2006 Ninja 250r Came Home with Me. What a Ride.

The '95 GS is parked at the moment until I can rebuild the entire braking system. It looks to have all OEM parts on the bike. No kidding. It still rides and stops great but I don't want to take a chance on losing brake pressure on the hills I routinely ride on. There is the symptomatic brown sludge developing in the master cylinder reservoir so it is time.

In the meantime I have to have something with only two wheels to commute on since I have learned to love riding so much. It was a tough decision but I decided to go with a completely different bike at the other end of the spectrum. A Ninja with only 248 cc fits that bill nicely.

I love the economics associated with this bike. According to Shelter my driving history and credit rating continue to improve from a score standpoint and insurance, including medical, is only $13.00 per month. That does not include full coverage but I have less than $2 grand in the bike so that would not kill me to have to scrap it, although I would hate to lose a bike.

I acquired a 2006 in the blue. I hate the flames but the blue is growing on me. I wanted a Kaw' Green since I like bikes to have the "factory" color but evidently the green paint is worth more. :)

The good:

1. According to the odometer the bike only has 2,200 miles on it, and that is after the 60 mile ride home. If you triple that I still have a relatively new drive train;
2. I started the bike, rode it home and was able to stop when I got off the interstate;
3. She starts right up and idles right along;
4. Decent shape for a bike this age. There are some scratches from the mandatory drop, brush, whatever but the ten foot rule ensures this bike passes with flying colors;
5. Lots of power for a bike this size. I was surprised at how well it rode on the interstate at various speeds both in and out of traffic. While this was my first ever ride on a sport bike I did NOT notice any issues associated with commuting on a bike on the interstate. I may change my mind but I think it will do fine;
6. Everyone rants about the mirrors but they seemed fine. Again, miles may change my mind.
7. I love the sound of the stock exhaust. I seem to gravitate to bikes that make weird sounds.

The bad;

1. Unfortunately many do not take maintenance as seriously as others do. I intend to perform all the service maintenance. New pads, flush all fluids, valve clearance check, new chain, new cables(?), etc.;
2. The gas tank leaks - see more below;
3. The speedo cable was loose and fell out on the way home. :huh;
4. One allen head set screw is missing on the left bar. I had to stop a couple of times and tighten up the one bolt. I definitely have to find the torque value for these, pull and clean, install at correct torque with blue(?) loctite and find one of those black plugs;
5. As with the stock '95 GS pegs, I hate them. Why aren't all pegs made for someone with 13 EEE steel toes? Ridiculous;
6. The black pipes that runs from the carbs to the air filter are secured with a spring. They will not stay on and I believe contribute to some hesitation or sputter at higher rpm's. This has got to hurt my fuel mileage.

The gas tank - I have read of the recall on tanks leaking. When you put 2 gallons in this tank the gas pours out from under the fairing on the left side near the fairing bolt on either stand. I mean pours out. The description found on the 'net fits the problem with this bike very well. This is why I assumed the recall had never been performed. I don't believe it would be a petcock problem since 1 gallon of gas never shows a leak.


I checked with both the Kawasaki Customer Service line and a local Kaw' dealer and both said the recall had been performed on this bike in 2007. The dealer said they would be more than happy to look at it but that I am probably on my own. W/O starting all the "I'm gonna sue yer arse" is there some language I could use to get some momentum on this issue if it were found to be related to the recall problem? Is it possible the problem occurred again (I seriously doubt this.)? Is it possible someone dropped the bike and shoved the bolt through the side of the tank?


The Plan:

1. Gas tank - Get this fixed. If Kaw' will pay for it that's great. If not I will find a solution and fix the issue myself. A tank swap would tank little time;
2. Handle bars - Go through the bolts on the bars;
3. All other maintenance;
4. Begin commuting and determine stock performance;
5. Changes? Gearing to improve fuel economy, risers, larger windscreen, new grips?

I'll post pics soon. More on the maiden voyage later. Any help on the tank issue would be appreciated.

welcome to the world of economic bikes. I sold my st1300 and bought a 08 ninj aand loved it so much that i bought a 2002 ninja 250. They are great bikes. If someone told me in the beginning how cheap they were to run, i would have bought one in a minute. Tires last a long time, chain barely get worn, brakes are cheap, engines are cheap.

The valves on the pre gens are easy to adjust! They get 60-70 stock. With gearing you can hit 100. I plan on doin gthis mod once my chain and sprockets are worn. I actually got 89 on my 08 ninja.

