A guy on Craigslist is willing to barter his 2001 Ninja 250 for my 1984 Honda CR125R.
His bike has a problem in that it'll only run if you doump gas down the carb manually (I'm thinking fuel pump). It also needs paint, and looks like signals and a windscreen.
Mine is old, and finicky (Floods if you give it too much throttle when starting.) 2 stroke, and kick start, but I had the engine rebuilt last year. I can't use it since they bulldozed the only field near me.
I would fix the Ninja, and either sell it, or use it to teach my wife to ride, or give it to my son, his 24th B-day is in 7 weeks.
His:(https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3390885878_23827ffbd2.jpg)
Mine(https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/3022376235_b138748c2a.jpg)
Opinions?
funny I'm looking to make a similar trade currently
have a 98 Ex500 that I'm wanting to trade for a dirt bike!
whats the cash asking price for the dirtbike?
I put $1000 in the rebuild last year, and the they started tearing up our field, so it's only got about 2-3 hours on the motor.
I'm open to offers?
I'm in Norfolk, but I have a truck, and get up to D.C. about once a month. ;D
Hmmm... I'm in TX... but dad lives in Tappahannock... I'll have to think on this one
Quote from: DLSGAP on March 27, 2009, 02:56:41 PM
Hmmm... I'm in TX... but dad lives in Tappahannock... I'll have to think on this one
Ah yes, Tappahannock, speedtrap city, I know it well, and avoid it whenever I can. ;D
Quote from: Bun-bun on March 27, 2009, 02:31:04 PM
2001 Ninja 250
His bike has a problem in that it'll only run if you doump gas down the carb manually (I'm thinking fuel pump). It also needs paint, and looks like signals and a windscreen.
His:(https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3390885878_23827ffbd2.jpg)
Opinions?
Here's my opinion:
First off, Ninja 250's never had fuel pumps, so that isn't the problem, I guarantee.
What do I think is the cause?
Ninja 250's had a couple common failure points for bikes that sat, and were never properly taken care of.
If the fuel in the tank goes bad, it can clog up the petcock in the gas tank.
You might be able to simply take apart the petcock, clean it out, put it back together, and be as good as new.
If not, a new one from Kawasaki is part number 51023-1393 and costs $59.16 from ronayers.com.
Also possible cause for the petcock to get clogged up is the tank rusted, flakes got into the fuel, and clogged it up that way.
Next line of failure is that the gunk that screws up the petcock got further downstream, and clogged up the float needles in the carbs.
Part number 16030-1007 - $25.14 a piece, and you might need 2 if the rubber tips are hard, brittle, damaged, or the plungers are seized stuck on them.
Next up is the pilot jets and main jets.
If the bike sat longer than about 6 months without the carbs being properly drained, then the fuel probably dried up, and clogged these jets.
You can clean those in carb cleaner. I prefer Berryman's.
After that, I would recommend a good carb cleaning.
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cleaning_the_carbs_2 (http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cleaning_the_carbs_2)
BC.
Quote from: Bladecutter on March 27, 2009, 03:46:27 PM
Here's my opinion:
First off, Ninja 250's never had fuel pumps, so that isn't the problem, I guarantee.
What do I think is the cause?
Ninja 250's had a couple common failure points for bikes that sat, and were never properly taken care of.
If the fuel in the tank goes bad, it can clog up the petcock in the gas tank.
You might be able to simply take apart the petcock, clean it out, put it back together, and be as good as new.
If not, a new one from Kawasaki is part number 51023-1393 and costs $59.16 from ronayers.com.
Also possible cause for the petcock to get clogged up is the tank rusted, flakes got into the fuel, and clogged it up that way.
Next line of failure is that the gunk that screws up the petcock got further downstream, and clogged up the float needles in the carbs.
Part number 16030-1007 - $25.14 a piece, and you might need 2 if the rubber tips are hard, brittle, damaged, or the plungers are seized stuck on them.
