Kawasaki Ninja 250 - New Thread, 12/2008

[skybluestu]

richie1971 bought one for his ninja, he emailed me when he first had it put on with the below, might be worth getting an update though as it was a few months ago.

'Yep, exhaust very good pleased with it, scares children,old people and dogs - loud as hell but touch wood nothing from the old bill yet

Came in two packages one arrived the day after the other - quality seems to be good - no obvious defects in either fabrication or weld

cost me 7500 baht + 200 baht postage - local guy fitted it and charged me 200 baht -

Forgive me for my lack of tech talk but the big o ring thing that you attach the exhaust to the frame with, the hole was slightly too small for the Kawasaki bolt to fit through but my guy just bored it out a little'

[dave_boo]

richie1971 bought one for his ninja, he emailed me when he first had it put on with the below, might be worth getting an update though as it was a few months ago.

'Yep, exhaust very good pleased with it, scares children,old people and dogs - loud as hell but touch wood nothing from the old bill yet

Came in two packages one arrived the day after the other - quality seems to be good - no obvious defects in either fabrication or weld

cost me 7500 baht + 200 baht postage - local guy fitted it and charged me 200 baht -

Forgive me for my lack of tech talk but the big o ring thing that you attach the exhaust to the frame with, the hole was slightly too small for the Kawasaki bolt to fit through but my guy just bored it out a little'

Thank you for your quick reply. ThaiCBR has recommend the brand in the past.

I'm going to try and PM richie and see if he wants to post his feedback after some time of use so that we can make informed decisions.

[badmouf]

is the 2011 ninja 250r available in black in thailand?

i should be expecting to pay around 140,000baht, is that right?

[thaicbr]

green or white.. 147,500b plus about 1,500b on the road charges..

kawa wbsite.

http://www.kawasaki.co.th/th/motorcycle_01_ninja250r.asp

[badmouf]

green or white.. 147,500b plus about 1,500b on the road charges..

kawa wbsite.

http://www.kawasaki....1_ninja250r.asp

thanks

do you know if it is possible to order a black ninja? asking at a showroom/dealership perhaps?

[thaicbr]

Some dealers may have old stock left. just check around.

[hehehoho]

Would be surprised if you could still find a new black baby 'ninja'.

This one is for sale for 115,000thb.

Thai: 0876827273.

The baby 'ninja' is overweight and under torqued though. Useless two up, and just as useless unless riding around at 9000rpm.

Perhaps go for a black CBR250R instead:

Lighter with more torque, a great all rounder and with 140,000 you'd get a nice pipe (yoshi, 2bros etc.) and a nice set of tyres (pirellis), and still have change. :jap:

Edited July 19, 2011 by hehehoho

[BigBikeBKK]

Would be surprised if you could still find a new black baby 'ninja'.

This one is for sale for 115,000thb.

Thai: 0876827273.

The baby 'ninja' is overweight and under torqued though. Useless two up, and just as useless unless riding around at 9000rpm.

Perhaps go for a black CBR250R instead:

Lighter with more torque, a great all rounder and with 140,000 you'd get a nice pipe (yoshi, 2bros etc.) and a nice set of tyres (pirellis), and still have change. :jap:

Aye, you can opt for the cheaper CB'r' but be prepared for a fragile low revving thumper with less Hp and significantly worse handling than the baby Ninjette.

If you really want a BLACK Ninjette and can't find one new you can always buy one in another color and then buy new Ebony fairings from Kawasaki- they're pretty darn cheap!

Let the Good Times ROLL!

Tony

[hehehoho]

Interesting thread this actually. Some people feeling the need to chop up their exhaust system.

^ With regards to RWHP, the ratio to weight will be virtually identical with the 140,000 spent on a good aftermarket pipe with the CBR, Torque to weight ratio the CBR will be in a different league compared to the overweight and under torqued 'ninja'. Plus your pirellis will offer much better grip than what the 'ninja' offers at the price.

Not that the overpriced 'ninja' is even available at that price, of course.

Edited July 19, 2011 by hehehoho

[BigBikeBKK]

Interesting thread this actually. Some people feeling the need to chop up their exhaust system.

^ With regards to RWHP, the ratio to weight will be virtually identical with the 140,000 spent on a good aftermarket pipe with the CBR, Torque to weight ratio the CBR will be in a different league compared to the overweight and under torqued 'ninja'. Plus your pirellis will offer much better grip than what the 'ninja' offers at the price.

Not that the overpriced 'ninja' is even available at that price, of course.

Yep, if you're a noob, obsessed with fuel economy or on a really tight budget then the cheap little CB'r' thumper might be a better choice

[hehehoho]

Yes, on a budget of 140-150,000 the CBR250R with all the additions you'll get is no doubt the better choice.

Same or better rwhp:weight.

Far superior torque:weight.

Lighter with better grip.

Anyway, there's a thread comparing these two so this is probably better off in there. If it hasn't been discussed already.

[mrclough]

I know that this thread has all but passed expiration, but has anyone had the DBS exhaust installed? I've included a picture below; for 7000 THB (round) to 9000 THB (triangular one) it seems a good deal, but I'd like some feedback. Claims of 15-17% increase in power (a bit down on power from the Area-P--but much less expensive) aren't shabby either.

