Looking to buy my first ninja 250, any pointers?..

[DLS01]

Hey guys, im new to the forums and see how much it has helped people out so I decided to post my first thread. Now the question I am wondering is, do you guys have any advice on buying the 2000-2007 Kawasaki ninja 250's? Things I should look out for? This is going to be my first bike that I am going to ride on the street. I know that many people say that the 250 is a reliable bike but are there any major/minor problems to check for. Also, what modifications do you suggest?

Thanks,

Daron

[adouglas]

How mechanically inclined are you? Would you know a problem if you saw one? If not, do you know someone who knows their stuff who you can bring with you?

I'm no expert on the pregens, but AFAIK there are no big issues to worry about.

It's possible to fill page after page with how to check out the condition of a bike... everything from spotting an iffy head gasket (oil the color of chocolate milk) to blowby (stick your finger in the exhaust and if it comes out wet with oil, bad... blue smoke, bad) to carburetion issues (stick your finger in the exhaust, sooty = too rich). Do some homework on this stuff.

General advice on vehicle purchase:
- Do not get attached to any one bike. There are LOTS AND LOTS of bikes out there. Don't get all starry-eyed... you might overlook something important.
- Take your time. Look CLOSELY and repeatedly at everything. Everything. Then walk away, come back and do it again. You'll see things the fifth time you look at something that you missed the first four times.
- Ignore any tall tale the owner tells you. People lie.
- If any part of the deal, the bike or the seller seems off, it probably is. Trust your gut and walk.
- Ignore bling and farkles. What matters is what's underneath.
- New levers, new exhaust, new paint, aftermarket turn signals are all signs of a crash.
- Look for scuffs on bar ends, exhaust, pegs.... all signs of a crash.
- A bike that old is almost guaranteed to have been dropped. No biggie... tipovers are part of life. You want to watch out for actual crash damage (longitudinal scratches, bent parts, tweaked forks....)
- Look for signs of neglect (rusty bolts, crappy chain maintenance, old/cracked tires, general rattiness)
- Look at the owner and the environment. A grownup with a clean garage and a nice tool cabinet will take care of his bike. A bum with an overgrown lawn, a moldy old dirtbike in the corner that hasn't run since 1983 and a random collection of rusty wrenches won't. Big bonus points if he's got a well-thumbed factory maintenance manual on the shelf. Big bonus points if you spot a Battery Tender and a bottle of Sta-Bil. Big bonus points if he can talk intelligently about maintenance (e.g. he knows the interval for valve checks, etc.).
- Stand back and see if everything's straight.
- If the bike is running and/or warm when you show up, beware. It might be hard to start and the owner got it running to leave a better impression.
- Don't be scared off by mileage. These engines are quite durable.
- Don't spend your money on mods. Spend your money on good gear. SERIOUSLY. DO THIS. SPEND WHAT IT TAKES. When you've got your delicate hide protected, then go farkle the bike. Get your priorities straight.
- Take the MSF course if you haven't done it already. SERIOUSLY. DO THIS. LEARN THE RIGHT WAY FROM DAY ONE.
- Don't ride like an asshat. We want you to live to be a curmudgeonly old guy like me.

[Tango89er]

First of all, this site is an amazing resource http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Main_Page
Second, learn to service your own bike. Will save you a ton of money on the Pregen
Third, don't limit yourself to the 2000-2007 year range. My '89 Ninja has less miles on it than the newer ones on the market in my area

As for things to check, just pretty much the same stuff as any other bike on the market. They're an extremely popular learner's bike, an as such they've pretty much all been dropped at some point. Speedo can be out by as much as 10%, but that's due to the method used to measure speed. Leaky petcock is a common problem, but easily fixed. If you're looking to do longer distance rides regularly, you might want to look into the ZZR 250 over the GPX 250.

Also, don't be afraid to by a 'junker'. Mine hadn't been ridden or started in two years, but I had it running in a week, and running well about a week or 2 after that.

[adouglas]

FYI, here in the US we don't have ZZRs/GPXes. Just Ninja 250s.

[adouglas]

Wait a minute. Your sig says you own one of these, but you've never ridden a bike on the street?

[Tango89er]

Originally Posted by adouglas

FYI, here in the US we don't have ZZRs/GPXes. Just Ninja 250s.

Next you'll telling me you don't have Hyundai X3 Excels (You guys do, but they were sold under the Accent name :P)

I'd love to see a definitive list of what countries got which EX250 models. The Ninja FAQ hints at some of it, but is by no means exhaustive

[jkv45]

Be patient.

If you enjoy working on projects you can find one that needs work, but be careful. Non-running cycles can need more than "just a battery" to get going, and you can be stuck with junk if it goes badly.

If you don't want to spend a lot of time wrenching, I would suggest being very selective. Clean, well maintained examples are hard to find, but worth the wait if you want something that looks and runs decent.

We bought a 2004 with 250 miles on it, not running, but in great shape for $750. Like most any used cycle, it needed tires. A good carb cleaning and it fired right up.

Our other Ninja 250 (1990) was a project we bought for $150 from a member here. It was crashed at 85 mph (he got a ticket in the ambulance) and didn't have any fairings. It was running, amazingly, but not well. The gas looked like water and the oil looked like gas. It needed tires, a chain, and carb work as well.

We purchased a Ninja 500 for my other son after looking at numerous junkers. Some were crashed and repaired/repainted, others were not maintained. We ended-up with a 2009 model with 2400 miles in excellent condition for the exact same price that they were asking for the junkers. New tires, oil/fluid change, and it was ready to roll. It took a few months to find, but the wait was well worth it.

