Kawasaki Ninja 250 R

The background

The day I rode the ninja out of the showroom I was in love with the bike. I have been riding bikes since 1994 when I first rode my brothers KB100. I became a regular biker 1999 onwards. I got my hand on a new bike for the first time in 2003 when I first bought a pulsar 180. I enjoyed riding the pulsar for many years including my trips to Leh and Kaza on it. I loved the classic pulsar 180 for its ability for stunting.

I was looking for ways to get my hand on a higher capacity bike preferably a 600cc within my means. I went to Mauritius for a while to work and had almost finalized buying the Honda CBR600RR but I decided to move back to India before that. I first saw the ninja 250 in flesh for the first time when I was in Australia on an official tour and I had heard about the news that it is going to come to India. I was almost certain that I will go for it. It looked awesome.

When I first heard the on-road price of the ninja in India in Aug 2009, I too was disappointed like everybody else and felt that the price was not justified for just a 250cc bike. Of course, the reason for this was that I didn’t much know about this bike or understood the technology that goes into building it. I could have easily bought the ninja then since I was a bachelor without much responsibilities and access to easy loans but I somehow convinced myself that the ninja was not worth the money and didn’t much looked like a bigger bike in terms of sound and looks from the rear.

Of late for the past few months I was getting bored of riding my pulsar 180 in the city as I was yearning for more power. I started reading up on the ninja, its capabilities and that is when I came to know that it is the best 250cc in the world. I read more about it and started to understand its technology and the reason why it has a price that it has. It looked like a promising candidate to satiate my urge for power for now. I didn’t have any options for going for a 600cc in India legally. The 1000cc bikes were very impractical and out of reach financially. Though I was convinced that the ninja justifies its price but was still a little too much for me considering that I got married and had responsibilities now. I looked for other options to provide for my need for an adrenaline rush. I looked at the Bajaj Avenger, Bajaj Pulsar 220, Yamaha R-15, Yamaha FZ-16, and Yamaha FZS.

The more I read about the ninja the more I got convinced. I spoke to my wife about the idea of buying a ninja. Initially she was not convinced and asked me to look for other options. Then we went to the PBK showroom to have a look and that is when she got struck with the bike too. I spoke to my parents and brothers and they were supportive. I was decided then. I went and booked the black ninja. Within 2 days I got a call that the bike was ready for delivery. Unfortunately I was not in town so had to wait a bit.

Finally the day came and I rode out the ninja. It was perfect. I knew that the motor is not a head turner for the initial 3-5 k rpms so I was not impatient. I was amazed at the smoothness of the engine and the gearbox when I rode back the new bike to my house. The stability was flawless and the confidence it boosted was unquestionable. When I came to know that I will need to keep the bike below 4 k rpm till the first 800 kms, I used to fret how I would manage the run-in period but I read a lot on running in the ninja and was convinced that the factory stated method was very conservative, I decided to use the Duke’s method for running in my ninja and I was excited that I will be able to experience the ninja much sooner in its higher revving form. I ensured that I didn’t stress the engine before it was warmed up so whenever I started out on a cold engine I used to keep the revs below 4 k for the first few kms till the engine got warmed up. I also kept a watch on the engine temperature so that I don’t overheat it. I took my ninja to different rpms so that the piston rings settle down properly. I took my bike on the expressway on one night. The engine was warmed up and well lubricated. I reached the sixth gear keeping the revs around 4k rpm mark. Then I started to accelerate to higher rpms progressively often leaving the throttle to give the bike some engine braking before taking it higher to the next rpm level. This helped in giving it multiple progressive heat cycles. I took it to a max of 13 k rpm within the first 200 kms riding at a speed of around 160 kmph on the odo.

During this ride I realized the stability and the power of the bike. The bike felt smooth even at speeds of 120-130 kmph. Post 130 kmph there was some stress visible on the engine but it was more like the engine is working hard rather than the engine is trying hard. Even at 160 kmph the engine felt comfortable although it was stressed. There were no major vibrations; the rear view mirrors were vibration free. The bike felt very stable without shuddering due to winds, the aerodynamics of the bike were working amazingly. The stability boosted my confidence. I overtook all the high speed traffic on the expressway. The headlights lighted up the road adequately and the windscreen offered me enough protection from the oncoming winds. I was cruising at 160 kmph and felt very confident at that speed and the comfort was almost like riding in a car at that speed. I was enjoying the adrenaline rush and when I released the throttle and took my head up I was stung with a draft of high speed wind hitting my chest. That was when I realised I was going very fast.
The braking on this bike is also confidence inspiring. The braking is solid and when applied in a straight line even at high speeds it does not give a shaky feeling.

The Review

Looks: The looks of this bike are sporty and it shows that it is a younger sibling of the ZX series. The fairings and the tank are meaty and the headlights give it a mean appearance that Kawasaki is known for. The front contours culminate into a well shaped rear end. The 130/70 rear tyre does not give it looks of a big bike from the rear but then again it is not that big a bike. Overall it is a sporty bike with envy inspiring looks. We can safely say it is the best looking bike in its category.

Build: The bike has world class build quality. Each and every part of the bike is the same which is offered in global market in all countries and the Japanese build quality shows in the bike. The engine sounds refined not as much as a Honda engine but then again Kawasaki engines have proved themselves on the track enough times and the technology of the ninja engine is coming from the same breed of engines. The fairings do not rattle at speeds and a fitted well. The gear shifts are smooth. They have a solid feel of the gear clicking into position.

Performance: Take the bike beyond 6 k rpm and there is a surge of power waiting to be unleashed. One can feel this power when you accelerate the bike and you reach the speed of 100 kmph before you even realize that the traffic ahead of which looked very distant is suddenly close at hand. It takes a while to get used to this sudden acceleration. It is slightly scary in the beginning because do not anticipate the acceleration but with time and practice we get used to it. The engine appears stress free upto speeds of 100 kmph, from 100 – 130 kmph the engines seems to put in effort and beyond that till 150 kmph seems to be working hard (not trying to work hard ). The braking is superior quality. One has the confidence of riding this bike on high speeds because he knows that the moment he applies those brakes the bike will come to a standstill within moments. The tyre grips well on the tarmac.

Ride quality: I have read a lot of people talk about the ninja being just 30 cc more than the p220 or just one cylinder more or just 12 bhp more than the p220 and that this increase does not justify the price tag it has. Apart from the technical superiority in its league one more thing that makes the ninja a class apart from other bikes in its category available in India is the ride quality. The comfortable riding position and the suspensions combined with the great performing engine provide a great riding experience. The suspensions are bit hard on bad roads but that is more to do with the suspension settings tweaked for track performance. I still have to experiment with the 5 setting options for the mono-shock in the rear.

Conclusion

I have ridden my ninja for almost 1100 kms and am yet to experiment with hard acceleration but even then I have had my share of fun accelerating moderately in the traffic and it is adequate to leave all of the traffic behind. The bike has enough power to give me an adrenaline boost and it has renewed my passion for biking. I had started going to my office in my car off late before I bought my ninja. I have again started going to my office on my bike. I enjoy the ride between my home and office. This is a very practical sports bike for Indian conditions. I can utilize its full potential on the expressways and I enough reserve power range in normal traffic to accelerate quickly out of situations. The moment we move into higher cc category they no longer seem practical options and are more of a weekend bikes. Also in traffic the 600cc and the 1000cc bike heat up very quickly whereas the ninja fares pretty well in bumper to bumper traffic. It is also a very well balanced and not so heavy bike. As soon as I get a chance to take it to the hills I am sure I will be in for a surprise on the twisties. 