Kawasaki Ninja 250r Available

[Richard-BKK]

After a long meeting the Kawasaki managers finally decided on the suggested retail price for the Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

And for most people, would the price be very interesting… Big Bike Prices

And hold on more Big bike Kawasaki’s coming….soon

[LivinLOS]

140... I suspect that will get some traction... Have to applaud them for trying to make a price and market segment.

Personally the ninja 250 isnt as tempting as something older and bigger.. But cant fault them for my tastes.

Do I get a hint that the ER6N may be at a tempting (dare I say malaysian ??) price ?? A 200 - 280 ish price point and I think they would own the 600 size overnight, might not be too many absolute numbers but would make for a lot of Kwaker fans in a newly evolving big bike market. A fan base has to be worth some investment ??

[apetley]

Now all we need is a release date.

[Richard-BKK]

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is now available, okay maybe I'm a bit fast...it need time for information to travel from Rayong to BKK, but give it a few days. And yes this would be the cheapest Ninja 250R worldwide (with full performance package, Fuel injection and full European specifications) this means more horses and much better fuel economics out of this amazing twin cylinder engine.

[Richard-BKK]

The introduction of the Kawasaki ER6n is in the fridge until the Thai government makes clear what the new motorcycle regulations are for 2009... So this can be weeks or months, maybe January 2009... By the way Honda and Suzuki also delayed introduction and expansion plans until the Thai government is more clear.

[JonnyF]

Excellent news! I've got my Ksr110 going in for a service on Rama 9 tomorrow so I'll see if they're taking deposits yet...

[Richard-BKK]

Tell them you need special motorcycle.in.th discount..

[JonnyF]

Tell them you need special motorcycle.in.th discount..

I'll give it a go but my success rate at getting discounts on new bikes in Thailand is 0/2 so far...

139 seems pretty fair to me if the spec is good given the prices in Europe.

On another thread you said the D-Tracker was a better bike for traffic which surprised me, the Ninja is supposed to be a fairly upright riding position and really tame under 6000 rpm - what didn't you like about it in traffic?

[mikethevigoman]

Now all we need is a release date.

MP in pattaya today told me 2nd week of september,. does anyone really know ?

[Richard-BKK]

Yes I know

As I said it takes a few days for people to know what I said...Thai dealers are not famous for reading emails or having email at all... Also Kawasaki Thailand is with its introduction selective with dealers, it is possible that not every dealer now selling Kawasaki's will classify as Kawasaki larger bike reseller/dealer.

In a memo I read something like at least 4 mechanics, qualified as automotive mechanics with educational degree. Sorry, this all was way back in the time people where talking about introducing 250's in Thailand. Which is about one year ago.

[LivinLOS]

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is now available, okay maybe I'm a bit fast...it need time for information to travel from Rayong to BKK, but give it a few days. And yes this would be the cheapest Ninja 250R worldwide (with full performance package, Fuel injection and full European specifications) this means more horses and much better fuel economics out of this amazing twin cylinder engine.

At a bit over 4k USD I take it thats different to the US spec ones..

[Richard-BKK]

The main difference between an American version and the European version is power, performance, and most importance fuel economics this is not only because of the ultramodern electronics, the Thai Kawasaki Ninja 250R is completely equipped as his European brothers.... So much alike that we had to produce Thai manuals for Thai dealers to include with the sales of the bike.

Not forget, that this special performance version of the Ninja 250R is sold in Europe for about 80,000 Baht higher then it is sold in Thailand.

[dave_boo]

The main difference between an American version and the European version is power, performance, and most importance fuel economics this is not only because of the ultramodern electronics, the Thai Kawasaki Ninja 250R is completely equipped as his European brothers.... So much alike that we had to produce Thai manuals for Thai dealers to include with the sales of the bike.

Not forget, that this special performance version of the Ninja 250R is sold in Europe for about 80,000 Baht higher then it is sold in Thailand.

How much more performance does the Euro/Thai version have over the one offered in the States. I remember riding my friend's Ninja 250 back in the late 90's, had in my opinion just the perfect amount of power for its size although you had to get it way up there in the RPM range to reach it. But with gasoline costing less than a dollar a gallon, that was just fun!

None the less, it seems that my post in the other thread was a bit premature, here's hoping that Kawasaki has them for sale come November.

[dotcom]

This 140,000 is that taxed titled plated & insured?

