I Bought a $600 Kawasaki Ninja Sport Bike 

I bought an 07 last December for $1000 for my wife. I rode it home 70 miles after buying it and fell in love. She hated it and now Ive been commuting on it for 14000 miles since December. Great bike if you don't care what people think. Can't go wrong with these bikes. Great video.

The Ninja 250 is one of the top ten best bikes of all time. You can ride these on the redline all day and they nearly NEVER give up the ghost.

As an avid motocross and sportbike rider/mechanic, I enjoy watching you fix up these machines. It was definitely a no-brainer to hit that subscribe button.

Don’t lie the gas was turned off when you was first trying to start it.

Ohh my God! My this video is instant nostalgia!!! I have that same exact 250 ninja that I've kept in my friend's workshop and it's been forgotten for years now! I finally remembered about it and I'm going tomorrow to pick it up and restore it!! Amazing work man, and yeah those 250s are extremely fast for their size!! 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

These bikes are pretty reliable and repairable. Last year me and my dad picked up a 1986 GPX 750 for 400 quid that had been sitting outside for years, everything but the front forks was rusted, faring was cracked and broken. We had to disassemble the bike with the guys we bought it from to fit it in the back of the car. It now looks brand new and runs alright.

Great to see this bike is still relevant. This was my first bike, years ago. Great memories. Great video! 👍🏽

I think it's easier to figure out who hasn't owned one of these at some point vs who has.

Make sure you rev the shit out of it before it pumps oil to the top-end..... That will improve any "knocking".

All the locksmiths are shaking their heads @ WD-40 in the lock. NEVER use WD-40 in a lock because it attracts dirt that will gum up inside. Instead use powdered graphite to lube the key switch.

Great video as usual! Keep it up bro. I love all of your videos and I learn things about the bikes every time. Love from the UK! 🇬🇧

i collect ninja 250s. they really are the most fun size bike i've ever ridden. they rev so loud it feels like you are flying. they handle the highway no problem, i can easily pass people going 80mph and speed up to 95mph quickly. they are really fast for their size, they go over 100mph easy and that is plenty fast for all of the USA.

This was my first bike (also first vehicle). It was yellow grey and cheap. Paid $1000 for it, fixed it, rode it for 6,000 miles roughly six months, finally sold it for $1500. I wasn't powerful, but gas mileage was amazing for a broke college student. Great Bike! Thank you for buying this and sharing!

I had a 98 like this one in high school. They are pretty bullet proof. She could vacation at 14k rpm at 120 ish. Since you have a pipe, drill a 3/8 hole on each side of the airbox before the filter for a boost in power/better breathing...

When you were hoovering the top of the frame/airbox, you hoovered up the little rubber bung of the top of the left hand side, side panel. Go check the hoover otherwise your side panel will be loose when you put it back together, round the 18:45 mark.

Nevermind the oil but most of lights work, lets turn it over. Great videos but try working on the priorities of the task at hand. seeing it happen alot. The intake would fall into the process before hand as well.

Love the channel brother! Nice to see you adventuring off into the sport bike realm. Just be careful because they are very addictive and a blast, especially when you get up in the mountains. Keep up the good content and stay safe. 👍🏻

7:34 - If you remove the latch assembly cover, you see a ton of differential corrosion. The latch assembly needs to be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned then lubricated with a good synthetic grease.

Those mufflers alone covered that $600 spent!👍

Cold kawasakis always sound bad until warmed up. Especially with dirty carbs on choke. Once warm they sound like heaven. New plugs, battery, carbs, lines, air filter....done.

I’ll go ahead and say it…great job wearing a helmet! Can’t say much for riding a strange bike for the first time over 60mph with no gloves, wearing shorts/tshirt/tennis shoes. I wish you luck my friend”love your videos…great deal!

judging by the comments, nobody knows who Eddie Lawson is !?! I think that paint scheme is one of the most beautiful ever produced!!!!!

It’s nice to see a change up from the off-road stuff, always liked the older kawasakis

1st street bike in 97 was an 86 Ninja 600 and it kicked ass. Still holds up today when I come across them.

I love these small cheap bikes, I’ve had a few 600s but I always turn to these because of how affordable and reliable they are

If you wanna feel the full acceleration of the bike than shift right before revlimiter because it makes all its power up top

Always do the positive terminal first. Then the negative when installing battery To remove, do the negative first.

Best mods I did on my '04 was going up one tooth on the front sprocket and a K&N 2586. Great bikes!!

I love this old 250. Been looking for a cheap one around me. I found this exact same one in the black and blue about a month ago for 600 near me but it sold immediately. Really cool find and I hope you keep her!

