Ninja 250R/500R

[Kawasaki Noobie]

Brace Yourself
A millon opinions are coming!




PS but on a sidenote, any fully synthetic or conventional motor oil is going to be good enough. Just make sure you change your oil regularly along with the filter. I have used everything from full racing synthetic to conventional to the dealership synthetic. Just change every so often. I do every 3k but you cna change ever 500 miles to every 15k miles. Just depends how long you want your bike to last.

[NinjaLol]

You all probably know about the kickstand engine kill switch. Sometimes it doesn't work because the header will damage the wire. If you are sure you will never forget your kickstand, just take the damn thing off. There are two wires leading to it that connect it. Just take the switch and the long tubed set of wires and throw it all in the trash. But take the two wires that connect to the end of it and just connect them together. They're already fitted with a male and female connector. If you aren't comfortable with remembering to put up your kickstand, buy a new switch. Maybe cost 40 bones.

[NinjaLol]

OEM Parts Kawasaki Ninja 250R (EX250-JAF) 2010 COWLING - Cheap Cycle Parts

Should have absolutely anything you need buddy. Not sure if they ship outside the US, but it's worth a try.

[adrenalynn]

i have a 04 240 ninja and i need a windscreen. does anyone have one to sell to me? or do you know where I can find one? Thank you

[robfilms]

i'm a newbie/returning rider looking at pre 2008 250s and 2002-2009 500s.

i found a 2006 500r with 14k miles.

the seller says:

"The bike is in perfect mechanical condition: I have changed the oil every 3000 miles and the filter every year. Chain cleaned and lubed every 300 miles. It's been winterized and garaged stored every winter.
Last summer I replaced the brake pads front and rear, synced the carbs, adjusted the valves, cleaned the air filter, changed the brake fluid and coolant, replaced the fuel hose, and lubed the clutch. The battery has been replaced with a sealed AGP style (no lead/acid maintenance required).
It comes with a custom corbin seat (more comfortable for touring than the stock seat) but I still have the original seat and you can have it if you want. Tires were replaced last year."

Sounds like a guy who is a wrench, which is usually a good thing.

Turns out this was his first bike and put 11k miles on in 3 years.

is 14k miles too much for a ninja 500r?

How long can these engines go before parts/reliability becomes an issue?

Thanks in advance to anyone who cares to share.

Be well.

Rob

rob

[Kawasaki Noobie]

I bought my first bike with like 5k miles and sold with 11,000. Not a single problem. I had my second bike from like 8-15. Not a single problem. And my current bike I bought with 13k and its up to 16,000 with only a new manual cam tensioner(like 250 dollar fix <.< Not too hard to do on your own if you have time, and a problem with most of the years CBRs). My dad has a VTX1300 from like 02 or 03 with almost 44,000 miles and it runs like a dream

Taking good care of a bike usually means it will last a lot longer. Changing oil regularly, and regular PM are the critical keys. But take it with a grain of salt. With my CBR its a manufactorerererer screw up. And anyone can say anything on the internet. So ask the guy some questions about what he does, like making small talk. Find out if he is a gear head. Look into the garage(if its open) and see what type of tools he has and how organized and clean it is. Clean, organized, nice tools usually point to a gearhead. Look at his other vehicles too while you circle your 500r. See what kind of condition they are kept in.

[robfilms]

i've read 70 pages of this thread.

it has taken me off-on 4 days!

but i'm thoroughly psyched with the prospect of either a pre-2008 ninja 250r or a 2003-08 500r.

i am surprised how active the forum was from inception thru 2008-9 but now readership/response seems to have slowed.

i wonder why. thoughts?

be well.

rob

[Suze711]

Rob...it's even slowed from 2010...but seems to go in cycles (no pun intended)...

Please consider the 500! I've owned both...the 500 will give you just a bit extra room, power and passing ability. I really miss that bike. They hold their value too!

[Carl722]

I haven't been on in a long time. I moved from PA to OK and found the 500R not as fun after I left city commuting and twisty Pocono roads. I live 20 miles east of OKC and take the interstate into work and the wind here blows from the North or South with normal winds seem to be over 20mph with gusts as high as 50mph somedays. I got to where I just wanted to sell for a heavier bike and I went back to my cruiser roots. I traded for a 1999 Honda Shadow 1100. Guy wanted a bike for his son to ride. I bet the thought the 500 was not as fast as an 1100. They have the same HP but the Shadow is much heavier. I bet after we traded and he rode it home he figured it out. I will miss the 500R when I get back into the TN country roads. Oh well I am getting older and enjoy a cruiser as well. If I could have more than 1 motorcycle I would probably get another sporty.

