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craigslist posted:2004 Kawasaki EX250, 611 miles. Looks good in pictures, the price is $1500 which is pretty drat good for a Ninjette in Chicago. Is it worth the headaches of drowning the carbs in Pine-Sol for a few days and possibly swapping out hoses and replacing the tires—on which the seller has told me that the bike has been stored—just to save about a grand? 600 miles on a really pretty 04 is tempting, and it's in my favorite silver-and-orange color scheme.
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May 9, 2013 21:27
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 13:38 |
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Do y'all have any advice for electrical issues? The PO (or the PPO, more likely) integrated the turn signals into the areas next to the brake light, which is OK, except that there's these 2 blue LEDs that are soldered into the whole mess under the seat, and one of the black-and-yellow grounds is connected to nothing. As a result, only the left blinker works in the rear (both front turn signals light up, at least) and it does a fast blink. Everything else works fine (starter, lights, horn). I'm not like great with electrical stuff, but I do have a multimeter! Should I just take this thing to the bike shop, or do I have any hope of fixing it (or not mangling it any further) myself?
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Jun 3, 2013 00:36
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I will take a picture when I get home. I need to replace my brake fluid and do a couple other things anyway.
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Jun 3, 2013 16:07
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No, the signals are regular old filament bulbs, and I checked both of them to make sure they are still intact. I think the LEDs were just there to make the bike light up at night or something dumb like that. Also I am stupid for not checking the fuse box, but I'll do that too. e: I don't really understand how someone could be so neglectful toward such a cute little bike. 
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Jun 3, 2013 18:44
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Okay here is my awesome Steve-Schapiro-esque photo of the area under my (bike's) seat. You can see the black/yellow ground cable that goes to nothing (chopped off right after the bullet connector), and the red cable that's part of the LED cluster that's also disconnected. Also, now one of the LEDs is dark. Not that I care; those LEDs are idiotic.
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Jun 4, 2013 02:28
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Okay, i don't want to monopolize this thread, but I do have one more question. I changed my oil like 3 or 4 days ago, but the oil in my sightglass looks really dirty. What's the deal?
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Jun 4, 2013 20:02
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Yeah I was looking at those diagrams and trying to make sense of them. Hopefully in between mounting my own tires and adjusting the valves I can make heads and/or tails of this wiring stuff. Also, here is a shot of the what the PO considered appropriate brake pad wear: 
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Jun 5, 2013 21:20
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First highway ride; how do you people deal with the wind at 60 mph? That poo poo is crazy buffeting. Also, ran out of gas while on the highway and couldn't find the petcock while riding along at 55 or so. Next time.
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Jun 20, 2013 18:54
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Voltage posted:-Annoying that the turn signal does not auto cancel, I had my blinker on more than Edna in her Buick. Oh my god I do this like every time I ride. I'm like the oldest of old men. I mean, like, I am anyway, but also with the turn signal thing. Also, check your engine mount bolts! There are 3 of them, and I just discovered recently that my upper rear bolt was looser than your mom. I could turn it with one finger. I think it's a 14mm and it goes all the way through the chassis. You have to tighten the bolt head while holding the nut or v/v. I posted about it somewhere, but I think it ended up in the wrong thread.
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Jun 28, 2013 20:58
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Yeah, I tightened it with my torque wrench, at least the top rear, but for the bottom rear I need another 14mm socket and another extension. I can't get an open-end wrench anywhere near that bitch. It's tight enough for now, anyway (probably).
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Jun 29, 2013 00:52
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Oh where can you get different color plastic bits?
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Jul 5, 2013 01:50
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Is the sidestand on my pregen supposed to have some amount of play in it? It may be as much as an inch down at the bottom of the stand. The bolt is tight; I had to remove the spring to make sure. The stand itself feels tight when pulled outwards, like it would be when the bike is resting on it. I've had no problems with the bike while it's actually resting on the stand. I just noticed it while going through my bolt-tightening routine.
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Aug 17, 2013 22:36
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Hog Obituary posted:Ugh, I just broke one of my mirrors on my '07. Anybody got a right-hand side mirror for a pregen that they want to unload? I have 2 pregen mirrors with bolts and the rubber grommets and all; let me know if you still need one.
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Sep 16, 2013 21:48
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I got a magnetic tank bag that I bought for cheap, and it works really well. The magnets all have clips that come off, and the bottom of the bag is a nice soft rubber that holds onto your tank but won't scratch it up. It also has a clear-topped map pouch and a rain cover. It holds quite a bit and is a nice alternative to cramming poo poo under your seat or bungeeing it to something.
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Sep 23, 2013 17:06
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I emailed those guys like a month ago about a few parts in their kit that interested me. The kit seems well put together and with unique and quality parts, but yeah, it's not cheap. They told me that they only sell the kit as one piece for "liability reasons."