Honestly the ninja 250 is the weirdest bike I've ever rode. The seat feels like a giant couch, the bikes werent really changed since the 80s, so much more to touch points on. On the bright side these things are extremely common and dirt cheap so that is a major plus for most beginner riders. Personally I'm not a huge fan of how you sink into the seat but honestly it just comes down to personal preference. I much prefer the stiffer seats compared to the couch-like seats. Awesome video.

Love your channel but please wear some gloves and clothing especially on those old tyres they could easily give up on you and even at 30mph you would be a mess

Man u always find the awsome deals! I enjoyed this video alot, you got a steal on that bike!

POV you actually watch this man’s videos

Hell yeah Joe this the one I’ve been asking for 😂👍🏼 I got a 2007 I’ve just finished , needs road worthy and reg now , but it’s winter here in Australia 😂

I think it looks wicked. I love loud colors and boxy lines of old sport bikes

I was riding a CBR600f2 and had a friend that had a 250r. I had always thought it was just too small to be practical. Ran into him one day and he said he was selling it and that I should ride it. One quick ride and I bought it. 34 years later I still have it. Zx636 has been my main bike for 15 years but the 250r has been an absolute blast taught lots of people to ride on it girls especially when I was a single young man. Always easy to maintain and would let all my friends take it for the day or weekend. This summer a police officer came to the house asking me questions about it and wasn’t sure what he was getting to. Turns out it had been stolen out of storage and I had no idea it was gone. I had painted it a 1987 GM dark bright teal popular Camaro color back in the day. Someone call the sheriff knowing that was my bike. I have a Kx 450f engine that I have considered putting in it. Would anyone be interested in seeing and motor swap like that?

Love your videos man been watching you for a minute

I bought my Wife one new in 89 it was Pearl White with Red and not ugly at all with some F1 pipes and a tall smoked shield! I liked it so much I rode it more than my 750 Ninja!

I just saw this video! I have been riding mostly back country and touring with racing when younger over 30+ years now. A couple years ago I bought my son his first bike- a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 500 a guy rode from CA to MD and traded it in for another bike. This bike is a comfortable, no frills, super easy to ride and reliable bike for a new rider on up. Geez- it starts its red line at 11 grand! It is so mellow going slow it literally chugs along yet will scream up in its super high power band and get a bit of wheel lift a 90 mph! Such a fun bike. I love riding it because it truly IS so easy and fun. A tank of gas lasts a month and it is super easy to work on. It was awesome teaching my son about carbs, exhausts, tire and suspension just like I started so long ago and with so much fun. This is a great looking 250 you have- which is a really good around town bike then up to the 500 for even touring around yet the 250 will go anywhere also!! Especially for $600!! Parts are cheap for them and they just always start and run. He is looking at other bikes now and I hope someone will enjoy this 500 as much as we have. ** Back in the 70s/early 80s a 500 and 750 were crazy fast machines!!

Bro, what a steal of a deal! Congrats on that find! Def. Gotta keep that one in the collection 👍. Now ima try and find one where I live here in Georgia. Doubt I'll find one in that condition for that price but ima definitely try! Great video man!

This is a great video, keep up the good work!

Wd on the seat, that could be a slippery situation...😆😆😆

I have a 2000 ninja 250 also. I dont think theyre ugly at all. Its just 90s sport bike style and theyll be classics one day. Bought mine with a bad big end bearing and a used motor was almost as cheap as a crank so i swapped the engine. Mine does 100 all day.

I learned to ride on a bike exactly like this! What a wonderful memory to see it again.

Cool looking bike. If you are gonna keep it, get new tires. Old tires are hard and not very safe as is possible loss of traction mid corner. Be safe out there.

I came across your video on this ninja 250 this was my first sport bike brought back a lot memories I was 33 years old it was such a fun motorcycle to ride! I bought mine when it had 300 miles on it back in 2003 I had a 1999 I paid cash $3500 tax title and license. I rode it for a few years had a lot fun riding and making long trips on it with my friends! But in 2006 I got ran over by a drunk driver in a 3/4 Chevy truck not fun being under a truck and looking up at the driveline and laying on my back with a bunch broken bones 🦴 not a good feeling. But I just starting riding again after so many years of not riding and enjoying what I like to do is to ride motorcycles and feel free again from the nightmare of getting ran over by someone who never cared! Thanks you so much for this you did a fantastic job on the video! 👍😎🤘🙏

Sweet ride! I got my 2015 ninja 300 for $700 and I had to bring it home in pieces. She looks and rides like a brand new bike (it basically is at this point) and I love it. You scored a great deal on that 250. Fun little toy that will make you good in the turns and is good on gas. Great video

Pre-gens are awesome bikes. I own a 2002 and it's Candy Lime Green just as yours. Only difference, my wheels are charcoal and the graphics are black- white. I must say that it's the fastest 250 that I've ever had the pleasure to ride. It doesn't really go that fast on top end (100 mph on a good day). The thing just gets there so fast.

