Buying '99 250, tips/help for parts/maintenance

Calix · July 14th, 2015, 10:43 AM

Hi all,

I'm going to be picking up a 99 ninja here soon for a steal (trade for kayak) but as expected the bike has some issues but runs. From the CL ad

Quote:

You have to get a new wiring harness, i have 2 used ones but theres a short somewhere and i cant figure it out. Its needs tlc and some parts like the front wheel bolt nut, some fairing screws, a speedometer cable,

I'm fairly confident in my DIY/Mechanic skills for this, as I have worked with boats,cars, and atvs. Just would like to see how easy it will be to fix these issues and to acquire the parts.

Also, I've read that I could switch out the front forks and rear swingarm with the 08+ ninja. Is this a pretty straightforward process (with some tweaks I'm sure)?

csmith12 · July 14th, 2015, 10:51 AM

Welcome Connor!

I hate wiring, but it's easy enough if you have the patience. The other parts you need should be easy enough to get from ebay or some forum members here.

DEFY · July 14th, 2015, 10:55 AM

Welcome!!!

A short some where in a wiring harness should be simple to find and replace, use the continuity tester on your multi-meter.

Calix · July 14th, 2015, 11:00 AM

Thanks!

Looks like a nice community you guys have here I'm glad to be entering it soon

I don't need the other fairing bolts really, as I plan to take basically all of the fairings off anyway and have a bike similar to Jono's and ChicagoBob's

xXecuterXx2 · July 14th, 2015, 03:00 PM

Welcome Connor!!

dcj13 · July 14th, 2015, 04:25 PM

Hi, Conner! Welcome!

So it runs, but it's got "wiring problems"... What's not working correctly?

Calix · July 14th, 2015, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcj13

Hi, Conner! Welcome!

So it runs, but it's got "wiring problems"... What's not working correctly?

This is what I was wondering, he didn't state in the listing and that wasn't something I asked when I first contacted him. Wondered if I should ask him about it now or just bring it up when we meet. Im under the assumption its a blinker light or similar.

Just asked:

Quote:

Uh well thats what i was told. One of the ground wires will start to smoke and melt when i plug the battery up.

Well that's good to know

InvisiBill · July 14th, 2015, 05:47 PM

If you're pretty mechanically-inclined, it should be pretty easy for you. https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=35999 has a great wiring diagram, and Kawasaki has great parts diagrams at http://www.kawasaki.com/Parts/. Most of the electrical is simple and straightforward, with only a few "black box" parts to make things tricky.

A small ground wire overheating might be as simple as a bigger ground wire not being hooked up, causing the small wire to have to handle more than it should. Obviously this shouldn't be causing a problem as soon as the battery is hooked up, but it might not be too bad a situation.

July 14th, 2015, 10:51 AM	#2
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Welcome Connor! I hate wiring, but it's easy enough if you have the patience. The other parts you need should be easy enough to get from ebay or some forum members here. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

July 14th, 2015, 10:55 AM	#3
DEFY ᗧ•••ᗣ•ᗣᗣ•••ᗣ Name: Nick Location: NY Join Date: Nov 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R and 2014 Triumph 675R Posts: A lot.	Welcome!!! A short some where in a wiring harness should be simple to find and replace, use the continuity tester on your multi-meter. __________________________________________________ Spoiler for topic: It might just be the [you] tag

July 14th, 2015, 05:47 PM	#8
InvisiBill EX500 full of EX250 parts Name: Bill Location: Grand Rapids-ish, MI Join Date: Jul 2012 Motorcycle(s): '18 Ninja 400 • '09 Ninja 500R (selling) • '98 VFR800 (project) • '85 Vulcan VN700 (sold) Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1 MOTM - Aug '15	If you're pretty mechanically-inclined, it should be pretty easy for you. https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=35999 has a great wiring diagram, and Kawasaki has great parts diagrams at http://www.kawasaki.com/Parts/. Most of the electrical is simple and straightforward, with only a few "black box" parts to make things tricky. A small ground wire overheating might be as simple as a bigger ground wire not being hooked up, causing the small wire to have to handle more than it should. Obviously this shouldn't be causing a problem as soon as the battery is hooked up, but it might not be too bad a situation. __________________________________________________ * Unregistered, I'm not your mom and I'm not paying for your parts, so do whatever you want with your own bike. *

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July 14th, 2015, 11:00 AM	#4
Calix ninjette.org member Name: Connor Location: Sunny South florida Join Date: Jul 2015 Motorcycle(s): '99 Ninja 250 Posts: 37	Thanks! Looks like a nice community you guys have here I'm glad to be entering it soon I don't need the other fairing bolts really, as I plan to take basically all of the fairings off anyway and have a bike similar to Jono's and ChicagoBob's

July 14th, 2015, 03:00 PM	#5
xXecuterXx2 ChocolateMilk Addict Name: Maurice Location: McDonough Join Date: Mar 2015 Motorcycle(s): '05 EX-250 "Kallie" 85 KLT 110 ATC "Murdock" Posts: 329	Welcome Connor!!

July 14th, 2015, 04:25 PM	#6
dcj13 Participant Name: Dave Location: South of Seattle Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): '94 K75 std Posts: Too much. MOTM - Aug '15	Hi, Conner! Welcome! So it runs, but it's got "wiring problems"... What's not working correctly?