Kawasaki Ninja 250R

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is the kind of bike that most onlookers would look at and say “ooh… pretty”, never knowing that it’s “only” a 250cc motorcycle. For this reason many people find the Ninja 250R to be an attractive first motorcycle. Aside from its sporty appearance, the Ninja 250R is also quite popular due to its sporting handling, excellent fuel economy, and surprising road manners.

Like its bigger brothers, the Kawasaki Ninja 500R and Kawasaki Ninja 650R, the 250R strives to maintain the perfect balance between ease of use, aggressive sport bike appearance, and exciting performance.

Fitted with 290mm disc brakes in the front and 220mm disc brakes in the rear, the Ninja 250R will stop as soon as you give the command, and its 249cc motor is surprisingly good at getting the bike moving and up to speed. It’s important to note that the 250R is not the ideal highway bike, as while it may be able to achieve highway speeds its engine will be revving hard to do it.

If you plan on using your Ninja 250R primarily as a city commuter bike, or a weekend toy to bomb around town, the 250R is a great choice. It has no problem keeping up with traffic, and it can outrun most cars to 40mph. Its excellent city performance, combined with fuel economy in excess of 45mpg*, make it an excellent alternative for someone who needs a commuter vehicle but doesn’t want to purchase or pay for a car.

One concern that many people have with the 250R is longevity, and with good reason. The bottom line is that it is a 250cc bike and you will more than likely want something bigger once you’ve got the hang of this one. It’s lightweight, chuckable chassis is great for flogging around in the city or on the track, but the engine lacks the power necessary to take the bike comfortably to higher speeds. As well, taller or larger people may find the bike to be a little on the small side.

Engine Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, parallel twin
Displacement 249 cc
Bore x Stroke 62.0 x 41.2mm
Maximum Torque 22 Nm (2.24 kgf/m) 16.2 lb-ft/9,500 rpm
Compression Ratio 11.6:1
Carburetor Keihin CVK30 x 2
Ignition Digital
Transmission 6-Speed
Final Drive O-Ring Chain
Cooling System Liquid
Frame Type Semi-double cradle, high-tensile steel
Rake/Trail 26 degrees / 3.2 in.
Front Tire Size 110/70-17
Rear Tire Size 130/70-17
Wheelbase 55.1 in.
Front Suspension / wheel travel 37mm hydraulic telescopic fork / 4.7 in.
Rear Suspension / wheel travel Bottom-Link Uni-Trak® with 5-way adjustable preload / 5.1 in.
Front Brakes Single 290mm hydraulic disc with two-piston caliper
Rear Brakes Single 220mm petal disc with two-piston caliper
Fuel Capacity 4.8 gal.
Seat Height 30.5 in.
Curb Weight 374 lbs.
Overall length 82.1 in.
Overall width 28.1 in.
Overall height 43.7 in.
Color Choices Metallic Diablo Black, Sunbeam Red, Candy Thunder Blue, Special Edition Lime Green / Metallic Diablo Black
MSRP Standard $3,999 / Special Edition $4,099
Warranty 12 months
Good Times™ Protection Plan 12, 24, 36, 48 months