New Ninja 250r Buyer

[james_goku]

Hello all,

I will be buying a ninja 250R from a dealer..(2 year contract) soon. What should i know about far as....maintenance or things i should be buying for the bike after i take it off the dealer.

Will it be hard to get this bike fixed if somthing goes wrong on it? i hear that ninja 250s are new here....so i dont know if many shops have exp working on them.

any tips or anything for having a new bike in bangkok.

[JonnyF]

Nothing will go wrong with these bikes they are pretty much bullet proof, but if it does just take it to the Kawasaki main dealer on Rama 9 - you have a 2 year warranty and they've got trained, honest mechanics and cheap genuine parts available.

If you want to spend lots of time and energy chasing second hand/fake spare parts and dealing with dishonest, inept, backstreet mechanics then you're better off buying a NSR150, CBR400, VFR400 etc...

[BigBikeBKK]

Congrats on your new Ninjette!

She's an incredibly tough little bike and you'll be hard pressed to break her. (I beat the bejesus out of mine and she never once complained! )

If you do somehow manage to break something, no worries, she comes with a 2 year warranty and the service staff at Kwackerzaki Rama 9 will fix her up promptly and with a smile.

Break her in hard and change oil and filter early. After that just follow the recommended service intervals shown in the owners manual.

Common and worthwhile mods, IMO include aftermarket exhaust, better tires and a fuel injection controller. Tons of other mods available, both locally made and imported.

Let the Good Times Roll!

Tony

[Richard-BKK]

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is maybe, relative, new too Thailand. But it is a old girl in some parts of the world, it is a well proven motorcycle. And it is currently available in Thailand... If you're able to wait until March next year it is likely that the competition, from Honda has some alternatives available, but even then nobody expect any serious changes in prices...

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is a good buy, if you not sure about the 250cc being powerful enough, you may want to look at the 650cc selection of Kawasaki.... Google Internet for "Kawasaki Thailand" and you find enough information....

[dave_boo]

Like Tony (and others have pointed out), this little Ninja is bulletproof. Everyone on this forum who's bought it has beat on it, with long distance spinning above 8000 RPMs being the norm rather than the exception. They're also remarkably sturdy as those from our first Iron Butt ride can attest to after I high-sided mine and the only damage resulting was bent lower control levers, scratched plastic and wounded pride.

My local Kawi dealer (Nakhon Sawan) got her back into good shape with no issues, and has provided the basic service on her since then.

I disagree with Tony about the best mods for it (other than tyres). If you're of, ahem, decent heft--which Tony is definitely not!--you'll want to upgrade the springs in the forks. The improvement out front is absolutely fantastic. It rids you of the wallowing feeling that you get if you're really on her. Obviously ignore this if you're in the sub 75 kilo weight range.

Another thing worth mentioning; on the right side, where your knee is when riding, there's a triangluar plastic cover. Unscrew that and you'll see your air filtre. To the left of the air filtre is the snorkel for the airbox. Squeeze around the inside to break loose the tacky glue holding it in and wiggle the snorkel out. Vastly improves the sound and others claim it improves midrange. If it did it was too little for me to notice....but as mentioned above it sounds much better.

[BigBikeBKK]

Like Tony (and others have pointed out), this little Ninja is bulletproof. Everyone on this forum who's bought it has beat on it, with long distance spinning above 8000 RPMs being the norm rather than the exception. They're also remarkably sturdy as those from our first Iron Butt ride can attest to after I high-sided mine and the only damage resulting was bent lower control levers, scratched plastic and wounded pride.

Dave! You forgot pictures!!!

Kawasaki Ninja 250R- Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'!

Ride On!

Tony

[dave_boo]

Rub it in why don't you? I never realised how red my face was in that pic before....

And I'll get back to you on the PowerCommander V value; it's sitting in my suitcase with a wide-band O2 sensor. Plan was to install an aftermarket exhaust and the PowerCommander and get all the A/F ratios for the different combos. Just need to figure out how to make those purty graphs in Excel.....

[LivinLOS]

If you want to spend lots of time and energy chasing second hand/fake spare parts and dealing with dishonest, inept, backstreet mechanics then you're better off buying a NSR150, CBR400, VFR400 etc...

Those are mighty wise words..