Honestly it's cheaper to buy a first gen ninja 250 with aftermarket pipes than it is just buying the exhaust or slip ons now. $600 is a crazy price for this. I love these little Ninjas! They're fun to go through the gears in the city!

Was looking into getting one of these bikes I see a lot of these for sale for cheap they need money to work might get myself one now that I see you got one thanks for the motivation keep up the Great content!!

Just bought one of these recently, mine had 14 miles on it, basically new. Love it

I would Atleast change the oil and filter

It's been sitting a long time and you didn't even give it a few seconds to warm up and distribute oil before you started cranking on the throttle . Let it idle for 3mins after you shut the choke before revving ,and then just gentle revs. These are good wee bike and love being revved flat out when on a motorway. I think it'll do 120-130mph. Ideal beginner bikes for small framed people. Have fun. Edit, that's a good mate who put that your way,all working ,you didn't even need fresh fuel or new plugs! Remember "Don't bite the hand that feeds you!"

Let me give you a few tips. 1-check the oil 2-air filter 3- fuel 4- coolant That’s before you even try to crank it.

Wohooo! Ninja 250! Extremely easy bike to work on and learn the basics of carbs and just engine work in general

Yes, Had that exact same bike, same colour scheme and all. Beautiful machine; Paid $2000 for it, around 24000 ks (aprprox/ 18000 ,miles) Now ride something similar vintage, Honda CBF 250 with Delkevic system; Sounds awesome! And revs out sweet as well. Top speed a little slower than GPX Ninja but not muchly so.

I’m excited to see you to inch your way into street bikes Joe 🤙🏼

I may be picking up my own $600 ninja 250 tomorrow and I'm hyped! I've had around 40 bikes. One of them was the new style ninja 250 and I actually love the Honda cbr250r. I've owned 2 or 3 of those. I'm not looking forward to carb work, but he says it runs and has a title. For $600, that sounds good to me!

I have exactly the same knocking sound coming out from mine !! I going to do exactly the same steps you did in here !!

Did you recover the rubber grommet from the hoover for the side fairing ?

I love these videos. I'm from the UK and the only way you get bikes like this or old dirt bike are if they have been stolen. Then you don't get many parts in working order. They tend to burn them over here so there is no evidence. I buy small engine quad or motorised bikes because you can pick them up without being destroyed. Wish you could get barn finds over here but it's not really possible. But thanks for the videos it helps with the rebuilds.

That’s a cool little bike right there! Perfect beginner bike! Other than the turbo busa, which as we all know is THE perfect beginner bike ;)

I had one the same year but mine was the red and purple. They were quick for what it was. If I remember right it was about 36 horsepower and 18 ft/lbs and mine got around 75 to 80+ mpg. It would top out at around 107 mph. Good times.

I paid $390 for mines i just brought it and as my first bike i love it. I did have to clean the gas tank out and did a carb rebuild since she didnt run after that i installed a new digital battery and boom shes a runner. Great purchase

What’s wrong with a water hose and some soap and a wash mit lol Just scratching rubbing dirt in paint

Now this is sweet. Love the 2 stroke content but I enjoy seeing these old sports bikes revived 👍

Take the bowls off both carbs and check the float valve. The jets are usually the issue. I have a 500R. Fun bike to ride when I'm sick of my Harley

The design actually comes from the earlier Kawasaki Ninja 250 from 1988 where they continue the same design into late 2007. They changed the design and title to 250R made it a more sporty look afterwards. 18k miles is a LOT of miles for a 250cc. These little bikes can be great beginner learner bikes specially around corners but often time people get bored of them quickly because of the lack of power. I mean if your just doing city communicating between home and work then it won't really bother you to much.

ninja 250's are the definition of a small bike that is FUN. It needs to have the crap beat out of it to get it moving but because its so small you can keep it pinned literally everywhere and it just takes it. Whats crazy to me is that people wonder why modern bikes are so expensive to work on at a dealer. For example my modern 2017+ honda is a grand in labor hours just because of all the electronics and modern engineered over complex bits. But the ninja 250 is areguably easier to work on than a dirt bike, while being dirt cheap.

Love the colors/scheme. Classic early 2000s

I see your back to this whole it's been sitting forever routine two years is not that long bud..