[Suze711]

Does anyone know what is UNDER that ugly bottom front fairing on the EX500? Has anyone tried to remove it for any reason?? Let me know please. Buying another one, but that's the only part of the bike I hate. If I thought I could get rid of it, I would....

[Carl722]

I took mine off to change oil. It is only covering up the pipes. I think the drain plug and oil filter are up under it enough that I took it off. It is only held on by 4 screws.

[Suze711]

I had Genmar risers on my last 500. I'm picking up another 500 this weekend. I'm looking for risers that will bring the bars UP & Back. I have been scrolling through a MILLION risers from Motorcycle Superstore, Twisted Throttle, etc.
I would like to narrow it down a bit.
Any advice? If possible, I would like them back about an inch & up about 1 1/2".
Thanks!

[Suze711]

Bump....Please read the above

[Suze711]

Any bike that I've had in the past, I've bought with VERY few miles on it. So, I wasn't motivated to doing anything special to it. After buying the 2005 EX500 last week, with more miles on her, I really wanna do some mods.

I've already ordered Genmar risers and new performance brake pads (they were worn)...I'm going to put on a new chain & sprockets. I added grip puppies to the grips. And next oil change I'm going to have the valves worked on.

I am obviously new to ADDING stuff to a bike. I was wondering, what are the benefits to adding different pipes? I don't want really loud, but what about bike performance? Are they a plus? Has anyone put them on a 500?
Any other advice for fixin her up would be great!

[Kawasaki Noobie]

Changing sprockets doesnt "add" horse power or torque. It rearranges it. Changes low end and high end torque and power band. Pipes really dont do much to a bike besides change what it sounds like and what it looks like. You have a 4 cylinder engine spitting out almost 50 kW of power(60 hp). Thats a LOT for a bike. Unless you are willing to invest in very expensive titanium pistons or connecting rods....you wont probably see any noticeable increase. I think its are 8-12% change in performance is noticable outside of a racing outmosphere(timing and likes).

With valves, grinding(a lost art ) and reseating you create a better seal that allows slightly higher compression ratio and prevents leaks. The bike may stop burning oil if it does and it will sound better. Performance pads...nothing really beats OEM unless you want to spend time replacing rotors(or installing harder rotors).

Other things you can possible do....Cool mirrored windscreen to match black. Debadge the baby, take of those silly lines and ninja decal. If you cna airbrush, paint somthing cool on it. And if you dont like it, you can just scrap it off the clear coat and try again. And when you do get somthing you like, you dont need to worry about it coming off unless you rub it really hard. I found a cool tribal maori mask tattoo that I put on the back of my bike back in july last year, and its still there a year later(sure its got a little wear to it).

Your bike is already pretty much as fast as it will be. But you can do a lot with the appearance. Thats the part you look at the most too.

[Suze711]

I'm not doing something to the valves for speed...It's just got enough miles on it, that I would like them worked on.

My chain is worn, so again, with the miles on the bike I'm going to replace chain/sprockets...again, not for speed.
I'm an older rider, I like a little zip, but it's not like I'm going to race this thing, lol..

Going for a few mods that will help aesthetically and/or pick her up a bit...And to make her more comfortable is all Just wondering what others have done to change the look a little or make her more comfy...the little extra zip, if I got it somewhere would just be a perk, but not an important one.

[Cdano1992]

Ive tried everything that I know, I dont know too much about bike but I know the basics, 5th day riding and all of a sudden my exhaust started making a weird popping noise, i pulled over let it sit and turned it on, the popping sound remained but when i put it in 1st and released the clutch while using the throttle it completely dies. i can keep it in neutral and rev it, choke works fine, ive tried choking and letting it sit for a minute before trying to go multiple times but still nothing.. ANY idea what this is and how to fix it with out dropping a crap load of $$??

[MoarCaffeine]

Hey guys! First post, and brand new rider here. So I'm swapping the original gauges on the 2002 500EX/500R (not 100% sure which model it is TBH) to the newer style. It looks like the harness will swap verbatim. But, I need to get inside to fix my temperature gauge that's loose. There's the stupid trip meter reset that's keeping it from separating from the face. Anyone know how to take that little thing off? Check out the pic to see what I mean. Thanks a million.

DSCF1523.JPG

[willybefrantic]

I recently adjusted the valve clearance and I thought I would share my experience. I'm not a pro with wrenching but given enough time I usually don't make things a lot worse.

The Bike : 2004 ZZR 250 ( Model EX250H ). Very similar to the 250 Ninja in the States.
11,000 km ( 6,835 miles ). I have had the bike for two years and cleaned the carbs when I first got it. It had sat for at least three years before that.




