Everything you need to know about the ninja 250r 

Just bought a 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 250r - first bike, no lessons, stalled a few times but just drove my first 20km with no stalls. Could not be happier! SO pumped.

Best review of almost any type of product I’ve seen. Hope you get many more subscribers and views you deserve it.

I've had my '09 Ninja 250 for the past decade. It's been a great bike. I keep meaning to buy a 600, but I find it really hard to justify it. The lil' Ninja is just always so much fun to ride. And now it's so old, I think I may keep it and mod it a little for the track. New front break lines, brakes, rear suspension, clipons, and rearsets - though will cost the same as the bike. Haha. Worth it? Yes? It's been fine mechanically and I've done most of the work on it myself. Though, I've never had the confidence to clean the carbs. Maybe one day. ^_^ I still love it. And yes, people always say how awesome it is and think it's a bigger bike - until all 6" of me sits on it. Then it looks small. The nifty 250 ftw!

This was an excellent review of a Kawasaki Ninja 250. I’ve had my 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250r for 8 years and have enjoyed riding it. Very reliable and I am not ready to trade or sell it just yet. It only has 8,800 miles as of today

Wow 87 thousand miles Great review I enjoy seeing how many miles the 250 can go I look for videos all the time about them I miss mine

Perfect long-term ownership review.. Thank u

Good review. Had my 250r for six years and still going. Made for shorter riders and city use. Change exhaust just to make you louder. Keeps the car drivers awake for filtering.

Excellent review. Good narration with good audio is a refreshing change. I just got a 2001 Ninja 250. I'm looking forward to riding one again.

I really enjoyed this review. Awesome! Thank you much for sharing.

I’ve had two of this model. One on learners and one years later because of the reliability. Great all round day to day bike.

Very nice review. The european version of this generation of ninja 250 is fuel injected. I share your impressions about how fun this bike is to ride on small roads.

I just purchased a 2007 250, I freaking love it. I also like the square 80s look more than the new looks. It's a quick little bike. It is so much fun in the twisties.

I have a 16’ Ninja 300 & I couldn’t agree with you more about everything you said about these smaller sport bikes. It’s nice to see that you left your stock pipe on. I bought an aftermarket slip-on pipe & ended up selling it. The bike looks better, sounds better, especially when hitting 7,000 & above rpm & actually runs & performs better with the stock pipe. Like you stated, I just didn’t like the sound of the aftermarket pipe & it was so loud that I had to wear ear plugs. You have a nice RED ninja 250r!

Great insights. I have a Ninja 250 + ZX6r + ZX10r + ZX14r...and i still ride the 250 as my daily commuter/errand runner bike.

Great video. Thank you!

Thank you for this review.

Thanks for the video man

Great Video. I have a 2009. I love it. Just started riding. Perfect starter bike. Very comfortable

I own a 250 (lime green 💚) here in India. Man !!! It's a head turner in my country. Also the engine is super smooth. I really enjoy this beautiful machine. Nice review.

I have a 2004 ninja 250 and I love it can’t go wrong

Great video 👍 there good bikes I've owned 2 myself I've actually just bought another 250cc I just seen to enjoy the smaller cc bikes although a 125 is probably pushing it a bit

I have both. A 2006 ( old school 80s model) and the 2008. ( like in the video) Riding the two, back to back the main difference ( engine wise/performance) is the older bike has TOP END end rush. The newer model, was tuned for MID range power..which, I wish Kawasaki didn't do. While top speed/mph is similar, I wish the older engine, was in the newer bike. It's just more fun, after midrange, to top end.

Best of the best Keep it runnin

I have a pregen 250r and it's a great bike and plenty fast. If your not fast on a 250r you can't ride. Remove weight, upgrade rear suspension to a 300 shock which is plug and play. Remove the baffles and she will growl. I've run 93 and started it every other month and no issues when storing it. I've went as long as 3 months between starts and still no issues. Like your vid.

Nice video mate well done

The pre 08 250 was sold in Australia as the GPX 250 and this had a 38hp engine which made it a fun bike to ride. It has the 16inch wheels which on a small bike do not seem to produce the "quick" steering problem that can be experienced on a bigger bike but it's when you come to buy tyres that you wish it had 17in wheels. I'm into classic bikes so the 89 to 2006 styling is classic 80s stuff and it was very well done. Contrast this with the 87 GPZ 500 which I think suffers in comparison. Amazing fuel economy. - 30kms per litre which is equivalent to 84 MPG (imperial) or the US 70MPG you mentioned. I bought this bike for my then GF but have ended up with it myself. So good that i don't want to sell it.

Nice review thanks

Best video on the ninja that I've seen, very detailed. I just got a 250 Ninja and I am a new rider, loved what you said about egos and how this bike can humble you, which is exactly what I am working on in my healing of the heart journey. I have not rode my bike yet because I'm 4"11 female and scared because I dropped it. I lost confidence lol. But soon I'll be making content on my journey in this RU-vid which I also utilize for my Dog training Videos. Thank again.

