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Looking for a first bike. Not particularly mechanically inclined. This (http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/mcy/3793659576.html) came across my view, and I need the opinion of the thread: 1. I'm going to want the fairing back on. Is this something that someone who is mostly thumbs should worry about? 2. Guy has removed the turn signals and mirrors, as well. Same question. 3. What am I missing? Or should I just run from a person who forgets to include the year of the bike, and cannot spell "ninja"?
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May 14, 2013 07:27
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 12:06 |
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Cool. In email contact with the guy, he seems all right and says he has all of the stuff he took off. I did see the rundown on ninja250.org, but basically wanted some reassurance. That misspelling is probably the reason it's still available; I assume everyone is doing just what I was and just putting "ninja" into the search bar. So, huzzah for late-night insomnia-boredom. Thanks, fellas.
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May 14, 2013 16:18
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Covert Ops Wizard posted:Ha, it's funny how the two cars in the back changed the guy from "tard" to "looks what he might know what he's doing". For that price though I'd definitely go out to look at it. Look for scuffing on the handlebars or levers, that oughta tell you if he dropped it. Though if it was a bad crash he might have replaced them, and a drop where he didn't might not be a big deal. I'll definitely keep an eye open. The last one I looked at had been dropped hard enough to bend the front wheel out of alignment. Fifty Three posted:What year is yours? I suspect the PO of my bike bought new hardware, because my screws seem nearly identical in length aside from manufacturing variances. Curious about this. ninja250 says "early models" and then doesn't define what that means. What's a new tank run, anyway?
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May 14, 2013 19:21
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TheNothingNew posted:Looking for a first bike. Not particularly mechanically inclined. Update: Just took a look, and going to buy this on Thursday. Issues I'll need guidance on: 1. Lower fairing is partially melted. I'm guessing it just sat too long while running. 2. The throttle doesn't snap back to home as quickly as I'd like. Not sure if this is an actual issue or just me being touchy. 3. Mild rust speckles on the front of the exhaust, just where they come out of the engine. This is just me being persnickety, but I'm curious if there's a way to stop it getting worse. Thanks again.
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May 14, 2013 22:51
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Updating so you can all laugh. Bought the bike, got the paperwork all taken care of, seller even put the fairings on for me. Missing some of the connectors, but still solid, and what's missing is fixable with zip ties. We conclude, seller takes off for work, I steel myself for riding for the first time on anything other than a chained-off MSF course while the bike warms. I straighten the wheel, and the bike dies. Then it won't start. I try neutral, first, nothing. I remember the choke exists: coughs, then nothing. Starter cranks, but it isn't catching. Tank's three-fourths full, that isn't it. I keep loving with it for so long that the starter begins to die - I'm clearly killing the battery. One last try to bump-start the drat thing - nothing. So I go for a walk, before I do anything stupid or overheat anymore. Meantime, my wife (who gave me a ride here, and is caught between laughing at me and crying with me), calls her dad, who rides. I'm contemplating suicide or a tow service, whichever is easier. Her dad runs me through everything I've already tried; nothing. Finally he asks about the fuel cutoff - on, petcock, or off? I'm thinking this is stupid, I already know there's fuel, and why the hell would there be a fuel cutoff anyholyshitit'soff. Set it to "on," let everything sit for a couple of minutes, then work on remembering my MSF poo poo from six months ago. Then ride the bike home. 35 miles, half of that freeway. In rush-hour traffic. The wife said my body english was so tense that it was making her nervous. My ankles hurt, my right hand aches from my death-grip on the throttle, and I desperately wish I'd remembered to go shopping for ear-plugs. I am exhilarated, and want to go again. And I'm going to, just as soon as the adrenaline wears off. And after I move the shifter so I can wear the motorcycle boots - couldn't get the drat toe in there. Thank you all.
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May 17, 2013 01:02
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M42 posted:Hahaha, I went for a short ride on my ninja 250 pregen a month ago, two blocks later the bike dies and I kill the battery trying to start it. Turns out I had the same "problem". After taking a breath and thinking about it, I'm really glad that it happened in a driveway, and not on the inaugural ride, because that would have scared the hell out of me.
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May 17, 2013 02:00
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Hog Obituary posted:This might be a stupid question, but is it necessary to ever turn the petcock to off? I had to ask someone, but yeah, that's it. Father-in-law's storage method is Sta-Bil in the tank with gas, run it for a bit, petcock to "off," let carbs run dry, shut off and leave until spring.
