Dave has one,.. 'nuff said..

Serowbot wrote on 08/10/16 at 09:12:32:


Yep, that pretty much settles it  

I'm just a hair bigger than Dave so these bikes (I think) will suite me well.  I don't have mountains here, so my only mountain riding is usually the Dragon trips.  I just think one of thee would be fun to scoot around on and something to tinker with so I'll leave the Savage alone.  

If these Ninjas are easy to work on and easy to find parts for I don't mind a little work.  I just don't need a headache or a money pit.

I've never owned one,.. but I have ridden one...
It was kinda' fun... in a revvy kinda' way...
Not quite all the power you can use,.. but, you can use all the power...

I also did filter, oil, and valve adjust... etc...
Valve adjusts are amazing... so easy... almost fun...

I'd be happy to be rid of all the plastic though... that can be like getting all the worms back in the can...
... (I'm not a patient man)... (I don't follow instructions well)...

That looks like a deal. Good luck.

Since it doesn't have a working battery....at a minimum I would try and look into the radiator...and confirm that there is coolant in there.  It may not be completely full - but it you leave the cap off and tip the bike over....you should be able to get some coolant to dribble out.  I would also put it in 2nd or 3rd gear, and then put an even pressure on pushing the bike forward....you should feel the bike move forward until one of the cylinders comes up on compression....then with some more push it should go over TDC and move a bit until the other cylinder comes to the compression stroke (this test will confirm that both cylinders have compression).

It shouldn't be hard to find some good used turn signals on eBay.....provided the kids haven't broke them all off while learning how to keep the bike upright!

The Ninja that I bought had been run out of coolant, and it overheated and the thin oil made the rod bearings fail.  The engine had no coolant in it when I got it, and both cylinders had "0" compression.

And just in case you aren't sure what you are getting into:

The early bikes have 16" diameter wheels, and the selection of tires is a bit limited....the super sticky sport bikes tires don't come in this size - you have your choice of Pirelli Sport Demons or the Battlax BT45, and either one of these tires will work just fine on the little Ninja.  It is not very hard on tires, the small diameter sure does jump around on Tar Snakes!

The suspension is really soft - but for your weight it will be OK.  I do notice that as I apply the brakes, the front forks really take a dive.  When sitting still, I can rock forward and backward and move the forks through several inches of travel (maybe I should check the fork fluid).

The little bike doesn't shoot off the line as fast as the Savage - but once it is wound up it goes fast.  The little engine is very calm and easy going below 8,000 rpm, and it makes power like you would expect form a small 250cc engine.  From 8,000 to 14,000 rpm it comes alive, and pulls pretty strong...and it gets up to 80 mph pretty quick.  I don't believe I have every had ti any faster - but it feels like it could go over 100 mph without much trouble.  I get more than 70 mpg....my best has been 77 mpg.

I really like the little bike, and if I just need to run up to the hardware - I take the Ninja.  I have also taken it to the Dragon trip twice when the weather forecast was not good for the Savage Cafe'.