KAWASAKI NINJA 250R (2008 - 2011) Review

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £150

It's not bad in isolation. I have an Aprilia Mille RSV 1000 as a proper bike. This Kawasaki is still a motorbike that's capable of breaking the speed limit. It's got a similar acceleration as a modern 1.6 car. Keeps up with traffic and gives me a sense of reality.

Buying experience: I bought it for £1450 privately from a desperate dad who's son was either hiding behind the sofa or at college. I offered £300 less and rode away on it.

Year: 2010

Annual servicing cost: £100

Great little bike has to be worked though to get the best out of it power is spread through the range and engine braking is strong upgraded from a 125 and pleased so far with it even managed to get a brand new Termignoni silencer for less than 200 notes

Buying experience: Bought privately 1200

Version: green

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £300

Most fun, most miles on the smallest bike I've owned in the last 30 years. In reality it's all the bike you'll ever need. Not the fastest or best handling, but great fun and cheap to run and you can use 95% of the power 100% of the time. Best mpg: 105 Worst mpg: 45 Average mpg: 77

Buying experience: I bought from the main dealer in Ashton-Under-Lyne; Wilma and Pete. They were great but he could be a little grumpy.

Year: 2010

Having owned this bike from new and for 8 years including travelling to and from work every day (150miles) I can safely safe, this bike is perfect for UK roads. Personally it’s fast enough on A and B roads whilst being very nimble and forgiving. The seat is comfortable. Great on motorways and it holds 70mph easy. Power is there when I want it and engine breaking is good. I have done over 90,000 miles on mine and it’s still sounds new.

Buying experience: From dealer paid under what they asked

Year: 2010

I bagged this plucky little bike to liven up a urban/sub-urban commute, and it just about delivers in that role. The mini-Ninja is barely enough bike to be fun. It keeps up with traffic, can win some traffic light GPs if you rev the nuts off it and slip the clutch, and feels eager and just a little sporty without scrunching you up or threatening to highside or lose the rear on every bend exit. Worth a look if you fancy downgrading, but it's likely to disappoint most riders with an A2 or A license obtained on a 500+. It's also not quite as light or as chuckable as you might imagine, coming in at 170kg+ wet. For once, MCN gets it right: "slightly more powerful 125cc sports learner motorcycle," is a decent description. There are much more capable bikes available, but if you want the involvement of a bike that needs to be actively ridden in order to make progress, it's worth a look, particularly as a 2nd or 3rd bike.

Very good handling and fast bike, if you know how to rev it. Is fuel injected in Europe. Have had this bike since 2008 and i like it even Better now than when i bought it. Stable and planted on the road. Much better than my old Yamaha XJ 900. Tolerates wind much better than my old bikes.

"Fuel injection does what it does precise and cleanly" It doesn't have fuel injection it comes with Keihin CVK30 x 2 carburetor.

"Fuel injection does what it does precise and cleanly" It doesn't have fuel injection it comes with Keihin CVK30 x 2 carburetor.

A popular choice for most new riders, this is a great motorbike due to its quality build, stylish looks and ease of ride. If you are thinking of advancing onto a bigger sportsbike in the future, this is an ideal motorbike to practice on to improve your confidence. If you are interested in reading my more in-depth review of this motorcycle, then please check out my website at: http://www.besttwowheelreviews.com/kawasaki/ I've also got more reviews on motorbikes in the A2 license range from various different manufacturers, contained within the rest of the site.

hi just got back from a longish motorway ride on my little ninja, not the ideal bike for high speeds on the motorway but will do 70mph all day but sadly my backside will not so had a stop about every couple of hours, overtaking at thease speeds was a slow but my ninja was fully loaded with gear and it coped well for a 250cc bike.

