I am looking to get a used Kawasaki Ninja 250 for commute. What should I look for while inspecting the bike?

Its going to be a private sale, no dealerships.

 

Is this your first bike? If so, allow me to be a little preachy. First off, take a motorcycle safety course. It covers the basics of riding and even a little motorcycle upkeep. Secondly, make sure you have all the gear purchased. Helmet, gloves, boots, jacket, and over-pants. No exceptions.

Now the bike. Check carefully for crash damage. If you find any, try to determine why it happened. Was the bike dropped, or was it something more severe. Ask for maintenance records and receipts for parts and lubricants. When was the last valve adjustment performed? The last oil change? If the current owner cannot supply any work orders for basic maintenance and lubricants, I would be skeptical. Look at the condition of chain and sprockets. Neither is cheap, and the condition of the chain may give you an indication of how the bike was maintained. Check all the lights, turn signals, brake lights, and horn. Make sure everything works well. Turn the handlebars lock to lock and see if they interfere with anything. If they do, it could be an indication of bigger problems. If the bike does appear to be dropped, check the alignment. Contact me later if you like and I'll explain how to do this.

If you have your license, gear, and proper training, take the bike for a spin. Check the clutch take-up and how the brakes perform. The steering head assembly should be smooth and without any noticeable sounds. If the current owner doesn't mind, I would have he or she, or yourself if allowed, to ride the bike to the nearest Kawi dealer and have a brief half hour inspection.

Good luck and ride safe.

Terry

 

Ninja 250/500 or the Suzuki GS500 is fine for a starter bike. A friend mine had a rich friend buy a Ducati 998r for his first bike. Heard just last week he got into an accident. Broke his collar bone and have shattered his left shin bone. He was going way to fast on a on ramp. Tried to be a MotoGP rider.

 

The forum I spent the most time on was: http://www.beginnerbikers.org/


You can also check:

http://forums.ninja250.org/
http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/ninja-250r/

To echo Terry... take the MSF course. You may even want to take the course before you buy a bike... that way you can make sure you really want to get one. Better to spend $150 or so, then find out you do not like riding verses spending $2000+ then finding out....

 

Try to get someone that knows bikes to go final shopping with you.

And how many months out of the year are you thinking you will be able to use this for commuting in Chicago?