2008+ Ninja 250R Reliability
Our lil Ninjas have been out for over 6 months now.. And people are racking up the miles left and right on these guys both on the street and the track. So, I think now is a great time to talk about the short term reliability of these bikes, and any issues we have seen or heard about.
Below are the four main areas I usually see discussed, and if anyone has anything to add, by all means, please do so.
Transmission — I have seen very few transmission discussions that included any major issues. I do see a theme that the transmission is a tad wonky for the first 500-600 Miles, but once it breaks in all the issue go away. The issues I see discussed are False Neutral Between 5th-6th, and Jammed Positive neutral finders when you stop in any gear higher than 1st. However, Once you get about 500 miles on the bike these both seem to go away. As of now, I have only seen 1 mention of a bad transmission replaced under warranty.
Engine — I don’t think I have seen or heard about any engine reliability issues. There is some question out there how well the engine will hold up to the stock leanness, but even then the AFR’s are still within safe spec. So no one seems to be worrying..
Electrical — There are quite a few issues with pinched wires by the forks causing shorts and popping fuses during start. I have also seen one or two people that claimed to have bad stators (alternators) — but it was just questioned if they killed the battery being silly.
Etc — The only think that comes to mind is the whistling gas caps. Which isn’t really a reliability problem as much as it’s a nuisance. Chains, clutches, forks, suspension, brakes, etc. etc. just never seem to come up with issues.
Overall I’m really impressed with the short term reliability. Only time will tell tho how our lil Ninjas stand up to the rigors of time. But, considering the longevity of previous ninjas 250’s (all like 20 years of them) — and how much is shared with those generations of this bike — I think we might be in good shape.
Did I miss anything? Anyone have anything to add?
[UPDATES]
1. Tachometer inaccuracies — It is reported that heat can affect the accuracy of the tach.
2. Speedometer inaccuracies — Speedo’s are usually off about 10% (On the high side)
Michal Said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
Well, yes. As far as I am concerned, according to Kawasaki there is not even a one piece shared in both generations. ;->
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Terry Said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
I have had the transmission issue (http://forums.ninja250.org/viewtopic.php?p=684199#684199 - Invisible Neutral), it’s annoying. I have just learned to downshift while I am stopping, if not the bike seems to only go into 2nd or 3rd and that’s not a fun start on this bike.
I have had this issue (Odd Tachometer Behavior):
http://forums.ninja250.org/viewtopic.php?p=674315#674315
When I am going about 70-80 sometimes the tachometer will not be steady but “wobbly”
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Mr. 2Fiddy Said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Terry,
I added Tach and speedo issues to the “Updated” list… I was thinking about using them in the orginal post, but I’m still up in the air if they should be considered more “idiosyncrasies” than “reliability issues”… Know what I mean?
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ghillie Said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
I have the tach issues, both flutter between 4500-5000, and a difference in reading between cool ambient temps and warm ambient temps to the tune of about 1000-1200 rpm.
Also, currently my fuel gauge is not working, always reads empty. Just got my service manual yesterday, so I will troubleshoot that soon. It may be the float is bad, the arm is stuck in the down position (don’t think so because it quit working when the tank was full and the gauge read full). The electrics is bad in the float switch. The least likely problem I believe is the gauge is bad.
My Kawasaki dealer has retards in the service dept., so I will be my own warranty station for all the issues except really big major high dollar stuff.
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Terry Said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
I agree with what you are saying about the tach.
Just wanted to bring that up as something I found while searching the web for 250 information.
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Kirk Said,
July 8, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
Well I’ve got almost 5000kms on my bike in the last 7? weeks. The only issues I am having is one bolt that does not want to stay on (on the front fairing under the windshield, sorta above the fuel gauge), its almost like the fairing isn’t sitting properly and is constantly pulling up on the bolt.
A little silicone on the bolt threads (very little!) seems to be holding it there.
The other is the fuel guage, mine generally reads 1/4 tank left after using 10 litres of fuel (18 litre tank) so its not completely accurate.
