moar powah

[Gears and Gasoline]

another newb question here...

what's the most power i can get on the 09 ninja 250 naturally aspirated? (stop rolling your eyes, and hear me out..)

I love the small frame of the 250, i do not like supersports, and i think 100hp is ridiculous on a bike. i love the maneuverability of the 250 and i want to keep that. I don't think the power is really that bad either. I was warned against the 250's because i were told that they were "dangerously slow" but they're really not.. however, i would like to have a little more power on tap for getting onto highways and merging into traffic... i've researched this for about a month now and this is what i came up with...


Full exhaust ~5hp
air filter ~1 hp
jetting the carbs ~5hp
EFI swap?

what else is there that I could do? If i did all of these would i be around 33hp? (stock is 22hp right?)

[subxero]

you are not the first, hope you have deep pockets and lots of patience.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/show...ghlight=mgentz

jetting should not be considered a "mod" or something that increases hp. You are simply tuning the AF ratio to be optimal. If your bike is way off and you are only getting 15 hp and you jet the bike and get 26 hp you did not get any additional hp you simply made up the hp that was lost from poor jetting.

stock hp is accepted to be in the 24-26 hp range at the rear wheel depending on bike and dyno

29-32 hp is possible with full exhaust and proper jetting with some intake mods, on the lower end of that is most common.

After that start spending money on ignition timers, and engine work be it compression, bore or stroke or all of thee above then keep throwing cash at it.

Or just drop a 300 motor into the bike and save yourself time and money.

Buy 300 motor, sell 250 motor then race other n250's = sleeper status winning

[adouglas]

I think those estimates are very ambitious.

A full exhaust should not be done without rejetting the carbs anyway.

My bike picked up about 5 or 6 hp (according to a dyno run) by:

- Rejetting
- K&N panel filter
- Snorkel removal and kleen air delete
- Area P full exhaust

It was delivering just shy of 30 hp at the rear wheel.


I could probably have gotten a touch more out of it had I continued to fiddle with jetting but it was running well so I quit while I was ahead.

The best way to get power out of the 250 is to simply ride it hard. It wakes up at about 9000 rpm and can run north of 10k all day long for years and years. Don't be afraid to wring its neck.

[Ghostt]

Go on a diet, loss some weight, and save your money.

Master the handling of the Ninjette, it will serve you better, invest your money instead in tires, and suspension, you'll be a lot happier.

[Bigballsofpaint]

I dyno'd 31 with the full exhaust, jetting, and intake. I think to get more out of you need to tear into the motor. Bolt ons will get you just above 30.

There are a few members here who have bored, stroked ect and they are still in the testing stages.

a 300 swap also isnt a bad idea, you can get 40 to the wheel with the exhaust and tuner and what not. If you want more than that, well then, you either need to put A LOT of money into it, or buy a bigger bike.

[ForceofWill]

Here's Area P's graph for reference. I've been K&N Pods/AreaP Race w/108 main for a while now and I'm still happy. My bike will pull until it runs out of RPM smoothly.

[Gears and Gasoline]

coming from cars, where one mod can run around $1000. bikes are dirt cheap. I look forward to playing around with this.. I'm also a tig fabricator so this should be a lot of fun.

i'll probably go higher compression before i play with boring it or stroking it out, because I want to keep that gas mileage.

didn't see too many comments about the EFI swap? guess it's not too common of a thing?

[Bigballsofpaint]

You dont see much for gains based on just an EFI swap, thats mainly why, along with the ecotrons system having a lot of mixed feelings. Since the 300 came out if you do want an EFI swap using those parts its the easiest way....or just buy a 300. Or swap a 300 motor with EFI stuff into your 250....

I wanted to do an EFI swap for a while, but the cost to benefit ratio isnt worth it for me. I mainly wanted it because i dont want to clean carbs, but as long as i start the bike every couple months i havent had an issue.

[ForceofWill]

You could always buy this and finish it.

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=232275

[LNasty]

Or just wait for the R3 to come out and get yourself 44hp. Then wait a little longer for Kawi to up their 300 by a smidge and it will prob be producing 49 hp. or like @Ghostt said, lose some weight and learn how to handle it. I have noticed that the 15-20 lbs I have dropped has made a bigger improvement than any mods that I have done as well as throttle control, learning how to ring its little neck out correctly and without blowing the motor.

[Ghostt]

Also coming from the auto racing world, drag racing(64 GTO/516cid Pontiac motor), I can tell you in the long run don't waste your time and money on big jug kits, stroking, etc.... It's just not cost effective.

The best set up is the fine tune the carburetors, and then focus on the suspension, a lot better pay off, trust me.

Kawasaki has already done the job of squeezing the HP, and still maintain the reliability of the bike.

Fine tuning the carburetors, suspension, and if necessary gearing is the solid choices.

Stay away from pod filters, big jet kits etc... The washer modification under the main needles is by the far the easiest and most noticeable difference, and costs less than dollar, then dial in the idle mixture needles and IMHO your done with the carburetors.

As far as exhaust goes, IMHO they all make the bike sound like a pissed off weed eater, and if your using the bike for trips, and/or commuting the noise level will drive you crazy.

