[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

The asking price was way too high. It was 70k less than a new one, and it had run 4k KMS. Is 4000 KM too much? I had heard that these kind of bikes are not used much. Ex. 5000 km on ODO is high for a 3 year old bike

I have found another seller. Let me see how it goes with that.
It would be very helpful if you could give me few pointers to look for when checking it out.

4000 kms is very low and almost new IMO.

Here are some pointers...

Pay attention to the plastics, such as fairings, tail pieces, front cowl, etc. If the bike has had a fall it would have scratches at the very least (a touchup would be visible at close view) and probably some misalignment too.

Also look at the wheels and see if there is any damage. Pay attention to the tires for uneven wear and tear. Chicken strips are ok but uneven wear and tear is not which could signify some stunting, burnouts, improper braking (lockup of wheels leading to patchy tires), etc.

Inspect the bike closely. Let the bike crank and listen to the engine note at idle. Keep an eye on the temp gauge and warning lights. Unnecessary heating could point to a badly maintained bike and/or excessive wear and tear / improper maintenance on the cooling system.

Revv at idle to identify vibrations and zero in on the area where the bike is giving out these vibrations and try and identify if its a minor issue (rattling of plastics due to loose bolts or a misaligned piece due to a fall, etc.).

Take a short ride and dont revv hard. Ride sedately and listen to the sounds. You should be able to spot any issues here. Take another ride and revv slightly harder to check if the bike behaves normally (to iron out fuel / power delivery issues). Check suspension/swingarm alignment by riding zig zag in a controlled manner. Check all electricals and battery.

Ask for detailed service history. Check brake pad thickness. For 4k kms it should still be on its first set. Tires would last around 13k kms or more so they should be in good condition.

So how much should you pay? A little lower than the IDV (insured declared value) is a decent buy.

All the best.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

4000 kms is very low and almost new IMO.

Here are some pointers...

Wow Aditya you are a professional and stole many of my words(am not a pro either )

4000 Kms over a period of 3 years is definitively quite less for a 250 CC bike. Agree that engine life for high revving machines is far less before you have to head for a rebuild. Do take the bike for a TD & check for the Engine behavior as well.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

Thanks for the comments.

I dont have a valid reason to buy a bike.
I have always liked fast set of wheels. It was a childhood dream to buy a really fast bike. I got my Enticer as a gift and could not do anything about it. Now I have a chance to buy a fast bike.

I had fallen in love with the RD during college days. But could not afford it then. It seems expensive and too old to purchase at thi time.

I got a chance to use a Honda 600 for a day, 2 years ago. From then the urge to use a sportsbike grew.

I plan to use the bike to the gym everyday. It would be about 2 km everyday. On weekends, I want to use the bike just because I have to use it .

My office is 30 KM from home, so I generally dont drive or ride to office.
I plan to use the bike to office once in a while. I probably will take it out on a highway once a month.

I want to use it on track. But where is a track in Bangalore. Closest I have heard is i Coimbatore. Please give me more details on this.

What about your budget... if you have a little more budget why not consider the NINJA 650 ?

Although the Ninja 250 is a bit pricey the CBR is in no way any where around value for money either. The baby ninja at least has the oomph factor of a super bike and to an extent it performs like that too but in my opinion the CBR 250 is a total waste of money. I dont understand why this category is so highly priced given the cost they are sold at.

Think about the Ninja 650 or the Ducati series if u can.

If u want to wait before graduating to that then hands down go for the Baby Ninja second hand, just check before buying that the bike hasn't met with any accident. But in comparison I would and everyone else here would recommend the Baby Ninja.

[RacerByHeart]

Thanks n_aditya. I knew that you would answer a lot of my questions. You are a pro.

@ The Great - My budget as of now is 3 Lakhs. I can push it to like 3.5 but not ore than that. The 600s are out of my budget for now.
I can go for a new Ninja, but I want to see if I get a good deal on a good used Ninja.

I was supposed to see a bike today. It did not happen. I am going to check it out on in the weekend.

Just curious what is the service interval on the N250? Does it require only premium petrol?

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

Thanks n_aditya. I knew that you would answer a lot of my questions. You are a pro.

Just curious what is the service interval on the N250? Does it require only premium petrol?

Glad i could help

The service interval is every 6k kms:

1st Service - 1000 kms

2nd Service - 6000 kms

3rd Service - 12000 kms and so on.

As per the owners manual, the engine oil is to be changed every 12k kms. But considering that the ninja 250 is a high revving engine, it is highly recommended to change the oil once every 6k kms at least.

I change my oil once every 5k kms and the oil filter once every 10k kms. I have been using motul semi synth 5100 15w50 since the bike clocked ~4000 kms.

Of course, in addition to the above, its better to check the vitals of the bike, such as brake pad thickness, brake fluid levels, coolant levels, handle bar play, lights etc. everytime before you ride out. There is a checklist for this under the pillion seat.

All the best in your search. You should be able to find a used bike in good condition. Go for it and use the balance money for some good quality riding gear.

Edit - forgot about the fuel part. The recommended octane rating of petrol for the ninja is 91 octane. Stick to Shell regular and you'll be fine.