Ok, where to start...I bought this bike back in October 2007 having waited about two months for my local garage to get stock (typical Japanese delays) and since then I have been nothing but thrilled by it. Having probably had the most experience on this bike out of any other owner (18,000 miles after 14 months...yes 18,000!) I think it’s about time I posted my view. The title of this review pretty much sum up my thoughts, I love the little thing! Having owned a cbr125 and a 650 cruiser before hand it was a bit of an unknown experience jumping on the 250. The 125 was slow and I screamed for more power every time I rode it, and the 650 was heavy and too much of a handful for me (after all, I was only 17). I think the 250 suits me perfectly. The stock tyres really aren’t as bad as people make out, I got my fair share of miles out of the rear (8,000) and had no problem whatsoever. The replacement Bridgestone did feel a whole lot smoother but by then it’s too late to care. As for the front…that’s still on there after 18,000 with plenty of tread. The handling is spot on, I can flick this round bends like anything, and it just wants more. As for the engine...sure it could do with a bit more grunt but if you rev it hard it responds well. I have a full Two Brothers V.A.L.E system with a K&N filter which always helps. If your thinking of getting this pipe (I would recommend it to anyone) just be warned...it is loud...and when I say loud...I mean LOUD! Performance wise...the little one will get to 90 with little fuss, but after that it starts dragging off, I have had 110 out of mine once or twice though. Looks wise I love it. This thing turns heads everywhere I go, if it wasn’t for the 250 badge and tale-tale rear tyre size it would be easily mistaken for a 600. As for reliability I haven’t had any major problems with it even after all those miles. Keeping it serviced every 4,000 does help I’m sure, the only thing that ever needed changing was the rear calliper as the pins had seized, but that didn’t affect me while riding it. I’m trying to rack my brain for bad points…the lack of digital clocks is rather disappointed, but that’s hardly a negative worth picking up on. Other than that you get what you pay for, as 250’s go I’m sure its one of the best out there, sure the price isn’t quite in everyone’s budget but it’s what you’d expect to pay for the quality on offer. As for me I just hope the little thing keeps going, even after 18,000 it still feels like it did the day I took it out of the showroom, and when cleaned up it looks that way too! Fantastic bike, if you’re undecided, buy it! You won’t regret it.

Very good bike for beginners.

After I had my Er6F (unrestricted as I'm an old fogey) for 2 years and 32000 miles I thought I would try to save money by going downsize. In particular since I ride very slowly by bike standards I thought I could save substantially on petrol and tyre costs without suffering from lower performance. The good news is that I am saving - getting over 74mpg even when I thrash it and the current tyres are showing no wear after 2000 miles but I am suffering for that. I wasn't able to test ride one but had a 250 as a teenager so thought it should be okay - after all my GSX250 was fast in my memories and it only had 27bhp... I really hadn't realised how slow these bikes are - You can keep up with normal cars driven fairly quickly if you are busy up to 70 or so but acceleration tails off quite quickly above 60 and although 80+ is possible its not very nice. What I'm trying to say is that if you don't need to ride a restricted bike don't - Its not very nice and even if you don't go flat out every-where you would use and enjoy the extra torque of an unrestricted bike every time you took it out. The bike is much faster than a 125 (For comparison I would estimate that the CBR125 works about as hard at 65 as the 250 does at 80) but its just not in the same league as a 600... The engine though is the only negative thing about the bike. I happen to love the way it looks even if its a bit small, its handling is really secure and safe and its brakes are also much better than the ER. The secure way it goes around roundabouts and bends even on damp roads is really confidence boosting - it makes the ER feel vague - its just a shame the engine is so weak. The tyres have been commented about before and they are good for wear but not good in the wet - the rear is prone to skid in the wet if you use the brakes hard - The letgo is just too quick although since the bike is so well balanced it's not a major stress to me and I will replace the tyres when they are worn. Two last cautions about this bike: 1. No real bikers ever nod at me anymore - its very lonely saving money... 2. My insurance company is quoting me at group 12 which makes it more expensive than the ER6 - Need to change insurers at the end of the year!

I've waited a while before posting my comment on this bike so that I've got a sufficient amount of experience to base any opinions on. I bought my 250R brand new back in April of this year (2009). Since then I've done almost 3000 miles on it over 7 months. Most of this is for commuting in and out of central London although I have also taken the bike across Surrey, Berkshire and Kent over the weekends. Having ridden 125s previously this bike is a great way of stepping up. I passed my restricted A2 license in Dec 2008. As someone else has said - its bang on the 33bhp limit so there's no need to consider any restricter kit as would be the case for a bigger bike which is very convenient. The riding position is quite high for a racer but that's a good thing since most new riders will want to have the ability to look up and over cars and other vehicles. The narrow profile makes it excellent for filtering through traffic - I generally find myself coping through traffic far more easily than 500/600cc bikes around me. The engine revs very smoothly and is generally forgiving although one is aware that there's a fair amount of poke should it be needed. Its great for city riding and commuting where you're never really going to need top end speed. The motorway is the only time I feel the bike is lacking to the point that I'm wishing I was on something bigger. Mechanically, the bike has never given me any troubles. The IRC tyres could be better however I wouldn't consider changing them unless you're intending to take the bike onto a track. Otherwise, just wait for them to wear themselves out and replace then. This is great bike to start on and the inexpensive running costs and high residual value mean you can't go wrong. Definitely recommended - I may even keep this bike when I upgrade to something bigger in a couple of years.