I myself went on a diet and have lost 35 lbs, with other 15 to go, now that's free HP.

[ForceofWill]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

Also coming from the auto racing world, drag racing(64 GTO/516cid Pontiac motor), I can tell you in the long run don't waste your time and money on big jug kits, stroking, etc.... It's just not cost effective.

The best set up is the fine tune the carburetors, and then focus on the suspension, a lot better pay off, trust me.

Kawasaki has already done the job of squeezing the HP, and still maintain the reliability of the bike.

Fine tuning the carburetors, suspension, and if necessary gearing is the solid choices.

Stay away from pod filters, big jet kits etc... The washer modification under the main needles is by the far the easiest and most noticeable difference, and costs less than dollar, then dial in the idle mixture needles and IMHO your done with the carburetors.

As far as exhaust goes, IMHO they all make the bike sound like a pissed off weed eater, and if your using the bike for trips, and/or commuting the noise level will drive you crazy.

I myself went on a diet and have lost 35 lbs, with other 15 to go, now that's free HP.

I still think a full exhaust is worth it on these bikes. 20-30% power increase from $600 worth of bolt ons is great.

My bike with an Area P sounds great and nothing like a "weed eater"

[LNasty]

I actually got compliments on my Leo Vince exhaust from a guy on a zx-10 this morning on the way to work. It's not a full system mind you, but still sounds good IMO. Still looking for a way to get the header and mid pipe separately. very hard to find anything that will fit this exhaust.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

Also coming from the auto racing world, drag racing(64 GTO/516cid Pontiac motor), I can tell you in the long run don't waste your time and money on big jug kits, stroking, etc.... It's just not cost effective.

The best set up is the fine tune the carburetors, and then focus on the suspension, a lot better pay off, trust me.

Kawasaki has already done the job of squeezing the HP, and still maintain the reliability of the bike.

Fine tuning the carburetors, suspension, and if necessary gearing is the solid choices.

Stay away from pod filters, big jet kits etc... The washer modification under the main needles is by the far the easiest and most noticeable difference, and costs less than dollar, then dial in the idle mixture needles and IMHO your done with the carburetors.

As far as exhaust goes, IMHO they all make the bike sound like a pissed off weed eater, and if your using the bike for trips, and/or commuting the noise level will drive you crazy.

I myself went on a diet and have lost 35 lbs, with other 15 to go, now that's free HP.

Yes kawasaki did what they could to make the bike great, but then the EPA does everything they can to make the bike suck.

[Racer x]

I have never gotten over 34 hp on the motor. 40 is the holy grail of power.

[Ghostt]

I would personally put the $600 or so into tires, and suspension, this bike is about handling, what to go faster, get BMW S1000RR.

[ForceofWill]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

I would personally put the $600 or so into tires, and suspension, this bike is about handling, what to go faster, get BMW S1000RR.

Lol come on man. Who said anything about only having $600 or only doing these mods. Gonna start with the "if you want to mod you should just get another bike", really?

[Gears and Gasoline]

yeah, i don't want big power. I like the smallness of the bike and the nimbleness of it. I think i would be fine at around 35-40hp if i could get there... i'll figure it out. I've actually got a really sweet idea with the exhaust. I'll be fabricating it myself obviously since I can tig weld, and I've done plenty of car exhausts. I've got a rather unique feature i'm going to add to it if i can pull it off. I'll be sure to have a separate post about it (probably a video).

Does anyone know where I can find small mufflers or resonators that i can weld in? (other than the cherry bomb). probably 1.5" would be what i'd go with.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by ForceofWill

Lol come on man. Who said anything about only having $600 or only doing these mods. Gonna start with the "if you want to mod you should just get another bike", really?

no, I was just trying to be funny.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by Gears and Gasoline

yeah, i don't want big power. I like the smallness of the bike and the nimbleness of it. I think i would be fine at around 35-40hp if i could get there... i'll figure it out. I've actually got a really sweet idea with the exhaust. I'll be fabricating it myself obviously since I can tig weld, and I've done plenty of car exhausts. I've got a rather unique feature i'm going to add to it if i can pull it off. I'll be sure to have a separate post about it (probably a video).

Does anyone know where I can find small mufflers or resonators that i can weld in? (other than the cherry bomb). probably 1.5" would be what i'd go with.

I'd say try eBay for those mufflers.

[cuong-nutz]

eBay and cafe racer websites

[Racer x]

These engines are sensitive to the exhaust. Don't make it short and wide open. It's stupid loud. But also will rob power. Length is good. Back pressure is good. Try to get the pipes as large in diameter as you can at the beginning.

[liberpolly]

Originally Posted by ForceofWill

Lol come on man. Who said anything about only having $600 or only doing these mods. Gonna start with the "if you want to mod you should just get another bike", really?

That's definitely the most cost-effective way.

Edited to add: and as the proof, my buddy just bought Ninja 500 for the same price he sold Ninja 250, two years older, same excellent shape, similar weight and handling, 50HP.

[cbinker]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

I would personally put the $600 or so into tires, and suspension, this bike is about handling, what to go faster, get BMW S1000RR.

Really?!? S1000RR that is old news if you want power H2R.