I have the chance to get a 1994 Ninja 250 for $900. It has 27,000 miles on it and I have been told everything is fine mechanically. Tires, brakes, clutch, tranny, motor all in good shape. The bike was dropped at about 5mph over the summer, so it has some slight cosmetic damage. Also, the speedometer cable needs reattached, and one blinker lens cover is smashed. Neither should be a big deal.
This would be a first street bike for me, I have plenty of experience on dirt bikes though. Does this seem like a good deal? Thanks in advance.
Ninja 250 is considered by many as the best first street bike. '94 is a bit old, but these bikes are pretty sturdy. If the owner took good care of it, $900 should be a good deal, I think.
Get yourself some good gear - helmet, jacket, pants, the works.
Crotch Rockets. Tailor made for guys in their 30’s with barb wire tattoos, bleach blonde highlights, K Swiss shoes, gold chains, wife beaters, living in mommy’s basement, and picking up 19 year olds at the local community college.
Or at least that’s the stereotype of Crotch Rocketeers from Northwest Indiana and Chicago, Illinois, lol.
[quote]gatesoftanhauser wrote:
Crotch Rockets. Tailor made for guys in their 30’s with barb wire tattoos, bleach blonde highlights, K Swiss shoes, gold chains, wife beaters, living in mommy’s basement, and picking up 19 year olds at the local community college.
Or at least that’s the stereotype of Crotch Rocketeers from Northwest Indiana and Chicago, Illinois, lol.[/quote]
Same could be said for 95% of the male population of most gyms. Just like every guy at the gym isn’t a lunk, not every guy on a R1 is a squid. Just most of them.
Ninja 250s generally need a complete engine replacement between 30,000 and 60,000 miles but it is supposed to be relatively easy. I have no idea on the cost.
I have been thinking about one for commuting. 70+ mpg is attractive and it would save wear and tear on my Interceptor.
Fun bike. If you rev the shit out of it you will really enjoy it.
I wouldn’t really say its that a good deal considering you can get a brand new one for $3000. I have a 2005 with under 2000 miles on it that I am looking to get rid of and I would consider myself lucky if I got $2000 for it. I personally wouldn’t spend almost a grand on a bike thats thirteen years old and has almost 30,000 miles.
[quote]BlueJ wrote:
I wouldn’t really say its that a good deal considering you can get a brand new one for $3000. I have a 2005 with under 2000 miles on it that I am looking to get rid of and I would consider myself lucky if I got $2000 for it. I personally wouldn’t spend almost a grand on a bike thats thirteen years old and has almost 30,000 miles.[/quote]
Tell me more about the bike. It isn’t a hideous color is it?
[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
BlueJ wrote:
I wouldn’t really say its that a good deal considering you can get a brand new one for $3000. I have a 2005 with under 2000 miles on it that I am looking to get rid of and I would consider myself lucky if I got $2000 for it. I personally wouldn’t spend almost a grand on a bike thats thirteen years old and has almost 30,000 miles.
Tell me more about the bike. It isn’t a hideous color is it?[/quote]
No, its the standard black/silver with green accents. I’m not at home right now or else I would have taken a picture, so I just included a stock photo. I’m the second owner, the first dropped it going ~5mph taking a turn, there is a small scuff on the right side underneath the Ninja logo…
the end of the right handgrip, the right mirror, and the right muffler also have small scuffs, he replaced the right front turn signal. I think thats about it.
Assuming the bike fits you and that is what you want, $900 seems to be in the ballpark. Given that it is over a decade old and has high mileage, you need to low-ball him on the price. That bike is the modern day equivalent of a 1975 650 Honda that you find under a tarp in the back of your neighbor’s garage.
I also concur with the comment that you will rapidly outgrow that bike and find yourself looking at newer and bigger bikes. If you think that riding a bike will be a long-term pursuit, you may want to consider getting a bigger bike right off. When I bought my bike last summer (after a ten year hiatus), I was tempted to get an 1100, but listened to my gut and went with the 1800. Glad I did.
Do yourself a favor and enroll in a motorcycle safety course. I thought I knew what I was doing until I took that course. Definitely worth the time and the money (usually free). Get some good gear too.
I have a ninja 250, it rocks. The top end of mine (well the max I’ve gotten it up to) is 110. It isnt the fastest thing on the market. But it does 0-60 in around 5 seconds.
I love when people talk to me about my bike, first off most people mistake it for a 500. And there have been like two people who have given me crap about my 250. But the thing that both of those two winners had in common were that they were insecure douchebags who have little going for them anyways and worry that they wont be considered manly enough unless they are riding a 1300 while wrestling a bear.
Offer him 700-800 and if he sounds pissy about it, mention the new motor it will probably need soon and that new ones are 3k.
[quote]gatesoftanhauser wrote:
Crotch Rockets. Tailor made for guys in their 30’s with barb wire tattoos, bleach blonde highlights, K Swiss shoes, gold chains, wife beaters, living in mommy’s basement, and picking up 19 year olds at the local community college.
Or at least that’s the stereotype of Crotch Rocketeers from Northwest Indiana and Chicago, Illinois, lol.[/quote]
Holy crap that made me spit out my coffee. I used to work with a guy who has a lame barb-wire tattoo that wraps around his arm, rides a Suzuki sans helmet, jacket, etc, and recently got into trouble for screwing a client’s daughter (he’s mid-20’s and she was 18 or 19).
[quote]Arc_1mpuls3 wrote:
Offer him 700-800 and if he sounds pissy about it, mention the new motor it will probably need soon and that new ones are 3k.[/quote]
Offered him 750, said he wants to wait and see if he can’t get 900 out of it this weekend. We’ll see.
