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.
Looking to do some painting on your Ninja 250R? Or do you just need some touch up paint for a cracked faring or from some love bug destruction… Have no fear, Color Rite has you covered. They offer all the colors for a stock bike (Including Wheels and Frame) and have them available in sizes ranging from a touch-up pen to a full quart.
Take note tho… All of us crazy cats with Candy Plasma Blue -or- Passion red need a base coat as well to get the match done right. So if you plan on painting your chain guard or some of the plastic insets — make sure you do it right and get both colors to match.
Manufacture: Color Rite
Products: Link
Price: $15-$150
Since the Ninja 250R is a very popular first bike for many riders, there might be a few tools that you don’t know about That can really help you out.
The First MUST HAVE is a solid mechanics stool. This will keep you off the ground and off your knees. Most importantly, it’ll keep your arms at project level so they don’t get fatigued while working. This guy is perfect for working on Motorcycles, ATV’s, Quads, Scooters, etc.
As an added bonus, make sure you buy one with a parts tray. This way, as you take off nuts and bolts, you have a place to put them so they don’t get misplaced. I personally like one with 2 trays.. I have one tray to keep tools, and one to keep parts.
You can pick a craftsman one up at Sears (see picture) for about $80 — Or you can find they at most home improvement and auto-parts stores for ~$40.
Trust me. They are worth every penny.
Looking for some parts diagrams of your 2008 Ninja 205R? No problem. Kawasaki has an awesome online parts diagram database online for everyone to see.
And if you find yourself spending lots of time on that page, you should probably just order the Service manual directly from Kawasaki’s website:
Part Number: 99924-1391-01
Price: $59.99
One of the first things that most Ninja 250R Riders notice (and freak out about) is the tendency of this motorcycle to make an odd screeching, beeping, buzzing, whining type sound.
Whats funny is that this sounds like a warning buzzer, and I have heard people think it is everything from a neutral warning, shift Warning, bad break pads or overheating warning. (Mainly because the sound happens when you’re accelerating, decelerating or breaking forcing the gas to slosh around) The truth it, it’s the gas vents for the cap, and this is a well known Kawasaki trait that has happened for generations of bikes and is nothing to worry about.
Daesharacor from Kawi Forums came up with a very nice maintenance spreadsheet to help keep track of the needed maintance for the ‘08 Kawasaki Ninja EX250/250R.
Even better it’s on google docs, so you don’t need to worry about loosing it the next time the ol’ hard drive crashes.
Google Document Link
Microsoft Excel .xls
Adobe PDF
Thanks Daesharacor!
It seems that no matter what Internet forum, sales person, mechanic, or pet you ask — everyone has a different opinion about how to properly break in your engine. There are lots of interesting articles out there that outline the many techniques, but first — lets go over Kawasaki’s.
From Page 44 of the manual:
The first 1,00km (1,000 Miles) that the motorcycle is ridden is designated as the break-in period. If the motorcycle is not used carefully during this period you may very well end up with a “broken down” instead of a “broken in” motorcycle after a few thousand km.
The following rules should be observed during the break-in period:
0-800km (500 Miles) Maximum 4,000 RPM
800-1600km (500 - 1000 Miles) 6,000 RPMDo not start moving or race the engine immediately after starting it, even if the engine is already warm. Run the engine for two to three minutes at idle speed to give the oil a chance to work up into all the engine parts.
Do not race the engine while the transmission is in neutral.
This is sound advice. Kawasaki has many bikes on the road for thousands of miles from people following the manufacture recommended break-in. And, if you do not know what you’re doing, FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURES INSTURUCTIONS!
But, there is a lot of talk about the MotoMan Method. After reading it, the guy makes quite a few decent points. However, beware… It is drastically different from what Kawasaki recommends, and of course, can end badly.
If you’re still not sure about how you plan to break-in your new Ninja here are some links to help:
Short Answer: Not Diesel
Long Answer:
A few people have seen the sticker on the bottom of their Ninja 250R seat that says:
FUEL: RESEARCH OCTANE NO. (RON) 91 MIN.
This is a little confusing since in America most of us have never heard of RON, and can easily assume that it means ‘Octane‘.
RON = “Research Octane Number”
MON = “Motor Octane Number”
If you take the average of the two, you get Octane. Page 32 of the Manual says “Use clean fresh unleaded gasoline with a minimum Antiknock Index (Octane) of 87″ — So, the good ol’ “cheap stuff ” (Use ‘Cheap’ losely there) should be fine.
*Note: If you are experiencing Knock — Refer to Page 33 of the Manual.