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reddoak Said,
July 9, 2008 @ 12:39 am
I’ve had mine get hung up in higher gears when stopping. Letting the clutch engage very slightly seems to pop it over whatever it’s hung on, and I can shift it down to first from there no problem.
Once, and only once I’ve found a false nuetral between 5-6. I’m on it, I pull the shifter, I get back on it, and spin it right to redline almost instantly… without moving.
The only shifting issue I’ve seen multiple times is getting hung up in 2nd during a 2-3 shift. It doesn’t do it that often, but too often for me to like.
One other little comment: why the ^&*! can’t they make a gas gauge that reads as full when I fill the tank while it’s on the kickstand? It’s harmless but annoying to fill it up and read 3/4 tank. Retarded.
Other than those minor gripes, I’ve got about 2200 miles on it with no issues worth taking it to the dealer over.
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Phil Reply:
October 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Interestingly, all issues with the Honda CBR125R’s gearbox.
How odd.
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DJAZ Said,
July 9, 2008 @ 2:13 am
First off, I think that picture is hilarious!
As far as reliability issues, count me in with the tranny (ist lockout, 5-6 false neu.) issues. And with those who have seen them go away after:
1.Oil Change (synthetic)
2.600+ miles
3.New clutch cover and seals
Just stopped happening.
Kawi dealers want nothing to do with this issue (or any other, they are horrible so are suzuki) and won’t even admit anyone else has ever reported it. KawiForums suggest otherwise, with detail.
My only other problem is the ignition key spindle. It gets spun off its tumbler and you can’t start the bike. Sort of magically realigns after much turning of the bars full lock to full lock and back and twisting of the key in the spindle outside the tumblers. No, it is not the bar “lock” . It is some strange anomaly.
My left (clutch) clip-on (handlebar really) came loose twice. Strange.
And the speedo is about 10% optimistic. Which has probably saved my life a few times.
LOve this little bike. Best little bike EVER!
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Breanna Said,
July 10, 2008 @ 9:09 am
Hey - thanks for posting this info. I just got my Ninja a few months ago and thought I was doing something wrong when it was getting stuck in the wrong gear when I stopped sometimes. This is my first bike - so I wasn’t sure.
Great info. I check your blog several times a week - thanks so much. I’ve even bought things from your ads. Nice.
Keep it up.
Breanna
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Mr. 2Fiddy Said,
July 10, 2008 @ 9:24 am
Breanna:
When the bike gets stuck in gear — Rock it back and forth while tapping down on the shifter. Just be careful not to drop it! (It is kinda an awkward motion)
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Taufik from Indonesia Said,
July 10, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
Thks For The info man
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DJAZ Said,
July 11, 2008 @ 1:18 am
@Breanna: to avoid dropping it roll forward half-tire revolution while tapping down. That is normal for non-slipper clutch tranny’s. Which is most motorcycles out there. They all do that if you stop in a higher gear before it can fork into place. Downshift witout letting the clutch out before you stop if possible will prevent that.
The “defect” as I have experienced it is not downshifting at all or popping into the neutral finder when it should be in first. If you experience that change the oil.
did the trick for me.
Ride safe.
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Terry Said,
July 11, 2008 @ 11:00 am
I just found this link about a recall?
http://www.ninja250forum.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=407.0
They say you can check your bike by typing in your VIN here:
http://164.109.156.41/DefaultFrame.aspx?strContentURL=/SITE/VIVEHICLEINFORMATION/VICHOOSEVEHICLE.ASP
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Mr. 2Fiddy Reply:
July 11th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Hmm. I’m curious if this is front page worthy… Sorta big deal for the 498 people who might be affected..
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Terry Reply:
July 11th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
It’s your call -
I am going to send it to my buddy who has one and possibly post it on a forum.
I don’t know how valid it is. I’m sure you can dig up that information.
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
July 30th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I think this is what is wrong with my buddies bike. He took it to Kawasaki and they knew nothing about this. He’s got oil all over the bottom of his bike and we can’t seem to find where its coming from. How dangerous is that because of the oil getting on his back tire. Thanks for the heads up!
