7500 Mile service

[Banzai]

I hit 7500 miles last week on my green 2008, and finally got a break in all of the wet weather to take it in to the dealer. Here's a picture from early last spring before some of the mods were done:



On the ride home from getting the valves done I noticed that it was running a LOT smoother, pulled a heck of a lot harder, and the seat felt a little strange. When I finally got home, I took a closer look at the bike. Didn't really notice the difference until I stepped back, and IMAGINE what I saw!



I mean, dang! A long time ago my house was broken in to and they stole everything and replaced it with an exact duplicate, which was pretty cool. This takes the cake!

My 2008 250 grew up over the service call in to a 2009 ZX6R!

I just couldn't resist the call of the green. Handles like a dream and runs like a raped ape. Somewhere, somehow, I'm going to miss the 250, but right now I can't imagine how. So far, though, I've found two major problems with the ZX6R. 1) The oil filter, although cannister type, is high on the left side of the engine and, 2) There is NO POSSIBLE WAY I'm going to be able to pay all of the fines I'm going to get if I don't keep my wrist out of the throttle. In 6th gear, it's indicating 65mph at about 6Krpm!

The wife is NOT amused at the additional green that is now no longer in the bank accounts, though. I have to buy her a new couch to restore domestic tranquility.

[kkim]

they uglied the bike up during the service and now it runs smoother? what am I missing here?

[CC Cowboy]

I'd call the dealer and complain. Someone put an ugly exhaust on your bike.

If they didn't upgrade the rider you might want to take it slow (at first).

[austexjg]

I think my black '09 might have the same experience - Nice upgrade.

[Grn99Kawi]

That is a hot bike.. congrats on the purchase!

I would personally lose the exhaust.. but then again you might have to buy a matching coffee table...

Adam

[Betlog]

Originally Posted by kkim

they uglied the bike up during the service and now it runs smoother? what am I missing here?

beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in this case, I share the same eye with Kelly. I mean don't get me wrong, the ZX6R is an AWESOME bike, but I personally think Kawi went too far with this gen's design. My favorite of the ZX6R line is the 2003/2004 models... which, not surprisingly looks a bit similar to the new gen 250r's.

[Banzai]

Originally Posted by kkim

they uglied the bike up........

I'll leave that judgement to those that I pass on the road. As for me, can't tell from the saddle! I will admit, though, that I've already priced out having the lower (black) cowls sprayed green.

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I'd call the dealer and complain. Someone put an ugly exhaust on your bike.

If they didn't upgrade the rider you might want to take it slow (at first).

Yeah, the exhaust leaves something to be desired, and it's a little right side biased weight wise (or maybe it's just my perception based on my limited riding on it so far). It is, however, nice a quiet compared to that LOUD ASS TBR can I had on the 250 (I will NEVER own a TBR straight pipe can again). We'll see. I'm eyeing the Acropovic slip on, but the M4 gets high reviews, too. I will put 200% MORE research into the decision this time than I did last time, though.

As for the rider, the 250 was a Re-starter bike for me, and 6K+ miles in the last year with the BRC and the military Sport Bike Riders Course (which should be available to the general public by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation this year) helped my head and muscle memory tremendously. And there's something magic about riding a slow bike fast that riding a fast bike slower will never be able to capture.

I love the 250, it's a great machine. It's not where I wanted to re start, but to keep the wife happy, and keep me safe, it served it's purpose and got me and my skill set to where I wanted to be.

As a side note, the dealer already has my old bike sold!

[kkim]

Thomas... just giving you a hard time. Your input and contributions will be sorely missed on ninjette.

Enjoy the new bike.

[Betlog]

Originally Posted by Banzai

I'll leave that judgement to those that I pass on the road. As for me, can't tell from the saddle! I will admit, though, that I've already priced out having the lower (black) cowls sprayed green.



Yeah, the exhaust leaves something to be desired, and it's a little right side biased weight wise (or maybe it's just my perception based on my limited riding on it so far). It is, however, nice a quiet compared to that LOUD ASS TBR can I had on the 250 (I will NEVER own a TBR straight pipe can again). We'll see. I'm eyeing the Acropovic slip on, but the M4 gets high reviews, too. I will put 200% MORE research into the decision this time than I did last time, though.

