The first full test of the 2008 Ninja 250R that I've seen:

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - The first full test of the 2008 Ninja 250R that I've seen:

Posted: 5/30/2008 7:12:43 PM EDT

From the June 2008 issue of Cycle World.

382 pounds. 14 ft. lbs. of torque at 10,000 rpms. 92 mph top speed. 44 mpg. 0-90 mph in under half a minute. 9.3 seconds to get from 60 mph to 80 mph in high gear.

I've been to magazine road tests of bikes. The "corrected" drag strip information typically related by magazines tends to fall somewhere between "charitable" and "fiction", with a degree of accuracy disturbingly similar to that of the manufacturer's advertised weights of motorcycles. In any case, they are claiming that they were able to flog it to a 15.32 second pass at 83.90 mph. I'll believe that when I see it.

Posted: 5/30/2008 7:32:09 PM EDT

[#1]

So are you going to start pimping out Ninjas now?

I kid, I kid.

Posted: 5/30/2008 8:05:12 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
So are you going to start pimping out Ninjas now?

I kid, I kid.

If Kirkp were a mod, I think he'd ban you for that.

Posted: 5/30/2008 8:34:42 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So are you going to start pimping out Ninjas now?

I kid, I kid.

If Kirkp were a mod, I think he'd ban you for that.

It was a joke alluding to his utter worship of the Suzuki SV650...which is a beautiful bike, I must say.

Staff can ban people, not mods. But I don't want a ban, I've already had my account locked once.

Posted: 5/30/2008 9:33:21 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
So are you going to start pimping out Ninjas now?

I kid, I kid.

No, but I think that they would be fun as track day or 250 Production race bikes.

Posted: 5/30/2008 9:37:01 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So are you going to start pimping out Ninjas now?

I kid, I kid.

If Kirkp were a mod, I think he'd ban you for that.

No, I wouldn't.

Spirited discussion, even with humor interjected, is healthy discussion.

Mean-spirited flaming and/or trolling, personal attacks, and other communications of malice, serve no purpose here.

I see no problem with DJ's posts here.

Posted: 5/30/2008 9:56:51 PM EDT

[#6]

Rent a race prepped 250 Ninja for a day at the races - $250.

Too bad only it's only in California.

Keith Code's California Superbike School used to do something similar back when they used GpZ550's.

www.racebikerentals.com/

Watch the video, on the big track on a 250 Ninja you'll have time to text someone coming off of turn 9 to the front straight to turn 1.

Coming off of turn 7 through turn 9 you could probably get a latte.

Posted: 5/30/2008 10:08:58 PM EDT

[#7]

Faster than a Vespa and at MSRP is cheaper than a lot of them too.

Posted: 5/30/2008 11:28:51 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:

Watch the video, on the big track on a 250 Ninja you'll have time to text someone coming off of turn 9 to the front straight to turn 1.

Coming off of turn 7 through turn 9 you could probably get a latte.

That's some funny shit right there.

Posted: 5/31/2008 12:17:36 AM EDT

[#9]

It's like 250 Vintage, without the Vintage.

On PIR's 3/4 mile long front straight, there's enough time to balance your checkbook.

As a race official, I've radared them as high as 75 mph solo, and as high as 82 mph in a draft. It kind of cracks me up- if the rider turns his head to see who else is close, the wind drag from the side of his helmet causes the engine to audibly slow down.

Posted: 5/31/2008 5:56:30 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

I see no problem with DJ's posts here.

You're an allright guy yourself, I just agree-to-disagree with self or other means of vehicular diagnosis.

Posted: 5/31/2008 6:20:42 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I see no problem with DJ's posts here.

You're an allright guy yourself, I just agree-to-disagree with self or other means of vehicular diagnosis.

Sorry guys, I must have for got my smartass smiley

I was just kidding Deej, because I've read so many of Kirkp's negative posts about the EX250.

Joke fellas.

My humor can be kind of dry sometimes. Sorry.

Posted: 5/31/2008 6:22:38 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I see no problem with DJ's posts here.

You're an allright guy yourself, I just agree-to-disagree with self or other means of vehicular diagnosis.

