2008 ninja 250

i've noticed kawasaki has redesigned the ninja 250 for 2008. i plan on getting one in the spring when they come out. any opinions?  

what do you have to do in order to get a response to a thread around here? it's been up for a month now and 255 views but no responses? what the hell?  

I've never ridden one but I hear that they are a great value for the money, and quite reliable.  

Hey jeserio, at least you go a response.

I tried to start a similar thread in the new bike section in Sept. There have been 200+ views not one response.

I do not know what the secret formula is to have a successful forum.  This place just does not seem to have it.  Good magazine, bad forum.

Now more on topic.

I wish they had done that to the 250 sooner. I might have bought one.  If I had the cash to actually have another bike that 250 would certainly deserve a look.  

Well, there are probably not many opinions because no one has actually ridden the '08 yet.  The new look is astounding...just saw them in real life at the NYC INTL Motorcycle Show.  In fact, I'd say they stole the show.  If I had to find one complaint it'd be to say, why the heck did they put the tach on the left and make it small in size?  Maybe they want beginners to remember that it's a learning bike and not a race machine?  Regardless, I'd much rather keep track of shifting than top speed.  A BIG, centered tach that you can easily keep track of in your peripheral vision seems to make more sense.  ...probably not a big deal...as I said, if I HAD to find a fault.  
-Steve  

It looks very nice, was told by a friend they would be out around christmas, I was looking into it but just bought my R6s.    

After some consideration I just put down a deposit on a 2007 250R.  Yes, I said "seven".  That's not a typo.  While the '08 is sexy as all hell, I live in a metropolis and have no choice but to keep it on the street.  In my humble opinion the '08 has "STEAL ME" written all over it.  The "ugly", utilitarian, 20+ year old design now looks worth stealing about as much as a Ford Pinto.  Plus, this is my first bike so they'll be plenty of chances to acquire the newer design at a later time.  Also, saving $500+ dollars on the MSRP can be put towards equipment, insurance etc... I'm not trying to impress anyone...just want to learn to ride.  So, I think this is the way to go.  I've been training on a 250R and I can tell you that I love it already...too much fun.    

First of all, there are factors to weigh in. How old are you, what is your motorcycling riding skills?  How tall are you, how much do you weigh?   If your new to motorcycling, a 250 is a great beginner bike for you.  I learned on an honda xl100. Yes,  you should take the motorcycle safety course. If I would have taken that when I was learning, I wouldn't have grabbed a a whole handfull of front brake when it started to rain which caused me to fall and do an imitation of superman when some car cut me off. And the car that did it didn't even stop to see if I was okay.  

i've ridden one. it wasn't broken in so i had to keep it under 4k rpm where it pumps out about 5 hp. it is 125 lb. lighter than my 1 liter sport bike, feels very quick steering wise. the motor produces so little power at 4k that i couldn't tell which gear i was in. down shifting had no noticeable effect. it won't do much until it can be revved out, then who knows?
i have my name down for the next one that comes in at the local shop just to have a little bike. cabin fever got me shopping. when will it stop snowing? j  

i finally got to see one at the local dealership on friday. i sat on it. seems comfy enough. the reach isn't bad. i'm not a tall guy. i'm between 5'5 and 5'6. i weight approx 155-160lbs. i'm new to motorcycling. i took my safety course in september 2005. learned on a rebel 250. i have not ridden since then. aside from the short trip up and down a private drive on a friends 2003 harley dyna lowrider. i think the new ninja 250 will be a great bike for me. i'm not worried about going fast etc. i just want to ride. i think that this bike can help me better my skills. i sat on the red one they had there. they had a blue one also but it was sold allready. i'm not sure on which color i like best because i haven't seen a black one or a green one in person. i like the blue more than the red. but even so, it was painful to leave the shop without that bike. we're in the middle of buying a house right now so the timing just isn't right. hopefully soon though.  

I rode one at Daytona on the demo ride. Not long of a ride(maybe 3-5 miles)but the little bugger was great fun. It handles extremely well, good acceleration, kinda feels like a civilized GP250, small and nimble. I bought one for my son. As soon as he lets me ride it I'll tell you more.  

The new 250R is very nice indeed.  I now feel sorry for those who bought a Hyosung GT250.  

My son has had a 2002 model for the past 2 years as his first road bike.  It's a great learner bike because as your skills increase you can get higher into the RPMs.  I think this new improvements are way over due for the little Ninja.  The down side is up until now it was easy to sell the bike once the rider moved on since they all looked the same and the parts were interchangable.