As for the rider, the 250 was a Re-starter bike for me, and 6K+ miles in the last year with the BRC and the military Sport Bike Riders Course (which should be available to the general public by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation this year) helped my head and muscle memory tremendously. And there's something magic about riding a slow bike fast that riding a fast bike slower will never be able to capture.

I love the 250, it's a great machine. It's not where I wanted to re start, but to keep the wife happy, and keep me safe, it served it's purpose and got me and my skill set to where I wanted to be.

As a side note, the dealer already has my old bike sold!

Change your avatar! And make sure to stick around.

[miks]

Originally Posted by Grn99Kawi

That is a hot bike.. congrats on the purchase!

I would personally lose the exhaust.. but then again you might have to buy a matching coffee table...

Adam

Just use that ugly rear fender as a coffee table, its big enough!

[Betlog]

Nice. If you don't mind me asking, how much did they give for your 250 with 7,500 miles? You can PM me if you don't want to post. Thanks!

[Banzai]

Originally Posted by kkim

Thomas... just giving you a hard time. Your input and contributions will be sorely missed on ninjette.

Enjoy the new bike.

Yup, all good!

I ain't going anywhere anytime soon. The community here is dramatically better than any of the ZX6 pages that I've been lurking on, and very few here feel the need to engage in male reproductive organ measuring contests, so I'm staying! Riders are riders. I have found that there is great humility in owning and operating a 250 well, and I find that right here meets my community needs.

As to the trade in value, I had 48 hours to swap out the TBR can, the Pazzos, the hugger, the double bubble windscreen, and the sliders. I sold all of them to two other 250 riders locally for about 2/3rds of what I paid new. I left the Galfer stainless lines and the EBC pads.

I got $2500 for the bike on trade in, which isn't too shabby seeing as I paid $3000 and put 6K miles on the bike in under a year. Locally I could have sold it for $3k easy, but, truth be told, after the last 6 weeks of looking at used bikes and dealing with all of the FU#KTARDS out there, I was so simply OVER the whole scene of used vehicles from either end. I gave up $500 for the convienence of an instant, no problems sale on a new bike.

I got my price on the new bike, too. I was already marked down to $7999, and I got it for $7250 with 2 years warranty added on (3 years total) and 5 oil and filter changes. So I stroked them a check for a little over $5K with title, taxes and all the local fees and BS that they hit you with.

I sorta pissed them off, too. I negotiated the entire package price, and when they asked about cash down or a trade it, I hit them with trading in the 250. First they low balled me with $1200 for the trade, then came up to $1800. I was holding out for $3000, and settled with them for $2500 IF I got to remove some of the aftermarket parts.

At one point, I actually walked away from the deal, and their manager called me about 2 hours later and offered the $2500 for the 250 and the whole deal as stated above.

He wasn't happy, but I also happen to know (from the other Kawi dealer in the area) that Kawi isn't shipping new 2010 bikes to most dealers until they reduce their stock of 09 and older bikes. Kawi is even offering some pretty good discounts, too.

The dealer I chose to buy from is one of those stuck between a rock and a hard place, so I knew he was desperate to move bikes, even if just to break even and clear floor space for new 2010 models. I've been watching, and he hasn't moved the 09 blue 250 that he's had for a year, and hasn't moved any of the 09 ZX6Rs in over 6 months!!!

They thought that I was going with their rediculous 23% financing, too, which is one of the reasons they were willing to come down some on price (they really sell payments that you're comfortable with more than a final price anyway), and then BAM, hit them with a cashiers check!

They sold my old bike today to someone who's been on their "Watch out for this for me" for 08 green 250s for the tidy sum of $3000, so they still made $500 out of the deal, minus oil change and 7500 mile service (which the bike was in for, but I never paid for as I traded the bike just as they finished doing the work, and knowing I was trading it, they overlooked the service paperwork when they let me take it home to swap out the factory parts!!! How's that for good timing!).

Just goes to show....KNOW YOUR MARKET!!

