My 08 250r Streetfighter

[deadsquirrel]

Heyo everybody,

Yep, I decided to go streetfighter on my 2008 Kawi Ninja 250R. I wanted to share with you guys the process I went through and what I came up with thanks to all the info from this forum, other forums, and buddies of mine. I apologise ahead of time for the lack of detailed pictures and info from when I was putting all this stuff together. You know how it can be, take a step away to look at what you're doing, you reach for a beer, not a camera.

Feel free to drop comments, let me know what you think, positive/negative whatever you want.



Start From The Beginning

I got this 250r as my first bike a few summers ago after taking the riders course. Loved this baby from day one! This 250 has been awesome to learn on; riding and maintenance wise!
The previous owner did a custom paint job on the fairings, making them matte white and added frame sliders. Everything else was stock on the bike when I bought her with about 1800 miles.


The Accident

As they say, "It's not if you get in an accident, it's when."
Headed home from work one nice summer day, I was following a Cube with tinted windows, couldn't see past this car at all. The Cube turned into a left turning lane, revealing stopped traffic immediately ahead, which the Cube was going around before he quickly slowed down to turn left. All I needed was four more feet to stop the bike. I stopped her as best I could; don’t freeze up the front tire, OK to skid the back tire a little. But, still from what was there, not enough stopping space. I went flat against the back of a minivan, then dropped the 250 on her right side. Looking back at the situation, I should have swerved between the Cube and minivan. This would have given me the extra few feet I needed. Lesson learned, the hard way. Thankfully, I am OK, no harm done besides a bruise to my elbow and ego. (Thank God I’m flexible because I straight up went Wile E Coyote on that minivan)






Thankfully, all the damage from the accident was cosmetic. The front, left and right fenders were pretty bashed up, as well as the mirrors and windshield from both the impact and right side drop. No damage done to the forks since the mini van's bumper was high enough. There was also no damage to the engine.

As I picked her up off the pavement, I thought to myself: “Yep, Streetfighter”.

So, here we go.

This is the site where I got a lot of info on making a streetfighter:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/I_want_..._streetfighter


Muffler

Before the accident I put on a Yoshimura slip on exhaust.
http://www.motosport.com/motorcycle/...t-Carbon-Fiber

It’s quite easy to install, given the included directions, even for someone who is learning basic motorcycle maintenance.
In my opinion, if you have the extra $450, give or take, it is worth putting on for sound quality. This pipe has come in handy to let people know I am close by. If needed - pull the clutch, rev her high, and everyone will know you are near. Plus, it just sounds so much better than stock!
FYI - For any long trips, I’d suggest using earplugs. Using earplugs for any trip over 45 min really helped my ears last the ride.



Tail Light

Another item installed before the crash was an Integrated LED Tail Light. I went with this one:
http://www.(opposite-of-naughty)cycl...tl-0122-it.htm

It’s bright and shows the left and right turn signals nicely.

In order for the new LED tail light to work you’ll have to install a flasher relay: EP34 from Tridon.

Here’s a useful video that helped instruct on how to install the relay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8AiOXkVjcU


Headlights

There were some guys I noticed using the stock 250r 2008-2012 headlights for their streetfighter builds. After thinking about using the stock headlights, I couldn’t think of a clean way to mount these and make this setup look good for what I wanted.

Then I came across the Dominator Headlight assembly and really liked how these looked compared to the stock headlights and even the single large cafe racer style headlight. I also liked how the dominators are both “always on” headlights. I prefer seeing both headlights on even when high beams are not active.
https://www.moto-madness.com/dominat...ml?cPath=7_337
(Dominator Headlight Mount Kit with 37mm mount brackets)

NOTE: You’ll need to switch out your stock fuse for the headlights/high beams with a 15 amp fuse. Otherwise these headlights will blow the stock fuse every time.
http://www.apelectric.com/0E7403C-Ge...-p/0e7403c.htm

The Dominator Headlights with Mounting Kit really worked perfectly. In the long run it even saved me some fabrication time in mounting the blinkers.



