Kawisaki Ninja 250R discussion
 

I wanted one of these bikes about 2 years ago.

I'm 6'1" and 200 lbs.


I was told not to even waste my time on a Kawi 250R so I gave up. Everyone told me it's weak and slow and I wouldn't be happy with it. I couldn't afford much else, and actually, was having to look at used 250's just to afford on of those. I sorta gave up on the idea.

I rode a friend's GSX-R 600 a few times a year later (a year ago), and handled it very nicely but I felt like it had TONS of power, and it only needed about half of that. I told him I was interested in a 250 again after riding his bike and he told me, "you'll get tired of it after a month.... just buy a 600"

I didn't even bother looking at them because it was still not in the budget.

Since then, things have changed and I'm doing better financially. This spring I'd love to pick a bike up. MPG is on my mind big time these days.

My real questions are:

Where is a good source to look for slighly used Ninja 250's?

Would you suggest I go and test ride one to see if I'm satisfied, or do you think people just bad mouth them and call them "girl's bikes" because they don't understand our (FE minded people) approach to ownership of a small bike?

When you got yours, was it fun at first and now you're bored with it?

If I were to take the next step up, what is the next best bike as far as CC size and FE?

Thanks!

PS: The way I see it is if I can drive my Saturn (124 horsepower!) daily and not complain about it being "too slow", I think I'd really love a Ninja 250R. I've only been on a motorcycle/dirtbike a handful of times and it was such a rush. I'm also compusive and have had 7 or 8 traffic tickets in the different Camaro's I've owned over the years... given that fact, I think it's best I limit myself in CC's to stay out of trouble... would you agree?

Been there, heard that.
 

I too have heard the "you'll get tired of it in a month".:thumbdown: Having grown up riding motorcycles to get where I wanted to go, both on and off road, I can say that at road speeds, a 250 will get you going just fine. Especially if FE is your goal, you don't need mind-blasting power (which usually only gets you in trouble anyway:D ).

The only real "problem" with a Ninja 250R from my perspective (and I am similarly built to yourself) is the fact that lighter bikes tend to get pushed around in the wind more than heavier bikes. If you are going to be doing most of your riding 55 mph or slower, or will be avoiding freeway traffic, than this should not be an issue.

I am currently on the fence about getting another bike, and the 250R is on my list as well. I would definitely say though test drive one in the environment in which you will be traveling, and decide if you like it. Your opinion is the only one that matters.

I've ridden a ninja 250 a few times, and I thought that it was amazing, very light and responsive, plenty of power, perfect for ridding in town and on back roads, not good for racing or taking on the interstate, but seeing as how it has a top speed around 110mph, and the top leagle speed limit on public roads in the us is 75mph, it has plenty of power, the only real down side of it is that with the smaller engine, the engine tends to run faster even at crusing speeds, leading to faster wear, and more freqent valve adjustments.

Ninja 250 fuel mileage...
 

Ok, I got a little carried away with my Ninja and had too much fun with it, so much so I ended up getting a whoppin 34mpg! It supposed to get 75mpg or so. From what I have learned, a larger displacement motorcycle, like a 650 for instance will give better torque so you don't need to dip into the rpms as much which will be better for mileage. So it's all dependent on how you ride.

Anyways, I ended selling my bike and am now focusing on getting either an SV650S or a Ninja 650R. Both are larger displacement but can provide 55+mpg with power on tap without the constant high revs required by the smaller engine. Again, it's my riding style overall that causes me to burn much more fuel. However, others with a Ninja 250 get better mileage than I do, so it also could've been my bike.

i didnt know 34mpg out of a 250 ninja was possible.

i own a bike myself, but i dont know how good of mileage it can get... how can that be? because its a toy, and i ride it like one. full throttle, passing everything in sight, and triple digit speeds on a regular basis... all the bad stuff for mileage. now this bikes a 750 and its getting 43-44mpg on a very regular basis, being rode in that manner.

i've rode a ninja250 before and the problem is that you need to have it full throttle and up in the revs to go anywhere, killing your mileage... but even then its not that fast, sure it will out run the average car in traffic 0-60, but nothing very sporty.

just depends on what you really want. if you want a toy, i dont think a 250ninja will do it for you. if your moped cant keep up with traffic, a 250ninja might be perfect. i would suggest trying out a 500ninja, i think it would be more fun and still return excellent mpg's

My sister has one that she just got this year ('05 model I believe) and she is already talking about getting a larger bike.

