Ninja 250 Any input?

gnarshread

gnarshread

Been Around the Block
Sometime in the near future I'm going to go look at a 1999 ninja 250 for a friend who wants to get into bikes. Dose anyone here have any input on any issues I should be aware of specific to this bike? If I go Jap I go Honda so am a but unfamiliar with Kawaks! Any advice would be great.
 
They've been around since Christ was a carpenter, so they're fairly well sorted out mechanically. The only issue a buddy of mine had with his was with the screws that hold the fairing to the tank. There's a washer that needs to be there before you tighten the screws up. If you forget/lose the washer, and bottom the screw out, it will punch through the tank. Most people will try to JB weld or silicone the hole but it will eventually start leaking. I don't recall if you can see it from inside the tank (I think you can), but look for signs of leaking fuel and/or lean it over enough to "cover" the bolt and check for leaks.
Most people don't sell bikes with full tanks anyway, so this is something that you wouldn't notice until after the sale and you fill the tank.
 
Even with a lil work like cleaning or new tires the bike is a great starter bike and can get most with at a good price !
 
The Ninja250 is the modern CB350. Cheap, easy to ride, crazy reliable (as long as its been well maintained), and kind of boring once you get used to it. That said its about the perfect starter bike.

Make sure to look for the usual bike stuff... Fork seals, bent/cracked mag wheels, shoddy electrical fixes etc...
 
My first bike was a 2004 Ninja 250 got it used with 300 miles and i rode it 100 miles a day to work and back Full Throttle for the duration i had it...I noticed the Bolts holding the rearsets on would loosen and fall out while i rode it... Went to down shift one day and the whole assembly Moved causing it not to shift properly....That being said check for missing rearset bolts
 
Recently bought my son one to learn on. Wicked reliable. But a cold natured SOB. Really soft rear suspension, built for a smaller rider.
 
Yeah they've got a souless engine, 'thrashy but gutless' a mate descried them as. Very good learner bikes though and a hoot to punt thrugh traffic. Set the rear shock up for max preload unless you're 5'0" and 100lb, check the tyre pressures are correct and perhaps run 2psi over front and rear unless you're the aforementioned build. I generally run the 'pillion' pressures in my bikes as they respond well.

Part of the reason I like smaller bikes is you really can give them a good fanging. My little CBR125R probably has 3hp up from stock (for a total of 12hp) and makes it all at 10k - heaps of fun around town!

- boingk
 
So, I had a look at the thing last night. I got shown in by a very interesting gentleman who "tunes fox bodies" Something tells me by the contents of his driveway that auto zone is his main source of parts.
First of all the bike is going for 1K. Here are the issues I see.

First off the bat the fairing is held together with zip ties. My new friend claimed that we could just melt the plastic back together and paint it with a rattle can to make it look good ad new. Facepalm!

The sprockets and chain are toast.

The rear shock was making some very interesting sounds when testing it. Mr Mustang chimed in with another nugget of gold exclaiming that it hasn't been sat on in a month so of coarse its going to sound like that.

The front right for seal is cracked but still works.

The rear tire has about 3 miles left on it.

I don't know what happened to this bike in a previous life but it looks like its gone off a cliff.

The upside is that it all seems to work mechanically. Fired up immediately and sounded good.
The wiring seems to be in good condition which makes a nice change.

I told my mate that if hes still interested and doesn't mind a bit of a project pay no more than 800. any thoughts on that?

Honestly I would go back for a second look in order to record some of the deep knowledge my new friend has to offer me about motorcycle mechanics most of which probably involves duct tape, bondo and autozone.
 
gnarshread said:
So, I had a look at the thing last night. I got shown in by a very interesting gentleman who "tunes fox bodies" Something tells me by the contents of his driveway that auto zone is his main source of parts.
First of all the bike is going for 1K. Here are the issues I see.

First off the bat the fairing is held together with zip ties. My new friend claimed that we could just melt the plastic back together and paint it with a rattle can to make it look good ad new. Facepalm!

The sprockets and chain are toast.

The rear shock was making some very interesting sounds when testing it. Mr Mustang chimed in with another nugget of gold exclaiming that it hasn't been sat on in a month so of coarse its going to sound like that.

The front right for seal is cracked but still works.

The rear tire has about 3 miles left on it.

I don't know what happened to this bike in a previous life but it looks like its gone off a cliff.

The upside is that it all seems to work mechanically. Fired up immediately and sounded good.
The wiring seems to be in good condition which makes a nice change.

I told my mate that if hes still interested and doesn't mind a bit of a project pay no more than 800. any thoughts on that?

Honestly I would go back for a second look in order to record some of the deep knowledge my new friend has to offer me about motorcycle mechanics most of which probably involves duct tape, bondo and autozone.
Click to expand...