Seems high already.

[Zzinged]

Interesting... will have to keep an eye on this development

[Richard-BKK]

The price in including registration (600 Baht) and the required 1 year insurance (650 Baht).

[BigBikeBKK]

Yeah! Finally!!!

What a deal too!

Happy to report that finally the Kawasaki Big Bike showroom in Bangkok is accepting orders for the new Euro Spec 2008 Ninja 250R.

Also happy to announce that the price is less than the rumored 150,000 - 180,000 price that has been floating around on various forums.

Price before tax and registration is 139,900

7% tax is 9479

Registration is a couple thousand.

Full insurance is available at the showroom for ~12,xxx

They will start delivering the new bikes in the next week

Let the good times roll!

[JonnyF]

Yep, put the deposit down on the 250R last week. They wanted 10,000 deposit and have asked me to collect the bike on the 25th. The price was 139,000 which includes a 5% discount which the salesman told me will only be available on the first batch of bikes, but I guess that depends on how the sales go.

I have to say it's a stunning looking bike, much better in real life than it looks in the photos although having said that it does look quite nice on post 17.

I opted for a green one, can't wait until the 25th.

[BSJ]

I like the look of the little Ninja in green, but my preferred Kwacka is the 900 Vulcan also in green. Some Aussie dealers are doing ride away no more to pay less than Au$13,000 so it was a bit of a shock to see the same model in LOS for 460.000baht which at 31baht to the Au$ works out to be Au$14,839! By the time it's on the road lets say Au$15k. Whats with that, is it big import duty, tax or heftier dealer margins???

And I know there is no point in buying in Oz and shipping it!

Maybe if I do as Richard-BKK says I can get a special discount! 10% off would takeaway the hurt!

[LivinLOS]

I like the look of the little Ninja in green, but my preferred Kwacka is the 900 Vulcan also in green. Some Aussie dealers are doing ride away no more to pay less than Au$13,000 so it was a bit of a shock to see the same model in LOS for 460.000baht which at 31baht to the Au$ works out to be Au$14,839! By the time it's on the road lets say Au$15k. Whats with that, is it big import duty, tax or heftier dealer margins???

And I know there is no point in buying in Oz and shipping it!

Maybe if I do as Richard-BKK says I can get a special discount! 10% off would takeaway the hurt!

You think thats a markup ?? Look at an FZ6, 447k here v 6200 USD.. Or a Ducati 696 at IIRC 580k v at 8500.. Thats without looking at the big stuff like a FZ1N or a BMW K1200.. Those are easy 2x the US pricing.

[Richard-BKK]

Hi BigBikeBKK,

Is the 12,000 Baht insurance the upgrade to all-risk insurance?

[BigBikeBKK]

Hi Richard,

Yes- the 12,999 Thai Baht is for "1st Class" insurance-

(I don't read Thai and my wife tried to translate the terms as best she could, so the information below may not be entirely correct)

2 million Baht/person injury liability

10 million Baht total injury liability

5 million Baht property damage

Replacement value- 120,000 Baht

100,000 Baht Medical for Rider and Passenger

200,000 legal liability coverage

Again, I can't read the terms and the above is a rough translation and may not be entirely correct, but it will give you a general idea about the coverage available.

Let the Good Times Roll!

[BigBikeBKK]

Yep, put the deposit down on the 250R last week. They wanted 10,000 deposit and have asked me to collect the bike on the 25th. The price was 139,000 which includes a 5% discount which the salesman told me will only be available on the first batch of bikes, but I guess that depends on how the sales go.

I have to say it's a stunning looking bike, much better in real life than it looks in the photos although having said that it does look quite nice on post 17.

I opted for a green one, can't wait until the 25th.

Good on you JonnyF!

I had a hard time choosing the color but finally settled on Black:

Maybe I'll see you on the 25th. I told the wife to expect me home in a week or two

[moo9]

Hi BigBikeBKK,

Is the 12,000 Baht insurance the upgrade to all-risk insurance?

12,000 Baht is very expensive for this 250cc bike imho

[Bard]

How much more performance does the Euro/Thai version have over the one offered in the States. I remember riding my friend's Ninja 250 back in the late 90's, had in my opinion just the perfect amount of power for its size although you had to get it way up there in the RPM range to reach it. But with gasoline costing less than a dollar a gallon, that was just fun!