This bike is amazing i love it! its good fun to ride and great to throw around bends. I dont think the tyres are bad reguardless of what others say..as i can grin the pegs along the floor and the bike still grips and grips! only thing is i wish it had a bit more power...im on a restricted licence but i would love a little more power...(even if i cant) overall an amazing motorcycle!

This bike is amazing i love it! its good fun to ride and great to throw around bends. I dont think the tyres are bad reguardless of what others say..as i can grin the pegs along the floor and the bike still grips and grips! only thing is i wish it had a bit more power...im on a restricted licence but i would love a little more power...(even if i cant) overall an amazing motorcycle!

Hi, done over 400miles now, soon be due 1st service, will be changing the tyres then, as others have said the tyres give you no feed back at all, otherwise just love this little bike, in town its spot on for nipping in & out off traffic, very good tank range got 180miles before low fuel light came on.

Picked up bike this morning, impossible to keep it under 4000rpm, dealer told me it would be ok to just keep my speed down, and not to over rev it, kept it under 6000rpm most of time, tyres feel ok but only rode it in the dry, after 1st day clocked up 107miles, will know more once i,ve done a few more miles, but so far so good.

forgot to add comment about the tyres, they are IRC Roadwinners which come as stock, suggest Bridgestone Battlax BT45's, as the IRC do feel wooden.

With an A2 license its perfect for 2 years for the 33bhp restriction, have been good to follow the break in rules of 4,000 rpm for the 1st 500 miles. I have had the 1st service and now up to 6,000 rpm which has given me up to 65mph till i have done 1000 miles, then i can open her up. It does feel and sound that you are going faster though which adds to the adrenaline. The only complaint is the (R) rear view mirror which does not give a clear back view. Next bike in 2years will be the ER 6F.

Well after waiting since early May for one of these to turn up I finally paid the balance and got the keys from Metropolis in Vauxhall. First impressions; It's very green! Second; god it's tiny. Third; seats a bit hard. Having spent the last twenty two odd years on bigger bikes, VFR750/800's mostly, this is really a toy to play with. It's a stage of life thing I guess. I saw it at last years show in Docklands and I was thinking of getting a "back up" scooter but just couldn't bring myself to do it. This seemed to fit the bill. Right, so, leg over and here we go. Did I mention it's tiny? I come in at 5'6" plus change, so it's a mind thing because it's not really that small even if it's the first bike I've had where I could have both feet flat on the ground at the same time. Need to get my brain around the new scale of things. On goes the engine first time with a little throttle, all well and good, slip the clutch and up the revs.... hang on where's the bite? More revs... nope... okay 6000 finally gets me going! Hmm this is going to be interesting since the manual states "Don't go over 4000 for the first 600 miles".(?). If anyone who is not a member of the clergy manages 600 miles on one of these without going over 4000 revs I will be amazed. Those 6000 revs in first will get you to a grand old speed of around 15 MPH. So no wheelies away from the lights until it's run in I guess. It becomes very obvious as I run around the one way system that the Ninja needs lot's of gear-changing and revs to keep up in the traffic. Here's the a problem, every single car driver seems to expect me to be able to do 0-60 in a gnat's tadgers. Isn't going to happen. The mirrors make everything behind me look like its on my arse... oh! they are!! The mirrors are very nice and give a good view of the traffic bearing down on me as I work my way up the Embankment into Central London. I've read most of the reviews and they all condemn the Thai tyres fitted to the Ninja. I don't think they are as bad as they believe, but then I remember the JapLop tyres that I had on my 250 Superdream back in the mists of time. They were crap even in the dry! These tyres are Ok for around town and straight line work but you will not be getting your knee down with them. Not unless you want it followed by the rest of your body and the bike! Maybe I'll get them changed at the first service. Despite what this may read like, this bike is fun. After about five miles I've got the hang of pulling away from the lights without being run over by the car behind; Lots of revs, only stay in first for as long as it takes you to get your foot under the gear shift, then second very briefly then into third as quickly as you can. Once this thing has all it's revs available it will be even more fun. I find myself grinning like a loon going across Blackfrairs bridge. Did I mention that this is fun? I get more comments in 30 minutes than I have on any other bike. Unusually they are all polite! "Is that an import?", "Is that an R6 ?", (Err no!). Generally it seems to turn the heads of all the scooter boys. Well good, maybe it will encourage them off of their scooters onto a "real" bike. Equally the "Big Boys" give me a sideways glance as they zip past me at what seems like insane speeds. Is that me on the VFR? The brakes are very good. More than enough to pull a stoppy if that is you thing. The tyres are relatively narrow so it feels a little twitchy over the London tarmac but not dangerously so. The engine is very revvy and has a nice whine to it at 6000 that has me grinning again. You can see this 4000 has gone out of the window can't you? The finish on the bike looks good, although there are a few missing paint flakes around the footrest hangers by the time I finish my first day out. The exhaust can is very chrome and sets the look of the bike off nicely. However the downpipes look like something that should be hanging out off of a gas boiler! They are not going to last. 22mm mild steel I would say. Let's hope the aftermarket comes out with something to match the standard pipe in a better finish. Dog leg(ish) levers are an easy reach even for small fingers. The clutch action is easy and light but I did manage to get the brake lever all the way to the grip on a couple of occasions before I adjusted my brain to the force actually needed. This bike is quite light after all. By the end of the day I've put in 80 odd miles, not a lot I know but I was working as well. I could have doubled that without a doubt and no aching back or numb fingers. The riding position is quite upright for a "sports" bike but I think if you're over 6" you might have a different opinion. All in a very enjoyable first day out. Remember A: it's a 250 not a 600. B: It's fun just like biking is supposed to be.

