Are you dissappointed in the performance of your 250cc motorcycle?

I can tell you, I want to get rid of my CBR250R and buy this Kawasaki Ninja 650R
The sooner, the better: the CBR250R disapointed me to such an extend...

It's true lots of 250cc buyers find themselves after a few months wishing they bought a 650cc motorcycle. And they are not just Honda CBR250R owners, I can remember when Kawasaki introduced the ER6N on the Thai market the secondhand motorcycle market was flooded with secondhand Kawasaki Ninja 250R's.

Also to many people go to quickly for a sportsbike design, lots of people in Thailand buy the wrong motorcycles for the wrong reasons.

In the last 7 years I've owned a 125cc Honda PCX, a 400cc Honda Super 4, a 750cc Kawasaki ZR-7S, and a 955cc Ducati ST2.

Now I have a Kawasaki Ninja 250R and am very happy with it.

It is true that I wish it had a little more performance, but fitted with the Akrapovis slip-on it sounds wonderful and ir powerful enough and light enough to flick around town. In Bangkok, where I do 90% of my riding, bigger bikes are just too much effort. Stuck in traffic, sweating like a priest in a kindergarten, is just no fun at all.

I recently did a ride to Khao Yai on the Ninja, and it was a lot of fun. Cruising between 120-140kph was fine, although not as effortless as the much larger Ducati. I've often though about changing to something else, but on balance, nothing on the market meets my needs quite so well.

If I could buy a new 650cc+ (non racing) bike in Thailand that weighed 170kg or less and was as slim as the Ninja, then I would reconsider.

You must decide first what you actually want a bike for and its primary purpose

If you want a Ninja 250R (or CBR 250) for long distance touring or "up country" riding for most of its life, then you are getting the wrong bike.

And vica versa, if you are getting a ER6N / F for Urban Commuting in CBD Bangkok traffic, then again, you are getting the wrong bike.

Hence all the 250 and 650 near new second hand bikes we see advertised. Wrong buying decisions in the first place.

As a guide, I am 48 yo, 6'3" and 110kg and I ride my 2011 Ninja 250R, 7 days a week for circa 50+km a day in heavy CBD Bangkok commuting traffic.

7000km already and she has not missed a beat.

The bike is perfect for this primary purpose...urban commuting. A D-Tracker 250 & CBR 250 would also be ideal for this particular primary reason.

If I did more than 100km a day my back-side would be numb and my wrists would kill me. Hence why no "long distance trips" on her.

I zig-zag through the traffic where the ER6N/F's are stuck due to their bigger size and mirrors.

She runs on Benzene 91/95 or Gasohol 91/95...whatever you can find and put in her (she is not really fussy).

I have added a carbon tail pipe section to increase the performance a little, but more so for "acoustic safety" as it is a loud as hell and the cars hear you and pull over.

I added EBC HH Sintered Pads on the front and rear due to the originals "cooking" quickly and then fading. The EBC HH Sintered Pads grip better they get hotter.

I also got front and rear HEL stainless hoses and Dot 4 Fluid...again to help the "high temp" braking situation.

I have ordered an aftermarket air filter (DNA) so help her breath a bit better and assist the slip on pipe addition, also I notice the original filter is totally ruined in 1000km of urban commuting (dust, gunk and crap), so I need one I can “clean” easy.

Over the next 2 months I hope to add a PCV and AutoTune and get her fully Dyno Tuned. I will also replace the original IRC tires and replace them with some Pirelli Sport Demons (the IRC's are really bad, especially in the wet)...

Also I will re-do the fork oil (change to 15wt and add more volume due to my “over” weight) and add some from front pre-loaders and a steering damper.

I also going to change the front sprocket from 14T to 15T and keep the rear at the original 43T, this will drop my RPM's and add more top end speed...and hopefully "stop me looking for 7th gear all the time"...doh.

I may step up to a larger "Superbike" later...but I love this little Ninja 250R and she is a blast and it is ideal for what I got it for "Urban Commuting".

Cheers

SD

Most of the little things I want to do in downtown or traffic jam infested areas in Bangkok I can do perfectly on a little Honda Wave 125i, for everything else I take a big bike.

Up and Down and Around Suk is OK on a scooter.

But going from Bang Na to Ekkamai (and around) everyday come rain or shine, is a bit much for a scooter (and I believe more dangerous).

The 3 x main 250's are perfect for "urban commuting" (as opposed to Soi hopping).

My CBR 250R is riding well, 155KmpH easily reached , top speed ever reached: 162 KmpH, riding between 110-140 KmpH without any problem. I am 1m83 - 110Kgs 60yrs of age.
I use it to commute mainly on Motorways (not a paytoll Motorway of course)/Highways. It's very easy to handle. In the trafic, it's like a scooter, you can slalom between cars at stoplights like with a scooter...
On Mottorways, your speed can match the one of the traffic which is a factor of security. The Ninja 250 is a bit faster, but is not as economical, the additional HP being reached in the top range of Rpms. At a stoplight, the CBR will be faster.

Quote by: Garouda[the additional HP being reached in the top range of Rpms.

That's a historic Kawasaki engine characteristic not specific to the 250.

Flying Squirrel, excuse me please when I contradict you, but reaching the HP in the high range revolutions is a general characteristic for the sport bikes and not only for Kawasaki, this is also valid for Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and all the others.

Quote by: anonymous

Flying Squirrel, excuse me please when I contradict you, but reaching the HP in the high range revolutions is a general characteristic for the sport bikes and not only for Kawasaki, this is also valid for Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and all the others.

You can contradict all you like but if you read any sport bike comparison test involving the big four Kawasaki is always at the top for the RPM's at which the peak power is delivered. It's been that way for years. So the fact that the peak power for a Ninja 250 is at higher RPM than a Honda CBR250 is characteristic of Kawasaki.
Agreed Ninja is more sport oriented than a CBR but If you are suggesting that neither the Ninja 250 or CBR are "sport bikes" then that is a different story.

The answer is very easy, while mentioning high rpms, the two of you mention two diffrent things, high rpms with the Ninja 250 is something like 14 000rpms where the ceiling for the CBR250r is somewhat 10 500rpms... Same for the Max torque, around 9000 revs for Ninja and 7500 revs for Honda. That makes the whole difference!

Quote by: Garouda

The answer is very easy, while mentioning high rpms, the two of you mention two diffrent things, high rpms with the Ninja 250 is something like 14 000rpms where the ceiling for the CBR250r is somewhat 10 500rpms... Same for the Max torque, around 9000 revs for Ninja and 7500 revs for Honda. That makes the whole difference!

Sure does but not sure what your point is.. Kawasakis always make power higher up the rev range.
If i am correct Kawasaki makes about 21% more torque, as you said higher up the rev range. One is better in town or more traffic friendly, one is better out on the open roads. Some people need a sedate ride, some like to tame the beast. Although calling a Ninja 250 a beast might be a stretch.

They are simply different bikes.