Huh.. this one is different than the one they made for the zx-25r. Personally I'd go for that one instead, although the styling looks worse, they added two more pieces to put on the fairing above the unpainted part and below the tank, which is where my actual knee goes. This one seems like it would just hold on to your thighs.
I've had these installed since August and you're not wrong in your assessment. I find that if I'm doing more relaxed upright riding in the city, then I'm sitting with my crotch closer to the tank and these pads tend to be for my thighs. If you scoot all the way back in the seat to enter a crouch position, then these become knee pads. Not sure which I like better, but overall I'm happy with these XL2 tank pads. I did however notice at one point that it looked like I might have scuffed one of the upper side fairings with my knee when I was riding upright sitting closer to the tank.
