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.
Guys… The Rumormill is Swirling… Searches for “2009 Ninja 250R” landing here are up 300% in the last 2 days…
I called my dealer and they said they heard July 2008. Called another Dealer and they said Aug 2008. None of which could comment on if they know of any changes. Neither of which have received a 2008 in over a month…
Anyone got any inside information? I’m sure some dealer out there has some information on when they will start to arrive. I’m just not getting my hopes up (yet) — Because if it was too be arriving soon, I’m sure that Kawasaki would update their website.. But I’ll keep watching — and if anyone hears anything — make sure you drop us a line over here!
So, I noticed this month that lots of “Letters to the Editor” of the major bike magazines had lots of chatter about the Ninja 250R (mainly because it’s been about 3 months since all the reviews… ) — And quite a few people were picking on the 250R for the published “low” fuel economy numbers, considering MPG’s are one of the main selling points for a 250. Most magazines saw between 45-50MPG.. (still pretty impressive…)
First a few things about the Magazine Reviews: Their bikes were non broken in brand new bikes. And I can say from experience, the first ~500 miles on the 250R you see in the 40-50 Range. Also, most of the riding from the reviews was very spirited “Lets ring this suckah out!” review riding.. Which of course will be lower than the avg riders daily sprint around town. So, I’m pretty sure these published numbers a waaaay off (and thats from my personal experience…)
In addition, Kawasaki added a new MPG Page to their site listing the Ninjette @ 61MPG. I haven’t seen 61MPG.. with ~1000 miles on the ODO — I got 57MPG last take. And that was with mostly 55MPH around town stop and go riding. (This is also on a Jetted Bike…)
So please - My fellow 2Fiddyr’s — Post up in the comments what your real world MPG’s are, what your mods are, mileage, and what your riding environment/style is… And for our International readers — Chime in! Tell us what the FI models are doing!
Yay! Finally! There are officially official flush mount turn signals for the Ninja 250R! These popped up this weekend over at BikeLitez. Few specifics about the kit are available (ie. Do you need to cut into your plugs… Do you need a blink fix.. etc. etc.) But for $55 — it might be worth a set to see how they work out.
Price: ~$55.00
URL: BikeLitez.com
Last week, I posted about some of the goodies from Japan from K-Factory. Their slip-on exhaust was received with mixed reviews on it’s blued titanium look.. But now we have some sound clippage to go with the look…
Personally, I don’t think it sounds unique enough to stop everything and run out and buy it. But then again, I guarantee you’ll be the only cat in town with one of these guys on your Ninja 250 if you were able to pick one up..
Opinions? Thought?
I have been getting quite a bit of emails from people asking about 2Fiddy Tshirts, stickers, and lots of other promotional crap…
So, I’m trying to get and idea on if anyone would be interested in doing any of the following:
Possible Options:
1. Purchasing some sorta Ninja 250R Tshirt… (All Proceeds to go to some sort of charity) — Keeping in mind it will be ‘unofficial’ because I don’t need Kawasaki to have any more reason to sue me..
2. Having a Design Contest for a Ninja 250 Tshirt, where the winner gets some sort of prize…
3. Or, Just buy white tshirts and draw on them with a sharpie… Perhaps break out the Be-Dazzler.. Even the glitter paint.. Make sure we add some sort of witty slogan on the back about how ‘the bi*** feel off’…
4. None of the above. This is a stupid idea…
What do yah think? I’m really open for any ideas right now… So hit up the comment form below with any ideas or suggestions, or just to say you’d be interested…
We here at 2Fiddy.com love all things 250… It really is a great number. And when I saw this thread over at KawiForums It only felt right that we took some time out of our day to check out the United Motors V2S-250R.
The UM’s are imported from Korea (And seem to be just rebadged Hyosung’s) — but are a lil more readily avialable (ie. Not as many waiting lists), and tend to go for about 500 - 1000$ less than a Ninja 250R.
But, That Aside, this is still a decent first bike for those on budget, or those that are stuck on a Ninja Waiting list just looking for any small cc starter bike.
So, What do y’all think about this lil guy?
Here is a video of a completely stock Ninja 250R running through the gears.. It’s pretty good quality, and gives a great example of the scoot that the lil 250 Has. This rider being about 140lbs tops out at about 110mph.
Now, if someone can make a video of a nicely modded 250R doing the same thing, we will send you some of the finest meats and cheeses…
I have been watching the Galfer website like a hawk recently waiting for them to release the part numbers for pre made stainless braided brake lines for the 2008+ Ninja 250R… Still no luck, but I saw over at kForums that they have released part numbers.
Stainless brake lines are a great upgrade — not just for the track monkey — but also for the typical canyon killer. By upgrading to stainless lines your brakes will become more predictable. As you use your brakes, and the brake fluid heats up — the OEM rubber hoses will start to expand and can lead to braking fade and spongy leavers. By replacing the lines, you eliminate this expansion making the braking feel and response much more linear.
Note: Galfer doesn’t sell direct. So please contact one of their distributors to order.
Manufacture: Galfer
Price: ??
Part Numbers:
Front Line: FK003D674
Rear Line: FK003D674R
One of our 2Fiddy readers Mark sent me over some pictures of him on his new 250, and it’s looking good. I really like this picture to the right because it is a great size reference for riders. Mark is about 5′8″ / 200(ish) pounds — and as you can see — the bike is a really good fit.
In addition to stopping for a few mins for a quick snap shot — Mark is doing a good job getting some nice Ninja footage up on YouTube. Make sure you check it out.
Marks Mods:
Area P Carbon Fiber Exhaust
GLSIGNS Ebay Wheel Stripes
Competition Werks Fender Eliminator
If you have pictures, and would like to have them included on 2Fiddy.com, just shoot me a message @