Great video Sir! I just bought a 2012 with 970 miles for $3400 I have to lear how to do maintenance keep the great work👍

I love my 09 Ninja 205r. I've had it since 2012 and its treated me well, but you are very right about the hassle of taking the body work off to do maintenance. When it eventually dies and is replaced its a big reason of why I think I'll go with a naked bike.

Very good review

had a 02 250 .................. man that bike was great !! drove the hell outta that thing put tons of miles on it ................. never left me stranded, not one time ...............

Good video. V informative.

I've owned my '09 250 for about a year now and I can confirm everything you said is completely true! Great honest video.

Exellent video 👍

Great! Thank you

Appreciate the video

I've just bought a green 2008 12,000 miles. It's been used by at least 5, new A2 licence riders who didn't know how to maintain or care for a motorcycle. I stripped it and found fairing screws missing and various bad electrical issues, from mini indicators and a bad alarm being fitted. Two left mirrors! and 12 year old tyres!

Review is superbbb

Super helpful, thanks!

I am like you mate, I had big bikes before but I found that you have more fun om a smaller bikes and they are nimble light weight and cheaper to service as well than a super sport bike. I currently have 2014 ninja 300 that is my second ninja and I love it. But I found a Yamaha xt250 single cylinder fuel injected is very nice too because it's even lighter than the ninja 300 and you do highway speed all day long at 110kmh in Sydney Australia. I sold my 2017 xt250 in march this year and sold at the same time my 2013 honda cb500f another nice bike

Well done, thank you.

Looks great in red.

I have owned my fuel injected ninja 250 r for 12 years , still satisfied with it :)

I just bought a used 09 with 1260 miles on it. Sat for 6 years. Wouldn't start. Dirty carbs. Cleaned them fired right up. Super fun to ride

I got one juat like yours if not better ;) Love the video

Wow that is amazing. !

Love the vehicle hunter

How do I know my carbs need to be cleaned boss man ? Thanks for your time ! Awesome video never seen such a god review on ANY product

I rode my 2008 exclusively for four years. I quickly realized that you don’t move your shoulders to see through the mirrors… you move your head. A tiny lean left or right can see around your shoulders/elbows provided you didn’t aim them for the viewing position with your shoulders in the way.

Just bought my 09 250r today after work. 13k miles on the dash. Couldn't be happier

Nice bike

Good stuff

I bought one for me in green color, apsolutley gorgeus bike and fast when you need it :)

My 2011 had an electrical problem at 10,000. Other than that, it has run like a champ. Freeway riding is my favorite type of riding on this bike. I've put at least 20,000 miles on the freeway. A couple weeks ago I went north of Yosemite on Sonora Pass, had a blast.

Excellent review 👍👍 really well and thoroughly explained. Never owned a street bike only motocross Yamaha yz 250 Honda cr500 Suzuki rm250, Honda cr125 Kawasaki kdx200 Etc.. raced but tore back up but it is a lot better now and thinking something like this or a enduro Etc.. does it balance well while wheelying..? Kidding about the wheelying learned my lesson on a Honda XR 500 50 mph whellys that loop out arent a lot of fun lol.. but man that xr500 could do 4 mile wheely which is funny because it was pretty top heavy and not very balanced, but a lot of torque and mellow power band..

My 02 is a gem

I just got a red 2009 ninja 250 for my first bike at 35 years. This bike does rip pretty good and screams up to 12,500rpm

Nice review and very informative… Can you take off at the lights to get ahead of traffic or would the 300 be similar/ better? Is it comfortable to ride?

こんにちは！日本のNinja250rに乗ってます、赤忍かっこいいですね！ この型の忍者が好きで世界共通だなぁと共感しました

Hey... another proud Ninja 250 owner... GPS verified: 99 MPH!! just awesome classic beast...

The perfect starter bike. I bought an '08 for my sister two years ago. Had mixed feelings when we recently sold it to a good friend of mine. But it's all good. I'll still get to see, ride, and work on it from time to time, as I'm showing my friend the ropes in riding and maintaining it. Oh and I would've loved having this model Ninja as a starter bike.

GET THIS MAN MORE SUBS!

I’d love it if they released the ZX-25R here instead of the Ninja 400 but it hadn’t been announced anywhere at the time. Oh well. Missed opportunity, and now they don’t want to do a ZX-25R or ZX-3R with the Ninja 400 in the same market. That’s why we’re getting a ZX-4R instead. Still excited for it though. :)

Where did you buy the 250r? Also, would you recommend buying at a shop or online?

I've owned 20 or more bikes and I can say at least 5 were kawasaki 250s im going back to smaller displacement😃

How have I not found this page sooner?