Be sure to have money for tires and other important items like full gear. Check Craigslist for gear. We have found lots of good top-quality used gear for cheap.

Here's the 2004 -



Here's the $150 Ninja Beater -

[Mechanikrazy]

Bike bandit has a fairly detailed piece on buying a bike generally.
http://www.bikebandit.com/blog/post/...sed-motorcycle

Ninja 250 wise, or really any carb bike, I would ask that they keep the bike cold before you visit, so that you can check cold-starting.

Edit: Just noticed you already have two bikes, so this is all probably too generic for what you were looking for.

[DLS01]

Thanks guys for the great responses, I consider myself somewhat mechanically inclined. I have worked on cars and motorcycles before, im 15 and I definitely don't consider myself an expert. I do own a 1972 suzuki but mainly use it as a dirtbike, Now as to the 1978 honda gl1000 I bought the bike as a restoration project to somewhat turn into a nice cafe racer/cruiser of sorts and then sell the bike (It actually is for sale now). The bike had many issues and the wiring was rigged (it still is but not as much), but now after spending the summer working on it, I have sorted everything out. The money that I get from that bike along with some of my savings I will be looking into purchasing The Kawasaki. Now some of you may be wondering, why buy a motorcycle now when you don't even have your license? Well #1 bike prices seem to drop slightly in the winter. And as well the motorcycle course doesn't provide a bike. And before I take the safety course and exam I would like to somewhat be familiar with the bike. As well my Step-Father is a police officer and he rides his bike alot. I think getting this motorcycle will help me bond with him a little better because he has been riding for 20+ years (but surprisingly is not that mechanically inclined due to the dealership luxuries that i refuse to wast my money on.) To be honest I would like to find an older Ninja 250 because ik I will drop it in the future eventually (thats why I opted not to get the 2008-12 years). If you guys know of anyone on the forums with a decent 250 in the Louisiana/ Houston texas area please let me know. As well I dont mind a bike that needs work, as weird as It sounds (maybe not) it seems like you form more of a bond with the bike and understand it more. It seems like everyone is finding these ninjas for under $1000 but where at? In almost a 350 mile radius i have been searching craigslist and cycletrader and havnt found many at that price. I think the max I would spend is $1500. But honestly I would like the bike to be cheaper because I want to work on it.

Thanks again guys for the help,

Daron

[adouglas]

I've never heard of an MSF course that didn't provide bikes to ride.

The whole point is to get total beginners off on the right foot.

Are you sure?

[spent_too_much]

Too bad you are so far away. I could definitely help you out with a project bike!

[DLS01]

Originally Posted by adouglas

I've never heard of an MSF course that didn't provide bikes to ride.

The whole point is to get total beginners off on the right foot.

Are you sure?

Im not sure, one of the courses does not list it provides a bike, and the other says it does. Ik that some of the dealerships offer an approved course so they should provide a motorcycle right?

[Mechanikrazy]

Originally Posted by DLS01

Im not sure, one of the courses does not list it provides a bike, and the other says it does. Ik that some of the dealerships offer an approved course so they should provide a motorcycle right?

Haven't used them, but I just did a quick search.
https://www.awesomecycles.com/brc_faqs.cfm#1.3
They will provide the bikes.

As adouglas said, MSF courses will provide the bike. From a legal standpoint, it would be problematic for course takers to get their personal bikes to the training center anyways.

[adouglas]

Google is your friend.

From the MSF page:

https://www.msf-usa.org/students.aspx#brc-brc

Basic RiderCourse
The best place to start once you've made the decision to ride. Covers the basics of operating a motorcycle and safety-oriented mental strategies. Motorcycles and helmets are provided for your use. Successful completion of this course, consisting of five hours of formal classroom activities and ten hours of riding instruction conducted over two or three sessions, plus its knowledge and skill tests, may waive the license test in your state. The course may also earn you an insurance discount.

From a Houston-area business:

http://www.motorcyclerentalshouston....ic-ridercourse

Tuition includes the use of a training motorcycle during range sessions, books, materials and supplemental insurance. Loaner helmets are also available. You will need to provide your own boots, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, eye protection and full-fingered gloves.

This is just from the top few hits on the first page of search results....

[adouglas]

A word about the BRC since you're a young man....

A lot of it may seem boring to you. You start -- no kidding -- by duck-walking the bike across the parking lot to learn about the clutch friction zone. You never get going fast at any time during the course.

The idea is to approach it with a learning mindset... relax, open your brain up and soak it in. This is not a track day. It's basic skills training, so pay close attention and take pleasure in precision by absolutely nailing every exercise. Especially the cone weave and the infamous figure 8 box.

Any monkey can twist a throttle. It takes skill to really handle the bike at low speed.

Understand the goal here. It's about street survival strategies and safe operating practices, not advanced riding skills.

You'll have plenty of time to get your ya-yas out when you finally do hit the road.

Down the line, you may want to do a track day... which is a REALLY good way to improve your skills and become a much better rider. But first, begin at the beginning.

[sp3ak]

I will echo what others have said. All the basics of buying a used bike apply. If you're really interested in that year range 250 I'd spend a little while thumbing through the Wiki. I've owned mine since July and I've not once had to make a post asking a question here because between the Wiki and this forum nearly everything has been covered.

I opted to do just a couple of minor mods to mine. It is a 2006 and when I bought it it was sitting at 1,880 miles in great shape with a couple minor scratches. I figured resale wise it was better for it to be nearly stock than for me to do all the things I'd like. So I just installed an LED brake light bulb with a flasher, a cigarette lighter adapter for phone charging, and a RAM mount for my phone. But there is so much info on the Wiki you could nearly never stop working on it if you wanted.

Whatever you do, have fun!