So smooth for a 250 what a great buy. I bet it gets good mileage. Its very impressive.

I'm about to pick up one of these, 05 all yellow 250, 7300 miles for $750. Would be my first bike and only been on mopeds and dirt bikes. Can't wait to play around with this one. It's mainly to commute to and from work in non winter months. Wish me luck 😮

Nice find I used to want the 500cc version as my first bike when I was younger.

I have an 07 ninja with 3k miles lol. It’s funny you get the same bikes I’ve had and you make perfect videos about em

Loved the video man. Just got a 99 as my first bike. Had to do the same kinda "initial troubleshooting". This might be a dumb question / longshot, but have you used Quadlock phone mounts? I'm not sure which mount to get (handlebar where? how about fork stem?) and I'm hoping maybe you'd have an idea.

At my first base out in California, 😢I picked up a really nice babied, used Ninja EX 500, rode it for 3 years, lots of upgrades, ended up selling it, guy lost control on a freeway in Cali and smoked a wall his helmet saved him but the bike was totaled, sad day to see that.. for what it was it would haul ass. Never been big street bike fan, but the smaller ones are just fun to ride around. Enjoy. Like that green, mine was black and red.

Keep the good work love u from saudi arabia

Love the video's, I watch all of them. I will say you give me anxiety because you wait until after you start and rev out the bike before you check the oil, air and water. With my luck I would blow up an engine if I didn't check those things first.

I love these little Ninjas, I still own my 98 250, great bikes once you fix a few small OEM problems

600 dollars, that’s a steal, wish I could find bikes at that price. Great video again 👍

every time i have a funky start condition where seems like start button has a problem it has been dirty contacts on clutch safety switch. every time!

Start checking the air box before starting it everytime now lol

him: I personally think it really ugly also him: Imma keep it love you man keep it up with the great work

Your videos are entertaining but your order of operation kills me…roll it in and rev it up then check oil, coolant and rodent nests in the air box. Also, what’s with spraying the whole bike down with WD-40…to make it shiny?

My first bike was a 2011 Ninja 250. I'm pretty sure I had more fun on it than I do my Z900 or 636.

My first bike was a Kawasaki Z 250 brought it new in 1981 Cool video Joe 👍

Well done! Just needed air box vaccumed. Take this bike on a long ride 100+miles out ,fill up and come home , you need saddle time to gel/bond with it then keep it clean and maintained and itll last forever. Keep a spare rectifier and ignition coil coz those things sometimes ping at high revs. Best of Luck.

I think she's a beautiful little bike, I'm amazed at the price you got her for, well done.

My first bike. I bought one brand new in 2007 for 3.3K out the door. Blue color. Great fun but front shock is not stiff enough and 0-60 time is a bit lagging. Also the wind blows you around on the highway. I sold it and bought a 500 in 2009 also brand new.

good bike, but doing a shake down ride in t shirt, shorts and no gloves is dumb. Its your skin tho.

A bike like that would NOT go for 600 where in the town where I live....especially running. Dude you got a hell of a deal on it!

The net you found is a cargo net that goes on the back over your rear part of the seat for like when you go some where and you can put your helmet in it water extra. Plus there really fun bikes I miss mine so I’d hold onto it there very reliable if you take good care of it.

Sounds really good with the Yoshi's, always had a soft spot for 250 twins, my 2nd bike was a Z250.

Wow that's great find vintage Kawasaki ninja be lovely bike to ride vintage brilliant videos 👍👍❤️🇬🇧

Don't rev cold. Use 303 Aerospace on the unpainted plastics and rubber. Never armor all or wd-40.

Good looking bike. Except for those purple rims 🤣 You scored on this one 👍

I got a 2007 Ninja 250 Kawasaki, I'm the third owner and nobody took care of the motorcycle. Had to order parts off of eBay and other websites. Broken fairings around the tail lights, missing chain guard, chain had never been oiled, had to order a brand new drive sprocket, ordered a used seat, a used air box and missing hardware to bolt in the used fender, order new front blinkers and rear blinkers because they were broken or missing. The last thing is to put two new tires on it this coming spring of 2023. I started ordering parts in 2021 into 2022, gradually and little by little I got to put back together, and I found most of my parts on eBay that match the color code to the motorcycle.

Sounded like a jetski when you first fired it up. I know your good at what you do but I think you should have waited for it to hit 160 degrees before laying into it. Especially after sitting for so long. Idle is too high now. Cruise control I guess. 😇 Good video bro! She's going to really wake up when you give her good gas. Wear pants when you ride, squid. Lol

28:00 So that's where GTA San Andreas got the PCJ motorcycle sound from.