Kawi Ninja 250 2005

[RagingMain]

Hey Guys
Any experience with one of these???
My son is coming out to live with me and I thought this would be a good starter bike for him.
The one I am looking at only has 800 miles, so it will need the normal fluid change stuff.
$1200
Any particular issues this bike might have???
Cheers

 

[maleko89]

Fargo, I found this: http://www.epinions.com/reviews/2005_Kawasaki_Ninja_250R

Glad to hear your son is coming to live with his old man. Have fun!

 

[eatatjoz]

You may end up riding it as much as him. The little things are FUN!
I've had two and I'm chopping one up right now. No issues other than the normal maintenance that I've found. They're almost bullet-proof.

 

[FREERIDER]

Thats the bike I see most people using as a starter bike. Thats sweet your getting your son. Ive recently got my two littlens. After I get the Max back up and going Im gonna try and build a SideCar for it so we can roll. Not sure of the legality's of two kids in the sidecar but I dont care. We'll be rolling together and thats what I want.
Back to your son riding with you, NOTHING BETTER. Some my fondest memories with my Dad was going out and riding with him, hearing what he had to say and learning from him. My signature on here is something he said to me one of the first times we went out when we each had new bikes and were riding together again.
That the stuff memories are made of.:clapping::clapping:

 

[Mr. Pickles]

I had one and commuted on it for several years. Unless your son is short, go with the EX500. The 250 has a lower seat height but turns very high RPMs at highway speeds. Traveling any distance on one can be tiring.

The are easy to maintain. Valve checks are the big thing..I think those are every 8k? Mine wasn't out of spec til the 20k mark.

They are peppy for a 250 but that's not saying much. The 500 is a bit faster, but IMO, it's just as new rider friendly because of the way it builds power.

 

[RagingMain]

Going to go look at it in about an hour or so.
Might be adding another bike to the stable unk:

I am very happy my son is coming out. Little nervous as well but that is to be expected. It has been a long fight to get him out here.
I think her exact quote was, the ex that is, "When hell freezes over"

Plus my Fiance is learning to ride, got some pics of her practicing on a little Suzuki 200 dual sport. Pretty soon the whole family will be riding.

 

[RagingMain]

Here is a pic of the bike

It needs carb work and has been dropped, small rash on right fairing and needs new right front turn signal. Looks like the tank has some cosmetic scratches that could be covered with a tank protector.
Brakes are good, rides straight.
He is pretty firm on the $1200
What do you guys think

 

[Mr. Pickles]

carbs on those are a piece of cake. $1200 is a good deal. Esp given that you can fix it, let your son ride it around til he wants something else, and sell it for $2000.

 

[RaWarrior]

Ya, you can do a carb rebuild in like 15 minutes for that and they're really easy. No big deal there. Just ebay a carb rebuild kit, or even try a can of seafoam to see if that helps if maybe it's been parked a while.

As long as it rides straight, wouldn't worry too much about it being dropped.

I'd say $1200 is a fair price for what you're getting, maybe $1500 if it was in perfect shape.

The downside to those is they're not very "city friendly", as in the engine has NOTHING in the low end, so they're kinda tedious in stop-and-go or slow moving traffic. You really gotta get the RPM's up to do much of anything, and one of my friends reported they turn like 8-9000 RPM on the highway so I imagine that would get old kinda fast for extended trips.

If you're looking for a bike in the $1-1500 range, try to find one of the 80's Honda V4's. The Honda V30(500cc) was a phenomenal engine with very surprising power for it's size...think it was rated at like 65hp. It would kick the crap out of the 250. Still, it had a lot of low-end torque and was very easy to ride. 6 speed also. The Magna V30 was that engine in a "standard" frame, while the "baby Interceptor" had that same engine in a sportbike frame. The V30's escaped the common problems of the V45s and V65s like cam oiling issues and a few electrical bugs.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

IIRC, 55mph was 7000 rpms.

 

[Jdk203]

IIRC, 55mph was 7000 rpms.

Wow and I don't like the R's my max does :rofl_200:

No experience with the Ninja but another starter bike to look for is the 250 rebel my mother in law rides one and its been good to her. :confused2:

 

[RaWarrior]

The Rebel is a more "rider friendly" bike, but it is gawd-awful slow. Rode with one once and he was pretty much tapped out to keep up on the highway, and fell behind on any sort of grade. Don't even want to think about his 0-60 time, had to be over 10 seconds.

I tell ya, the Honda V30 is the perfect beginner bike. Controllable, easy to ride, yet surprisingly powerful once the revs get up past 8 grand or so, redlines at 11,500. Would cruise at 90 on the highway without too much issue, do 75 all day long no problem. Topped out at about 115 or so.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

The Rebel is a more "rider friendly" bike, but it is gawd-awful slow. Rode with one once and he was pretty much tapped out to keep up on the highway, and fell behind on any sort of grade. Don't even want to think about his 0-60 time, had to be over 10 seconds.