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Terry Reply:
July 30th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Glad I could help
I hope it all works out for your buddy.
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Chris Jennings Said,
July 16, 2008 @ 1:37 am
I have the same issue with the ignition. It gets hung up somehow after being in wheel locked mode and the key won’t go to the on position so you cannot start the bike. It took me and a friend over an hour of rocking the wheels back and forth while spinning the key assembly until it magically realigned itself and started.
Now I am afraid to lock the wheel anytime I stop when I am out somewhere for fear I will be stranded leaving my bike vulnerable to theft or other mayhem.
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Jasen Reply:
July 16th, 2008 at 9:25 am
This happened to me twice. First time it drove me nuts! Had to spin the silver part past “on” and all the way back around…not sure how this happened. You gotta get in the with a little flat head or use just the tip of the key to get it to spin. Once i got all the way around to the “lock” position it kinda popped into place like nothing ever happened!? The next time i knew what to do and it was an easy fix. This all happened in the first week or so of owning the bike. Never happened again?!
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Bryan Thornhill Reply:
July 30th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
This is a very common thing and not just with this bike. One must jiggle the handlebars slightly back and fourth when cocked to the right while you turn the key. The same thing when you take it out of the locked position. The mechanism just has to be coxed by the movement. I’ve been around all the different manufacturers bikes and some are more picky then others but I definitely have to do it with my 250R.
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Philly Said,
July 20, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
I’ve also experienced a false nuetral between 5th and 6th, only three or four times. Just reached 430 miles and will do a full synthetic change and see if it stops. Also chain loose and will need to tighten. Other than that, lots of fun for this new rider.
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Bryan Thornhill Said,
July 30, 2008 @ 8:49 pm
My buddies bike is leaking oil from somewhere around the bottom. He has 600 plus miles on it where he took it into the kawasaki shop where the mechanics drained the oil and took out the oil filter assembly. They inspected the o-ring and other stuff where they put it back together and said he was good to go. After riding it home there was oil again all over the bottom. Major bummer is the bikes only five weeks old. Its hard to tell where its coming from because when he’s ridding it that’s when it leaks. The wind flowing under the bike blows it all over the place so everything is coated. I will report back when we find out what it is.
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Julian Emmett Turner Reply:
August 17th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
According to the manual, they should be replaced any time they are removed, though my local Kawasaki service guys clearly didn’t. I asked them what O-Rings to buy and they couldn’t answer me that despite having just changed my oil (read the manual regarding oil changes). Instead, they insisted that I didn’t have to change them every time like the manual said… probably to cover for themselves and partly because the manual recommendation is a little excessive. Regardless, if the manual doesn’t give me any parts numbers or O-Ring sizes, who else am I supposed to ask than the people whop were supposed to do it?
Anyway, my point is that the rings are supposed to be replaced, not inspected. They must have oil applied before installation too. Hace him pressure for not doing what they were supposed to do.
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DJAZ Said,
July 31, 2008 @ 2:00 am
I think the ignition key issue strangely comes from locking the handle bars before you turn off the ignition and remove the key. I have found that keeping the bars perp when parked or locking after the key is removed has solved this problem.
Whenever someone else rides the bike, they surely do not do this, and, viola, I have to dick around with the key for 15 minutes to get everything aligned.
The spindle actually pops off the cam and is upside down on the tumblers, that means you can’t turn the key. Sort of an inverted bar lock. Which would be fine if the cam wasn’t uneven making the inversion a complete seizure. Ah, something to learn I guess….
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Mr. 2Fiddy Reply:
July 31st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Yeah — My primary key is faaaar from straight.. I found that opening the seat cowl is what really tweaks it since only the tip of the key goes in…
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Julian Emmett Turner Reply:
August 17th, 2008 at 11:59 am
How do you lock your handlebars after removing the key? If you mean, “put it back in and lock it,” you should have said so to eliminate confusion.
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DJAZ Said,
August 2, 2008 @ 1:24 am
HA! I managed to bend the living bejeezuz out of the key trying to free my helmet from the cowl.
