Hello, I have been shopping around trying to find a 250 for my girl friend as her first bike. Trying to do some homework and see what I need to look out for. I went to look at one nearby the fairings were cracked and the fairing stay was tweaked which didn't bother me. I took the bike out and it ran nice and clean all the way up to the redline. The trans shifted smoothly. One thing I did have a question about was some residual oil on the top side of the case. The current owner said that if you don't drain a line on the right side that it bleeds out of the air box while commuting long distances at freeway speeds. Is this a normal issue? I know on the early Buells that I have worked on there was a tendency to get oil out of the breather and though it might be the same thing. Is there anything in particular that I should check when looking? Thank you for any advice.

...........Is there anything in particular that I should check when looking? Thank you for any advice.

The air box keeps some oil from the engine's breather, so the filter doesn't dry out.
There is a tubed-plugged drain to use in case of excess; nothing really important.

Check this general article:
http://www.clarity.net/adam/buying-bike.html

Thanks Moto. Thats what I was hoping to hear. The bike has 24k on the clock. Not really sure what is considered high mileage for these, is it something I should be worried about?

24k on a well maintained bike is no big deal.

Thanks Moto............The bike has 24k on the clock. Not really sure what is considered high mileage for these, is it something I should be worried about?

You are welcome :)

That engine is at the 25%~30% of its useful life, if not abused.

You should worry about falling in love with the little bike. :)

No worries. Oh, and the ninjette does not have umbrella seals, or need an XB valve cover transplant. But just like a Buell, make sure it is not overfilled with oil.

I have a Buell XB. One of the things that is normal for the 250 is "some" oil consumption. The higher it revs for long periods, the more it uses. I run the absolute living snot out of mine, near redline most of the time. Big difference from riding the Buell.

Just develop a habit of checking the oil before every ride. I sometimes ride as much as 400 miles on a ride. I carry a 4 ounce bottle of oil in my tank bag for "just in case" if I need a little oil on the second or third tank of gas.

Thanks for the info everyone. Are there any known issues to watch out for that a lot of people have seen?

Finding a used 250 that still has its centerstand, in my experience, is ****ing impossible. :P

Finding a used 250 that still has its centerstand, in my experience, is ****ing impossible. :P

What's the story here? Do folks remove them because they break? Or because they're heavy or ugly or something?

I have only ridden one ninjette (the one I bought) and it has a centerstand. And that's great, because it makes it really easy to do maintenance, wheel removals, etc.

What's the story here? Do folks remove them because they break? Or because they're heavy or ugly or something?

I have only ridden one ninjette (the one I bought) and it has a center stand. And that's great, because it makes it really easy to do maintenance, wheel removals, etc.

I can't see why you would even consider removing the center stand as it's essential for everything.

People probably think it will give them a weight advantage or something. The bike isn't exactly a performance bike so there is no need to go overboard on the mods.

Thanks for the info everyone. Are there any known issues to watch out for that a lot of people have seen?

Just a few off the top of my head:

- Check the tires for wear and dry rot (cracks)

- Open up the gas tank and take a peak inside. If there is rust that could be a problem. It probably sat for a long time.

- Look at the chain. If you see rust that's a sign it either sat for a long time or it has been poorly maintained.

- You should be able to tell pretty much right away if the bike has been dropped or crashed. You'll see scratches on the fairing, exhaust, bar ends, and pegs among other things if it was a bad one. Minor cracks in the fairings aren't a huge deal but if you can find one that hasn't been dropped for the same price then go for it. The more things you have to fix the more the owner should knock off the price. Eyeball the forks and make sure they aren't bent.

- If it sputters, leaks fuel, or doesn't idle right that means it's probably got carb problems which can be expensive if you don't fix it yourself. Also make sure the choke works properly.

- If you do decide to move forward have the owner match his license to his title. I had this issue when buying from a small dealer in the middle of nowhere. I had the original title but the previous owner had an updated title because he had lost the original at one point. Fortunetly it turned out fine and I got the updated title in the mail. Now had that gone wrong I could've ended up with either a worst case scenario a hot bike (stolen) or one without a title which I would have to jump through a few more hoops to make it legit.