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May 17, 2013 04:33
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thechdster posted:So my bike has developed a problem and I'm running out of things to check. I took the bike out a week ago and I got about 2 miles from my house before it died while i was slowing down at a stop sign. It won't restart and it seems like its not getting gas. After a few minutes it will start and run only for a minute or so. This felt familiar, like I'd read about it recently. If so, I cannot find what I was reading, but here's something to get you started: http://forums.ninja250.org/posting.php?mode=topicreview&t=87367&tro=1 Sounds like you have a more serious version of this guy's problem. If air cannot get into the tank as it drains, a vacuum forms in the tank and then fuel doesn't flow anymore. The gasket is built into the filler cap, so opening that fixes the problem briefly. All supposition, anyway. Like I have any idea what I'm talking about. Question for the thread: Can anyone tell me what size clamp #92037A is? It holds the tube breather in place, mine's missing the clamp and it doesn't feel terribly secure. Diagram:  Online parts stores have it, but don't say what size. Given that they want $5 apiece, I'm guessing I can get one at an auto parts for 50 cents. TheNothingNew fucked around with this message at 15:53 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 15:50
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Fifty Three posted:I hate those things so much. The ones on the petcock/vacuum/carb lines are the worst part of tearing my bike down, by far. Just easy to lose, or what? I've not dealt with them before.
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May 18, 2013 04:00
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Fifty Three posted:I personally find them damned near impossible to slide up far enough on the line to remove it. The tiny ones are difficult to get a pair of pliers or whatever to and they hurt my delicate nerd fingers. Hmm. Sounds like a pain. How bad of an idea is using a twist-tie there, instead? Serious question.
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May 18, 2013 04:23
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nsaP posted:I've been looking at 1st gens for a buddy as his first bike. Seen a couple so far, most of the 'great condition' bikes have been anything but, as usual. Yesterday we looked at this one: http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/3837608931.html Ninja apparently came with 130/90 on the rear, per ninja250.org, though a 120/80 is apparently correct. Huh. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Do_120-width_tires_really_work_better_on_the_rear%3F They also have a how-to for fitting a 110/90 on the front, check that the guy's done it right I guess http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_I_raise_the_front_fender_to_fit_a_110-width_tire%3F Not really certain why you would do this, though, other than a slight change in ride height.
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Jun 11, 2013 01:16
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Angryboot posted:Hmm there goes my theory; 20 pounds of difference isn't enough to make that big a dent in mpg. For what it's worth she's doing 70 miles of commute per day on the freeway, maybe half of that was splitting lanes through heavyish traffic. Throwing in: 160 lbs. 210 miles from brimmed to reserve, so ~52 mpg. Mostly city, with a decent amount of back-and-forth in parking lots. I should note that this is over a single tank, not an average. Speaking of which, I need to set up an excel mileage sheet. Anyone have a good blank? Hit reserve for the first time! Not scary anymore. Did not, however, manage to switch over before the bike stalled out. Ah well, practice. I was seriously expecting more drama than that. Instead, the bike just kind of ran out of "forward" over the course of about 45 seconds; kept the clutch in and glided (glode? gled? glided) to a stop.
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Jun 13, 2013 17:50
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Skip it. You can get one of the previous generation ('88-'07, if I recall) for about that price, maybe a little more, and in good working order.
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Jun 14, 2013 03:19
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BusinessWallet posted:Doesn't it have a gas gauge? Newgens might, not sure. The '88-'07 models certainly don't. Ran out of fuel entirely while on reserve, heading out to get gas. The 35-50 miles on reserve that I read turned out to be optimistic, particularly when fighting a headwind on the freeway. Was more like 28 miles. Had to do the lean-the-bike-all-the-way-over trick to get fuel to the petcock to limp from the offramp to the gas station. Pretty sure I read that trick in this thread, so thanks. Irritating, because I could hear gas slosh if I jerked the bike around. In fairness to the bike, I think it was about a mile and a half from "gently caress I think it's going" to "completely dead." Voltage posted:Just bought a 2007 Ninja 250R! Will be my first (working) bike, I'm a little nervous but it should be tons of fun, a Miata wasn't enough I guess, I needed total exposure. Right now I'm still getting it insured/registered so I will have it on the road this week. Anyone in Upstate NY/capital district want to ride? Get comfortable with the bike first. A group ride adds another thing you have to pay attention to. I'm a little jealous, though. I used to have to travel out that way for work; you've got some nice roads to play with. modify_evolution posted:You guys. Hah. Talking out my rear end here, but I think you're good. The bike won't charge the battery below ~3500 rpm, so yeah, that much idling would kill it. Probably could have jumped it, but a new battery is probably a wise investment.