Next up is the pilot jets and main jets.
If the bike sat longer than about 6 months without the carbs being properly drained, then the fuel probably dried up, and clogged these jets.
You can clean those in carb cleaner. I prefer Berryman's.
After that, I would recommend a good carb cleaning.
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cleaning_the_carbs_2 (http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Cleaning_the_carbs_2)
BC.
So, I take it you think this would be a good trade. ;D
Seriously, I really appreciate the breakdown. I don't have a whole lot of knowhow on these bikes(obviously) so, if it happens, that info will be really valuable. [bow_down] [bow_down]
See, this is why I hang out here!!
I would go for it. It even kinda matches your new suit [thumbsup]
Quote from: XJDAVE on March 27, 2009, 04:18:04 PM
I would go for it. It even kinda matches your new suit [thumbsup]
Where's that middle finger smiley?
Personally I'd just sell the dirtbike on craigs and find something else you like. Those 250's are gutless! even girls just starting out outgrow them in about 2 months [bacon]
It makes a fine scooter if you can wrap your head around that notion and expect nothing more, but once you start to think of it as a motorcycle you quickly start yearning for more.
It could make a fun track bike.
Gocart track ! ;D
It beats the crap out of a clapped out 125.
Quote from: gearhead on March 27, 2009, 06:36:35 PM
It beats the crap out of a clapped out 125.
I'd keep the clapped out 125. ;D
Quote from: flynbulldog on March 27, 2009, 05:01:36 PM
Personally I'd just sell the dirtbike on craigs and find something else you like. Those 250's are gutless! even girls just starting out outgrow them in about 2 months [bacon]
It makes a fine scooter if you can wrap your head around that notion and expect nothing more, but once you start to think of it as a motorcycle you quickly start yearning for more.
I still miss the little 250 I had on loan for a little bit last summer.
What's gutless about 110 mph on the freeway, or passing liter bikes in the twisties? [evil] [moto]
Quote from: flynbulldog on March 27, 2009, 05:01:36 PM
Personally I'd just sell the dirtbike on craigs and find something else you like. Those 250's are gutless! even girls just starting out outgrow them in about 2 months [bacon]
It makes a fine scooter if you can wrap your head around that notion and expect nothing more, but once you start to think of it as a motorcycle you quickly start yearning for more.
Said just like a person who probably has little to no actual time living with one.
Disparaging a bike simply because of its engine displacement.
Guess what.
It's a 250cc 28hp beginner's bike.
Its meant to get people into motorcycling in a safe, and efficient manner.
Its not meant to make your inadequacies vanish, its meant to make you enjoy riding, and opt up to one of Kawasaki's other machines, with more oomph, or razor sharp handling.
Just because people like you can't grasp the purpose of small beginner's bikes doesn't mean that they shouldn't exist.
BC.
Quote from: Bun-bun on March 27, 2009, 04:01:45 PM
So, I take it you think this would be a good trade. ;D
Seriously, I really appreciate the breakdown. I don't have a whole lot of knowhow on these bikes(obviously) so, if it happens, that info will be really valuable. [bow_down] [bow_down]
See, this is why I hang out here!!
Well, I don't know the actual value of your dirt bike, and since the Ninja isn't actually in working order, I can't tell you if that bike is worth the same, or more than your dirt bike.
What I can tell you is this:
My name is Ian.
I've been an Administrator over at http://www.ninja250.net (http://www.ninja250.net) since 2003.
You can check out my profile over there.
I also work on this bike for any forum members that run into trouble, and want my help getting it up and running again.
I've had probably 25 different people in the NYC area take me up on my offer of assistance when I lived there, and easily 15 since I moved out to CO in mid 2006. I've driven to Nashville to drop off a new engine for a friend to use in the Iron Butt Rally on his 250 (Duke Dunsford), and made several pit stops along the way to get additional parts to and from him and several other board members, also including Leon Bergman, another Iron Butt Rally participant.