The Issue : Long bizarre warm-up after starting. Bike starts fine, but only with full choke when engine is cold even if air temp is 25 C ( 77 F ). If engine is warm it starts fine. After starting ( from cold ) it revs quite quickly to 3,000 / 4,000 or higher. I would ever so gently nudge the choke lower, revs would drop to 2,000. Just a red one too far and the revs dropped to 900 and bike would sometimes stall. If I got it to settle at 2,000 and walked 10 feet away the revs would climb back to 4,000. Back I go to massage the choke a little bit lower, step way and away it goes to 4,000 again. This can go on for ten minutes. When I finally take the choke off completely the bike settles into a lumpy idle of 1,100. Well, I take off riding, blipping the throttle when slowing down for stop signs.

For sometimes as long as a half an hour the bike may stall at a stop sign and not restart that quick. After the bike is fully warm it comes to a idle of 1,600 and runs like a clock.
Spec for idle speed is 1,200. Seems quite low to me.

The Problem : This process is a complete pain in the kester.

A Note : The Maintenance Chart says the valve clearance doesn't need to be checked until 12,000 km ( 7,500 miles ). After my experience I'm thinking sooner. After I cleaned the carbs the bike seemed to work fine - good response, decent mileage - just the warm-up issue.

I never did synchronize them. More on that later.

To adjust the valve clearance you have to remove the cylinder head cover. To do that you remove the forward fairings on both sides and the gas tank. I suggest you remove the radiator and the supporting bracket.



I had read that one could just unbolt the bracket, leave the rad hanging by the hoses and skinny the cylinder head cover out. I had no such luck.



Say Willy, how do you drain the coolant without making a sizable mess ?



Don't ask me, I can't do it.

So now you are looking at the camshafts - 4 in total - 2 on each cylinder - each actuating 2 valves.



I checked all the clearances and they were all too tight. Some were so tight that the
saddle under the cam was tight against the cam at all times and the adjusting screw, lock nut and saddle didn't wiggle at all. I thought, initially, that the ones that did wiggle were the problem. Not so. As Kopcicle has said on this forum you should be able to hear some valve noise from a properly adjusted engine. He and others are the ones that lead me to valve adjustments in order to solve a idle / warm-up / carb problem.

Kawasaki makes a valve adjustment tool for this bike. I have read elsewhere that the
adjustment is perfectly doable without the tool.



I wouldn't want to try it. On some valves I had to take the tool out of the way to be able to get the feeler gauges into where the had to be. Perhaps the feeler gauge from Kawasaki that is specific to this task would have been as valuable as the adjustment tool. I'll never know an I'm not going to buy the gauge. What I do know is that it took me a fair bit of time to make the adjustments on 8 valves. One time bandit was the feeler gauges. Mine were labeled in both English and Metric. Using the wrong blade ( a 0.12 [in] instead of 0.12 [mm] ) is going to mess up your day. Be careful. I checked, second guessed myself and checked again. I've read elsewhere that separating out the blades can solve access problems by not having the handle of the feeler gauge get in the way. I didn't have too much of a problem with that. If you separate blades tie something onto them so they don't drop into the engine. I've also read that bending the tip of the blade to an angle helps to get them into place easier. I didn't want to try that with a borrowed set of feelers.

I did have two other problems - one I had a fix for that I'm pretty comfortable with, the other, not as much, but both were further time bandits. One problem I don't have is lack of a service manual. They are worth the money, but not infallible and I'll get to that shortly.

The problem, the one with the comfortable fix, was not being able to see the marks through the viewing port on the alternator cover ( left side ). The smaller upper one with the black cap is the viewing port and you should be able to see a "1T" ( for cylinder 1 - left side ) and a "2T" ( for cylinder 2 - right side ) stamped into the crankshaft at some point as you rotate the engine. I could only see the bottom half of the characters. There looked to be two places that there was a "2" stamped into the metal. The "1" I only found once. Now I could blame bad eyes and bifocals, but I won't. The larger black cap spins off to get at the nut that you use to rotate the engine ( counter-clockwise - 14 mm socket ). Both these covers are on the left side of the engine, you can only see / access them with the fairing off and you can spot them in the coolant mess photo.

So Willy, what's the trick to getting the covers off without messing up the plastic at the long curved bottom slot in the covers ? A large flat blade screwdriver isn't a great answer. Use a coin clamped in a needle nose vise grip. A Canadian Twoonie ( $2 coin ) works great. You don't have a Twoonie ? I can get one to you for the low introductory cost of $8.99 US ( plus shipping and handling ). Just PM me.

The reason you need to rotate the engine is that the valve adjustment must be made with the piston at TDC ( Top Dead Center ) at the end of the compression stroke. The Service Manual was very clear and explicit about this. There is an arrow cast into the the crankshaft that can be seen through the viewing port that shows the correct ( counter - clockwise ) rotation of the engine.

