08 Ninja 250 Questions

[Hellgate]

I've got this idea of making a track bike out of one of the new Ninja 250s. I've always liked small bikes because of the great handling, low cost, low cost of operation and the new Ninja has all that and a bag of chips. However....its a dog. Woof! Woof! My small bikes in the past have weighted about 300 to 325 lbs and made between 45 and 75 hp. The new Ninja in race trim, ie: stripped is about 340 and makes a whopping 29 to 30 hp. I think with a body kit sub-frame and sub-fairing reworking and a few other tweeks I can get the weight down to 315 to 330 lbs. Now for the hp...29 hp, kinda sucks...I've only been able to find jet kits and exhuast systems that add about 3 to 4 hp, not bad. Does anyone know of a shop that tunes these things or anyone who sells performance parts, cams, pistons, etc? Does Kawasaki make a racing kit?

The idea behind this project is to find a salvage bike with mainly damaged body work, strip it to the frame (remove everything, lights, guages, subframes, excess wiring, anything that is not really needed), add SharkSkinz body kit, tune suspension, tune motor, go ride.

Here's the idea behind it: RaceBikeRentals.com | Kawasaki Ninja 250R Race Rentals WSMC Willow Springs Raceway

What do you current and former Ninja 250 riders think?

Oh, and is there a good Ninja 250 Forum. The two I've found are lame.

Ninja250 Riders Club :: Index ninja250forum - Home

Thanks!

[abacall]

Dang, bad timing. I had an 08 that had the fairing all scraped up from a slide. I let the insurance total it out, but that bike was mechanically perfect.
Anyway, try the Kawi forums, under the 250R sub-forum...
They should be able to steer you in the right direction, though I would make sure you search before you post. They can be a bit testy there.
Power-wise, the thing feels way peppier than the previous generation. It's still carb'd so you can find various jet kits and you can pretty much tune the thing yourself. There are some tried-and-true methods already for jetting so make sure you check that out.
Handling is great on this thing. It feels lighter than it is, very snappy, and can really hold a line.
Good luck, I think you'll be happy with it. Just know you're not getting a fast bike, just a really fun one.

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by abacall

Dang, bad timing. I had an 08 that had the fairing all scraped up from a slide. I let the insurance total it out, but that bike was mechanically perfect.
Anyway, try the Kawi forums, under the 250R sub-forum...
They should be able to steer you in the right direction, though I would make sure you search before you post. They can be a bit testy there.
Power-wise, the thing feels way peppier than the previous generation. It's still carb'd so you can find various jet kits and you can pretty much tune the thing yourself. There are some tried-and-true methods already for jetting so make sure you check that out.
Handling is great on this thing. It feels lighter than it is, very snappy, and can really hold a line.
Good luck, I think you'll be happy with it. Just know you're not getting a fast bike, just a really fun one.

Thanks for the link, I'll poke around and see what I can find.

You hit the nail on the head, I don't want a super fast bike, just a FUN bike for the track.

The one you totalled is exactly what I will be looking for. I think I could probably get one for $2,500 or so. I've seen better ones with 4,000 miles going for $4,000!!! OUCH! I know they are a great bike but that is silly.

Thanks again.

[JohnP]

Never having ridden a track day nor a Ninja 250, you can probably ignore me, but...

I think whether or not a Ninja 250 makes a good track day bike depends a lot on how much you weigh. I don't think it would pull my 210lbs around with much authority. If you weighed 1/2 that it probably would be great.

I spotted this in my local Craigslist for $1750. If I had the extra cash right now I'd be taking a look. Ninja 500 EX500 Racebike Track bike race ready

John

[fz6nick]

If you could put a 180 rear and a 120 up front, that would be sick. Not sure what the stock ones are, 130-110? i dunno

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by fz6nick

If you could put a 180 rear and a 120 up front, that would be sick. Not sure what the stock ones are, 130-110? i dunno

Spot on 110 and 130, plenty of rubber for a little bike. I don't think the stock wheels are wide enough for FZ sized rubber. It really doesn't need it either with the low hp. When I used to race I was on 100 and 130, worked fine. And I have more than 2X the hp that the 250 would have.

Here's how we did it almost 25 years ago> "Fat tires?!?!? We don't need no fat tires!!!"

RZ%20Test%204a.jpg RD%20Test%201.jpg

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by JohnP

Never having ridden a track day nor a Ninja 250, you can probably ignore me, but...

I think whether or not a Ninja 250 makes a good track day bike depends a lot on how much you weigh. I don't think it would pull my 210lbs around with much authority. If you weighed 1/2 that it probably would be great.

I spotted this in my local Craigslist for $1750. If I had the extra cash right now I'd be taking a look. Ninja 500 EX500 Racebike Track bike race ready

John

Good point, I weigh 175 w/o gear, a little dude of 140 will spank me big time but at this point my life it's all about fun and a great handling bike.

The EX500 is a very good bike, however I want a smaller bike than that, and most importantly, EX500s are fugly compared to the new 250s. I'd love to get one of the lime green ones!

[abacall]

What sucks is how much demand there is for the bike. There are still waiting lists! That's why people are selling them for so much used.
Call an auction house, or ask a dealer to look for wrecked ones for you.. That's the best way to get them scraped up, which shouldn't be that hard considering how many beginners get these bikes. Mine sold for $800 and it needed new plastic and a left rear stay.

[madmanmaigret]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

Thanks for the link, I'll poke around and see what I can find.

You hit the nail on the head, I don't want a super fast bike, just a FUN bike for the track.

The one you totalled is exactly what I will be looking for. I think I could probably get one for $2,500 or so. I've seen better ones with 4,000 miles going for $4,000!!! OUCH! I know they are a great bike but that is silly.

Thanks again.

Pete, look some more, I have seen NEW '07's for $2500.00-$3000.00

Track bike huh? I saw a sweet Aprillia 250 at the mall the other day and had the same idea as you... to bad the checkbook didn't agree with the thought

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by abacall

What sucks is how much demand there is for the bike. There are still waiting lists! That's why people are selling them for so much used.
Call an auction house, or ask a dealer to look for wrecked ones for you.. That's the best way to get them scraped up, which shouldn't be that hard considering how many beginners get these bikes. Mine sold for $800 and it needed new plastic and a left rear stay.

See that would be perfect!

Would I look for an Auto Auction house? Never tried that before.