Edit to add some additional details

[Betlog]

Man if I weren't such a noob I'd get rid of the 250 and get one of those in a heartbeat. But then again, my view is that the experience value that I get out of the 250 is worth more than any 600cc bike in the world. I am just trying to see how much mine will be worth hopefully when I trade up next year... Oh and with the way Kawi has been raising the prices on the 250s each year, it could only mean a good thing.

P.S. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by Banzai

Yup, all good!

I ain't going anywhere anytime soon. The community here is dramatically better than any of the ZX6 pages that I've been lurking on, and very few here feel the need to engage in male reproductive organ measuring contests, so I'm staying! Riders are riders. I have found that there is great humility in owning and operating a 250 well, and I find that right here meets my community needs.

As to the trade in value, I had 48 hours to swap out the TBR can, the Pazzos, the hugger, the double bubble windscreen, and the sliders. I sold all of them to two other 250 riders locally for about 2/3rds of what I paid new. I left the Galfer stainless lines and the EBC pads.

I got $2500 for the bike on trade in, which isn't too shabby seeing as I paid $3000 and put 6K miles on the bike in under a year. Locally I could have sold it for $3k easy, but, truth be told, after the last 6 weeks of looking at used bikes and dealing with all of the FU#KTARDS out there, I was so simply OVER the whole scene of used vehicles from either end. I gave up $500 for the convienence of an instant, no problems sale on a new bike.

I got my price on the new bike, too. I was already marked down to $7999, and I got it for $7250 with 2 years warranty added on (3 years total) and 5 oil and filter changes. So I stroked them a check for a little over $5K with title, taxes and all the local fees and BS that they hit you with.

I sorta pissed them off, too. I negotiated the entire package price, and when they asked about cash down or a trade it, I hit them with trading in the 250. First they low balled me with $1200 for the trade, then came up to $1800. I was holding out for $3000, and settled with them for $2500 IF I got to remove some of the aftermarket parts. At one point, I actually walked away from the deal, and their manager called me back about 2 hours later and offered the $2500 for the 250 and the whole deal as stated above.

He wasn't happy, but I also happen to know (from the other Kawi dealer in the area) that Kawi isn't shipping new 2010 bikes to most dealers until they reduce their stock of 09 and older bikes. Kawi is even offering some pretty good discounts, too.

The dealer I chose to buy from is one of those stuck between a rock and a hard place, so I knew he was desperate to move bikes, even if just to break even and clear floor space for new 2010 models. I've been watching, and he hasn't moved the 09 blue 250 that he's had for a year, and hasn't moved any of the 09 ZX6Rs in over 6 months!!!

They sold my bike today to someone who's been on their "Watch out for this for me" for 08 green 250s for the tidy sum of $3000, so they still made $500 out of the deal, minus oil change and 7500 mile service.

Just goes to show....KNOW YOUR MARKET!!

[Banzai]

Originally Posted by n00br1d3r

Man if I weren't such a noob I'd get rid of the 250 and get one of those in a heartbeat. But then again, my view is that the experience value that I get out of the 250 is worth more than any 600cc bike in the world. I am just trying to see how much mine will be worth hopefully when I trade up next year... Oh and with the way Kawi has been raising the prices on the 250s each year, it could only mean a good thing.

P.S. Thanks for sharing.

I got lucky and was in the right place at the right time with the right circumstances and had money in hand and time on my side with a motivated seller.

[Grn99Kawi]

Originally Posted by Banzai

Yup, all good!

I ain't going anywhere anytime soon. The community here is dramatically better than any of the ZX6 pages that I've been lurking on, and very few here feel the need to engage in male reproductive organ measuring contests, so I'm staying! Riders are riders. I have found that there is great humility in owning and operating a 250 well, and I find that right here meets my community needs.

I totally agree.. my 250 is gone, but I'm staying too. I am on a CBR board now too, and they are good people, but this board has such a good feel to it...

Adam

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Banzai

And there's something magic about riding a slow bike fast that riding a fast bike slower will never be able to capture.

But riding a fast bike fast is brilliant!