I am hoping to be able to buy the one that she has come time for her to sell it.

I'd love to use one of these in the summer for my transportations need.

Odd the worst mileage I got with my 250 was 67mpg. That was hard canyon riding and a lot of 78mph freeway.

some people change the gearing, so it revs higher, giving quicker acceleration, this could lead to poor mileage as well, others gear gear it so the engine is turning slower and get slightly better then stock mileage, I personly ride a honda cb125, and for around town find that 12hp is plenty.

The most I'll be taking the bike up to is about 50mph in my back and forth to work trip. If I rode it to school in the evenings there is so much traffic I bet I'd only be 35mph or less.

I think i'm going to keep my eyes out for a yellow one.

I can't quite justify the new '08 sale price of $3499. When I was doing research before and planning to buy one I read somewhere that for a new bike, plan to spend $100 per cc... so Ninja 250 would be $2500.

The fact that you can buy '02-03 Ninja 250's w/ 5k on them for $1500 is what I'm after. Keep the purchase price low, so that if I want to resell after a year, I won't be losing so much money. Any money saved in mileage, would be lost in resale. Gotta keep that in mind!

Ninja 250's are the only US 250cc sportbike. So, they have been popular ever since they came out. It's hard to find them used cheap. Even the original ones from 1987 still will fetch $1000 or more.

Really, you're not going to loose anything depreciation from ownership unless it's broken.

You might be able to find an EX500 for less money. Won't have the same styling as the 250 Ninja, but you'll have the extra displacement. That can be an advantage in staying ahead of the cages.

MPG on a small bike
 

I'm new to this forum.
I am a lifelong biker also. 48 year old male. I just had to throw in my 2 cents
I drive a full size truck and drive 62 miles per day round trip to work.
I am dropping $250.00 bucks a month + just for gas.
I too am looking for a bike to save fuel this spring.
I was looking at the little ninja 250 also.
The little Honda rebel is a contender for commuter bike also if you really need a trainer.
Here's my take on this (my opinion) it may not be everyones opinion.
You can find a used sportster 883 or 1200 for less than $5,000.00 anywhere in the USA. If you don't play around with the pipes carbs and jetting you will get 40 to 50 MPG and look like an adult doing it. The ride will be way more comfortable. When you get tired (if) of the sportster you will be able to turn around and sell it and get almost all your money back. You don't have to look like a nerd to get good fuel economy.

I'm a hair younger than you, but I can't get myself into the H-D thing...LOL! I'm not sure if it's the pushrods or the loosening fasteners that I haven't seen on similar bikes.

Welcome to the forum!

It's kind of hard to shake a bad reputation once you have it.
The oil leaking and stuff vibrating off the harleys is not really an issue any more.

For me a 250 ninja is around $3,000.00 and then they start with the distination and dealer prep and who knows what else before it ends up costing 4 grand. As soon as I get it home it's worth $2,000.00.
I'm sure it would a fun little ride to work though.

I am going to poke around this forum and see if I can find any tips for truck.

If you sell a 250 Ninja for $2k, you sold too low. Most of them sell used for about $200 to $400 less than new after a new ride has used them for a few years. Destination and dealer prep of $600? That would be a really bad dealer really raking a customer over the coals. Kind of like a dealer changing over retail for a machine...LOL!

No, I don't think they leak oil like the older, more porous cased stuff of years ago, but I live in the Milwaukee area. I've got owners, engineers, and racers around. They do vibrate, and stuff falls off a lot more than what I would consider to be reasonable to me. It's a lot more maintenance compared to a regular UJM.

Nothing against it, but it's a different duck. Hard to compare them. A sportbike vs a Sportster is a hard one to develop a different reasonable analogy. It has a stable resale market, but the idea that Japanese motorcycles don't hold their value is quite different now. There are 600cc sportbikes that are selling for almost as much used as they sold for new fifteen years ago. All depends on their popularity, etc., but it's a different market now.

if you want a 250 ninja to save money on gas, the last thing i would do is buy a new one and lose all the money you would of saved before you even leave the dealership. just get a used one...

as for a sportster... lots of bikes that will bring 40-50mpg, but the sportsters are some of the slowest ones. a 883 and a ninja250 would be heads up ina drag race, the 883 would be nicer in traffic with more torque, but the ninja will get ya 65-75mpg instead of 40-50. as far as looking like an adult doing it, sure, but i always seem to see them witha lady pilot chasing a guy on a larger harley

Wow it's nice to see a forum where people can express thier different opinions without resorting to name calling and the like. I have seen many that were rendered almost unusable by that nonsense.