None the less, it seems that my post in the other thread was a bit premature, here's hoping that Kawasaki has them for sale come November.

33 BHP on backwheen compared to 28, fuel economy is 70 vs 61 MPG, it would cost 500 $ more in US to launch the Injection model so they decided to go with carburators, since historically Americans have not exactly been mpg interested, they believed the 500$ pricetag would be of higher importance. The price over there is 3499 for the 2008, however due to high demand, some dealers sell them more expensive. So the price with injection would be pretty much the same as in Thailand.

I ordered mine (Green) put in 10K baht for reserving the bike for the promotion 139,900 including helmet and VAT. I will get it the 9th of September, can hardly wait. According to the dealer there is a high interest for the bike and they have a 2 week delivery time right now (I'm just not home before Sep.) but it could change fast due to high demand. So they might have hit the nail this time finally selling a usable bike for a usable price...

Let the good times roll

[dave_boo]

Gorgeous looking bike......why isn't my timing better? I shan't be back in Thailand until November!

A few concerns I have though:

That's either the tallest toddler I've ever seen or the seat height (and overall dimensions) aren't that greatly increased over the CBR 150R. Actually checking out Wikipedia it's slightly lower. How's that going to affect things?

If when I get home and do purchase one, how does the price (139k+6.95k[assuming no more discount--that's my luck!]+9.5k[taxes]+12k[insurance]=167.45) compare to the current 600cc offerings?

Like I've stated earlier, I've ridden a previous version of the bike. However, that was some 10 years ago when I was younger, dumber, and slimmer. I do remember you had to keep the bike on a boil to keep it going like I expected, but before that experience I had only ridden 250cc 2T and 400cc dirtbikes. Also, I remember it being bigger than that, but I suppose perhaps that's just the years on me.

So if you lucky new owners could provide ride accounts and sentiments on the bike, it would be much appreciated.

[BigBikeBKK]

Is 12,999 Thai Baht expensive for 1st Class motorcycle insurance?

It's a good deal by US standards, and seems comparable with the insurance I have on my 4x4 Vigo here in the LOS.

Think I could save much by calling around? There's something to be said about the convenience of just signing up at the dealership.

Let the good times roll!

[moo9]

Is 12,999 Thai Baht expensive for 1st Class motorcycle insurance?

It's a good deal by US standards, and seems comparable with the insurance I have on my 4x4 Vigo here in the LOS.

Think I could save much by calling around? There's something to be said about the convenience of just signing up at the dealership.

Let the good times roll!

Your Vigo however has a much higher value.

Ok, for Western standards it is may be not too expensive, but for 12,000 Baht / year u can even insure a 1,300 cc bike at Thaivisa Insurance. However it is convenient to sign the insurance at the purchase, I admit.

Moo9

[BigBikeBKK]

Is 12,999 Thai Baht expensive for 1st Class motorcycle insurance?

It's a good deal by US standards, and seems comparable with the insurance I have on my 4x4 Vigo here in the LOS.

Think I could save much by calling around? There's something to be said about the convenience of just signing up at the dealership.

Let the good times roll!

Your Vigo however has a much higher value.

Ok, for Western standards it is may be not too expensive, but for 12,000 Baht / year u can even insure a 1,300 cc bike at Thaivisa Insurance. However it is convenient to sign the insurance at the purchase, I admit.

Moo9

Sawasdee Khrap Khun Moo

I don't mean the price is the same as insurance for the VIGO, I mean that ratio of coverage vs cost or coverage is about the same. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

Chok dee!

[LivinLOS]

Is 12,999 Thai Baht expensive for 1st Class motorcycle insurance?

It's a good deal by US standards, and seems comparable with the insurance I have on my 4x4 Vigo here in the LOS.

Think I could save much by calling around? There's something to be said about the convenience of just signing up at the dealership.

Let the good times roll!

Your Vigo however has a much higher value.

Ok, for Western standards it is may be not too expensive, but for 12,000 Baht / year u can even insure a 1,300 cc bike at Thaivisa Insurance. However it is convenient to sign the insurance at the purchase, I admit.

Moo9

Sawasdee Khrap Khun Moo

I don't mean the price is the same as insurance for the VIGO, I mean that ratio of coverage vs cost or coverage is about the same. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

Chok dee!

I think my mates paying about 22k for a fortuna.. So a bike at 1/8th of the value for half the cost ?? Doesnt add up to me.