15th September 2007

08 Ninja 250r Spotted

posted in Motorcycle Stuff |

One thing I never thought I would do is own a Ninja 250. Honestly it’s not about the power. A 250 is plenty of power for a girl like me. I don’t need speed for the mountains, and I’ve been wanting something small for awhile now. I ride as a passenger on the 600r with hubby for the simple fact that I’m a small girl at 5’2″ and 120lbs. Me holding up 500 lbs just isn’t going to happen right now. On top of that, the seat height on most 600′s is just way too much tall for me, and lowering the bike more than 1 1/2″ is just not possible. I’ll bottom out in the curves, especially for someone of my size and my suspension setup.

The reason I haven’t wanted a Ninja 250 before is the design. Not only has it been the same old school technology for years, but the body hasn’t changed. I don’t mind the old school technology as much. After all, we’ve got an ’06 Yamaha YZF 600r. It don’t much more old school with the technology than that. I hate the old Ninja 250 body style almost as much as I hate the look of the Katana…and I seriously loathe the Katana.

The new version was spotted in Barcelona. But just take a look at the first images of the new 08 Ninja 250r body style.

You still won’t catch me on a Kawasaki green one, but I do like the upgraded body style. It’s pretty sweet for a 250, so it looks like this is going to be my new toy. I’m not sure when they come out yet or the price range, but I’ll keep you posted.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15th, 2007 at 5:57 am and is filed under Motorcycle Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
  • allnvain

    Hi and i own the green 08 250r!! LOL
    I love the bike but am 5`8″ and 150 lbs.Here lies the problem..On mine i get a bad up and down shake when going 30 to 57mph.Been to balance and no problem there.I was then told i needed a new tire which the original tire only had 1700 miles on it.Well it`s going on a month now and $200, i have a new tire and still hopping like crazy.All the mechanics at 2 dealers are 200 plus pounds and cant feel it.I have a feeling this will be a problem with lighter folks. just F.Y.I

  • Yamaha Girl

    What’s your suspension setup?

    I’ve had the same experience with an 05 gsxr 750 (actually the one pictured in my header) when going at a slower speed. The up and down shake was horrible, and only the owner of the bike and I could feel it. We’re both in the 5’2″-5’3″ range and 125-130lbs. Factory suspension is setup for a person in the 170-190lb range.

    Sometimes the suspension can’t be tuned enough to accommodate the weight difference which is exactly why the our 600r just got new aftermarket springs.

    Hubby has the opposite problem. He’s a larger guy and can’t adjust the suspension enough for his 275lbs, so we had to buy stiffer springs. With a smaller person it’s the exact opposite, and springs that allow for a looser setting might be your answer.

    Also the tires that come standard on the 250r are horrible. Running a touring tire is going to give you a rougher ride. Have you checked into getting one of the sportier J rated tires? Just remember not to mix tread patterns. Uneven tire wear will also cause a bouncing feeling at certain speeds, especially if you’re riding mostly in flat straight lines wearing a flat spot in the center of the tire.

  • allnvain

    My suspension set up is factory and the back shock was set on softest setting so i went up 2 clicks and still does the same thing.I am having the mechanics check fork oil thickness and back tire.Yes the tires are crap that come on the bike and the dealer tried to get me to purchase the same when i replaced the front tire.LOL
    I ended up getting a dunlop qualifier for the front because of all the highway driving i do.65 miles each day with most on the highway.I`ve talked to others on the ninja 250 forum and people the same weight and under are having no problems.

  • Yamaha Girl

    Please keep me informed. If they figure out what it is I’d like to know in case I run into this again and changing suspension setup doesn’t fix it.

  • allnvain

    Will do.

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