I am actually still looking at the 250.
I agree the initial purchase depreciation could be avoided by buying a nice used one. After doing some reading up I understand that 70 MPG is possible. That would sure be nice. would pay for the bike in gas savings in about 4-6 months over driving my truck.
I also understand the Sportster is not exactly the same animal.
We have a lot very twisty roads here (PA Mountains) and the 250 would probably outrun many bigger bikes.

I road a Honda GL 1200 once (basicly a goldwing without the faring and frills) a few years back, the owner clamed he averaged over 60mpg, it was reasonably comfertable for crusing down the highway, altho it was large enough that it felt a little bulky for ridding around in town, but if you had a long commute, or whated something that had a more conservitive appearance, I have to say that they are a really nice motorcyle, get decent mileage, and are large enough that if you wanted to get a small trailer to tow that was intended for a motorcycle, that it could handle it.
40-50mpg is better mileage then most cars, but in my opinion that is rather poor mileage for a motorcycle, so altho you would save alot of gas compared to driving a pickup truck, but there are motorcycles that can get 60-70mpg, and I like like to aim high when it comes to vehicles and their gas mileage.

I Stopped at a local bike shop and looked at a used ninja 250 on the way home.
It was a 2003 with 4000 miles and they were asking 2599.00 for it.
I told them that was only 350.00 less than a new one.
They said would take 2399.00 for it.
I guess I stand corrected on the resale value of small Japanese bikes.
The bike was pretty clean but I am still amazed at the lack of depreciation.

You have to buy from a private seller to get a good price on ANYTHING used these days.

You can find nice 250's for $1500 all day on craigslist or ebay.

The local kawasaki dealer here will take my Bayou ATV in trade on a new 250 ninja.
They are getting 3200.00 for new 2007s. that includes Tax, tag title and everything, out the door. That's not too bad for new.

883's are rock solid for reliability
 

I owned a new 94 for 4 years. Nothing ever vibrated off or broke because of vibration. With a high flow air filter, after market mufflers, jet kit and a new ignition it had plenty of power for commuting and a nice sweet spot at about 50-55. It also got in the high 50s to 60 mpg as long as I stayed off the throttle. I sold it for just a little less than the sticker price.

If I was going to ride an 883 again the one thing I would do is either run a smaller rear pulley or install a 6 speed overdrive. Above 55 the thing started to vibrate like a paint shaker. I'm not trying to talk anybody out of a Ninja 250, they happen to be great bikes, I'm just defending what I think was one of Harleys purest bikes.

I just put the new ninja in the garage. a 2007, traded in my ATV

If anyone is thinking about buying a 250 ninja be forwarned.
the new 2008 is almost a thousand dollars more.
There are a few changes but not a thousand dollars worth.

'07 MSRP was $2999. '08' MSRP is $3499.

Completely different bike now. Has 17" wheels vs the albatross 16's that they've put on them since they came out. The Dollar/Yen exchange isn't favorable either. Similar issues happened in the early 90's with bikes; prices went up without dramatic changes.

They changed the plastic a little bit.
headlights are different.
The little ninja now has a single exhaust canister instead of 2.
They reworked the cam to change the power band (LOL) a little bit.

The dealer near me is letting the 07s go for 3200.00 out the door.
Now I just need the nasty cold snap that we have to pass so I can start saving over $300.00 a month in gas over my pick-up truck.

On a small bike, the way you drive makes a huge difference in MPGs. If you wind it out and spend much time over 60MPH, you will get upper 30's at best. If you keep your speed down, and RPMs down (as much as you can and not too much), you should see mid 70's. If you drove it no faster than 35 and spent the whole tank in top gear, and weighed 130 lbs, you might be able to top 110 MPG.

AMEN! 12 horsepower IS plenth!(love your bike by the way) People used to laugh at me when i souped up my moped, :cool: 6 horsepower is good for town! The ninja is AMAZING! It puts just about all the teenager's tuner cars to shame without really trying to hard. 0-60 in about 7 seconds keeping the engine nowhere near redline. Not to impressive by motorcycleing standards, but for gas mileage, it has everything you need! I do agree on the engine though! you do need to rev high to keep a good highway speed, and it has me worried. They have plenty of low mileage engines on ebay when you need one, i just hope the new ninja will have the same engine to keep the cheap $100 engines coming!