[BangRon]

Hint would be to make sure made in Thailand Ninga 250R is latest 2010 available and not last years 2009. One Mityon ladyboy sales thing was trying to tell me two 2009s in showroom were 2010s and that they just arrived, another more educated thai sales gent was more truthful. The 09s were priced same as new model, bought my 2010 250R(SE) 147,500thb Oct 16, believe it was first batch 2010 shipped to there dealer. FYI only very minor changes from last year include ; color scheme flaring distinctive ; CVW 170kg 2010 – 169kg 2009 ; road clearance 130mm2010-135mm2009 ; other trivial spec changes include ; Castor 26deg Trail 82mm on 2010, 27deg 85mm on 2009 ; Fuel Capacity 17.8L with 2010 vs 17.0L with 2009 ; Timing set 38degBTDC@6000rpm 2010 vs 40deg on 2009. Kawasaki recommended soft break-in sucks, started supple and soft, so gonna ride it out unhurried (TIT) though myself looking towards soon hitting 14,000rpm red line. If I would have done some research prior to the buy, almost certainly would have started to break it in hard and varied. Enjoy the ride.

[Richard-BKK]

Hint would be to make sure made in Thailand Ninga 250R is latest 2010 available and not last years 2009. One Mityon ladyboy sales thing was trying to tell me two 2009s in showroom were 2010s and that they just arrived, another more educated thai sales gent was more truthful. The 09s were priced same as new model, bought my 2010 250R(SE) 147,500thb Oct 16, believe it was first batch 2010 shipped to there dealer. FYI only very minor changes from last year include ; color scheme flaring distinctive ; CVW 170kg 2010 – 169kg 2009 ; road clearance 130mm2010-135mm2009 ; other trivial spec changes include ; Castor 26deg Trail 82mm on 2010, 27deg 85mm on 2009 ; Fuel Capacity 17.8L with 2010 vs 17.0L with 2009 ; Timing set 38degBTDC@6000rpm 2010 vs 40deg on 2009. Kawasaki recommended soft break-in sucks, started supple and soft, so gonna ride it out unhurried (TIT) though myself looking towards soon hitting 14,000rpm red line. If I would have done some research prior to the buy, almost certainly would have started to break it in hard and varied. Enjoy the ride.

Yellow plates? are you running it as motocyc taxi?

[dave_boo]

Hint would be to make sure made in Thailand Ninga 250R is latest 2010 available and not last years 2009. One Mityon ladyboy sales thing was trying to tell me two 2009s in showroom were 2010s and that they just arrived, another more educated thai sales gent was more truthful. The 09s were priced same as new model, bought my 2010 250R(SE) 147,500thb Oct 16, believe it was first batch 2010 shipped to there dealer. FYI only very minor changes from last year include ; color scheme flaring distinctive ; CVW 170kg 2010 – 169kg 2009 ; road clearance 130mm2010-135mm2009 ; other trivial spec changes include ; Castor 26deg Trail 82mm on 2010, 27deg 85mm on 2009 ; Fuel Capacity 17.8L with 2010 vs 17.0L with 2009 ; Timing set 38degBTDC@6000rpm 2010 vs 40deg on 2009. Kawasaki recommended soft break-in sucks, started supple and soft, so gonna ride it out unhurried (TIT) though myself looking towards soon hitting 14,000rpm red line. If I would have done some research prior to the buy, almost certainly would have started to break it in hard and varied. Enjoy the ride.

Those minor specs change could indicate a different tyre being used (except for the fuel capacity...that's odd!).....could you give us the brand and size on your ride?

[Richard-BKK]

Dave,

The difference in fuel tank capacity is likely because a new fuel-pump....

[dave_boo]

Dave,

The difference in fuel tank capacity is likely because a new fuel-pump....

Interesting; does it solve the issue where there is remaining fuel and yet the light is shining as if it were empty? Because if it does it may be worth getting a new one....that problem really bothers me.

[JSixpack]

Dave,

The difference in fuel tank capacity is likely because a new fuel-pump....

Interesting; does it solve the issue where there is remaining fuel and yet the light is shining as if it were empty? Because if it does it may be worth getting a new one....that problem really bothers me.

That doesn't sound like an issue to me, but rather a helpful warning to stop for fuel before you have to get off and push.

[JonnyF]

Dave,

The difference in fuel tank capacity is likely because a new fuel-pump....