Sorry guys, I must have for got my smartass smiley

I was just kidding Deej, because I've read so many of Kirkp's negative posts about the EX250.

Joke fellas.

My humor can be kind of dry sometimes. Sorry.

No worries.

Posted: 5/31/2008 8:36:32 AM EDT

[#13]

Group hug. Or not...

Posted: 5/31/2008 9:21:35 AM EDT

[#14]

April 2008 Roadracing World, page 63:

Quote from Jeff Herzog, Kawasaki Senior Media Relations Coordinator, regarding the horsepower of the Ninja 250R:

"If you grab the bike with your hands, you can stop it. Doesn't that tell you everything?"

Posted: 6/1/2008 12:11:37 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Group hug. Or not...

ghey

Posted: 6/1/2008 3:36:22 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Watch the video, on the big track on a 250 Ninja you'll have time to text someone coming off of turn 9 to the front straight to turn 1.

Coming off of turn 7 through turn 9 you could probably get a latte.

That's some funny shit right there.

That hurt to watch.

My sister had had her 250 ninja for a while now, she's maybe 120 lbs and takes her kids for rides once in a while. She's on her third shock. When I rode my cousin's 250 I almost got hit by a bird-from behind.

These new 250 Ninjettes are slower than the old ones too...

Posted: 6/1/2008 3:42:36 PM EDT

[#17]

Need pics man.

Posted: 6/1/2008 4:20:03 PM EDT

[#18]

heh where I work is getting $4800 OTD for EX250s

have tons deposits and a waiting list a mile long

Posted: 6/1/2008 4:26:01 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
heh where I work is getting $4800 OTD for EX250s

have tons deposits and a waiting list a mile long

They are selling like hotcakes here in Detroit too. Can't keep them in stock.

Posted: 6/1/2008 4:34:24 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
That hurt to watch.

When I rode my cousin's 250 I almost got hit by a bird-from behind.

These new 250 Ninjettes are slower than the old ones too...

[humor] For anyone keeping score, I think that's the second thing that Dave and I have ever agreed on.

[/humor]

Posted: 6/1/2008 4:36:19 PM EDT

[#21]

I look for more small cc street bikes next year from the manufacturers. There will be alot of new riders along with folks who used to ride getting on bikes for gas mileage and around town use.

There are no 08 250R's around here, dealers around here say aug.-sept. they have waiting lists. You can bet the other manufactures will join in, instead of loosing market share to Kawasaki!

Posted: 6/1/2008 5:07:12 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
I look for more small cc street bikes next year from the manufacturers. There will be alot of new riders along with folks who used to ride getting on bikes for gas mileage and around town use.

There are no 08 250R's around here, dealers around here say aug.-sept. they have waiting lists. You can bet the other manufactures will join in, instead of loosing market share to Kawasaki!

Believe it or not, Aprilia is making it known to dealers that they are willing to ship RS125's to dealers as a "special run" for $6k a pop. These things are the two stroke equivalent of a 250 Ninja (a little hotter actually), but won't come street legal-there are ways around that. My guess is that they want a trial balloon before spending money/attempting to get them DOT/EPA approved.

Cool little bikes too!

Posted: 6/1/2008 5:53:55 PM EDT

[#23]

RS125. kinda like getting the Canadian stuff in the 80's, grey market. I don't think there are two many fellas around here who cut there teeth on 2 stroke street bikes

A few know what a good 125 will do, very few can put it through it's paces. I think the old RZ's were the last to get by the EPA.

Posted: 6/2/2008 5:27:07 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
RS125. kinda like getting the Canadian stuff in the 80's, grey market. I don't think there are two many fellas around here who cut there teeth on 2 stroke street bikes

A few know what a good 125 will do, very few can put it through it's paces. I think the old RZ's were the last to get by the EPA.

I think Kawasaki still sells, or until very recently sold the KE100. Not sure how they sneak it in as it's over 75cc (the cutoff for being emissions exempt). Apparently there is some way for a company to homologate 2 strokes for bikes, it's just that few do because the sales aren't there to justify the cost. Bimota did it with the V-Due back in 1998/9..

Dave (