

March 19, 2008 -- Took delivery of the black 2008 Ninja 250R and installed various lighting modules.

March 20, 2008 -- Installed a front gravel guard and RAM mounts on the 2008.

Ride Report: March 21, 2008 -- Took the maiden voyage on the 2008, began the break-in procedure, and changed the oil.

Ride Report: March 22-23, 2008 -- Continued the break-in procedure on the 2008 Ninja 250R. Adjusted the chain slack and performed two more oil changes (2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Maintenance Log).

Event Report: March 29, 2008 -- The King's Kruizers Christian Motorcyclists Association chapter held their Run for the Son Fund Run. The run headquarters was the Mitsubishi dealership in Greenville, Texas. Jolene and I manned the Merit Tradin' Post in Merit, Texas. The weather was misty, cool, and cloudy. Not horribly conducive to an enjoyable ride in the country so Jolene and I took the Escort on the short, but fun, drive to Merit. We arrived at the Tradin' Post early to sample their down home breakfast and once again thanks them for volunteering to be a stop on the ride. Breakfast was good and the service friendly. It became apparent that this was the place to meet, greet, and eat in this blink-n-you'll-miss-it Hunt County community. We were delighted with a particularly precocious youngster that arrived with her grand pa and had something to say to everyone that came in.

The "game" Joleen and I were running at this stop was a domino draw. Each player (motorcyclist" that came to this stop drew a domino from a bag and received the number of points on their score sheet equal to the "value" of the domino they selected. They were then off to their next stop. All seemed to have fun. In spite of the weather the ride had a good turn out with 86 motorcyclists registering including another 2005 Ninja 250 owner.

The Merit Tradin' Post.

Charlie Smith leads the first group in the run.

Headed down a wet FM 36 in Merit.

Drawing "Double 15" dominoes.

Joleen counts the points on the dominoes drawn.

I hope I get a good one.

Was it a good one.

Plenty of bikes.

The Merit Post Office is next to the Merit Tradin' Post

Doc with fellow 250 rider Josh Yotter. (photo by Brian Buchanan)

Event Report: March 30, 2008 -- Wing and a Prayer played for a Sunday evening biker service at The Church of God of Prophecy in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Nathaniel and I took the Escort on the trip due to the amount equipment I use when the bass is on the road.

G.E. Vaughn sets the sound levels for Wing and a Prayer. (photo by Nathaniel Yeager)

A session of pre-service chatting out in the parking lot. (photo by Nathaniel Yeager)

A row of bikes. (photo by Nathaniel Yeager)

Filing into the sanctuary. (photo by Nathaniel Yeager)

After service fellowship. (photo by Nathaniel Yeager)

April, 2008 -- No big news.

Ride Report: April 5, 2008 -- The King's Kruizers Christian Motorcyclists Association met at the Exxon near Greenville Wal-Mart to ride to Terrell, Texas and participate in a fund raising ride for the family of a downed rider nick-named "Road Dog". Several regional Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) chapters participated and together we raised over $5000.

Many of the group rode to Ennis, Texas to pick up the 2008 Grand Ride Bible to be signed by the North Texas Chapters and pass it on to the next group of CMA chapters. The idea of the "Grand Ride Bible" is to have a representative group from every Texas CMA chapter sign it before it is passed on as a thanks to an individual that has made a significant contribution to the Christian Motorcyclists Association. This Bible will go to Curtis and Carole Clements, CMA National/International Lead Evangelist.

At the end of the day several of us went to dinner at Fat Catz Louisiana Kitchen in Terrell, Texas. Having eaten a wide variety of Cajun cuisine while Joleen's folks were pastoring a church in Groves, Texas I found the fare to be rather mediocre.

Lining up for the bug run.

Visiting over snacks.

Arriving in Ennis Texas.

A good turnout.

Meeting with other CMA chapters at the Wal-Mart in Ennis Texas.

Glen Strutton, CMA Area Representative, with the 2008 Grand Ride Bible.

Prayer for local ministries, CMA, and the Grand Ride Bible progress around Texas.

Fat Catz Louisiana Kitchen in Terrell, Texas.

