Top Motorcycle

The Ninja 250R has been KAWASAKIs best selling bike for quite some time now. The obvious selling points are definitely the price at $4000 for the 2009 model (while the 2008 model was for $3500), the nimble handling and the oh-some look of a proper SBK. Add to it, a rider friendly engine with real world performance and the best part is, from a entry level player to a big time player, no one will feel out of the bike. It will happily let the newbie keep his derriere in the seat and will also equally bring that smile to the professional with its wheelie skills.

The heart of the Ninja 250 has a twin-cylinder engine that loves to be revved hard. The engine has been tuned to be peppy enough and it is. But the power is very predictable and that is the high point of the bike. The bike will always stay at your command, it will never overpower you even if you are a newbie. the engine is gutsy but very smooth, you wont feel threatened. If you area newbie, the Ninja 250R IS the bike for you. If you occasionally drive and also love to coomute on 2 wheelers sometimes, this is the bike for you and if you are a pro, hey! nice second bike you got there! And of couse, its very economical too for daily use as the engine is very frugal thanks to those fine-tuned twin Keihin CVK30 carburetors. Sorry, no FI till probably thenext upgrade.

As I said, it loves to be revved hard and so Kawasaki has done a brilliant thing by keeping a friendly low and mid range torque through its dual overhead camshafts and 2-into-1 exhaust system. While the six-speed transmission will lets riders exploit the 250R’s powerband without fanfare from that low-end grunt to the top-end rush. The bike looks great from any angle and although I am not a big fan of covered bikes, the 2009 does look great with the dual colour fairing which also compliments the windscreen.

But one thing that just might bug you are the instrument consoles. They are still non-digital. I mean the round analog odometers looks great on a Cafe Racer and Street bikes, but it somehow doesnt compliment the SBK styling. Not that its is a rule, but we have always associated SBK with digital meters and most of us really thought that the 2009 version would surely feature digital consoles. Anyway... even these looks great on the Ninja 250R. They are big, easy to read and you also have the nuetral indicator along with the trip meter, fuel gauge and warning lights.

So how do you seat on a Sports bike? Well, although its a Sportsbike, but the sitting position is very comfortable like a street/road bike, that is you will have a natural riding position with slightly forward-slanting seat and wide, raised handlebars. Great handling and stability thanks to the 17-inch wheels, great ergonomics and great throttle response makes this a boon for urban riding. Then those UNI-TRAK® rear suspension featuring 5-way adjustable preload, and those beautiful petal shaped 290mm front and 220mm rear rotors gripped by two-piston hydraulic calipers will also surely boost your confidence even in stop and go traffic. The chassis is sturdy and durable diamond-style frame of thick-walled steel tubing and beefy swingarm bracket contributes to its frame’s rigidity and the square-tube swingarm with a 60 x 30mm cross-section further adds to its rigidity. Other features that you will be interested are the Liquid Cooling system with latest generation Denso radiator and the fins on the lower side of the crankcase will further helps cool the engine. An aggressive looking dual-lamp headlight design, slim tail cowl and separate seats further enhance the supersport look.

Specifications
Engine: Liquid Cooled, 249cc, 4S, liquid-cooled, DOHC, parallel twin
Bore & Stroke : 62.0 x 41.2mm
Maximum Torque
22 Nm @9,500 rpm
Compression Ratio: 11.6:1
Carburetor & Ignition: Keihin CVK30 x 2 & Digital
Transmission & Final Drive: 6-Speed & O-Ring Chain
Frame: Semi-double cradle, high-tensile steel
Rake/Trail & Wheelbase: 26 degrees / 3.2 in. & 55.1 in.
Front & Rear Tire Size: 110/70-17 & 130/70-17
Front & Rear Suspension: 37mm hydraulic telescopic fork & Uni-Trak® with 5-way adjustable preload
Front & Rear Brake: Single 290mm hydraulic disc & Single 220mm petal disc (both with two-piston caliper)
Fuel Tank Capacity & Curb Weight: 4.8 gal. & 170 kgs.
Source of information, photos and videos: KAWASAKI USA & KAWASAKI ITALY