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littlejackal · July 16th, 2019, 06:21 PM

Hi everyone!

I’m the proud, if somewhat frustrated new owner of a 2011 Ninja 250. Being my first bike I did a rather poor job of evaluating the condition of the bike before buying it, and now I’m playing catch-up. Mechanically the bike seems to be fairly decent, though I am replacing every consumable and bringing the bike back to a state I feel it deserves.

So far I have on my plate:

Both sprockets and chain
Front and rear brake line replacement
Rear wheel bearings
All brake pads
Handgrips
Sketchy DIY HID replacement going back to stock bulbs for now

For general maintenance I have lined up:
Carb clean
Coolant flush
Brake fluid change
And I’ve already done the oil

And for vanity:
I’m replacing all the fairings with less ratty aftermarkets
Gaudy gender eliminator replaced with OEM kit
Replaced integrated turn with discrete turn signals
Replaced the seat and meter cowl which had some holes

So as you can see I have a lot of work lined up. The previous owner had fun riding the bike but as far as DIY goes I don’t think they were the most competent or safety conscious. Lots of shoddy wiring, a lot of crossthreaded or outright missing screws and bolts, duct tape everywhere. I almost feel like I’m giving the bike a new lease on life!

The bad news is I could have picked up a much nicer ninja for the same price if I had been a smarter shopper, but the good news is that I’ve already learned so much working in the bike that I stopped regretting the purchase and I’m having a great time day in and day out with wrench in hand doing odds and ends. A real great experience.

Hope to get some progress pics up at some point and pick everyone’s brain when it comes to some of the tougher DIY’s.

Cheers!

July 16th, 2019, 06:21 PM	#1
littlejackal ninjette.org newbie Name: Boone Location: SE Ontario Join Date: Jun 2019 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250; 2018 Ninja 650 Posts: 2	New Ninja owner in SE Ontario! Hi everyone! I’m the proud, if somewhat frustrated new owner of a 2011 Ninja 250. Being my first bike I did a rather poor job of evaluating the condition of the bike before buying it, and now I’m playing catch-up. Mechanically the bike seems to be fairly decent, though I am replacing every consumable and bringing the bike back to a state I feel it deserves. So far I have on my plate: Both sprockets and chain Front and rear brake line replacement Rear wheel bearings All brake pads Handgrips Sketchy DIY HID replacement going back to stock bulbs for now For general maintenance I have lined up: Carb clean Coolant flush Brake fluid change And I’ve already done the oil And for vanity: I’m replacing all the fairings with less ratty aftermarkets Gaudy gender eliminator replaced with OEM kit Replaced integrated turn with discrete turn signals Replaced the seat and meter cowl which had some holes So as you can see I have a lot of work lined up. The previous owner had fun riding the bike but as far as DIY goes I don’t think they were the most competent or safety conscious. Lots of shoddy wiring, a lot of crossthreaded or outright missing screws and bolts, duct tape everywhere. I almost feel like I’m giving the bike a new lease on life! The bad news is I could have picked up a much nicer ninja for the same price if I had been a smarter shopper, but the good news is that I’ve already learned so much working in the bike that I stopped regretting the purchase and I’m having a great time day in and day out with wrench in hand doing odds and ends. A real great experience. Hope to get some progress pics up at some point and pick everyone’s brain when it comes to some of the tougher DIY’s. Cheers!