Kawasaki Ninja 250 Review
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It has been quite simply the most awaited bike on Indian soil, the Kawasaki Ninja. A thoroughbred in every sense of the word, over 25 years of evolution has culminated in this beauty of a machine. We managed to get an up close and personal look at the machine.
As speculated earlier, the bike features a twin cylinder, 250cc fuel injected engine that produces 33bhp which is mated to a six speed transmission. Top speed is claimed to be somewhere around 175Kmph. The bike is imported in parts and assembled in India by Bajaj, which helps in keeping the costs lower than what it would have been to import it as a completely built unit. The on road price stands at around 2,95,000 Rs which happens to be quite a lot, but considering the fact that Bajaj have managed to sell about 170 of these machines since its launch, it has been quite a success.
It features several advances in engine technology such as direct valve actuation and thick pistons along with a Denso radiator which ensures that the engine performs consistently during hard riding. Two catalytic converters are used in the exhaust system, and automatic cam chain tensioner is integrated into the engine that avoids looseness and chain slack hence lowering mechanical noise. The six speed gearbox uses a clutch damper that reduces jerks at low speeds and offers a smoother pick up.
It has a diamond-style frame made of thick steel tubes which translates into high stability and stiffness at high speeds, this frame has been a tried and tested model that has evolved from over twenty years of existence, it carries on with an improved feel over the previous iteration along with new improved materials for light weight and rigidity. The engine with the parallel dual cylinder setup centralizes the bulk of the mass which improves handling.
The front features an inverted shock absorber that has a travel of 4.7 inches and a Uni-Track rear mono-shock that travels 5.1 inches which also happens to be adjustable. The brakes are massive with petal discs for the front and rear. A 290mm disc does the job up front while a 220mm takes care of things at the rear. A slight disappointment would be the lack of colour choices available for the bike, you could coose from Midnight Black or Lime Green and that’s about it. The US market gets to choose from 5 different colours, so we are not sure if Kawasaki will introduce more, but for now these are the only two on offer.
The fuel tank has a 24 litre capacity. One flaw that you may notice is that this bike does not have a fuel gauge, There is, however a low fuel warning light so if you happen to see it lit up, you better be heading to the nearest gas station. You would find two hooks under the rear seat that allows one to anchor or tie anything on to the bike with the help of a cord; also the rear seats feature an elastic band that makes it easy to quickly fasten something on.
The instrument cluster unlike most new bikes in India is a fully analogue one and does quite a good job in representing all the numbers that really matters. It houses the tachometer, speedometer, trip meter, temperature dial and warning lights. A shift indicator can also be found residing on the top of the rev counter.
On the whole, it is a great overall package which happens to be practical; the fuel efficiency is on the low side with Kawasaki claiming around 20 to 25 Kmpl. The 2009 version which is on sale here features some minor changes over the 2008 one, the most visible one being the silencer which is now matt black with a chrome tip instead of the full chrome finish. So, a Maruti Suzuki Alto or the Ninja 250? You decide…
- Arun
Related posts:
- Bajaj Kawasaki Ninja 250 Preview
- India waits for Kawasaki Bajaj Ninja 250R
- Kawasaki ZX Ninja Review
- Kawasaki Ninja 250R Launched
- Kawasaki Ninja Spotted In Bajaj Showroom In Pune
14 comments
Vineeth on November 6, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Well Maruti Alto or the ninja? Well for an Indian it would be the alto. The alto is a great product from Maruti with a good mileage of 20kmpl and can carry 5 people plus luggage.
So for 295000, why would anybody go for this bike? The bike still comes with 105% customes duty thats why the price is so high. The actual worth would be around Rs.1.5 lakh . In my opinion, the r15 at 1 lakh is a much better option. Its more suited to our roads than this bike.
BikeBhp.com on November 6, 2009 at 3:01 pm
It’s absolutely not fair to compare this beauty with “Maruti Alto”! There are many bikes available in India(thankfully), which are must costlier then many luxury cars but for bike lovers the bike is always a dream which they live for and that dream is priceless and cannot be compared with any car.
Ananth on November 6, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Hi Arun, Nice review – Though i would like to spot a few small info on the report.. The Indian Ninja consist of a 18L Fuel Tank with 4L reserve capacity and so the Low Fuel light will glow once it hit the 4L mark., and you need not go to a Gas station right away – You still have got a 100 KM trip distance to cover before you run out of fuel!
Also, The colors to chose from are EBONY / Lime Green. The version we have got is that of a 2010 Kawasaki Ninja and not a 2009 as specified in the review. Not but not the least, Please don not compare a Car to a Bike – Some one who want to buy a Ninja will buy a Ninja and not a Alto – Alto and Ninja are two world apart!
Just said the facts, Nothing to the heart please!
George on November 6, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Good review Arun, We are expecting a road test of Kawasaki Ninja 250 from you soon.About the purchase decision, defenitely it depend upon the customer needs.In my case I will opt for an Alto without a second thought.
Rajkumar on November 6, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Ain’t this the bajaj probiking showroom in Chennai?
Arun on November 7, 2009 at 12:28 am
The point of the comparison between the alto and this bike is the price point, apart from that the car and the bike are miles apart in almost all aspects…
Deepak on November 7, 2009 at 3:12 pm
@ Rajkumar, you are right… it’s the probiking showroom in Chennai.
CarAdvice on November 7, 2009 at 3:16 pm
An Alto with an Esteem engine :p
Jokes apart they should change the instrument cluster asap.
rajesh on November 7, 2009 at 9:55 pm
vineeth was right nobody will go for a 2+ lakh bike unless it wasnt a hardly earned money for 175 kmph where is the road in india to ride at that high speeds with our safety records my opinion is that the govt should not encourage this kind of bikes in the common streets
Dinesh on November 9, 2009 at 10:23 am
I totally agree with bikeBhp, its useless to compare the bikes with 4 wheelers. It doesn’t make any sense. I must say purchasing depends upon the type of use your family has. It unfortunate that we Indians have to pay more than double amount, but bikes have their own beauty so please don’t compare Ninja with Alto.
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Dream on once you’ll get the R1
Tushal on November 9, 2009 at 10:52 am
@Deepak: Hey Deepak, if that snap is from Jai Bajaj of Adyar, do you reside in Chennai? Nice to hear. Am a regular follower of Bike Advice, nice work buddy, simple and straight forward website.
Deepak on November 9, 2009 at 4:18 pm
@Tushal: Yes it is a pic from that showroom but I am not in Chennai. BikeAdvice is a team of 3 writers + me, the editor
amit on February 24, 2010 at 9:57 pm
my dad is gifting me this bike in march , 2010, i am a 15 years old boy , my father is the buisness man in dubai.
Mariosites.com on March 7, 2010 at 11:14 am
nice bike but price is too high.
the better for indians is r15,p220,ZMR etc..