Going into a turn, sliding both wheels, then powering out with 180hp will put a smile in your pants where a 250 only puts a smile on your face.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Thomas, great choice and best of luck. I think the 6R looks best in the green. My 250 is blue and I love the color but the 6R blue (IMHO) is too light. That aside, and I know its a person by person type of thing, but can you compare the ergos of the 6R vs the 250R. Just sitting on one in the showroom it feel pretty good, not as committed (for the back and wrists) as a Yam R6.

[backinthesaddleagain]

BTW the discovery hd special on Kawi had some good track shots of the 6R.

[Banzai]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

But riding a fast bike fast is brilliant!

Ahhhh, that thing to which we all aspire!

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

.....can you compare the ergos of the 6R vs the 250R. Just sitting on one in the showroom it feel pretty good, not as committed (for the back and wrists) as a Yam R6.

OK, here goes nothing. The 250 was a re-starter bike for me, and this is my first FI bike, and my first 600 supersport. First off, I'm 6 foot, 155lbs, wear a 34 inseam pant and a 34/35 shirt, so I have long legs and long arms. I wear Rocket medium jackets and usually L or XL gloves. I spent a bit of time on current models (2006 to 2009) of all the big 4 600s before laying down $$ for the ZX6. The CBR felt nice, but small and cramped (too "in" the bike). The R6 too wide and too tall (too "on" the bike). The GSXR felt the best overall (very comfortable balance), and the ZX6 was a close second. The feel and handling under power, though, is what sold me on the ZX6.

It's a 600 supersport, so you get the typical layed out riding posture we've come to expect. Certainly NOT as upright as the 250! The reach is comfortable for me, and it's not so layed forward that you can't shift some weight to your butt and take some of the load of your torso off of your arms/shoulders. The grip is certainly wider than the 250, and it feels like there's less clearance between the tank and grips at full lock, which isn't much of a concern unless you do a LOT of parking lot travel. I will be getting another set of Pazzo levers, though, to be sure, as the clutch is a little far out for my personal preference. The front brakes are AMAZING!!! There is ample room to lay out and full tuck, looking through the stock windscreen, and crack the throttle wide open!!! Very responsive to weight transfer at speed through the seat or on the pegs, too, for tuning your line. Did I mention that throttle response is instant? As in.... twist the throttle and BAM, the scenery blurs like that scene from Star Wars where the Millenium Falcon first goes to light speed!

As for the foot controls, I would prefer something a little further back. Not so much up, as just back some. My legs are still a little cramped, and I need to move the rear brake lever up some so that I don't have to give it a full rotation of the foot to get brake feel. 180/55-17 tire has so much grip and the chasis is balanced well enough that, unless you really really try, it's hard to lock up the rear (under braked at the rear where the 250 is about 50% over equiped). I'm sure I'll discover the lock up point sooner or later, though!

The seat is a little wide and a little hard at the saddle, and I tend to ride nuts on the tank or just off. Overall to me, the GSXR has a narrower, more comfortable and slightly lower seat, but the seating position also feels lower on the tank, sitting more upright and reaching more forward. The R6 feels tall and WIDE, the GSXR low and narrow, and the Ninja somewhere in the middle. With my Joe Rocket boots, I can flat foot the bike at a stop, which leaves plenty of room when the road is crowned funny, and there are plenty of those around here.

I think that I'm cool with the upper body position for longer rides (I typically will do 250-300 miles in a day) but I'm a little concerned with leg cramping. With the 250, I had Shogun frame sliders, and I would hang my legs on the pucks, heels forward, when I needed to stretch! Looked crazy, and got lots of stares, LOL!

Checking the numbers on all of the '09 bikes, the ZX6 is the clear winner, but it's not all about numbers. I felt that the Ninja turned in easier and held the corner better for my riding style, and felt light and easy in the transition into and out of said corners. The 09 is certainly sorted out, as the 07-08 Ninja ZX6 always seemed like it was fighting me in the corners. I'm still working in and setting up the suspension, but it's a little harsher than the 250, and I think I get lots of feedback through the chasis and suspension when pushing the bike that I took for granted in the 250. My wife, while following me on two occasions, said that I lean over MUCH further and hold it over more at slower speeds on the 6 than ever on the 250. To me, the 6 is just as planted as the 250 that I had, but I can 'feel' more. Hard to put into words. May be just perception or lack of lots of riding, although I've been riding all season as long as there hasn't been ice on the road.