So, I've got a little bit of experience with the bike.
I've made some great friends because of it.
Its a good little bike that will either serve you well, or make you a couple dollars profit, one way or another.
They hold their value fairly well for a $3000 MSRP machine, if they run, and are in half decent shape.
Drop by the Ninja 250 forum and take a look around, and read through the FAQ for a while, and see if the Ninja 250 is something you want to invest your time and a bit of money into.
Its not the bike for everyone, as you can plainly see from the comments of others.
And just to be fair, I haven't owned one for a little while now.
I bought my first in August '01, it was a Yellow '02 model.
I owned it until April '06 when I sold it to a friend of mine, and drove it from NYC to Kingston, Ontario in Canada to deliver it.
Then when the new version came out for '08, I bought a Blue one in April of last year, so that I could get familiar with the new bike.
I sold it to a friend in Wyoming in September, but this time he and his wife came down to get it.
I'll tell you this:
The '02 version had a much better motor than the '08 and newer does.
The new ones have a better frame, suspension, and looks, but the personality of the engine and the little bit of power the previous version was lost.
The new bike, in my opinion, was a pretty big disappointment to me.
I still play with my old friends on the 250 board all the time, and still work on their bikes, but now I make new friends on the different Ducati forums, and work on their bikes on occasion.
I just like playing with bikes, and having fun, is all. :)
BC.
Quote from: Bun-bun on March 27, 2009, 04:21:25 PM
Where's that middle finger smiley?
you mean this one?? (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/damien311/smileys/fu.gif)
Quote from: Bladecutter on March 27, 2009, 03:46:27 PM
* First off, Ninja 250's never had fuel pumps, so that isn't the problem, I guarantee.
*If the fuel in the tank goes bad, it can clog up the petcock in the gas tank.
*Also possible cause for the petcock to get clogged up is the tank rusted, flakes got into the fuel, and clogged it up that way.
*Next line of failure is that the gunk that screws up the petcock got further downstream, and clogged up the float needles in the carbs.
A woman at work has a 250 Ninja and ran into all of these problems. She had her carbs rebuilt and the tank cleaned and sealed with either POR-15 or Kreem. It ran fine for a few months and then quit. It turned out that the petcock has a rubber diaphragm and the diaphragm went bad. IIRC, the diagragm acts as an automatic shut-off and is vacuum operated, so the diaphragm was not allowing fuel to get to the carbs.
If it was an offer presented to me, I'd probably do the swap since I'm sure I could fix the Ninja myself. If I couldn't do the work myself, I'd pass. The Ninja could wind up running you more than buying a new one if you have to rely on paying others to work on it for you.
I've been eyeing the Ninja 250 as a potential bike to add to my collection. I'd love to get good enough on it to embarass some guys on much larger bikes in the twisties.....well, probably only the downhill sections. [laugh]
Quote from: Desmo Demon on March 28, 2009, 12:02:59 PM
A woman at work has a 250 Ninja and ran into all of these problems. She had her carbs rebuilt and the tank cleaned and sealed with either POR-15 or Kreem. It ran fine for a few months and then quit. It turned out that the petcock has a rubber diaphragm and the diaphragm went bad. IIRC, the diagragm acts as an automatic shut-off and is vacuum operated, so the diaphragm was not allowing fuel to get to the carbs.
If it was an offer presented to me, I'd probably do the swap since I'm sure I could fix the Ninja myself. If I couldn't do the work myself, I'd pass. The Ninja could wind up running you more than buying a new one if you have to rely on paying others to work on it for you.
I've been eyeing the Ninja 250 as a potential bike to add to my collection. I'd love to get good enough on it to embarass some guys on much larger bikes in the twisties.....well, probably only the downhill sections. [laugh]
Go to the KLR650 forums. Search until you find the Hurricane petcock mod. Do that mod and clean all the jets and the carb bowl carefully. Add a fuel filter. You're done.