Who is telling you to get a bigger bike? the dealer? This bike WILL be big enough for you! just be careful in the rain, my bike will slip on some corners when it is dry outside!

P.S.
check your craigslist and ebay! Download snarfer, and it will automatically check it for you every day!

I had the high exhaust model of that honda 125 years ago, the CL 125 I think it was.
That bike kept up with traffic and was a blast to ride.
That was the same motor that was in my TL125 trials bike I had a looong time ago 1974 I think it was.. I'm Old LOL

One of the funny things about the 250 ninja is is doesn't say "250" on it anywhere. To the nonriding people where I work it just looks like another sport bike. I could tell them all it has 150 HP and does 175 MPH and they would believe it. It looks that fast to them.

Get a scooter...for FE. If you decide to get a "bike"...better to go a bit bigger. Reasons...Once you start hitting highways, a bigger more powerful bike is much safer. For FE, which means (at least to me), something that is more urban like a scooter. Of course the 250cc is between the two IMO and should not be ruled out.

I would love to have a "street legal" Trials Bike!

4 stroke, please.

Bah... 2/3

They are a little tricky to find. Do a search for the Honda reflex it is a street legal trials bike, they are sweet. I think they are 200 CC or so.
The last one I saw was not for sale and I did ask.
Don't be suprised if the search also shows a bunch of little reflex scooters though. Honda used the same name for both bikes for same ignent reason.
I wouldn't do my 75 mile commute on it, but it would be kinda neat to crawl over the top of a guys car in traffic.

The way I've heard it is that a Ninja 250's a great learning bike. Then, people grow out of them, maybe ride others for a few years, then come back to the 250 because it's such an entertaining little thing and in many ways a fantastic value.

FWIW, I get a pretty consistent 39-43mpg out of my Honda Shadow Sabre 1100 on my commute, and 47-53 on highway rides. Not the most efficient machine out there, for sure, but for its size, gearing, and output it's almost downright amazing. Plus it's good for extended rides, has tons of roll-on torque, and 1/4's in the 13's.

The new 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250 has a fuel gauge, albeit with carbs. I sold my '04 since I plan to get the newer 250 when the time is right, but any 250 Ninja serves both efficiency in commuting and fun in sport riding. Can't really get anything more worth while. My 2 cents.

Has Peak Oil hit yet?

I know of several people who load their Ninja 250s with camping gear and use them for touring. No speed demons but more than fast enough to keep up with traffic on mountain roads and freeways. Reliability and fuel efficiency is excellent. The sport bike styling and seating position is not for me but they sure look like an efficient and relatively inexpensive way to go.

Q

Seriously? I thought that we were in the 21st century.

modern carbs are just about PERFECT for small engines! look at all the power sports under 600cc and you will see plenty of carburated engines that win over and over again. Their only downfall is that they cannot adjust to temperature, and atmospheric pressure changes. I know that some carbs are fine tuned for the weather conditions and such every race, but, they do work quite well. If you follow dirtbike racing, Aprilia has a fuel injected 450, and i have yet to see it beat a carburated bike ;)

I understand the modern carbs are good, but I would think that after what, almost 30 years of no changes, that Kawi would want to modernize their bike. Give it all the modern stuff, and make it better suited for whatever comes along, aka temp and BP changes.

I suppose part of the 2999.00 price tag is due to the fact that the little ninja doesn't have a $500.00 Fuel injection system.

I rode mine the other day when it was 24 degrees out.
The choke started it and it ran fine.

I really wasn't looking for a true sport bike seating position myself.
The ninja is almost an upright seating position, the feet are a little high on the pegs for cornering but the bars are not clip ons down on the forks.
The only standard motorcycle I found out there left in the world was the triumph bonneville for around $8000.00. everthing else is cruiser or sport cept maybe a few big touring bikes.

I found a very nice set of sport saddle bags and a matching tailbag that fit perfectly. I am ready to go. https://members.aol.com/extant666/ninja.jpg

And dressed for touring https://members.aol.com/extant666/ninjatour.jpg

The local dealer here in Tampa FL has three leftover 2006 Ninja 250's for $2,495. each. One silver, one red, and one black.


Jim