Interesting; does it solve the issue where there is remaining fuel and yet the light is shining as if it were empty? Because if it does it may be worth getting a new one....that problem really bothers me.

That doesn't sound like an issue to me, but rather a helpful warning to stop for fuel before you have to get off and push.

The light comes on with 2 (or is it 3? can't remember now) litres remaining, giving you about 50kms to find a gas station. The bike is pretty consistent on fuel, I fill it to the brim every time and reset the ODO and the light always comes on at the same time (give or take 10-20kms depending on whether I've been riding in Bangkok or not). Just as accurate as a fuel gauge in my opinion, once you get used to it...

[BangRon]

Those minor specs change could indicate a different tyre being used (except for the fuel capacity...that's odd!).....could you give us the brand and size on your ride?

Front 110/70 – 17 (54S) rim 2.75 ; Rear 130/70 -17 (62S) rim 3.50 , IRC brand.

Believe stock tire rim sizes on Thai Ninja 250R have been same same, 2008, 2009, 2010.

[dave_boo]

That doesn't sound like an issue to me, but rather a helpful warning to stop for fuel before you have to get off and push.

The light comes on with 2 (or is it 3? can't remember now) litres remaining, giving you about 50kms to find a gas station. The bike is pretty consistent on fuel, I fill it to the brim every time and reset the ODO and the light always comes on at the same time (give or take 10-20kms depending on whether I've been riding in Bangkok or not). Just as accurate as a fuel gauge in my opinion, once you get used to it...

Ehhm, I've never had the cojones to try and find out just how far it would get me with the light glaring at me...out in Nakhon Nowhere it's quite a shock to see the light fluttering on and off and wondering if you're going to make it to a decent fuel station.

And it's ridiculous, IMHO, to leave that much fuel in the bottom of the tank. I understand that it helps cool the pump, but there's just something not right^® about it.

Front 110/70 – 17 (54S) rim 2.75 ; Rear 130/70 -17 (62S) rim 3.50 , IRC brand.

Believe stock tire rim sizes on Thai Ninja 250R have been same same, 2008, 2009, 2010.

The plot thickens....I visited the UK website for the Ninja and have annotated in a quote of your posting what they claim the 2008 model's specs are:

CVW 170kg 2010 – 169kg 2009 152 kg (dry) ; road clearance 130mm2010-135mm2009 135 mm; other trivial spec changes include ; Castor 26deg Trail 82mm on 2010, 27deg 85mm on 2009 26° / 82 mm; Fuel Capacity 17.8L with 2010 vs 17.0L with 2009 ; Timing set 38degBTDC@6000rpm 2010 vs 40deg on 2009.

So other than the fuel capacity changing and the timing, which I'm unsure about, the new Ninja's specs are spot on with the first year's. Not to be questioning you, but are you sure you didn't read the specs for the carb'd model?

[BangRon]

No worries, Just trying to point out to any new Ninja 250R buyers that 2010 is available and is faintly different from 2009 , as I came across thai sales trying to tell me a older 2009 was a new 2010 model. Offering actual comparisons based on my friends 2009 to my 2010 Ninga250R(SE) both built in Rayong factory, both bought here within Thailand. With the exception of ones being exported to USA, all Asia and Europe export are fuel injection. For 2008 other than looking at tires, all else would be guessing. Reference attached scan amendment that came with 2010 owners manual referencing the same same but different items.

CVW curb mass is total weight stock standard equipment including all required operating consumables, oil, coolant, brake fluid, plus full tank of gas, but not loaded with passenger or payload. Presume .8kg of the 1kg difference 2010-2009 includes more fuel weight on the 2010. Believe fuel pumps are same, as both 09-10 parts catalog call them out as part# 49040-0029. My 2010 low fuel warning light goes on (approx ¼ tank) when about 4 – 4.5 L of fuel is remaining out of a full 17.8L fill. You would think this would be set a little lower, thought I guess different drivers have dissimilar views on what exactly low fuel means? Personally would rather have a fuel gauge rather than a warning light.

Let the good time roll! Peace out.

[dave_boo]

No worries, Just trying to point out to any new Ninja 250R buyers that 2010 is available and is faintly different from 2009 , as I came across thai sales trying to tell me a older 2009 was a new 2010 model. Offering actual comparisons based on my friends 2009 to my 2010 Ninga250R(SE) both built in Rayong factory, both bought here within Thailand. With the exception of ones being exported to USA, all Asia and Europe export are fuel injection. For 2008 other than looking at tires, all else would be guessing. Reference attached scan amendment that came with 2010 owners manual referencing the same same but different items.