I can't wait to get this thing fully broken in and really get some distance rides in and head out to some more interesting (and twisty) places than here on the flat coastal plain! I will certainly be heading up to Rolling Thunder again this year, and down to Outer Banks bike week.

Tom

[Sailariel]

Thomas, Congratulations on your new bike. I plan to keep my 250 but will be getting a Honda NT700V fairly soon. I would like to do some serious touring--a trans US, the Pacific Nortwest, Vancouver, the CA coast, some National Parks, etc. I plan to use bicycle maps for the whole tour and maybe write an article about it. I also plan to get a good digital camera to take pictures and share them with the Ninjette Family. I plan to do the trip solo, since my wife does not like anything on two wheels. The NT700 looks like a perfect touring machine--probably not as exciting as the Ninjette, but still a lot of fun.

[Banzai]

Thanks. Sounds like you have quite the tour planned!

[backinthesaddleagain]

I'll tell you with $$ off on the zx6r my dealer has moved two monster energies and a blue in the last week or so. Those bikes sat forever most likely due to the economy as everything about them has been positive. Also sitting on alot of R6 which are down around $8K, and honda apparantly doesn't feel like marking down the CBR600RR even though they were selling the CBR1000RR (08) in the $8K range a few months back.

Saw a 2010 250 in blue, a red, and a tribal?? today. For those of us still with the stock muffler i think the new flat black can looks better on the 250 then the chrome.

[Banzai]

Yup, unless they come down in price, or Obama's desire to have $7/gallon gasoline comes through, they're going to sit there for a while. It's crazy how much bikes are going UP in price each year, often with very little or no changes. It's also crazy how much they come down for clearance sales!

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by Banzai

Yup, unless they come down in price, or Obama's desire to have $7/gallon gasoline comes through, they're going to sit there for a while. It's crazy how much bikes are going UP in price each year, often with very little or no changes. It's also crazy how much they come down for clearance sales!

I agree. I would hate to buy in the first few months and pay full price, only to see the price drop significantly later in the year. Funny thing is 08 vs 09 R6. The 09 cost more, but dropped some power due to sound regs (i think).

[ajaygraci]

paint the lower gloss black or color match it green and it will look alot better.. just do the basic mods (exhaust..CF..ect...) and she will be lookin as good as myn

GL with the bike man. good choice on 2009.. you can always make it look better with mods..better then buying a pretty bike that not run as good

[Banzai]

Got rid of the whale tail rear fender thingy, and kept the same tag that I had on my ninjette! With a little creativity, I used the stock blinkers and plate light. Couldn't figure out what it really needed for a few days, then I went and painted the back side of the plate gloss black, and that finished it out just right


OEM seat cowl (gives it that superbike look)
Zero Gravity dark smoke doubble bubble (this item ROCKS THE HOUSE in full tuck, and pretty good for normal riding, too!!)
Shogun 09+ ZX6R swingarm spools (have to have the special minis so they won't smack the muffler, very tight clearance)
Frame plugs (covers those exposed bolts and cleans up the black frame)
Rascal Grafik zombie tank pad (fits my zombie theme of my gear)
Oh, and I got rid of that stupid white emissions sticker on the rear swingarm!!!

[Banzai]

Next up will be Pazzo levers and a revalve of the steering damper. Kawi spec'd it VERY loose (almost worthless), but it's only $90+shipping to get it revalved and reoiled to proper spec.

[austexjg]

Looks bad ass - sure makes me want to upgrade...

[backinthesaddleagain]

Looks really good.

[Banzai]

Virginia Man Hole Cover Eats Bike

Update: I finally got my bike back yesterday. The overall total damage with labor was just shy of $3000.00, but she's just like new!

Last night a set of frame sliders and some Attack engine case covers went on, just in case another random man hole cover tries to eat me!

[backinthesaddleagain]

Glad its all back together as new. Good luck and watch those flying manhole covers.

[ninja250]

I've been dodging all manhole covers since I heard this.

I actually heard one move one time when I hit it on the side.
Glad to hear you got your bike back. I would have been freakin' out the whole time if it wasn't in my hands!