Another...new bike in the stable

[jkv357]

Staying with the theme...

Just added a Ninja 250 to the stable as well! Actually it's my 16 y/o son's (he paid for it), but I may get to ride it now and then.

2004, 257 miles (!), cracked turn signal, not running - dead battery and plugged carbs. Guy bought it for his former girl friend. She must have dropped it in the driveway (about 2006 or so) and decided riding wasn't for her. Its been sitting since. Got it for $750.



We weren't completely ready to take it home, but we managed to get it in the van (removed the windscreen and mirrors). It was a little tight with the seats in, but it wasn't far from home.



We pulled the carbs, cleaned the jets, jumped the battery, and it fired right up.



He washed, waxed, and changed the oil this weekend, plus made a few small changes. He's got plenty of other plans and time to accomplish them, as he doesn't have his cycle license yet. He also needs to get full gear, insurance, MSF training, and my approval before he can ride it.



Looks almost new now!


Jay

[sendler]

Think you can save the carbs or will it just be easier to replace them?

[taco]

I like that body style.

Good find! I love small bikes.


I saw 09 250r sitting with most of the fairings took off but there. with 1200 miles. It was painted black and pink in 09 and never put back together, just collecting dust. I offered to buy it but they wanted 4k for it. They bought it the girl divorced her husband and lost interest in riding.

[jkv357]

Originally Posted by sendler

Think you can save the carbs or will it just be easier to replace them?

There was varnish inside the float bowls and the jets were completely plugged, but some carb cleaner dissolved the varnish pretty easily. We soaked the jets in carb cleaner, but the passages are so small that it wouldn't completely clear them (typical). I've found that 1 strand of regular copper stranded electrical works well to run through the jets and all of the tiny cross-drilled holes to clean them out without damaging the jet.

We got it back together without much problem (it was easier than I thought it would be, judging from some "how-to" articles I've seen) and it fired right up. That's about it for now. We changed the oil, filled the tank with fresh gas and stabilizer, and got it pretty much set for storage.

The battery is junk (we jumped it with another small 12V battery to get it running) and he'll probably wait until closer to spring to buy a new one.

He really lucked out on this one!


Jay

[jkv357]

Originally Posted by taco

I like that body style.

Good find! I love small bikes.


I saw 09 250r sitting with most of the fairings took off but there. with 1200 miles. It was painted black and pink in 09 and never put back together, just collecting dust. I offered to buy it but they wanted 4k for it. They bought it the girl divorced her husband and lost interest in riding.

Thanks.

That sounds more like 2K than 4 - especially if the black has been repainted (dropped?) and there's pink on it... For around 4K it would need to be perfect.

Probably paid too much for it with all kinds of Extended Warranties - that they'll never, ever, use. Pretty common for first time buyers to fall for a "protection" package that adds a thousand to the price. 9 times out of 10 it's never used. Great profit generator for the dealerships.

Give it a few months and try again.


Jay