So how did I do this without being able to see the marks through the viewing port ? I took out the spark plugs, put a long stiff wire through the spark plug hole to rest on the top of the piston and rotated, watching the cam lob position. You can see where the intake has closed ( end of intake stroke ) and watch the wire come up ( compression stroke ) and stop before the wire starts to drop (power stroke ).

Of course the two pistons do not reach the top of their compression stroke at the same point in the rotation of the crankshaft. Hence the "1T" and "2T" marks in different places. You will have to rotate the engine again to set the valve adjustment on the other cylinder.

Now for the problem with the uncomfortable fix. It is not possible to adjust all four
valves ( 2 intake and 2 exhaust ) of one cylinder when the piston is at TDC at the end of the compression stroke even though the Service Manual says you have to. The cam lobe for the exhaust valve is positioned in such a way that the adjustment tool hasn't enough clearance to get down to the adjusting nut. The Manual say I should be able to do it. I tried every way I could think of. Maybe someone can point out my error. I went many times over making sure I was at TDC at end of [compression] stroke, not at TDC at end of [exhaust] stroke.

My solution was to set valve clearance on the intake valves as the Manual said ( TDC - compression stroke ) and the exhaust valves on both cylinders with the piston about 3/4 of the way up on it's compression stroke. This was just before the cam lobe got in the way of getting the tool down onto the adjusting nut. As I said, I am not totally comfortable with my solution.

I buttoned up the cylinder head cover to the head, making sure to align the rubber gaskets at the top of the spark plug wells. Another glitch in the Service Manual was that they say the cylinder head cover is set on with a silicone sealant and the gasket itself will need to be replaced. That is after scraping the head and the cover. No silicone was found by me ( I didn't take the ridged rubber gasket off the cylinder head. Who needs to look for trouble. )

The cover buttoned up real nice. I torqued it up just right but since I didn't have a torque wrench I went with the German method. Installed the gas tank. Started it up in the garage and it make a fair clatter, like cutlery in a dryer at 3X speed. Worked the air out of the coolant system. Warmed the bike up real good.

Bonus information :

Shut her down and got the gas tank off, rigged up a bit of a fuel supply ( turkey baster tube ). Hooked up my home-made vacuum gauge and started the bike to be able to synchronize the carbs.



Now the gauge uses vegetable oil so it doesn't react as fast as if you used water but it would react faster than the mercury gauges that a shop uses ( I would be surprised if they used real mercury these days, but who knows ). Now I don't think the carbs were that far out of sync. But by excessive and rapid movement of the adjusting screw I was able to quickly get them out of sync. Small fine adjustments and patience resulted in getting the levels ( sync ) real close.

The synchronization adjusting screw is in between the two carbs and there is no way you would get at it with the gas tank on.



That works out because there is no way to get to the vacuum lines with the tank on. The two lines come from the right side of the carb bodies on the engine side of the carb close to where the butterfly valves are inside the carb. Easy to find ? Sure. Easy for me to be sure they are the right lines ? Not so much. They are the only one I could figure were the right ones. The one from the right carb runs to the coasting enricher system on the left side of the left carb. The line from the left carb runs to the fuel tap ( petcock ). So I'm now confident that the carbs are synchronized. As I said I don't believe they were far off in the first place.

2nd Bonus Information :

The gas and vacuum lines on the bike are held on with a circular wire clamp that is bent up and formed into a small circle at the ends of the wire. The circle ends sit about an 1/8 of an inch apart when the clamp is in it's proper place. Don't worry about moving this clamp down the rubber line past the bump in the nipple it is attached to. It's a pain in the kester to do, takes too long and most importantly is unnecessary. Just pull the line off the nipple. The clamp expands and pops over the bump. Putting it back on is just as easy. Just push it on and it will pop over.


So did the valve adjustment solve the main issue ?

Yessirebob.

I let the bike sit overnight. Fired it up, about 1/2 choke, came to 2,000, didn't race up to 4,000, crept up slightly as it warmed up, I was able to adjust the choke without having to split hairs. After only a couple of minutes was able to take the choke off and ride away. No stalling. Rode out about 50 km ( 30 miles ) and tweaked the idle down to 1,500. Rode back home as a happy camper. The valve noise was considerably less when the bike was running outside than what it was the night before in the garage. After the test run it seemed even better still ( less noisy ).

The Valve Thread Sticky in The Mechanics Corner is a good thing to read through. A lot of tips, info and reasons why valves are important.

Bottom line - if valve adjusting was a little bit more fun I would recommend it to everyone.