View Full Version : Zed or zee?


Mista Bob
December 13th, 2008, 04:24 AM
Hmm!
Here's my '04 Kawasaki ZZR-250.
Bought it not too long ago just in time for our lovely winter here in Canada.
Still managed to put about 500 or so KM's on it though.
Sadly its starting to snow big time now so I won't be riding again for awhile yet.

In case anyone is unfamiliar with the ZZR-250..
It features the same 250cc parallel twin from the Ninja 250, but has many other differences.
Most obvious differences being the aluminum perimeter frame, different fairing and 17" wheels.
Also features a slew of other upgrades (adjustable levers and adjustable rear shock for example), although it does weigh about 6kg more.

Anyways enough talk, onto the pics!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/bike2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/bike1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/bike3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/bike4.jpg
These pics were taken a couple weeks ago when it was nice riding weather.

kkim
December 13th, 2008, 10:49 AM
Beautiful bike in excellent condition. :thumbup:

Brian997 from this board has they same type of bike and also lives in Canada, but I'm not exactly sure where in relation to you.

Thanks for sharing. :happy110:

BlueTyke
December 13th, 2008, 03:48 PM
Very nice looking bike you have there!

Mista Bob
December 13th, 2008, 08:41 PM
Beautiful bike in excellent condition. :thumbup:


Guess you missed the fairing damage on the right side. :p
Previous owner dumped the bike in some gravel whilst exiting a gas station... or so he says anyways. :D

Aside from some scrapes and cracks it's in perfect condition though.

kkim
December 13th, 2008, 08:47 PM
Guess you missed the fairing damage on the right side. :p
Previous owner dumped the bike in some gravel whilst exiting a gas station... or so he says anyways. :D

Aside from some scrapes and cracks it's in perfect condition though.

If my bike is in as excellent condition after 4-5 years, I'll be happy with it. :)

Mista Bob
December 13th, 2008, 09:03 PM
I think it runs rich though... not really sure. :confused:
Smells fairly strong of gas when its running.

kkim
December 14th, 2008, 12:13 AM
mpg? :confused:

Mista Bob
December 14th, 2008, 12:39 AM
I got about 58mpg (us gallons) on my last fill up.
Included some spirited riding though, and pretty much 100% city riding.

kkim
December 14th, 2008, 01:00 AM
Hmmm... That's pretty good gas mileage. Do you know if the previous owner rejetted the bike?

Mista Bob
December 14th, 2008, 01:00 AM
Not a clue.
As far as I know the bike is completely stock.
I'm thinking of getting rid of the air box and slapping on some K&N air pods on it though.

brian997
December 14th, 2008, 06:37 PM
mpg? :confused:

I got about 58mpg (us gallons) on my last fill up.
Included some spirited riding though, and pretty much 100% city riding.

Hmmm... That's pretty good gas mileage. Do you know if the previous owner rejetted the bike?

Not a clue.
As far as I know the bike is completely stock.
I'm thinking of getting rid of the air box and slapping on some K&N air pods on it though.

Just thought I'd chime in :P My MPG over 2500kms is 62mpg. I had the bike rejetted when I bought it, because it ran too rich (and it wouldn't stay at 1500RPMS :P). I believe my mechanic used a #40 pilot jet.

Oh and black is faster!

Anthony_marr
December 14th, 2008, 07:48 PM
Just got it a month ago, with 3000 km (2000 mi) on the odo, not a scratch, for CDN$3000 (US$2500). LOVE it! I've chosen this bike to be my mount for my 40-states-in-6-months Rebels With A Cause tour (starting mid-June '09 - see

www.myspace.com/AnthonyMarr

for the tour itinerary. If you could and would, I'd love to ride with you when I come to your state. Swoosie says I'll win the 2009 GRR, hopefully with you and your bike in some of the pics!

Anthony

VeX
December 14th, 2008, 08:33 PM
Alllllrighty, time out. They didn't offer the ZZR-250's in the States, meanwhile everyone of you in Canada has them! No fair!!

