2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R SE

[bdavison]

Ok, I couldnt stand it anymore. I just had to have one...
So during my lunch hour I ran down to the dealership and bought a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250r. I just had to have the Special Edition.....

Got it for $3800 out the door....its payed off too.

Now if I could just take the rest of the day off so I could go ride it.....

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs111.snc3/15844_1167995719769_1224218575_30513331_1904954_n. jpg

[Dodsfall]

That's a good price. It should be a fun bike.

[ninja500rider]

Have fun on the ride home. Its a good looking bike.

[bdavison]

Im thinking of the Area P full exhaust for it. That thing sounds good. Anyone know where there is a video of the FMF Axis slipon? Im wondering if it sounds good. The stock one...is well...quiet, and gets hot as hell.

If anyone has any questions about the 250r...just let me know. I can post close up high res pics too if anyone needs them of a specific spot on the bike.

[Biker Dash]

bd, congrats on picking up a fun little ride. I almost considered getting one myself to be honest.

[Badlands-4-2]

I was at the dealership this weekend looking at a red one. I had never had a sportbike, and I want something to commute around town. They look like alot of fun, and yours is super sharp. I could not part with the $ and you got a much better deal than I was looking at getting. Congratulations! Keep us informed on how much you like it. I may still get one, but next year, after it is a 2009 carry over.

[Biker Dash]

The only two things that make me pause on getting one of them is:

1: I just wish the 500 Ninja's had this new look. I would rather have the extra motor.

2: I'm considering buying a Bandit to fix up over the Winter.

[Yamaha97438]

i like.

[bdavison]

Ok....lemme tell you. I just got back from riding the twisties.
HOLY COW.

The 4th gen 250r is WAY WAY better than the old 250r. If you are even considering getting one of these bikes. Dont put it off any longer. GO BUY ONE NOW!!!!!

This is by far the funnest bike I think Ive ever been on. It is an absolute hoot to ride. Ive ridden one before, but never really got a chance to really get it out and have some real fun with it.

Dont think for a moment that the little 2fiddy wont satisfy even more experienced riders. Im 6'3" 185lbs, and been riding for 15 years or more...and this thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much fun to ride. Im running on pure giddy adreneline and grinning ear to ear. The suspension is superb compared to the older 250r. They really really tweaked it out. Its so light and stiff...and just tuned to perfection. Drooling just thinking about it.

With my rather tall frame on the bike, getting up to freeway speeds is a piece of cake. 70mph at 8 grand left me right in the powerband and resulted in a absolutely satisfying push with a flick of the wrist.

They really got the newer gearing SPOT on dead accurate right where it needs to be. For city commuting, you can go 45mph in 5th around 6grand which is perfect. If you flick the throttle, it hits the 8grand bottom of the powerband and will rocket you to 70mph in a few seconds with this incredible smooth push. Its so dang beautiful.

The changes that they made in the rake on the front end really make the slow speed cornering much better, the front brake is dialed in perfectly, and they pretty much completely eliminated the older 250r's tendancy to nose dive in braking.

I was kinda wondering how the flat thin rather hard seat would feel after a long ride, but its much better than it looks. Shifting weight in the corners is really nice and easy.

After a nice powerband 40mile run through the twisties, the engine temps were a nice cool 150F, tires warmed up to about 99F. I still have the 130 on the rear...which I will probably swap out to a 140 later.

As far as the gearbox...wow. It is so crisp. Just clicks into gear really smoothly with a nice click tactile feedback. The 6 gears seems like overkill, but it works great. 6th has a bit of overdrive feel to it, and drops the RPM's about a grand...making it kind of a gentle transistion on throttle changes. So for passing maneuvers, Id recommend a downshift to 5th to get the powerband response back.
For newbies, a erroneous aggressive downshift doesnt result in a rear tire lockup or anything spooky. It just kinda sucks it up which is kind of shocking. I was expecting a real drag effect.

Chopping the throttle results in a nice crisp engine braking, but its not so aggressive that it would spook anyone.

Recommendations to riders... If you are tall, Id recommend swapping out the windshield to a zerobubble or something. Its ok at city speeds, but when you open it up, it tends to send airflow right at your head. Shorter riders wont have this problem. Thats about the only thing that I think could use some improvement.

Im dead serious. If you want one...go for it. It is such a fantastic little bike. Its totally worth its rather modest price point. Its no doubt the best bang for the buck Ive ever seen.

[bdavison]

Oh, and one more thing. I pulled it in the house, after I rode it home from the dealership. I heard this really weird noise that sounded kinda like that whistling bomb dropping noise you hear in old war movies. I knew it was the gas tank venting, but it really sounded funny. WEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo.....

If you are wondering if the SE version is worth the extra money...its all asthetics. The black painted area has a little metal flake in it. The kawasaki green is just the regular green. The white stripe is actually vinyl stickers. The kawi green stripe on the wheels is painted into the rim, which is kinda nice since you dont have to worry about it peeling off when cleaning the bike. It also has a "special edition" sticker on the top of the tank. Thats about it. So you will have to determine if its your thing or not.

Oh, and the headlights are MORE than adaquate for night riding. Low beams results in this nice rectangular light pattern. High beams will pretty much light up EVERYTHING. The hand controls are better than the older version too. They rounded the corners of all the switches and stuff, and got rid of the sharp edges. Finding the switch or button you need is really easy even with gloves on. Dashboard layout is great. Tach on the left, Speedo in the middle, and gas guage on the right. The turnsignal light is nice and bright, so you will be able to tell if they are on even in bright sunlight. The backlight is easy to see at night without blinding you. Trip odometer has a nice rubber reset button that is easy to use.

[Biker Dash]

It sounds like an excellent bike. Now if they could make the 500 like that... It would probably be the perfect bike for me. With a 500 though, I think a 150 sized tire would be in order.

[bdavison]

Im kinda wondering if Kawasaki will revamp the old 500. They have the 650, but its just not the same thing. If they do redo the 500, I think there will be a pretty large market for them here in the US. Perticularly for riders that want to upgrade from the 250r.

Ive heard rumors about it, but nothing for sure.

Seriously though, animedevildog....dont over look the 250r if you are thinking about it. The bike has enough guts to get you a ticket on any road in the US.

Dont listen to the folks that say you need a downhill or tailwind to get anything out of it. All that is pure hogwash. It has absolutely no problems launching me to 70mph even on a uphill climb. And let me tell you, its fun getting there too. Tapping that thing into the powerband is pure joy.

[Dodsfall]

The 250R is not going to win many drag races or be very comfortable on a cross country trip. It's been proven to do what it was built for very well. It's a solid commuter bike and very agile in the turns.

An experienced rider can have a lot of fun on these and they also make a great bike to learn on. I often chuckle when I hear concerns of "outgrowing" a 250R. Invariably, these concerns come from folks who have little to no experience at riding. No motorcycle is ideal for all situations or riding styles, but the little Ninja fills it's niche perfectly.

[Biker Dash]

Bd, I know that the 250 can be a really fun bike. I just think that bike in a 500 would be even more fun! ~.^

As for the 650. That bike is the same physical size as the 4 cylinder Ninjas. The reason why I like the 250 and 500 is because the bike is physically smaller. I'm a small guy, and I find the full sized Ninjas to be to large for me. I would have to lower them to make them ridable. Not so with the 250 and 500.

[katydid]

This bike sounds excellent! Thanks for the great review!

[robow]

Nice looking bike congratulations on the purchase. be safe and wear a helmet.

[porange]

Lols, robow, katy that was last year