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Jun 24, 2013 17:47
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Okay, so... I may have done something stupid, but I cannot tell. I checked and adjusted my valves today (and that is all I did today. They all needed adjusting) and am triumphant but tired. However: I put the key in the ignition, turned the key to "on," and the headlight doesn't go on. Not low nor high. Dash lights up. Rear light comes on. Turn signals work. Horn works. But the headlight doesn't come on until I start the bike, at which point it works just fine. For the life of me I cannot remember if this is normal, or if the light should come on once I turn the ignition to "on." Little help? 2002 old-gen ninja 250. Sounds better post-adjustment, anyway. A little less high-strung, I guess is how I'd put it.
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Jul 31, 2013 08:03
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All right, cool. Thanks guys, I can stop worrying about this (and find something new to be paranoid about).
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Jul 31, 2013 16:58
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Smudgie Buggler posted:HI EVERYONE Someone passed me one one of these today. Newgen ninjas sound loving sexy.
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Aug 4, 2013 08:14
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tbb9 posted:I've already got the head off the bike, had to stop because I had the wrong size shims, I'll clean the tensioner while I'm at it though. gently caress auto shops not having shims small enough. Aluminum, maybe aluminum-zinc. Super cheap-feeling. Maybe they sent you the wrong washers. Can you measure them?
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Aug 24, 2013 16:21
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Aim for less than $2,500 at a dealer or $2,000 person-to-person. That's for a perfect bike that needs nothing. That's for a pre-2008 model. Mine was $1300 off Craigslist, but needed a new rear tire and needed (still needs, sigh) a new front brake rotor. And the fairings are pretty rough. Buying now will net you the same bike for much cheaper than 3 months from now - assuming it is winter where you are. 5'11", 165lbs, and the bike pulls just fine to an indicated 90 mph. Probably had more in it but would have taken a while to get there. Note that I said "indicated": the speedos on these bikes reportedly (and confirmed through those side-of-the-road signs) report 10% higher than it is actually traveling. Size-wise I think you'll be fine, but go find a dealer and sit on one. If all they have are the new 300s, do keep in mind that those are a bit physically larger overall.
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Jan 1, 2014 22:49
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All right, question for the thread. I tend to babble on, so short version: new rotor, new brakes. Brakes scrape rotor very slightly, intermittently, without impeding rotation as far as I can tell. How worried should I be? Longer version: About 10 months ago I bought a 2002 Ninja 250 off of a kid on craigslist. Said he'd done the carbs recently, and had no other information about the bike. Doesn't even have a manual. Whatever, bike looks straight and title's clear so off I go. I'm not completely certain what's pertinent, so I'm going to throw everything at the wall and we'll see what sticks: 1. New rear tire. One that came with was bald. Front tire's fine but seems to leak a little. The Shop tightened the chain since they had the back off anyway. Nice folks. 2. Changed oil & filter. Never done this before on anything. Exciting, I know. 3. Went balls out crazy and checked valves (very tight, adjusted to slightly loose end) and replaced spark plugs (maybe slightly dirty? Clearly still working). Bike feels a little less tense, but might be me. Changed fuel filter as well. 4. Front brake is definitely pulsing, which is a sign the rotor is warped. Not dangerous, but noticeable and a little unnerving if you've forgotten about it again. I promise myself that I'm fixing that next. 5. Winterize the bike. This is in October. I live in a land where the weather hate-fucks you for 6 months a year. 6. Two weekends ago I change the oil on the bike again (don't really trust oil that's been sitting that long). Ride the bike for 5 minutes first to get the oil warmed up and discover the joys of cold tires. Didn't crash but had some slippery moments. Decide that it is definitely time to get my poo poo together so the moment the weather clears I can go out paranoia-free. 7. Make some orders. Now, I've been planning this for a while. See, the rotor needs replacing. So, naturally, the pads need replacing as well. And while I'm at it, I have no idea how old this brake fluid is, that should be replaced as well. And, huh, service schedule says brake lines should be replaced every four years? Pretty sure these are original to the bike, so yeah... let's go stainless while we're at it. 8. Spent an 11-hour Sunday making all this happen. I'd bitch, but everything went really well. Still sore though. Venhill lines, Galfer wave rotor and pads, .... oh right, there was one hitch. I put in