Anthony_marr
December 14th, 2008, 08:55 PM
Well, it is over 15 lbs heavier in spite of the aluminum frame, so presumably 0.5% slower than the R. You lucky Americans! Mind you, I do like the 17" wheels and the sweeter fairing. :D

AM:

brian997
December 14th, 2008, 09:21 PM
Alllllrighty, time out. They didn't offer the ZZR-250's in the States, meanwhile everyone of you in Canada has them! No fair!!

Well I tell you what... I will sell you mine for $6,000, plus shipping (which is about $650). Its worth that much to me haha :P

Mista Bob
December 14th, 2008, 10:49 PM
Nice to see other ZZR-250 riders. :thumbup:

brian997
December 14th, 2008, 10:58 PM
Nice to see other ZZR-250 riders. :thumbup:

Its too funny that we are representing three different provinces haha

Syphen
December 19th, 2008, 06:22 PM
Nice ZZR's guys. They are a sharp looking bike. I think it was a good improvement on the old Ninja 250.



Anthony's reminds me of a mini super blackbird CBR1100XX.

Anthony_marr
December 19th, 2008, 07:05 PM
Nice ZZR's guys. They are a sharp looking bike. I think it was a good improvement on the old Ninja 250.

Anthony's reminds me of a mini super blackbird CBR1100XX.

Hi Greg,

Since you live in Ontario, Canada, I assume your bike is a ZZR too. For our American friends who may not be familiar with the ZZR, it is a version of the 250R sold outside of the US, including Canada and Asia. But except for the following minor differences, it is basically the same bike as the pre-gen "classical" Ninja 250 (up to 2007):

1. The fairing, especially around the head light

2. 17" rear wheels instead of the 250R's 16" ones, and fatter rear tires.

3. Aluminum frame instead of the 250R's steel frame.

4. 3-spoke mag wheels instead of the 250R's 6-spoke ones.

5. About 15 lb heavier than the 250R, so, slightly slower.

Not sure about the sprocket teeth ratios. Drive train and suspension identical (?).

Did I miss anything?

It does look like the CBR a little.

Some think that the classic Ninja 250 look aged, but that's relative. From an absolute aesthetic viewpoint, it is a beautiful bike.

Anthony

Syphen
December 19th, 2008, 07:24 PM
Anthony, mine is a 2008 Ninja 250R. No ZZR here. I would buy one if I found one for a decent price in good condition in a heart beat.

Anthony_marr
December 19th, 2008, 08:02 PM
Anthony, mine is a 2008 Ninja 250R. No ZZR here. I would buy one if I found one for a decent price in good condition in a heart beat.

Greg,

When I bought mine about 1.5 months ago, I had 3 ZZRs to choose from, all in good shape, all for about CDN$3000-$3500. I guess I was in luck. Here is a pic of a red one. I just googled "motorcycles for sale Vancouver" and they popped up in the Kijili site. Good luck.

Anthony

brian997
December 19th, 2008, 08:08 PM
Greg,

When I bought mine about 1.5 months ago, I had 3 ZZRs to choose from, all in good shape, all for about CDN$3000-$3500. I guess I was in luck. Here is a pic of a red one. I just googled "motorcycles for sale Vancouver" and they popped up in the Kijili site. Good luck.

Anthony

But if he wanted a new bike, it had to be a 250R... they stopped making the ZZR after 2007 season. Now, for Canada and US the 2008 bikes are the same.

Anthony_marr
December 19th, 2008, 08:18 PM
But if he wanted a new bike, it had to be a 250R... they stopped making the ZZR after 2007 season. Now, for Canada and US the 2008 bikes are the same.

Hey Brian,

How's the snow falling? Vancouver has been taking a dump lately.

Anyway, Greg wrote: "if I found one for a decent price in good condition in a heart beat", so I presumed that he was not ruling out a good used one. On the other hand, it could be just his way of saying how much he likes our ZZRs.

But if he is really looking for a good used one, I would think there would be lots to choose from in Ontario, especially this time of the year?

Anthony

brian997
December 19th, 2008, 08:24 PM
Hey Brian,

How's the snow falling? Vancouver has been taking a dump lately.

Anyway, Greg wrote: "if I found one for a decent price in good condition in a heart beat", so I presumed that he was not ruling out a good used one. On the other hand, it could be just his way of saying how much he likes our ZZRs.

