I found an ad for a 2007 Ninja 250, 7700 miles, in good shape, clean title, for $1,200 (recently lowered from $1,500). Pictures look good, haven't seen the bike yet. Seller says there are no issues with the bike. But it just seems kind of low for that bike, does it not? Ninjas typically go for a little more than that? I'm interested but I'm a little weary of what I'm going to find... Thoughts?
Does this ninja seem legit?
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I regularly find Ninja 250s of that generation for $800-$1,500 depending on year and condition. They're essentially everyone's first bike and a lot of them have had basically a million owners. It's the bike you can buy for $1,200, drop it a couple times, then still end up selling it for the $1,200 you paid for it. 
That said, communicate with the seller and take a look at it. Seems like a good price to me!
That said, communicate with the seller and take a look at it. Seems like a good price to me!
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I also find that FB listings (at least in my area) are slightly cheaper than their Craigslist counterparts. I've never purchased a vehicle from FB, but all three of the bikes I sold were on FB.
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There is a 250 ninja listed here in walla walla for $1300. Seems like a good price to me, with a 250 you can bet its been held wide open a few times so it should be pretty well broke in.
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my initial feeling was that the price was quite low, but after checking local craigslist it looks like it is right in the ball-park. low miles, good shape, clean title make it well worth a serious look.
So I went to see the bike after work. A few things...
First the guy who's selling it said 'he's selling it for a friend'. That sounds odd, I haven't gotten into looking at the title yet, it's supposed to be clean, I asked to see it tonight but he said he had left it in his truck and the bike was in a garage (more on this later) so I didn't push on, I figured I'll check it anyway (make sure VIN on title matches the VIN on the bike, is it OK to ask for a scan of the title or at least the VIN # by email to check the VIN BTW?) so for now I just focused on the bike, but if the ID of the guy selling the bike doesn't match the name on the title I'm not buying it... I haven't really read up on that situation but that seems like a no brainer...
Second the bike has not been used in a couple of years, it's just been sitting around. So it needed to be jump started (battery voltage reads 11.47V, does that mean it needs to be replaced?). To me it runs a bit rough and the engine sounds a bit clickety. See videos
and
. But maybe that's normal. Revved up it's not so clickety... does it sound normal?
Otherwise no leaks that I could see (and if it's really been sitting around for a while you'd see some if there were any :-D). Tires seem OK, but they're from 2009 based on their number. For a 2007 bike with ~7000 miles does that seem about right? Do they need to be replaced soon anyway being 9 years old? The treads look pretty good...
Otherwise the bike seems to be in good condition, body looks OK, no bent handle bars or scrapes anywhere that I could see, all the lights work... apparently he's had people asking about it for a while but I'm the first one to actually come look at it...
Thanks for any input!
First the guy who's selling it said 'he's selling it for a friend'. That sounds odd, I haven't gotten into looking at the title yet, it's supposed to be clean, I asked to see it tonight but he said he had left it in his truck and the bike was in a garage (more on this later) so I didn't push on, I figured I'll check it anyway (make sure VIN on title matches the VIN on the bike, is it OK to ask for a scan of the title or at least the VIN # by email to check the VIN BTW?) so for now I just focused on the bike, but if the ID of the guy selling the bike doesn't match the name on the title I'm not buying it... I haven't really read up on that situation but that seems like a no brainer...
Second the bike has not been used in a couple of years, it's just been sitting around. So it needed to be jump started (battery voltage reads 11.47V, does that mean it needs to be replaced?). To me it runs a bit rough and the engine sounds a bit clickety. See videos
Otherwise no leaks that I could see (and if it's really been sitting around for a while you'd see some if there were any :-D). Tires seem OK, but they're from 2009 based on their number. For a 2007 bike with ~7000 miles does that seem about right? Do they need to be replaced soon anyway being 9 years old? The treads look pretty good...
Otherwise the bike seems to be in good condition, body looks OK, no bent handle bars or scrapes anywhere that I could see, all the lights work... apparently he's had people asking about it for a while but I'm the first one to actually come look at it...
Thanks for any input!
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will need a battery, a fuel system cleaning, new tires ... and will also need a seller that has his act together. i would move on immediately.
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when someone is "selling it for a friend" i immediately go soft.
no, the engine does not sound at all healthy to me.
don't fall in love with the shiny blue plastic. there are other bikes out there and for 1200 you should be able to get one that starts, runs and rides just fine.
no, the engine does not sound at all healthy to me.
don't fall in love with the shiny blue plastic. there are other bikes out there and for 1200 you should be able to get one that starts, runs and rides just fine.
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"Selling for a friend" often means he bought it for $800 and doesn't want to put the title in his name, so he is quick selling it.
The price is reasonable. I see them in that price range all the time, especially this time of year. People started riding, put a season on a small bike and then don't want to winter it.
If it were me, I may still be interested but only if he is willing to drop the price to say, $1000, and no more hassles. That deal isn't that hard to come by.
The price is reasonable. I see them in that price range all the time, especially this time of year. People started riding, put a season on a small bike and then don't want to winter it.
If it were me, I may still be interested but only if he is willing to drop the price to say, $1000, and no more hassles. That deal isn't that hard to come by.
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