Brand new to the forum. Wasn't sure where exactly to post this. Basically just finished my BRC course (offered for free for military members) and am now on the market for a new bike. Figured id start small, and after riding a buddies Ninja 250, I was convinced this was the way to go. Anyways, theres a bike for sale in the local area, and me being new, wanted to know if it was a good deal. Ill give all the details to the questions I asked

2009 Ninja 250 R
---17k miles; majority local; very very small town
---Regularly maintained and serviced
---Last service done in Sept of last year included new:
- brake pads
- tires
- chain
- oil
- carb flush
---Piston rings replaced once by dealer
---Crack on left tail fairing
---Chain guard missing
- Both of these resulted from the chain breaking on the road, whipping up and breaking both
--- Other then that, no aftermarket mods, bike is completely stock and parts replaced with OEM only

Listed sale price is $1000. Too high? Fair price? Keep looking?

Welcome Jeremy!

Sounds like a fair (maybe even better than fair) deal to me but of course looking at the bike goes a long way to assessing value.

That is a very cheap price and this slightly worries me. The chain breaking can cause and enormous amount of damage if the free end of the chain strikes the wrong spot. Make sure you take this in to a dealer or trustworthy repair shop before you purchase it to check the engine case for damage.

If I were offering this bike for sale, I would be be more in the $1800-2000 range.

You will have to look LONG and hard to find a <$1000 deal on a running 2008+ bike with no title problems that isnt UGLY.

If the bike checks out, SNAG IT.

AND (shameless plug) Don't forget to check out www.OEMninjaparts.com if you decide to replace any of the damaged/broken parts on your new bike.

I agree with what PartsNinja said. 2009's usually go for around the $3k range in good to great condition. At this time of year, and depending on where you live it may be give or take $500 less. $1000 is just screaming that there are bigger problems with the bike and sometimes they are hidden from what you can see from the outside. Just keep your eyes open, be aware if he is trying to take advantage of you or not. I know it has some miles on it and etc, but he's either lowballing the price for a good reason, or a bad one.

On the contrary, there are people who are just trying to get rid of the damn thing because their wives are screaming at them to get it out of the house, or to push up to a bigger bike and sell it before the spring.

Your Ninja will find its way to sensai.. :ride: Good luck! I just bought mine about 2 months ago.

Welcome to the forum...
Sounds like a sweet deal, hella cheap, so I would look at it good, you test ride it? What about the dealership an piston rings???
That's less than half a months pay unless your FNG

I'm no help I got a 300 off the lot for my first bike

Sounds like a great deal. Make sure that the title is clear (i.e. the person selling you actually has the title paperwork in hand in their own name, and can sign the bike over to you when you purchase it). Make sure that it's not a salvage title, which would explain the relatively low value.

This sticky thread (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=64673) has some good links about what to check whenever you're looking at a used bike.

Any idea why the rings were replaced?

On the contrary, there are people who are just trying to get rid of the damn thing


I got mine that way haha. The dude had rode it for 5 months, wanted a GSXR, just wanted to get rid of it (it was winter, bike sales are slow I guess) got it for $2550 in good condition, just some cosmetic scratches.
Came with:
Woodcraft Clip-Ons
Yoshimura Adjustable Rearsets
Shogun Frame Sliders (one damaged from OG owner crash)
HMF Slip-On Exhaust
Upgraded aftermarket air filter
Double Bubble Smoked windscreen.
+More

Sometimes deals are almost too good to be true. But I must agree with everyone else $1000 is kinda iffy for a 09.

Any idea why the rings were replaced?

My guess is that bike was not properly broken in and lost compression. I've seen this happen on 2 bikes already.

I would jump on that deal.

The 2008-2012 250R go over $2,000+ here in Southern California regardless of mileage