I tell ya, the Honda V30 is the perfect beginner bike. Controllable, easy to ride, yet surprisingly powerful once the revs get up past 8 grand or so, redlines at 11,500. Would cruise at 90 on the highway without too much issue, do 75 all day long no problem. Topped out at about 115 or so.

I remember a road test of gas sipping motorcycles put out by Motorcyclist a year or 2 ago. The rebel 250 was featured. I think the 0-60 was 13-14 seconds.

 

[KJShover]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkqDzeCVkX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jlzKWAnQzI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4dhIaMY2Pw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IoFtOuZHVw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lam_T3bDcBk&feature=related

 

[RaWarrior]

HAH! My Briggs and Stratton powered minibike puts out more torque....15ft/lbs! Guess that explains the rather crappy low- end performance. Seem to remember the Magna rated at 65hp and 33 ft/lbs.

Still, a good beginner bike, and as noted in the video they hold their value well since they're highly sought after (especially used) as a beginner bike.

I'd steer clear of the Hyosung. Everything I've heard says quality just isn't quite "there" yet, and parts are rather difficult to find since there are so few dealers. Having experience with "off brand" Asian vehicles, I can attest that quality often leaves a lot to be desired. The couple hundred in MSRP savings isn't likely to be worth the overall inferior bike quality.

 

[KJShover]

Hopfully they'll get that hyosung right. its a good looking ride. What got my attention is "not changing a thing" in 20 years until the redesign in 08. Kinda reminded me of another bike :biglaugh:

 

[RaWarrior]

I agree with you there, the Hyosung does have a nice look. Their cruiser style looks kinda like the Vrod, but IMO better, more stylish. The sportbikes have an almost Ducati look to them but distinctive enough to be set apart. Unfortunately when you take a closer look things like spotty welds, poor fitting, rattle-y body panels and cheap plastics become apparent. As noted in the video a brand new bike was already showing rust spots in screws, indicating they use cheaper grades of steel. Something I like about the Vmax is there's extremely little plastic on it, basically just the front fender and rear duck-tail, and I suppose the flyscreen. Compare that to say, the Suzuki M109, which has great sprawling acres of plastic all over it just asking to crack or break at the first accidental impact or bump.

Too bad the biggest engine they offer is a 650, though it's rated at a respectable 66hp. I think that's about on-par with a Harley 1200. Even the johnny-come-lately Korean bikes can double HD's displacement-to-power figures. Now what's that say about their engine quality? Guess all that "tuning for sound" Harley does doesn't come cheap.

Give it another couple years and I bet we'll start seeing a lot more of them around. I believe I've only seen one once on the road and several other times in want ads or craigslist. Kia and Hyundai went from no-name p.o.s econo-boxes to very respectable, high quality cars within what, like 10 years or so?

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Kia/Hyundai is the Honda of the 80s. While Honda has its fair share of issues now (notably transmission issues in its manual cars) people would think you were off your rocker if you mentioned Honda having cars in the 35k-40k range back 15 years ago.

As for the power output of the Harley 1200, that's not apples to apples. People aren't buying HDs for peak HP or even for performance (I include Vrod shoppers in that) They want something with lineage, a look, a feel, and a marquee.

Anyone buying a Harley for performance is kidding themselves or a very uneducated buyer, neither of which Harley loyalists would claim as brethren. I've never owned a Harley (minus the 97 Buell S1 lightning I owned) but I can certainly see the appeal. I don't care for some of the HD folks I've met. They're like Ducati owners without the polish but with 3 times the uppity level.

What I ride doesn't define me. I'm just a person who rides. I have no attitude and don't care who makes the bike I'm on. Hell, I ride a Honda scooter more than I ride my motorcycle. That's humbling!

 

[RaWarrior]

I know HD buyers aren't out there for power, speed, or handling. Seem to remember one telling me once he bought the bike to "enjoy" it, as in enjoy knowing he owns a Harley, buying HD merchandise, and telling other people about his "hog". Though imagine if the entire HD lineup was removed from the market for a year and re-released under a totally different brand name. I bet sales would drop 50%. People pay $5k for the bike, and $15k for the "Harley Davidson" badge on the tank, with an optional additional $5k for some saddlebags and a stereo.

Just kinda funny that a Korean 650cc v-twin puts out the same power as a Harley twin of nearly double the size.

I put probably nearly as many miles on my 10hp minibike as I do my Max. The Max goes on rides or any trip not just "around town". For sheer joyriding in the evening around quiet Adirondack towns, the minibike can't be beat. Smooth, fairly quiet, automatic, ultra easy to ride. People either seem to see it as a triumph of shadetree construction, or an absolute abomination to the sport of motorcycling. People have asked me "what is it?", as in what brand it was. "Custom homebuilt", and I really don't care whether they think it's totally cool or a redneck ride, or both.

 

[4gasem]

Awesome beginner bike... Honda CB-1.

400 inline 4.