But if he is really looking for a good used one, I would think there would be lots to choose from in Ontario, especially this time of the year?

Anthony

Lots of snow.. everything is shut down haha! And I hear more is on the way from you guys!

yeah I didn't read that part :P
But no, actually there aren't any around! I just took a quick look on autotrader and on kijiji.ca and there was 0 Ninja 250 ZZRs! I had a very hard time finding mine too, I got it at the height of the summer (end of july) and it was only the 3rd bike in two months that got listed.

Anthony_marr
December 19th, 2008, 09:26 PM
Lots of snow.. everything is shut down haha! And I hear more is on the way from you guys!

yeah I didn't read that part :P
But no, actually there aren't any around! I just took a quick look on autotrader and on kijiji.ca and there was 0 Ninja 250 ZZRs! I had a very hard time finding mine too, I got it at the height of the summer (end of july) and it was only the 3rd bike in two months that got listed.

I just did a quick check of the Vancouver Kijili.com, and same here. No Ninja ZZR 250. There is a 2005 black one, but it is an R. I guess the ZZRs got snapped up (one by me). I really lucked out when I found mine. It is exactly the bike I want to do the tour with, as I'm sure you understand. If I didn't find my ZZR, I might be riding a Honda Rebel 250 now! (There is one thing likable about the Rebel and that is it's name, as per the REBELS WITH A CAUSE tour, but I like the word Ninja just as well if not better. In Chinese/Japanese, "Ninja" means "Endurer". It fits a 40-state-in-6-months long tour, I'd say. I love my bike, almost in the same way as I loved my horse. This love will make the tour easier to endure. I'm sure you understand this too.

Anthony

Syphen
December 19th, 2008, 11:46 PM
have one too-many sailboats (3) to go and buy a 3rd bike now, BUT if a ZZR or 08/09 250R came on the market locally for a great deal, I would snap it up. I still LOVE the ZZR's though. My fiance is riding our 08 250R almost elusively and I don't trust the CBR250 100% for a cross-country trek just yet. It needs a new chain and sprockets still. I JUST finished the carbs & suspension.

Mista Bob
January 12th, 2009, 10:15 PM
Was doing some minor work on my bike. . .
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/streetstreetfighta.jpg

Strider
January 13th, 2009, 05:01 PM
Nice ZZR! Lookin' sweet :)

Sound Wave
January 14th, 2009, 02:26 AM
just saw this thread. wow... those zzr's are beautiful. i have never heard of them before. imo, a lot nicer than what was available here. does anyone know why they never sold them here? i wonder if the rest of the world will also eventually get a "zzr" version of the current body style?

VeX
January 14th, 2009, 02:32 AM
I doubt it... Kawi is kind of 'going easy' for at least the next year or two with R&D as the economy is down. Hell a little birdy dropped the idea that not only is the EX500 not going to get an update, but the platform might get dropped entirely! For the price difference I guess a lot of people just go with the 650's and people that upgrade from the 250's typically go with the RR bikes. :( Soooo R&D for the 250 is probably on a standstill :p

Anthony_marr
January 14th, 2009, 02:49 AM
just saw this thread. wow... those zzr's are beautiful. i have never heard of them before. imo, a lot nicer than what was available here. does anyone know why they never sold them here? i wonder if the rest of the world will also eventually get a "zzr" version of the current body style?

Glad you like our ZZRs.

I think there are write-ups above regarding the differences between the ZZR and the R - mainly the fairing, the aluminum frame, and the 17" rear tires (instead of the 16" ones in the R). It's never been for sale in the US, so the instrumentation is in metric. If you live near enough to Canada, you might be able to get a good one. I got mine (2005, immaculate, 2000 mi) for $2500 USD.

Anthony

sometimesido
March 27th, 2009, 07:58 AM
did not know ZZR's had 17" wheels.

Snake
March 27th, 2009, 01:35 PM
Very good looking bike.

Mista Bob
March 30th, 2009, 04:22 AM
Pic of my ZZR 250 from one of my more recent rides.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/250rrrrrr.jpg

gizmogamez
April 1st, 2009, 10:25 AM
i love my little ZZR250, goina be sad to sell it when i pick up my new 09 next week