Ninja 250

[wannabeninja]

Hey everyone... I don't have a bike yet, but I am looking for a first. Does anyone have any personal info on this bike? I am a big fan of the Ninja family... I have sat on most all of them (except the 750) and I think the 650 and 250 are the most comfortable. Please let me know what you know about these. I am going to get the 250 first, but eventually, I would like a 650. Thanks for any info you may have, and have fun riding... I'll be there soon.

 

[MojaveFJR]

Great starter bike. Look on craig's list and pick up a used one. Most likely you will have this bike 6 mos to a yr, then turn it over. Just ride it. Don't BLING it, just ride it.

Now, becareful when you step over to the 650. WHOLE different animal.

Good luck and thank you for making the smart choice. All too often I see people jumping on those friggin liter bikes and... well you know the rest of the story.

 

[madmike2]

The current issue of Motorcyclist has an article on the 250. They like it a lot, as long as you are not tall. Its a great bike and will teach you more about technique than any of the "bigger" bikes.

 

[fsubetcha]

I've ridden my buddy's 250 on the road and at track day.

It's zippy in the turns but doesn't stand a chance on the straights.

Loves to run at high rpms and max'd about 95 mph.

It's comfortable and responsive. Simple and easy to ride.

Today, his 105 pound wife and sons ride it.

The 250 is great starter bike. Buy used.

 

[Silent]

I've got a Ninja 250 sitting next to my FJR. Love the Ninja, but it aint no FJR! The 250 is an excellent starter bike, or refresher bike for those comming back to riding from a long stint out of the seat. Plenty of power if you flog it right, and decent seating position. Vibrates a bit, but its got to be run in the 9k+ range to make decent power, and it loves that rpm range. Redline is 14k btw, and you can bounce off the rev limiter all day long.

Check out Ninja250.org excellent info there to be sure.

Did I mention my Ninja 250 is for sale?

 

[Tenchi]

Hi,

The 250 Ninja is a great bike. I've had the opportunity to test ride one, and they're lots of fun, especially for a brand new rider - lightweight, decent acceleration, don't cost an arm and a leg, and they're pretty good bikes.

HOWEVER... they are still just 250's. If you get this bike, you'll have a lot of good times and great fun on it, but you'll probably be left wanting more after 6-9 months. They don't have the get up and go that a bigger bike has, and they bog down under 6500-7000 RPM. They have a high revving small parallel twin engine so they sound like a bee farting most of the time, and they don't have a huge amount of torque because... well... it's a 250.

Servicing is quite cheap, selection of tyres is quite good. At 60 mph (our freeway limits in Australia) it was revving a little but had plenty to go. Top end, compared to the Ninja650, is quite lacking, but you get that with a 250. Economy was quite good too - I milked around 280-300 mi out of the one I was riding before it needed gas (ran it on 95RON fuel).

They're small too - I'm 5'11"-6'0", and I was towering over the bike.

The Ninja 250 is a bike I would buy for a 6 month run on bikes before I upgraded to a new bike. Upgraded doesn't necessarily mean that I'd get rid of it either.

I don't have any riding experience with the ER-6F (Ninja650 equivalent in Australia) but I was looking at buying one when I started considering a second bike. They're light, easy to handle compared to some of the larger bikes, fun to ride but have a low top end compared to some of the other bikes out there.

I didn't like the delivery of the power, which like the Ninja250 bogs down a bit at the lower revs but really kicks in as you rev it out, and as such it fell off my radar for potential bikes. When i was asking around about people that owned them, they said they were great little bikes but sometimes left you wanting more. ECU mods and such help there.

One of the guys also said that they've got a weird buzzing rattle that happens at certain revs - adding the appropriate rubber mounts fixed his problem and cost him next to nothing. Apparently the exhaust note sounds pretty bad too, so most Aussie ER-6F/N riders switch the exhausts at the first opportunity they get too.

The ER-6F/Ninja650 is a bike I would buy after the Ninja250 if I enjoyed my experience on the 250.

Hope this helps. Both are excellent bikes based on well tested designs and knowledge, so either way you'll have a great bike.

EDIT: as fsubetcha mentioned, they're great in the turns. I was absolutely owning a ZX-12R through the turns because of the weight, but he was killing me on the long straights .

 

[wannabeninja]

Thanks alot everyone. I saw alot of you saying that it is not made for people of large build... thats great for me, because I am pretty compact.

Thanks again. This is probably going to be my first. Lookin forward to posting all my adventures here!

 

[Tenchi]

Yeah, definitely the Ninja 250 then. I bought a ZZR250, which is the Sport-tourer version (that they apparently don't make anymore) with a few differences to the new Ninja 250.

If you don't want to spend that much money, a good GPX250 will do just as good a job as the Ninja250 and won't cost nearly as much. But again, if you've already considered that, then go the Ninja.