CVW curb mass is total weight stock standard equipment including all required operating consumables, oil, coolant, brake fluid, plus full tank of gas, but not loaded with passenger or payload. Presume .8kg of the 1kg difference 2010-2009 includes more fuel weight on the 2010. Believe fuel pumps are same, as both 09-10 parts catalog call them out as part# 49040-0029. My 2010 low fuel warning light goes on (approx ¼ tank) when about 4 – 4.5 L of fuel is remaining out of a full 17.8L fill. You would think this would be set a little lower, thought I guess different drivers have dissimilar views on what exactly low fuel means? Personally would rather have a fuel gauge rather than a warning light.

Let the good time roll! Peace out.

That's really odd!

You'd think that a Ninja was a Ninja was a Ninja, but the manual (which lists the same specs as the UK site) seems to indicate differently....and IIRC it's either (or perhaps both?) Malaysia or Indonesia (as well as Australia?) that also gets a carb'd model.

I do whole heartedly agree with you about the fuel guage though....

[Richard-BKK]

Interesting to see that the Curb weight of the 2009*, which is the 2008 model is 170 kilo. The new 2010 Curb's in at 169.2 kilos with a fuel tank holding .80 liter more fuel that is almost a kilo lighter.

Kawasaki has a 3 year model renew cycle, the 2009 model is identical to the 2008 model... And the 2010 is the first real new version since 2008...

We looked at the latest Kawasaki Ninja 250R, and you can find it to Google with "2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Thailand"

[Powerband]

Dave,

The difference in fuel tank capacity is likely because a new fuel-pump....

Interesting; does it solve the issue where there is remaining fuel and yet the light is shining as if it were empty? Because if it does it may be worth getting a new one....that problem really bothers me.

That doesn't sound like an issue to me, but rather a helpful warning to stop for fuel before you have to get off and push.

Why not just lower the height of the sensor...if possible

[Richard-BKK]

The new fuel-pump in the 2010 model fixes a few fueling problems, also it lowers the dependency of using the fuel as cooling liquid. Warm fuel is bad, even with all sensors, if the fuel is getting too much temperature the whole fueling system could fail, which would be very bad for he engine.

[Powerband]

Anyone have the 1/4 mile times for this bike? My friends CBR 150 is pulling mid 17's....we're not too sure of its a real 1/4 mile though, we're going by 4 clicks on the speedometer.

yeah yeah i know...

[BangRon]

Anyone have the 1/4 mile times for this bike? My friends CBR 150 is pulling mid 17's....we're not too sure of its a real 1/4 mile though, we're going by 4 clicks on the speedometer.

yeah yeah i know...

Yet, another debatable ponder on 250R.

Seen plentiful sites out there stating anything from 14.5@87 to 17@70 ???

[Richard-BKK]

Yet, another debatable ponder on 250R.

Seen plentiful sites out there stating anything from 14.5@87 to 17@70 ???

Nothing debatable about the quarter mile (0 to 400 meters), it just depends on how heavy or light the rider is... Without the exact same conditions a quarter-mile comparison is completely useless... But trust me the Kawasaki Ninja 250R piloted by a capable rider is faster then a Honda CBR150R... How much faster, and much easier is maybe debatable....

[Powerband]

It took us 4 sprocket changes to achieve this time, as well as about 30 runs between the two of us to get the starts and shift points right.

i'll take the average of those 2 numbers and call it 15.75...i suppose...so thats about 2 seconds faster. Or about 20 bike lengths im guessing. quite a bit faster if the numbers are real..

i'll time the 150cc 2 stroke this weekend and see what she pulls. I'm guessing around high 12's -low 13's

[BangRon]

Dave,

The difference in fuel tank capacity is likely because a new fuel-pump....

Interesting; does it solve the issue where there is remaining fuel and yet the light is shining as if it were empty? Because if it does it may be worth getting a new one....that problem really bothers me.

That doesn't sound like an issue to me, but rather a helpful warning to stop for fuel before you have to get off and push.

Why not just lower the height of the sensor...if possible

Doable to adjust fuel level sensor to your custom low level light on liking.