Even 8 seems pricey...depending on where you are I guess. Miles?

Couple hundred for tires, hundred or so for chain and sprocket, maybe new shock, paint, not sure about the "melt the plastic" procedure...

I'd offer the guy 5 wait till he calls you and takes 6...my two cents. Reliable bikes, but pretty common and pretty cheap here in michigan.
 
gijoe13844 said:
Even 8 seems pricey...depending on where you are I guess. Miles?

Couple hundred for tires, hundred or so for chain and sprocket, maybe new shock, paint, not sure about the "melt the plastic" procedure...

I'd offer the guy 5 wait till he calls you and takes 6...my two cents. Reliable bikes, but pretty common and pretty cheap here in michigan.
Click to expand...

The more I think about it the cheaper it needs to be. unfortunately its the cheapest small learner bike in 100 miles. Believe me we've checked freaking everywhere. the front tire is actually in really good condition. Almost new. Just a rear is going to run 100. Its got about 10000. Used rear shocks are cheap. A sprocket and chain kit is 80ish. I suggested that he can ride it a while with the crap plastic, its his first bike so hes going to drop it. when hes bored of the rat look he can ditch the fairing and just go naked. He's a realist who wants a piece of junk as a first bike anyways to see if he likes the sport before investing allot of money into it.
 
gijoe13844 said:
....not sure about the "melt the plastic" procedure...
Click to expand...

It's called plastic welding - done properly it is as good as new. Done in someone's driveway with a soldering iron is a different story though......

I'd walk away from that one. It's one thing to have consumables to replace, but the biggest problem with learner / starter bikes is the lack of basic maintenance they so often get thrown at them. And that one sounds like it's been unloved for a long time.
 
hillsy said:
It's called plastic welding - done properly it is as good as new. Done in someone's driveway with a soldering iron is a different story though......
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised. A buddy of mine picked up a Honda F4i cheap with busted up fairings. "welded" them back together with a soldering iron, and some scraps of GSXR fairing for extra filler plastic. Then smoothed it out with a little bondo and paint. 4 years and 15k miles later and it's all still holding together nicely.

As for the 250, I wouldn't pay 800 for it, or even close to that. First gen 250s are a dime a dozen, and can be had for under a grand in halfway decent shape any day of the week around here. I'd hold off and keep looking if I were you. It might be the only one in the area right now, but there's always someone getting ready to sell another bike.
 
I find the idea of plastic welding hard to believe but Ill accept it as something that can actually be done.

We've got them down to about 600 but we are walking away from it. Every time we sit down and add up the price of parts that will need replacing the bottom line dose not make it a viable option.

I know some of you guys have said how cheap 250's are where you are but our second cheapest option was a 2 year old Honda 250 that went for 3 grand. So maybe you should ship your small bikes down here to sell!
 
gnarshread said:
I find the idea of plastic welding hard to believe but Ill accept it as something that can actually be done.

We've got them down to about 600 but we are walking away from it. Every time we sit down and add up the price of parts that will need replacing the bottom line dose not make it a viable option.

I know some of you guys have said how cheap 250's are where you are but our second cheapest option was a 2 year old Honda 250 that went for 3 grand. So maybe you should ship your small bikes down here to sell!
Click to expand...

Plastic welding is common now in automotive repair...you can actually buy one at harbor freight...i was more concerned about the driveway welding with a soldering iron!

Im glad you walked away...reading it I saw red flags all over the place! There will always be another bike!
 
Even around Chicago that's too much money for something that rough. I have seen ninja 250s in nice-not-great shape for 6-700. What you described sounds like a 350... Tops
 
gijoe13844 said:
.i was more concerned about the driveway welding with a soldering iron!
Click to expand...

What do you think the harbor freight plastic welder is! LMAO!

It's just a soldering iron with a different shaped tip. It's really not all that complicated, you just need to heat the plastic to it's melting point without burning it.
 
StinkBug said:
What do you think the harbor freight plastic welder is! LMAO!
Click to expand...

True...i have done ZERO research on plastic welding and just happened to see it last time I was there. haha
 
I plastic welded all the fairings on my smashed ZX9 when I first got it. I made up an adaptor for my heat gun to taper it down to a 1/4 inch outlet.....then used ABS rods to weld the cracks / breaks.

It's a bit of an art form and it takes some time to get your technique right, but done properly it will be as strong as a new part. You have to bevel the edges of the pieces you are joining, run the heat gun into the area with the rod and then "press" the rod into the soft plastic as it all melts. Too much heat and the part can distort, too little and the part won't weld. Not enough / too much pressure affects the weld too.

I don't plan on buying another plastic bike, so I probably won't ever do that again....lol.....
 
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