I just got a 2008 like this one with 5k miles for 1k garage kept very great condition is that a great price ? Works super good no issues

My .ninja 250 stopped having carburetor issues after I upped the jets to a 40/110 and shimmed the needle, over the stock 38/105. Idk if it's just the bigger diameter or the different materials. Your flooding issue sounds needle/float related to me.

I've got the 2010. Bolt for the cantilever assy on the rear has seized into the bearing between the frame mounts, stuck solid. Slightly iffy electrics as well mind, indicators seem to be a law unto themselves, otherwise it's a good little bike. Anybody breaking one for parts? lol

gr8 review! TY

Does the 2006 model have electronic igntion ? I would like to think it doesn't have points.

Nice review. How much higher is it with the SV650 rear shox? I have a ninja 400 and want that my 250 has the same height. Was the SV650 rear shox on your ninja 250 here in the video, as it showed a bit higher than a normal 250 ninja? Thank you for the answer.

I reallt want to get this bike, there’s one near me for 2k, but i’m worried abr the insurance. I’m 17 and only have an m1 on ontario

70 MPG sounds real good right about now!

I bought one recently for my first bike! (Im brand new ro bikes) and I've discovered an issue recently where it will die when it's been on for a while (like an hour-ish) if your not moving or reving. Concerned about it, told it might be my battery?

That was honest!

Have you ever made a long trip with this bike? The bike suffer when you go at 120km/h for a long time?

400cc is a good compromise. Looking for a first bike hunt the bargains anything from 250 to 600 cc... and fuel injection is way better than carbs, put FI to the front of the line.

Another “bigger bike fake-out” that few seem to notice is the fender with molded deflection for upside-down forks… even though the bike doesn’t have USD forks. ;) It’s what makes a modern fender look modern compared to the older Ninja 250.

How much do this bike cost

MSRP for my 2008 was $3,500. I see people asking $3,000 but I assumed they were never getting that.

How much $ do you pay rego per annum?

hey man, how tall are u? and are u having trouble with your size?

250cc is a nice size, it's not too heavy and does not have a ridiculous amount of power you do not need. I live in Asia where motorcycles are serious transportation, and very few people have bikes larger than 250cc, which is capable of reaching 90mph and cruising at 80 mph. When you use something daily for serious transportation you do not want a 1000 cc bike. Few bikes in America get ridden enough to find out, but those small bikes can last 100,000 miles if you take care of them. The analog gauges on your bike are so much nicer than the digital ones on the new bikes, mine is a 2019 Z250SL and I dislike the instrumentation.

I want to buy a nice looking sport bike. I am new rider, what do you suggest?

How often did you have to adjust the valves in your 87 000 miles? Mine has 7500 miles and not sure if it's worth the time to check the valve clearance?

Sir , you didn't show what is inside under that seat cowl ? Nobody shows what is inside that seat cowl in Ninja 250 videos.... Please make a short video on that under passenger seat storage...

Is crazy that here in brazi, from 2009 and on, ninjas 250 are not carburated

would you recommend a ninja 400 to someone whos considering buying new as a learner rider?

I'm way late but anyone who watches this and reads the comments--the higher amounts of ethanol in our gasoline/petrol has gone up which causes the gumming in the carburetors--also why everyone 4 stroke lawnmowers and weed eaters are crap after 1 year--ethanol treatments and 0 ethanol fuel and a carb clean will do this bike justice---just rebuilt my 2009

You’re in the dc area ??

Where did you buy the plate delete ?duck tail delete*

Is $3000 great for a 2010 250r ?

Hey guys. Is it still reliable in 2023 in your opinion? I am planning to buy this as my first motorbike. Do you know any under 35kw motorbikes for under $3000 that looks like this ninja? I mean looking like sporty and cool

I'll disagree with it handling better than a 600.. THe 600's zx6r/gsxr have so much better suspension and braking and handling ergonomics/seating position for sport riding.. This is a good choice for a first bike for the reasons you mentioned though. 600's have very thrilling speeds and better handling.. So if you find a good deal on a 600 that's in the 250 price range.. go for it... but yes the 250 is a very good choice for a commuter bike that still looks good and getting way better MPG. You could probably pick up young ladies as easy on this bike as a 21 s1000rr... as they hardly know the difference and probably care more about color lol. also note the 250's have decent acceleration if you ride out the gears. A lot of so called riders think the bike is underpowered but they're shifting too soon. For some people especially new riders the top speed 95 whatever is plenty enough to get them into legal trouble.. for people who only intend on riding about 65 to 75 this bike is all they need.. and cheaper to own.. insure. Maintain..

I just purchased a 2003 ninja 250f

This guy looks like yammie noob dad

question if iam 5'9 will i reach the ground ??

You look like YammiNoobs responsible older brother 🍻