First up is the cheaper round one.

Next up is the triangular one:

I have a DBS with carbon end end can on my Ninja, had it for about 6 months now. For the small cost you can't go wrong. 7200B delivered. Had it fitted by Kawasaki in CM and it has made quite a bit of difference. Main difference in mid to top end. Sounds very nice as well, most people seem to think it's a 600 because of this.

I don't know how to add a photo or I would provide you with a pic of how it looks fitted.

[dave_boo]

Another dumb question from my end; has anyone with an aftermarket can changed their sprocket ratio? I'm looking to order the DBS mentioned earlier and would like to perhaps up my ratio to remove some of that buzz at speed while still not affecting the mountain riding. I could definitely run the numbers but am looking for real world experience.

[hehehoho]

2012 Ninjette:

[hehehoho]

Ain't digging it.

Their colour schemes have only gone backwards from the 2008 all black/all snot green model imo.

Blue rim tape on their snot green and black model? And the same prehistoric dash?

Poor work from Kawa imo.

[JonnyF]

Ain't digging it.

Their colour schemes have only gone backwards from the 2008 all black/all snot green model imo.

Blue rim tape on their snot green and black model? And the same prehistoric dash?

Poor work from Kawa imo.

I'd agree about the green one, don't like it. I still prefer my original 2008 plain Green model. The red looks good though, really nice.

As for the dash, I choose my bikes based primarily on the engine and handling characteristics. Looks also play a big part if I'm honest, which is why I could never buy a small bore CBR (love the 600's though). Having a dash that looks like an imitation of knight rider? Not so much of a factor. Dials are fine for me.

[hehehoho]

Fortunately these eyesores should be few and far between, given the ninjette's dismal sales (overweight, over priced, under torqued), and that soon there'll be used 650s available for the same price, there shouldn't be too many green, blue rimmed porkies making you stare agog at the lights.

[JonnyF]

Fortunately these eyesores should be few and far between, given the ninjette's dismal sales (overweight, over priced, under torqued), and that soon there'll be used 650s available for the same price, there shouldn't be too many green, blue rimmed porkies making you stare agog at the lights.

The 250 Ninja is one of the top selling bikes in the US but since I don't have shares in Kawasaki their sales don't really bother me either way. If I wanted a cheap, low revving thumper that every Somchai was riding and got great gas mileage I'd just be honest with myself and buy a Honda Wave rather than buy a pretend sports bike and then spend my time goading the people that chose to buy the higher end model .

[hehehoho]

The 250 Ninja is one of the top selling bikes in the US

Thought it was the top selling bike in America?? They've had quite a monopoly on that segment of the market, and unlike Thai Kawa they seemed to price it quite well. It is also a different bike than the N250 sold in Thailand.

Many thought they'd make the storage compartment larger on the 2012 model in order to hold more feminine products though, with 40% of sales (iirc) being to the fairer sex.

If those decals come off easily enough the 2012 green model would be much nicer looking. Presumably they do.

Edited August 19, 2011 by hehehoho

[hehehoho]

btw:

Is that a black nose, finishing before the sides of nose piece?

Wonder where they got the idea for that from.

Edited August 19, 2011 by hehehoho

[hehehoho]

[JUDAS]

Kawa have managed to screw up what I always though was a reasonable looking 250. The green and black is awful

[hehehoho]

tbf I think most bikes lose something once they start pasting lots of decals on them. The style of the bike should be speak for itself.

The original 2008 models were quite nice when left alone as just one colour.

Edited August 19, 2011 by hehehoho

[hehehoho]

Looks like the US will have some different colour schemes:

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Product-Specifications.aspx?scid=6&id=553

Take a look at the black with yellow decals.

Haven't read any but where I got the link says the US is sticking with a carb'd version.

Edited August 20, 2011 by hehehoho

[nikster]

^^ US versions look a lot nicer - the red one is the same bike minus some stickers. The green one I am not sure about - the Thai version might be lime green whereas US is "candy lime green".

The green one will look good once the stickers are off. It's a nice looking bike. New headlights look good. Just the stickers are god-awful for 2012...

Edit: Confirmed, the US has a candy lime green color, whereas Thailand looks like Kawa's lime green once you get past the mess of stickers...

Edited August 21, 2011 by nikster

[RED21]

However designed those decals shoul be flogged. The bike looks really good without them

[hehehoho]

New headlights look good.

They're new?

What's been changed?

[BigBikeBKK]

New headlights look good.

They're new?

What's been changed?

No, don't think they're new. Have to agree the new colors are terrible... Now the Ninjette is almost as ugly as the Honda CB'r'!

[JonnyF]

New headlights look good.

They're new?

What's been changed?

No, don't think they're new. Have to agree the new colors are terrible... Now the Ninjette is almost as ugly as the Honda CB'r'!

Yep, "almost" being the operative word. The Ninja still needs grey wheels, an exhaust molded from a traffic cone and the seat from a 90's VFR to really compete for the title of ugliest 250 on the market

[hehehoho]

The Ninja still needs grey wheels

As opposed to black and blue rims on the snot green bike (how did they even concept that idea??), I agree completely.