I'm taking the MSF course next week and Im under 18 so I have to take it to get my license. I'm curently practicing on a 1981 Kawasaki KZ550. Its really old, so in a couple months after i get used to riding I plan on getting a new bike. I'm looking at the Ninja 250r and I am really leaning towards it. The thing Im afraid of is it wont have enough power since Im used to this 550, but i was thinking since its an 81 the ninja might actully have more power?? Then i was thiking in a coule years when i get more money I can trade my ninja for a CbR600rr or something. I was actully thinking about going straight for the cbr600rr and just finance it if The 250 will be too much of a step down from my 1981 550. but From what I hear u think that will be neccesary? I've heard the ninja has a lot of power for the size. Please give me your imput and any advice at choosing my bike. also what kinda performance i can expect.. also one of the reasons i wanted a cbr600 was because it is fuel injected.... Does that make a big difference? besides more power and easier starting, also since it ahs a choke do i ahve to let it warm up for like 5minutes?? iknow i do on my kz550 sometimes. i plan on riding it just about everywhere.. school, work, even in light rains I want to save on gas. Thanks for the help

 

Welcome to the forums!! The 250 is a good starter bike... all the new bikes are fuel injected.... My old zx10 is carb and I have no probs. Dead of winter she'll fire right up.. The new kawi 650 is a nice bike, the 500r is a good new bike...

The 250 is plenty peppy for a 250, but that 550 should still outrun her.. if you are used to riding that 550, you might want to move up to the new 650 or a 500... the new 250 is around 18 ft lbs of torque, where that 550 you are used to is somewhere around 45-50 ft lbs..

I would probably go with that new kawi 650.. nice bike, fuel injected, light weight, easy on the pocket book, and not tooooo much power.. JMO tho'....

 

Well thanks for the info. You said all new bike are fuel injected?? i didnt think the ninja 250r is, is it? But i might go look at the 650, whats the biggest downfall if i wanted a 250 cuz of price?? Is it the excelleration? or what

 

if you're using it as a commuter bike then just buy a used 250. now if you want something bigger then of course you can go for the 650R which is about around 6-7k brand new. that's like buying two 250R's.

 

The majority of them are.. I could be wrong. But I haven't looked at any 250's in quite a long while.. That 550 you're on now , weighs what, around 500-550 lbs... A new ZX6 or a 650, is around 390 lbs I think. In my opinion, if you're used to that 550, move to a little bigger bike than a new 250 if price isn't a real big issue for ya... There are a lot of used bikes around that's only a couple of years old for around 3-4k .... A member here actualy just got a heck of a deal on Ebay for a used one. What was that thing... a Kawi 500 wasn't it??

 

Nope.. you're right. The 250 is still carb... just checked kawi's website....

 

Yep it was a 500 - I think it was a 2000 or newer.

Sportriderfan - you might want to consider the 500 if you are concerned about having something similar to what you are used to - they're not much more expensive than the 250. The 500 is not fuel injected, I don't find that to be a problem. I've got a 94 500 - it works great and it doesn't take long to warm up. I put the choke on, start the bike, by the time I have my gear on - the bike is ready to go. Whatever you get - just have fun and enjoy it! Its not about how fast you can go, imo.

 

I had 1 more question. I know you said that my 81 kz550 will prolly outrun the ninja 250, but I heard the ninja 250 top speed is around 105mph, and my kz550 speedometer only goes to 80mph. You still think my 550 will outrun it? Im not wanting all this speed for fun or to be stupid with, I just want it to accelerate just as fast if not faster than my 550. And to beable to easil keep up with traffic on highways, and not take forever to get to the speed limit anywhere. lol Thanks , O also The main reason i want the 250 is for cheap insurance and its cheap itself, also the gas mileage.

 

I have a friend that has a friend kinda thing.. anyway we were all riding about 7-8 months ago, and he has a 250.. top speed on his was right at 75 mph.....

I'm not trying to tlk you out of that 250 if that's what you want.. they are nice bikes... but if you are used too a 550, that 250 is going to be underpowered to ya... that's like driving a car for the first time. You learn to drive in a v8, and then you buy a 4 cylinder honda civic.. no comparison for sheer size or HP numbers..

Is there someone or someplace that has a 250 you can actullay test drive?? That would solve everything you are trying to do.. I could be completely wrong you know???

Like bluebird said.. that 500 is a nice ride. And it will outrun that 550 you're in.. and as for the 80 mph speedo, you can go way over that.. I had on old 360 twin that maxed double digits on the speedo, but she would crank past that 100 mph mark easily..

 

alright thanks, Ye, ithink i will go testdrive the ninja 250r, they said that i could. I figured out how to afford a little more expensive bike, ithink im gonn get a litle bigger one as long as i dnt fall in love with the 250 when i ride it. wat kind of gasmileage can i expect outof a 650?