NOTE:
After installing the Dominator Headlights, I noticed large amounts of rust building on the screws and mount brackets from this kit only a week after installation. I got a can of Krylon Rust Tough Enamel spray, wire brushed off as much rust as I could then used this spray over all bolts, nuts and mounts for the Dominator Headlight mount.
Before installing the Dominator Headlights and mounts, I’d strongly suggest painting them with an anti-rust spray.


Dash Speedometer, Tachometer

First, I want to link the dash list found on the Custom Fighters forum:
http://www.customfighters.com/forums...ad.php?t=36363.
(Special thanks to Kaos on the customFighters.com forum for this list)
This list was very helpful in finding what I ended up using: Koso North American DB-01R Multi-Function Speedometer.

The first thing needed was the wiring readout on what wire went to what from the bike. Most images I found online were to pixelated to read clearly. So, I pieced together my own based off the user manual.




I first chose the SP7, 11K RPM LCD Blue Backlight Digital Odometer Speedometer Tachometer. It was far cheaper, and seemed like a good choice… at the time. I’d strongly suggest not to get the SP7! It is very cheaply made. After receiving the SP7, the entire assembly of the unit was very poor. To make things worse, the SP7 comes with NO ELECTRICAL CHARTS on what wires go to what! I wasted a few days trying to figure out which wire went to which on the bike….. Being someone who is new to bikes, and especially to bike electronics I gave up on this POS and returned it.

Next I almost got the Ninja 250r Koso RX-2 GP Gauge because it is 100% compatible with the stock ninja 250r 2008-2012 electrical adapter. This assembly will make things very easy for you (no wire connecting needed). But, I really didn’t like the look and bulky size of this speedo/tacho for the bike. I had a specific look I wanted to get from the dash, and the Koso RX-2 GP was just not it.

Next on the list was the Koso North America DB-01R Multi-Function Speedometer - BA018B00.
http://www.koso.com.tw/products-deta...id=292&lang=en
This baby was the perfect size, fit, and style for what I wanted! There is wire connecting work required in order to fit it to a ninja 250r, BUT the awesome thing is Koso knows what they are doing. They include an electrical readout of what each wire is. (unlike the SP7 POS) This made things so much easier to hook up. After a few hours of wiring I had this baby all connected correctly.



The speedometer magnetic sensor was also easy to install on the front tire thanks to useful instructions provided by Koso.





To get the Koso DB-01R mounted, I ended up using a stainless steel screw clamp. Not the most official way to attach the dash, but trust me, it’s done the job nicely. Before attaching the clamp I painted the part with the Krylon Rust Tough Enamel spray.
If you do the same, keep in mind these screw clamps will need tightening every few months. After a few years, I’d suggest replacing it as these can deteriorate over time.





Turn Signals

I first tried these turn signals:
2 Black LED Motorcycle Turn Signals Blinkers Front Rear Peg Amber Light Flush
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Black-LED-...item3f31040d37



Warning; these blinkers turned out to be not bright at all! Also, if any moisture gets into them, the LEDs cut out. I never even had the bike in any areas where they would get rained on, but living in the Northwest apparently took it’s toll on these little guys. Unless you live in a very dry environment, don’t order them, they may just cut out on you.

My second choice was to go with these LED blinkers, they go well with the Dominator Headlights and fitted easily to the mounting bracket:
DMP Turn Signal Long Stalk Black/Clear
http://www.motosport.com/motorcycle/...TH-CLEAR-CLEAR

In order to mount the DMP Turn Signals, I ended up just drilling a hole in the Dominator Headlight mounting bracket. The bracket is still solid and the bracket was fairly easy to drill through without any trouble.






