Soccer Blog

Just ask any superbiker on his (or even her) opinion on a 250cc, four-stroke sportsbike and you can be assured of a somewhat snobbish reply from them on “Why buy that 250cc?!”. I don’t blame on their ‘elitist’ type attitude as these people are used to the larger capacity bikes which can be anything from 600cc to 1400cc displacements. However, ask the average wage earner on a kapchai and he will probably tell you that a 250cc, four stroke sportbike will be his ultimate dream.

People are of different opinion where quarter-litre bikes are concerned. These bikes are considered proper by some and a total waste of time by others. Whatever it may be, these bikes are a sure sell based on their pricing and accessibility (you only need the common B2 license for bikes below 250cc to ride one).

Nearly ten years ago, the same manufacturers had also introduced the sporty ZXR 250 here. That bike gained immediate success with its race-inspired looks and modern 16-valve engine. However, that was short-lived as a maintenance for that 250cc screamer was costly and over time, Kawasaki stopped locally-assembling it and also selling it.

The recently formed Kawasaki Motors Malaysia (KMM) has learned from their past mistakes and have adopted a global approach to this by bringing us the Kawasaki Ninja 250R(See picture). Let’s take a look at the new Ninja 250R. For a start, it’s hard to begin with as it doesn’t even look like a 250 (and Kawasaki had also cleverly omitted the 250 sticker on it). The new sleek and modern body styling more closely mirrors the current crop of 600cc sport models, looking similar to their ZX-10R and ZX-6R models. The Ninja 250R looks every bit the part of the bigger Ninjas.

According to the Kawasaki literature, the new bike has a new, more nimble steel frame and swing-arm for pinpoint handling. Kawasaki’s time-proven Uni-Trak rear suspension (five-way adjustable for preload) and 37mm telescopic forks modulate wheel movement and new 17-inch wheels support sporty low-profile tyres.

However, despite being in the year 2008 and in the era of digital bikes consoles for several years now, the instrumentation of the 250R is a little old-fashioned with an analogue speedometer rather than the more fashionable digital readout, alongside a matching rev-counter. Odometer, tripmeter and the usual warning lights make up the rest of the panel. After mounting the saddle, i found the bike to be very light (only 154kg) and the narrow seat certainly helps those of us who belong to the inseam-challenged group or the new rider who feels the most comfortable with both feet down.

Once in the saddle, the seating position is a tad sportier and more forward sloping, but still quite upright with an easy comfortable reach to the high and wide bars. This makes a trip through city traffic much easier than one might be if reaching for slow-slung clip-ons. Reach from seat to footpegs was also comfortable I had to make myself take note. Levers are easy to command and the feel is quick and responsive. On the move, the Kawasaki can be a porker and takes a handful to get it going from standing starts. The slightly anaemic parallel-twin, four-stroke D0HC eight-valve engine shares the same dimensions with the ZZR-250, but Kawasaki says more than 70 per cent of the engine components are new. Despite that, once on third and fourth gears the bike can easily reach 120kph. The 33bhp Ninja 250R can actually suprised some 600cc sportsbikes during corners as the bike can take tighter lines and at higher speeds due to its lightweight factor.

Overall, i would describe the Ninja 250R to be an urban sportbike which is perfect for beginners who are entering the world of superbikes. For KMM, they have managed to get the market at a right time, as the bike is affordable through hire-purchase and at the same time appeals to the many B2 license holders in Malaysia.

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R costs about RM20,000 which includes the two-year or 20,000km distance warranty.