It only took a second. I wouldn’t go so far as to describe this a “defect” rather just some cost cutting that requires precision to operate.
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Ideofeuteree Said,
August 3, 2008 @ 8:01 am
Thanks !
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Bryan Thornhill Said,
August 17, 2008 @ 2:18 am
My bike has 400 plus miles on it where it has developed a loud whistling noise coming from the front wheel. Some days it’s so loud I can hear it on the highway with my Area P exhaust screaming at full tilt. It is ear deafening where it sucks to even ride the bike. Took it buy our local pow-dunk Kawasaki dealership and the one mechanic can’t figure it out. He thinks it could be the unit that the speedo cable connects to down near the front axle but he can’t get to it until next week. Also my gas gauge is crap! It is so off and useless that I don’t even use it anymore. I just wish I had the old reserve switch that I’m used to. Between my gas cap making whistling noises and my front wheel problem my bike sounds like a freaking carnival ride. What a bummer !!!
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greenweenie Reply:
October 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
hey just read your post from back in august- I have the EXACT same issues with my new 08. 1100 miles. I get the gas tank/vent screem, and the front end noise (sounds like brakes hanging up on a warped rotors though…) and my fuel gauge is an f-ing joke! I say: recall that shit Kawasaki! besides those issues and the terrible stumbling under 6,000 rpm I love the little gal…
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bthornhill Reply:
October 16th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Does your front wheel noise stop when you apply the front brake? If it’s break squeal related it should stop when you apply the front brake. Also a warped front rotor could be the problem but to get one of those it would seem like you would have to be ridding down the highway and be dragging your brake for an extended amount of time and then get it wet. My problem started when my bike was new so we might have different problems. The noise from my gas cap drives me nuts as it buzz’s all the time. What a joke! Anyways I do still enjoy my bike but these are things that should not be happening.
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Courtney Said,
September 2, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
I have had a couple issues with my bike. It currently has 700 miles on it.
1st off, the ignition jammed with only 100+ miles on it, so they replaced the ignition box. Of course 5 guys at the dealer thought because I was a girl, that I just couldn’t get it started, so they all tried, and we’re surprised when they couldn’t get it to start either.
Again today, I just had to have my bike picked up because the key jammed again. The dealer said they have only heard of this, from the new 2008 250 Ninja. Really sucks, luckily I wasn’t too far.
I also have had the whistling gas cap, inaccurate tach, and unreliable shifting. Sometimes when I’m in neutral, I downshift to first to go, and the bike is stuck in neutral, this is actually really unsafe if you are about to pull out and now have traffic behind or infront of you. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the bike as a whole, but when you try to buy new, to avoid all of these problems it definitely sucks.
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Yeorwned Reply:
October 14th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I have a whistling gas cap but have never thought anything of it. Also down shifted to first at a stop watching it go past neutral only to find out it wasn’t in gear like you said…my neutral light only works about 40-50% of the time. Today, the transmission actually performed a feat of wonder when it popped out of gear while in 3rd. My hand wasn’t even on the clutch when it shifted into neutral @ 9000 RPM…
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Michelle Said,
September 3, 2008 @ 11:23 am
I have been having some of the same types of problems with mine. When I down-shift to stop it flashes past neutral on its way to first , but when I would slip the clutch to go to my surprise I was in neutral. Then when I pushed down on the shift lever it would finally downshift into 1st. It was really bugging me out for a while. I am a brand new rider and I thought I was doing soemthing wrong, but I guess it is kind of a common problem. I currently only have 350 miles on this bike and am wondering if this is something that tends to go away after you get more miles on this bike?
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Kosta Said,
October 15, 2008 @ 8:23 am
I have the following problem with my 250, and noone can help, maybe someone can suggest something?
When I go into high revs, near the red line, and then release the gas, the engine shuts off… never happens if I drive calmly, without going into high revs…, but as soon as I start reaching towards red line, the engine shuts off. In my dealership they don’t know what the problem is. Any suggestions?
Mileage is around 4k, and I have a Yoshimuro exhaust tip installed.
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