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Oct 23, 2013 18:47
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I think I have a speedo cable in my garage, if you want it.
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Nov 7, 2013 22:18
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I had no idea I hated the airbox boots so much. Lord, were they a pain in the rear end to jam onto the carbs. One of the springs flew off and I had to replace it with a hose clamp. The other one went on just fine. I had to take off my coat because it was getting too warm in the garage as I yelled profanities at my poor bike. I'm really glad I had the foresight to tiedown-strap the center stand to the front wheel so it didn't collapse as I pushed the airbox forward and yelled. Also, they mentioned something in the FAQ about "priming" the carbs so you don't have to crank the bike for totally ever as the bowls refill and your battery drains. How do you do that? captainOrbital fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 00:04
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I bought an 04 that was mildly crashed (missing bodywork, scrapes on the barends, bent handlebar, small tank dents) but mechanically sound. It had 7000 miles and I spent around $1,100. Took all the fairings off and stuck a round headlight on it and it runs great. No battery issues, valves and carbs seem fine, tank is clean inside, etc. I did have to replace both tires and the brake pads. One of my local dealers had the exact same bike (silver 2004, 7k miles) with no damage for $2,500. I'm 5'10/150 and have had the bike past 70mph a few times. It gets there relatively easily, and there's a bit more room if you want go faster. I did it accidentally on a long road next to a forest preserve in Chicago a couple of times, so it's not like the bike is straining to do 70. While I was getting acclimated to riding (this particular bike and in general) I made some dumb mistakes with the clutch and with the brakes once or twice, and it's a very forgiving bike. My mom even rode it in big circles around a parking lot and had a great time.
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Jan 1, 2014 22:28
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hot sauce posted:Can you post a pic of your bike with no fairings and that headlight? Seems like it would look cool.  Here's a recent-enough picture, before I took everything off and started wet-sanding the parts. I did lower the headlight a bit too, both down the forks and down in angle. You can see some parts that are a bit tatty, like the front brake reservoir (I have a new cap for it from RonAyers, but I'm going to wait til I have to bleed the front brake again to replace it) and lever, and the bottom part of the fork leg. I also replaced the big old front fender with something from a website. captainOrbital fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 02:43
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Ninja250.org This is what I used when I was looking at tars.
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Jan 9, 2014 00:20
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Z3n posted:without using the rear brake But that's suicide!
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Mar 13, 2014 16:22
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So I was going to ride to work today for the first time all year, when something catastrophic happened (of course). After I filled my tank up with gas, I noticed that the petcock is dripping. It looks like it's dripping fuel from the bolts that hold it to the tank. I did rebuild my 'cock over the winter, grease it all up and put it back together, but it doesn't seem that the body of the petcock is doing the leaking, as it drips whether or not I have it in the "off" position. I thought I had tightened the bolts leading to the tank enough. The problem now is that I may have tightened one of them too much, as it's spinning more or less freely. I this a fixable thing? I don't need a new tank, do I? Oh, uh, 2004 EX250.
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Mar 20, 2014 20:23
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The bolt just spins in either direction now. I really didn't turn it that hard, but something must have...broke in there. So since I couldn't remove the bolt without some sort of drilling or grinding that involves hot metal sparks near my gas tank, I put some sealant around the area to hold the gas in while I get a new tank (and possibly petcock) from Ebay. Stupid idea? Quite possibly! But it's holding for now. Also: drat is that bike hard to start in the cold. Especially after it's been sitting around in a garage during one of the most annoying Chicago winters on record.
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Mar 21, 2014 16:33
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Well because the bolt that's closer to the front of the bike won't unscrew. It just spins and spins forever, like a...political...guy...like something that spins a lot. I tried tugging on the 'cock a bit while the back bolt was out, and it wouldn't budge. The petcock wouldn't even rotate around the bolt that was still in there. Old bikes! If my kids didn't need braces, I'd probably be sitting on an FZ-09 as we speak.
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Mar 21, 2014 16:49
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I love riding around Chicago, especially downtown, on my EX250 (old-skool version). But I'm not gonna front and say that I'm not assuming (and hoping) that tearassing around the city (and my enjoyment thereof) will go up (at least) proportionately with displacement.
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Jul 7, 2014 20:48
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My ninjette doesn't start well when it's cold, but it does start at least. "My bike won't start" "Well, let me take a look at her...uh where is it?" "It's at home, you see. It wouldn't start"
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Aug 29, 2014 21:04
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 13:38 |
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See, if you lived in Chicago, you could just wait until the temp is like 65 or 70 degrees and drop it off at the shop. Then tell them, "try it tomorrow." The next day it will either be 95 degrees or 30.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:25
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