Brilliant Bike. Just past 3500 miles and no problems yet. Really comfortable. I do 40 miles a day, 6 days a week and I can do that on £13 worth of fuel. Exellent bike for new lisence holders.

I have owned my Kawasaki Ninja 250 for two months now. With 1000 miles on the clock I am really getting to know who the bike needs me to ride it. I did have a Z750 (which I alsoo adored) but being 5 - 3 I struggled with the shear, on the ground manouvering and tippy toeing in to bike spaces that would only be suitable for a motorcycle. I now have 100% total control over it both on and off which means so much when you are out by yourself. If you really take it through the gears it doesn't seem like a 250. Not at all. The only thing that lets it down are the tyres. Basically crap but that's next on the list. I got a can made for it and the hubby improved the braking somewhat by putting on a steel braided hose. I recommend this bike to all the shorty's out there who want total independence and want to keep up with the bigger bikes.

All i can say is FAB, Love it Had it for just over a week after waiting to be delivered. Still running her in but no doubt will be having plenty on fab times when the summer decides to rear it's head. Keep grinning from ear to ear and can't stop looking at her when tucked up for the night hopeing for another dry day! Mine Black too, shame no other colours to choose from as don't like the kawasaki green one bit. Other than that ! thanks to kawasaki for giving me the option to upgrade my bike and not have to resort to lowering kits for us short arses. No doubt Honda will be getting their act together soon

Owned my black, yes i know everyone's told me it should be green but just like my heart it had to be black, for one month now, well pass the run in period so serious fun is now being had. Very rare these bikes, my garage aint getting any till october now so am well glad i got it when i did. The 250 i feel is a great bike to start off with and as long as you dont mind reving the nuts off it immense fun. Easily chuckable round the corners and ride comfort is fine, im commuting 120 miles aday and no complaints from my rear. Limited equipment and almost no aftermarket parts in the uk as yet so i've ordered my yoshimura exhaust from the us. Good quality bike all round and yeah have only done 2000miles so far totally reliable. Paid £3200 for mine so yeah i think its good value considering my 08 cbr125r was £2600. Comfortable sits at 110mph, 100 up steep ass hills. Engine pulls quick enough for me quickly hitting 90, then about 5 secs to hit a ton then same again for 110. Disapointed with the temp gauge and no fuel as i ran out on my first outing, not good. Also the new yamaha 125 has got digital clocks so why the hell do i still have analogue!!??! Anyway if you can get your hands on one i deff recommend one o these great machines.