This bike is bullet proof.

[dtyndall]

I bought my Ninja 250R in 2008 as my first bike, driving it everywhere since I didn't (and still don't) own a car. Whether it was hot or cold outside, a long and tiring ride or a short and fun ride, the Ninja 250 got me where I needed to go with little fuss. Aside from the slightly annoying addition of being carburated and needing some coaxing on cold mornings, I can't say I ever had a problem with the 250.

Enter the new Ninja 1000 into my life. It was sad to know that I would rarely, if ever, drive the 250 again, but the prospect of driving the big liter bike was more than enough to take that off my mind.

The first month of having the bike and I already had a problem with the bike: while the engine was cold, a loud scraping sound would emerge from the lower half of the engine when taking off from stops. I chalked it up to being a new engine and promptly had an oil filter/oil change. The sound didn't go away.

As a side note, I laid my 250 down three separate times in the past 3 years. I would pick the bike back up and literally take off again, no problems with getting the bike running afterward. I literally laid my 1000 down about a month after getting it, and the bike refused to start up. The situation ended up being resolved with the battery needing to be jumpstarted. So a month has passed since the accident and I walk out to the bikes: the 1000 won't start yet again.

In three years of owning the 250, I have had -- count 'em -- no problems with it mechanically. The little thing keeps on ticking no matter what you throw at it, for better or worse. I guess the moral of the story is: don't dismiss your 250R when you inevitably move up to a bigger or different bike. She will be there for you when you most need her!

[Racer x]

I rode my bike to and from work year round for two years . No car . never laid it down but I raced it setting land speed records and drag racing. I missed shifts pegging the rev limiter numerous times. I modified it with everything I could throw at it . Melting a spark plug tip from removing the muffler at the track .Still never even misfires once. Finally after making 5 120mph passes with nitrous I advanced the timing and put a hole in the piston.MY fault . I fixed it in a couple days and went back for more.
The bike has 5000 miles now and I am still pushing the engine to the absolute max and the bike never dose anything wrong.
Kawasaki should be very proud . Only stupid stuff and letting the bike sit with old gas in them can make problems. But yes I would say BULLET PROOF.

[TenaciousD]

Devin, you've laid your bikes down 4 times in 3 years? Was this on the street or at the track? If on the street, you think you might want to be a little more careful?

[Yasko]

Yea, I'd hate to get rid of my Ninja before I can ride it hard... I don't want to look back and think what if about the lil Ninja...

[rceezy]

I still haven't ridden my ninja to her fullest potential and don't think I will for awhile. I almost feel like I'm cheating on her if I think about 'upgrading'.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by dtyndall

I bought my Ninja 250R in 2008 as my first bike, driving it everywhere since I didn't (and still don't) own a car. Whether it was hot or cold outside, a long and tiring ride or a short and fun ride, the Ninja 250 got me where I needed to go with little fuss. Aside from the slightly annoying addition of being carburated and needing some coaxing on cold mornings, I can't say I ever had a problem with the 250.

Enter the new Ninja 1000 into my life. It was sad to know that I would rarely, if ever, drive the 250 again, but the prospect of driving the big liter bike was more than enough to take that off my mind.

The first month of having the bike and I already had a problem with the bike: while the engine was cold, a loud scraping sound would emerge from the lower half of the engine when taking off from stops. I chalked it up to being a new engine and promptly had an oil filter/oil change. The sound didn't go away.

As a side note, I laid my 250 down three separate times in the past 3 years. I would pick the bike back up and literally take off again, no problems with getting the bike running afterward. I literally laid my 1000 down about a month after getting it, and the bike refused to start up. The situation ended up being resolved with the battery needing to be jumpstarted. So a month has passed since the accident and I walk out to the bikes: the 1000 won't start yet again.

In three years of owning the 250, I have had -- count 'em -- no problems with it mechanically. The little thing keeps on ticking no matter what you throw at it, for better or worse. I guess the moral of the story is: don't dismiss your 250R when you inevitably move up to a bigger or different bike. She will be there for you when you most need her!

The moral of the story is you're on a path of non-existence!

Did you take the 1000 back to the Dealer or is it still making the scaping noise?