the new brake pads and they were touching in the middle. Can't be right, there's supposed to be enough room for a rotor in there. Clearly not going to happen, so I do some quick research and, yeah, that's hosed. The larger of the piston cups was cemented into place with grime - wouldn't move either way. So all the front braking was happening from just the smaller piston. Eh, being fair to the little guy, it did a fine job. Repeated sprayings with brake cleaner did nothing, so I had to blow them out with compressed air, then clean everything and put it back. Put everything back together, bled brakes, so on and so forth. Brake lever stops the bike from a walk nice and easy, not able to check at further speed because I don't have a torque wrench capable of 88 newton-meters just yet so cannot torque the front axle properly. So the restatement of the question is this: When I have the bike on the ground it moves fine (as far as I can tell), but with the front tire in the air the brake pads contact the rotor enough to make a scraping sound. This sound is non-constant, and does not interfere with the rotation of the tire as far as I can tell. It might be at the same spot on the tire, cannot tell. Should I be worried about this, and if so what can I do about it? Or is this normal for a bike before the brakes are bedded in? PS: loving spedometer hub, man. Seriously. These tabs have to go in these notches, but not those notches, which are visually identical, because if you do that and tighten the axle at all it locks the front wheel. Oh, and I forgot to replace the brake fluid in the rear lines because working that long makes me dumb as mud. Screw it, I don't use the rear anyway.
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Apr 3, 2014 03:54
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Z3n posted:Totally normal. The rotors push the pistons back in so they always drag a bit. Flush the rear brake when you have some time. Did the seals on the front brake look ok? Yeah, which is good because I didn't have replacements at hand. Thanks. I'm clearly new at this, so everything I perceive as slightly off is panic-inducing. And will do. At least brake fluid is cheap, because I threw the bottle away.
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Apr 3, 2014 14:00
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Follow-up: managed to borrow a 1/2" torque wrench to put the front axle on tight, cotter pinned it and triple-checked everything. Went for a ride, maybe 30 miles total, no freeway. Brakes feel about 80% of what they were (which should improve even more) and NO PULSATING! Also brake fluid didn't piss all over the road and I didn't die. Good day all 'round.
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Apr 12, 2014 03:10
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Kase moch posted:It comes down to an EFI kit, or the bus. Or take it to a shop? One whose diagnostic process is better than checking Google? Kase moch posted:Google-fu suggests the carbs are the problem: they're designed to run too lean for reliable cold weather starting. EFI is supposed to improve that. Then I have a magic bike, because my '02 started in 25 degree weather with some cranking, after sitting with empty carbs for 3 months. The "your poo poo is designed to be broken!" line always sounds like a sales pitch to me.
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Aug 29, 2014 15:08
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I'm told that a new clutch cable will stretch slightly. That sound right?
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Sep 1, 2014 01:45
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Z3n posted:Yes. Thanks. Just replaced the clutch lever that I broke while dropping the bike from a standstill, figured I should do the cable while I was at it. Feels stiff and a little grabby, but if it'll relax a bit over time I'll leave well enough alone.
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Sep 1, 2014 21:57
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Z3n posted:Ok, that's a different problem - the stretch will show up as a change in adjustment. If it's stiff that's probably because you've kinked the routing somehow or misrouted it in a way that's increasing the friction. I think I'm not clear on the difference between the two states: not-fully-stretched versus unnaturally stiff. The routing matches what was there, with some extra bowing towards the engine end because the replacement cable was a little longer than what it was replacing. I took it for a small ride afterward, seemed okay if a bit jerky. It's possible that jerkiness was due to my inexperience. This may be some time in sorting, as I do not have ready access to the bike.
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Sep 2, 2014 04:58
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 12:06 |
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Did need lubrication, which I did. What a messy pain. Shoot, I was hoping this could be resolved without removing the tank again. I'll take another look at it this weekend. Thanks again for the help.
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Sep 3, 2014 04:05
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