I got a large touring windscreen on mine, with some faux leather saddle bags to hold stuff. It does great.
The tank.. you can fix it yourself or just buy one on ebay for cheap.

I'd ride one, but I don't like the sound of angry bees.

I owned a 2007 Kawi ZZ-R250 (EX250-H: Canadian spec Ninja 250) for several years and absolutely loved the Bike ... comfortable, fun and economical ... dead reliable too!

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did mine!

If you haven't already, you should amble over to http://www.ninjette.org/ . There's a certain amount of cross-pollination between them and ADV, so maybe you're there already. Nice bunch of folks for the most part, but ain't we all?

The first generation Ninja 250 was far superior to the second. It looked better, was more comfortable (it even had a real seat) a dual exhaust, and a centerstand. It also had better overall build quality. I have been told that Kawasaki made a lot more money on the '08 and up Ninja 250 than the older one.

I had an '07 Ninja 250, bought brand new. Unfortunately it was not comfortable enough for me to ride long distances. As for the flames, they come right off. The only stickers that do not come off are on the tank. Those are clear coated over.

Strangely enough, a 2007 EX250-F came home with me yesterday. It's my 15-year-old's first street bike.

Great deal at $1750, I think. 8400 miles, never dropped, only a tiny blemish here or there. Brand spanking new tires on it.

Today, Jr. and I went over the bike with a fine tooth comb. Changed oil, coolant, brake fluid F/R, serviced air filter, brakes, chain, etc.

I'm absolutely certain it's going to be a fantastic bike!

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the fuel tank is leaking because a PO put the wrong fairing screw in and punched a hole in the tank. The two fairing screws that mount to the tank were different lengths for a long time (fixed in 2007 I think) and if you got them backwards, one screw punctured the fuel tank. This is why it holds some fuel but then leaks like crazy when you fill it more.

You will probably need a moto-tank specialist to repair it, or get a new tank.

I think you can plug in your vin right here and check if there are any open recalls on your bike for yourself.

http://www.kawasaki.com/DefaultFram...SITE/VIVEHICLEINFORMATION/VICHOOSEVEHICLE.ASP

Pics.

Had a great ride around the Ridge yesterday afternoon. Basically running from the rain. it never did catch up to me. The bike runs good when you get in the 5 to 7,500 rpm range in 1 through 4 gears. Get on the highway in 6th and open the throttle and she wants to bog down. I assume this is related to either the gas level in the tank or the rubber hoses not being properly installed on the carbs.

I love the sound. It seems to smooth out when you get in the higher rpm's in all gears and quiet down a little. Maybe road noise is replacing the exhaust. This thing puts out the heat whether knees are tight or not!

It's interesting how sounds play such a huge role in the choosing of one's moto. I love all the clunkiness of the boxer's and can't stand the whine of a sport with no exhaust or the unbaffled roar of an HD. I can't think of a single person I have talked to that has not mentioned what it sounds like and whether they like the sound when speaking of their moto.

RYOR, different strokes and all that.

I love the economics. Did I mention insurance is $13.00 per month? I love this generation since it has a center stand. That is a must have for me if at all possible.

The factory touring screen puts the wind in my chest right at the xiphoid process, exactly where others have reported it as being. I hope to change it out. What windscreen do you recommend?

I have to rig up some saddlebags and do something with the seat and a lack of a rack. I am "talking" with Terry Adcox now regarding seating options. I wonder if I could swap some hardware from a bike with the separate pillion and go back to a single seat?

Thanks for the welcome.

I think I have checked that out already to a certain extent. I will look into asap. Thanks.

I agree on the first generation layout overall. Good news on the flames. I have never been crazy about flames on anything. Thanks.

Way to spend time with your son teaching him about maintenance and personal responsibility. Thanks.

That is what I have read on the 'net. Range is important to me so I have to get that addressed asap. I also don't want to have a bike burn to the ground. Thanks.

According to that site there are ZERO open recalls on my VIN. The Kaw CS people say the recall was performed in 2007. The dealer says the same and that I am probably on my own.

It is a guess but I think the recall was performed and then someone installed the wrong bolts, taking the new tank right back to square one. This is basically what LM posted above. I will get this addressed one way or another. Until then I can run a gallon at a time with zero issues but that is short term. :huh

The 2007 ZZ-R250 I used to own ... gawd this Thread is makin' me miss that Bike somethin' awful!

I love those integrated turn signals. Were the flames not used past '06?

ETA: Just realized that is not a Ninja. I love the looks of that bike. It must be a souped up model.