 

[wannabeninja]

Yeah, definitely the Ninja 250 then. I bought a ZZR250, which is the Sport-tourer version (that they apparently don't make anymore) with a few differences to the new Ninja 250.
If you don't want to spend that much money, a good GPX250 will do just as good a job as the Ninja250 and won't cost nearly as much. But again, if you've already considered that, then go the Ninja.

GPX250? Never heard of it... is it a Yamaha?

 

[Tenchi]

Yeah, definitely the Ninja 250 then. I bought a ZZR250, which is the Sport-tourer version (that they apparently don't make anymore) with a few differences to the new Ninja 250.
If you don't want to spend that much money, a good GPX250 will do just as good a job as the Ninja250 and won't cost nearly as much. But again, if you've already considered that, then go the Ninja.

GPX250? Never heard of it... is it a Yamaha?

OOooh... them fighting words for any Kawasaki lover.

https://www.250ccbikes.com/kawasaki-gpx250.html

The GPX250, ZZR250 and (I'm not sure about this) the ZX2R - the old and possibly current Ninja250 - all used very similar components. As such, if you go to the Ninja250 wiki mentioned earlier in the page it will have general information on the ZZR250 (EX250), the GPX250 and the Ninja250 (most pictures will probably be the GPX250 or Ninja 250 though).

If you thought of the Ninja250 as a race bred supersport machine, and the ZZR250 as a slow but steady sport tourer, the GPX250 would be the in-between road going machine with get-up-and-go if you push it. Generally it's about $1k cheaper than the Ninja's brand new (in Australia), has been using the same design for about 20 years, has slightly different tyres (16" instead of 17" from memory), the adjustable knobs that you find everywhere on the ZZR250 aren't there anymore, plus a few other things. Great bikes - I test rode a few but since I do a lot of long distance riding I went for something more comfy.

In Australia, most people don't go for the ZZR250 as they're harder to ride than the GPX250, basically the same price as the Ninja250, and until very recently the Ninja250 wasn't even available as an option. Now the Ninja250 is what you buy if you have more money, and the GPX250 is what you buy if you want to splash out on safety gear instead.

But that's Australia, things may be different in your area.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

We, in the U.S.A., never got the ZZR250 (Canada did). Kawasaki is seriously bound by the price-tag on any 250cc bike in America. As good as a 250 Ninja is -- as good as many will ever need, imo, most Americans will only buy a cheap 250 (if they'll buy one at all?).

 

[DonRed7]

I was sooo close to getting the 250 for my boys to start out on. Awesome new styling and Kaw dropped the price point through the floor (i'm shure there's alot of pissed zzr250 guys out there). At the last min i changed my mind and went with the GS500F. I think the Zuki will be a more comfortable learning machine and still keep the HP #'s at a relatively safe level (yes i still remember when i was 16). They have been riding dirt since 2004 and i was nervy that they would become bored with the 250 too soon and not appreciate it for the neat little carving tool that it looks like.

Went in to look at it (the GS) last weekend and it's a nice little bike but the rider pegs have to go, they look like 5lb slabs of rubber....Huge freaking things they are.

So maybe check out the GS

cheers

-Don

 

[Geezer]

One of my daughters rides a Ninja 250. As others have said, it is a great bike for a beginner and overall a good bike for anyone on a tight budget. Most of the technology is old, especially the suspension, and that explains the price. It does not use radial tires and tire choices are limited.

The '08 is a new model with better looks and some engine improvements.

 

[DonRed7]

BTW wannabe,... how old are ya' and wondering how you landed here on a ST site while looking for "first bike info"

Welcome to the insanity of course :dribble:

-Don

 

[Tenchi]

I was sooo close to getting the 250 for my boys to start out on. Awesome new styling and Kaw dropped the price point through the floor (i'm shure there's alot of pissed zzr250 guys out there). At the last min i changed my mind and went with the GS500F. I think the Zuki will be a more comfortable learning machine and still keep the HP #'s at a relatively safe level (yes i still remember when i was 16). They have been riding dirt since 2004 and i was nervy that they would become bored with the 250 too soon and not appreciate it for the neat little carving tool that it looks like.
Went in to look at it (the GS) last weekend and it's a nice little bike but the rider pegs have to go, they look like 5lb slabs of rubber....Huge freaking things they are.

So maybe check out the GS

cheers

-Don

Yeah, it pushed the price of my bike down unfortunately but hey, I'm still getting more than I paid for my bike when I sell it. The ZZR250 and the Ninja250 are two different bikes though... same inspiration, different results.

Just as a note on the GS500(F) - The GS500 (naked) is the standard 250cc+ instructor bike here - I know at least 2 city based motorcycle schools use them here. They won't outrun ANYTHING on the road apart from the 250's, but they're so easy to ride and rider friendly that they truly fit the beginner class bike. They don't look half bad either. I will probably grab a few lessons before I head over to the U.S. (so I don't waste the $60+ I spent getting a >250cc riding permit for Australia) and it will most likely be on one of these.