hi, i am looking to buy a 06 ninja 250 that was in a low side accident. the front upper fairing has some damage to it on the right side and there is a whole on the left where the turn signal is but the plastic is still attatched. The windshield is cracked. there is scratches on the exhaust. How should i check if there is frame damage and fork damage? what should i notice on a test drive?

That`s a difficult question. I think that I would have a reputable MC shop check it out and give you an estimate of what the repairs would cost. Most important would be any information about the structure of the bike. Even a light spill can bend a frame. You definitely will need some hands on professional advice on this purchase.

how much are they asking for the bike? even minor repairs can be expensive.

pictures?

btw, welcome to the forum. :)

the price is 1500.

What does your username mean, do you own a Mazdaspeed3?

yes i do its a 09.

Good choice. :thumbup: I've got one of my own, and it's turned out to be a fun little car. We had a car thread awhile back right here (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=10502&postcount=2).

how would i check the frame for damage? i got the metro grey! too bad they stopped making silver. but its a fun car!

Lol... Busted Alex.

If you can't get it to a dealer try looking for paint that has chipped or looks wavy. Maybe a straight edge? I can't think of a fool proof way to find frame damage without some sort of device.

When test driving look for wobble and general ability to go straight. Also make sure it turns without any problem. It should feel... like a bike should...

If you don't know how already, you're not going to get enough advice from here to allow you to determine if the frame is perfect, slightly damaged, or would need replacement. It really needs to be taken to a shop and a look-see by an experienced motorcycle mechanic. (Preferably someone who works on Kawasakis each day). Anything else just isn't safe. It will be unlikely to cost more than $100, and the seller should be willing to cover a portion of that if they believe you are serious about the bike.

The price seems reasonable, but you can likely pick up a pristine 06 in the $2k - $2.2K range, so the question becomes if it's worth it to take this risk to save a couple hundred dollars. It may turn out to be worth it, but you really should enlist some local help to find out for sure.

yep, at 1500, I'd pass on a questionable bike. keep looking for a better example... it'll show up. :)

You can find much better examples in East TN for around $1500. A bike like you are describing would go for $800-1000 around here.

yep, at 1500, I'd pass on a questionable bike. keep looking for a better example... it'll show up. :)

Been there done that with similar type of fairing damage - not that I'm sorry. I started looking late in the year and there wasn't a lot of 250's coming on the market in my area and I wasn't sure this was what I wanted to do.

If you are like the rest of us, and decide to stay with it, you are going to want to fix the cosmetics. New upper fairings are going to run in the 400-600 range depending upon where (if) you find them. Add that to your $1,500 and you are at the price you should be able to get a good, no question, bike for. Forgot to look where you're from but it's early anywhere for buying a bike right now.

Keep looking.

Ninja 250s are declared total losses after an even minor accident, because cosmetic repairs and replacement parts are notoriously expensive. My first '08 Ninja was totalled after a sub-30mph lowside. It doesn't take much for a bike this low-priced to be written off as too expensive to fix by the insurance company. I'd run, not walk, away from this deal.

Mike - welcome to the forum - where in VA are you? There might be some of us that can help you out locally...