Bar End Mirrors

Lock-tight on the bar end bolts has been the bane of my existence these last two weeks…
This page best describes the enemy you’ll face if attempting to remove your stock bar ends:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Removin...acing_bar_ends
(thank you ninja 250 riders club for all the helpful info!)

Even after attempting to heat the bolt with a torch, I ended up having to drill off the bolt ends, reheat the bar end bolts, then use a vise-grip lock wrench to SLOWLY twist these little bastards off. Once the bar end bolts were off, it was smooth sailing, but getting to this point was such a pain!

I painted the new bolts that came with the Universal Bar End Mirrors with the same Krylon Rust Tough Enamel spray before attaching the bar end mirrors. I applied some of my own (light amount) of lock-tight to the end of the new bolt before final assembly.




I ended up attaching the bar end mirrors without using any of the bar end mirror kit’s internal fasteners, and attaching the Bar End Mirrors to the far end of the bar. If the new bar ends were any further up the handle bars, the mirrors would come in contact with the gas tank when making a sharp slow turn.

Here’s the Universal Bar End Mirrors I ended up using:
http://www.d2moto.com/p-13852-univer...Fc1afgodJi0AEw


Anti-freeze tank

One additional small thing I changed was to paint the antifreeze tank black. I couldn't stand the white plastic sticking out on the bike. Surprisingly, the same Krylon Rust Tough Enamel spray worked perfectly on the plastic surface and has done extremely well so far!





She's finally done

Here's some more photos












I’m still learning a lot about bikes and bike maintenance. So far, I’d say I’m very happy with what I’ve been able to pull off on this 250.
Feel free to let me know what you guys think, if I made any mistakes, or any other feedback you might have!
Thanks again to the awesome info on this forum, Ninja250 Howto, and buddies that helped me gather a lot of this info and experience!

Cheers fellas!

[csmith12]

I dig the headlights.

[Chicagobob]

Excellent work! Looks super-clean. Will probably be mistaken for a Speed Triple.

[broken neck]

Nice job there...

I'll know what to do if I ever crash mine...

Just missing some clip-ons...

That look will make maintenance a breeze...

[Kscreations08]

I absolutely love the bike. Just one question. Why'd you keep the reflectors?

[ForceofWill]

I'd take the reflectors off. The tank is the main thing that bothers me with street fighter builds out of faired bikes. It's glareingly obvious that it's missing fairings with the tabs on the tank still there. If you plan on keeping it a fighter, I'd look into a body shop removing those tabs, smoothing the tank out and re painting it. Couldn't be too much for that one piece.

[Floki]

Area P headers would make the bike look super mean. Even on the faired ninjas I do not like the stock headers

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by Kscreations08

I absolutely love the bike. Just one question. Why'd you keep the reflectors?

Good question, I want to take off the reflectors but haven't done so yet. Not sure if WA requires reflectors to make it street legal. I'll look into this.
I agree though, reflectors need to go.

Originally Posted by ForceofWill

I'd take the reflectors off. The tank is the main thing that bothers me with street fighter builds out of faired bikes. It's glareingly obvious that it's missing fairings with the tabs on the tank still there. If you plan on keeping it a fighter, I'd look into a body shop removing those tabs, smoothing the tank out and re painting it. Couldn't be too much for that one piece.

Agreed, the tabs on the side of the tank also need to go. I'm still not 100% done with her, she still needs work. I'll have to find a shop close by that can remove the tabs and repaint the tank.

Originally Posted by Floki

Area P headers would make the bike look super mean. Even on the faired ninjas I do not like the stock headers

Area P headers would look sweet for sure, way better than the stock headers!


I've held off making further spendy additions to her (tank work, better headers) for a couple reasons. I've got a first service coming up for my 2013 Honda CBR500R ($350-$450), as well as service costs for this 250, so I have to watch my budget.
I'm also considering selling this 250 in the near future. It will be really hard to part with her, but I might be riding my 500R a whole lot more this next summer!