Ride Report: April 6, 2008 -- I and the Ninjette II pretty much piddled around Fannin, Hunt, Grayson, and Collin counties. The Ninjette II and I rode FM 697, FM 121, and FM 898 to Bonham. It was a gorgeous day and there many motorcyclists out and taking advantage of the afternoon. Plenty of waves and other friendly gestures indicated that most were in a good mood. I was, however, flipped off by a biker for the first time, an under geared Harley rider with a bad attitude (Yes Virginia, there are some bikers that do not subscribe to the philosophy that all motorcyclists are brethren).

At the Bonham, Texas Wal-Mart I stopped to pickup some shampoo and tooth past for Victoria (my weak excuse to get out on pretty Sunday afternoon) the black 2008 garnered several comments.

I was able to connect up with Hugh Mantooth and Jeff Johnston on FM 898 for my later travels. We tooled about several Collin county back roads including FM 545 and FM 1827. One of the more unique place names ridden through was Climax, Texas located on FM 2756 at FM 1377. Collin County roads are nicely paved (quite unlike Fannin County roads) and we did quite bit of site seeing down these pleasant stretches.

Ride Report: April 12, 2008 -- I took the Ninjette II to Commerce, Texas via the Farm to Market back roads to spend some time with my parents. I continue to be amazed by the attention the little bike gets. I get complements and thumbs up riding down the road and fueling up. Every fuel stop I have made where there were I was not alone have resulted in positive verbal comments from other customers. My mother thought the headlight shape and the "eye brow" above made it look angry however. I haven't really considered it but the "angry look" could be part of what gives the 2008 its more business like appearance.

Ride Report: April 13, 2008 -- Between church services Joleen needed a couple of items for sore throat. So a trip to Wal-Mart was in order. Before hand, I wrote my annual gift to the federal government and got the paper work in order for mailing the morning of the 15th. By the time I finished all that and dropped by a couple of friend's everyone already out. The Ninjette II and I rode FM 121 and Texas 5 to Sherman, Texas and took FM 697 and FM151 back to Trenton.

Ride Report: April 19, 2008 -- The King's Kruizers Christian Motorcyclists Association met at the Valero next to the Presbyterian Hospital of Greenville to participate in the Sulphur Springs CMA Chapter Run for the Son Fund Run. Before departing we had three bike blessings including the Ninnjette II.

John Sieffert (Skitch) decided his Harley Davidson and Norita's (his wife) Harley Davidson dragon trike was on the dirty side. The only handy method was to ride the bikes in to the automated car wash and let'er rip. An interesting concept that appeared at least partially successful in cleaning the bikes and fully successful in eliciting raised eyebrows and chuckles from the assembled group.

We rode as a group to the Shady Lake RV Park located approximately two miles south of the intersection of Texas Highway 19 and Interstate 30. There were venders and some interesting bikes that showed up including the Christian Motorcyclists Association Run for The Son Honda Goldwing and the locally famous Harley Davidson based Dragon Trike. Surprisingly the Ninjette II attacked some interest on its own.

While at the RV Park I was introduced to ******* aka "Tanker" from the Paris, Texas chapter of the CMA. Tanker had recently purchased a low mileage 2006 Ninja 250 for what his "2008 Concours 14 had depreciated". He has owned a succession of truly great motorcycles including a first generation Concours, a Hyabusa, a ZX-14, and the aforementioned Concours 14, which he still possessed. He purchased the Ninjete because it a deal too good to pass up and with fuel prices what they are he decided to take the minimalist plunge. Tanker brought the Ninjete fully laden with tank bag, tail bag and saddle bags to see what it could do in a touring situation. He claims the 2006 Ninja 250 is a blast to ride.

The route took us meandering about north Texas visiting towns such as Miller Grove, Birthright, South Sulphur, Dike, and Como. I rode with Tanker and some other sport bike and sport tourer riders for most of the day route. Our topic of conversation was a tongue-in-cheek exploration of why cruisers can't maintain the speed limit around curves.

On the road between Como, Texas and Sulphur Springs I hit a false "top" gear in fifth or did I imagine it or misinterpret something because I am not used to this bike? It did not act up from on the way home from Sulphur Springs. We shall see as time marches on.

Upon returning to Shady Lake RV Park we were entertained with live Christian Blues and feed some good Bar-B-Qued pork. It was the night of the Trenton High School Junior Senior Prom so I had to leave in the early afternoon to allow Joleen and I time to get ready for and travel to the Prom. I took the Farm to Market route back to Trenton as opposed to the more direct route down Texas 11 and US 69.

Fillups for the Ninjette II were 64.2 MPG and 59.2 MPG.