Which motorcycle do you think I should go with, ninja 600 or cbr500?

I currently have an 09 ninja 250. I've had the bike for about a year and I've put quite a few miles on it. I took it to NH, rode from MA to TN and all through the mountains. I love the bike, it just doesn't have the power I want on the highway. I've been wanting to get a new motorcycle, the 250 is gonna be my girlfriend's first bike. Right now someone is working on a 94 ninja 600, which is mine if I want it, but he has had to do a ton of work to it. Today another friend said he wants to unload his 2013 Honda CBR500. I've been told that I would be disappointed with anything smaller than a 600. I ride for about 40 minutes on the highway to and then from work, would a 500 be good for that? My 250 revs very very high doing about 70mph. I also do a lot of around town and back roads riding, which I'm very happy with the 250's performance. The 94 ninja 600, which is supposedly the fast version, is going for $1500, and it has a lot of miles. I know the guy fixing up the bike very well and I trust his work. The 2013 cbr500 has 3100 miles, still under warranty, and is going for $4100. I just don't want to be disappointed like I was told. I would just like some feedback, anyone who has ridden either or both of these bikes, how was it? What do you think is the better option?

You know that high vibration buzzing you feel around the 10k RPM mark on the Ninja 250R? It is ten times worse on an inline 4, just warning you. Also it starts around 6k RPM. By the time you hit 10k RPM on an inline 4, it feels like the fairings are going to vibrate off and bounce off the road.

So if you don't like vibration, stay away from inline 4 engines. Coming from personal experience, the Ninja 650R is a great bike. It has a LOT more power than the 250R, but still feels almost the same in terms of power transfer, riding position, etc. (You can hover at around 6k RPM in 6th gear at about 75-80mph, so vibration is low, fuel econ is high, perfect for touring.) It is also heavier so you don't get blasted around by wind or wind shears off semis.

If you are driving 40min each direction, believe me when I say, you will be very sore on a 600 sport bike for that kind of riding. Wrists will hurt like hell from the exaggerated stance, so then you will curl your back to take the weight off your wrists, and now your back AND wrists will be sore. That will all set in about 15min in to the ride. Now you get the other 25min of agony.

You: "My 250 revs very very high doing about 70mph."
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68688:
The Ninjette at 80 mph is only running about 10,000 rpm, at which point if *finally* is allowed to reach peak power. Your problem is not having the power, is it that you don't want to USE the power it has. The Ninjette is not really happy until it hits 8,000 rpm.

Whatever. You don't like the screaming.

A Ninja 600: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/...-Dyno.aspx -- It likes running 8-14K rpm, and with 4 cylinders instead of 2, the screaming will be double higher. The 600 can do 65mph in first gear, 80+ in second. But the bike is a dog under 30 mph on the streets.

Since you don't like the high rpm of a Ninjette or a racing bike, you *need* the 500 twin, or even a 650. You might consider a cruiser with a V-Twin, 750+ cc.

"I've been told that I would be disappointed with anything smaller than a 600"

Well, they are wrong.

The CBR500 will feel a lot more powerful than your current Ninja 250, and will easily do highway riding.

I wouldn't take a 20 year old sportbike unless you really know what you are doing with fixing it and are willing to sink your money into making it great. I definitely wouldn't pay anyone $1500 for it, especially if there's some idea that it might need work.

Well then, youve rode enough to get a feel for things. I would look more at the ergonomic side of the coin while deciding your next ride and get a bike that feels good to you vs trying to play racer or look good. To me that is the most important factor if you ride alot. And to me the 500 wouldnt have quite enough gumption for riding highway, and the 600 would not be comfortable for more than about a 20 minute ride. On the other hand, the 500 may be perfect and economical for daily commuting to work, and if you only ride occasionally and for thrills the 600 may be a good choice. But its hard to find a single do-all bike to ride every day on. My point of view having several bikes is i enjoy riding my mid-size cruiser the most, its the best balance for everyday commuting and running errands to me. My ninja 1000 is better suited to long hauls on the highway, not so handy around town…

For nice highway riding and in-town commuting the CBR 500 will be a better bike.
If you want something to spend time screwing with the Ninja 600.

Personally I don't like in-line 4 600s except well-tuned ones for the track, they just are too high-strung for street riding.