[JVH]

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

My budget as of now is 3 Lakhs. I can push it to like 3.5 but not ore than that. The 600s are out of my budget for now.
I can go for a new Ninja, but I want to see if I get a good deal on a good used Ninja.

Have been watching this thread and didn't express my opinion since had no experience with either the CBR or a used Ninja. But the above line caught my attention. Dude, if you can afford the Ninja, close your eyes and buy it. You have already ridden it and so you know whats it all about. I absolutely loved it when I test rode a few months back and had almost bought it. No second thoughts IMO.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Here are some pointers...

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Wow Aditya you are a professional and stole many of my words
.

If I'm ever going to buy a used Ninja, I know who I've to tag along

[RacerByHeart]

Mission Accomplished I got myself a used Ninja. Got it home today.
It's like a dream come true.

I will write a detailed description soon.
My friends son, touched the silencer and he burnt his forearm. I did not know that the silencer did not have a heat shield. Got to watch out on that.

Please let me know of DOs and DONTs on this bike.Or please point me to a thread that tells me about this.

Thanks everybody for the inputs. It helped me a lot to decide.

[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

Mission Accomplished I got myself a used Ninja. Got it home today.
It's like a dream come true.

Congrats brother, looks like a neat ride. Hoping to see an initial riding report soon

[PatienceWins]

Congrats. It looks good in black. Hope to see the riding report soon.

[ku69rd]

Congrats mate, black ninjas are always good looking stuff, do pen in your review on a regular basis

Safe riding and happy logging miles

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

Mission Accomplished I got myself a used Ninja. Got it home today. It's like a dream come true.

Congrats on the bike. I hope you have invested in a set of good quality riding gears.

Originally Posted by RacerByHeart

My friends son, touched the silencer and he burnt his forearm. I did not know that the silencer did not have a heat shield. Got to watch out on that.

Please let me know of DOs and DONTs on this bike.Or please point me to a thread that tells me about this.

The bike does not come with a silencer heat shield. So you have to be careful about this.

Some tips:

* Always fill up fuel with the recommended octane rating, i.e. 91 octane minimum. Shell regular will do just fine since its 91 octane.

* Never use octane boosters or injector cleaners, they do more harm than good.

* Try and tank up as soon as the low fuel lamp starts glowing. This is when the bike has around 4L of petrol in the tank. Riding with low fuel can put extreme stress on the fuel pump and eventually it might give way.

* Inspect the chain for slackness, adjust if required. Clean it if its dirty. Lube the chain once every 500 kms (mimimum). Motul Chain Clean (Road) and Chain Lube (Road) is recommended.

* You can fit a Yamaha FZ Hugger on the rear wheel to keep the rear shock absorber area clean from mud and water splashes. It requires some modification to the hugger but otherwise it wont take more than a few mins. No need of any modifications to the bike itself to fit this hugger.

* Under the pillion seat there is a list of checks one must do before riding out each time. Follow this to ensure that your bike is in shape before you ride.

* Inspect the radiator and clean the fins of any debris as often as possible. This will enure that your bike runs cooler. All you need is a soft bristled toothbrush. Just direct water from a hose (not high pressure water jets, regular garden hose connected to a tap) onto the radiator and brush the fins in vertical motion to free stones and dirt from the fins. If there is a lot of muck and mud, first use your hand to get the muck off while allowing water to flow over the fins. Be gentle so you dont bend the fins.

* Inspect the tires before and after every ride to check for nails in the tire. If you spot any, all you need is a puncture repair kit (link - Tubeless Tyre Repairs Kit code no :440007, link (DIY Guide: How to repair a Tubeless tyre puncture!)) to fix the puncture. Ensure you fix this at a petrol bunk where you can top the tires with air after its done. Takes less than 5 mins.

* Check all fluid levels like brake fluids, coolant, etc. before every ride.

* Ensure the engine warms up and the temp needle reaches the "C" mark before riding out. Do not blip the throttle when the engine is cold and in neutral.

Thats all i can think of as now. Do take a look at the ownership threads of other ninja owners and you'll find a lot of information that might help as well.

Congrats again and wishing you many happy and safe rides.

Remember - ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time)

P.S. Thread title edited accordingly. You can keep updating this thread with the ownership experiences.

[BANDHAV]

@Congrats for you new "used" acquisition, the bike looks neat.

@n_aditya: That's pretty comprehensive list of do's and don'ts, I am pretty sure yours will be one Ninja to look for in case its ever in market for grabs, as apart from odo reading it will be as good as new.

PS: Thread title doesn't seems to suggest the anything about this latest development.

[Added_flavor]

Congratulations RacerByheart! The ride looks neat. A few good pictures, details of the deal and a review will be great! Ride safe!

[RacerByHeart]

Yesterday will be a memorable day for a long long time.. I got home the Ninja. Sold my Enticer too. It was only because I got a this bike that I was not feeling very bad that I sold my first bike.

Why did I want to buy a bike?
Last month, I was going to my desk along with my good friend Dr. Syed. In the staircase, he told me that he saw an add on Craigslist, a black Ninja on sale. Syed had already offered an amount that was much less than the money asked for. He said that the asking price was higher than the price of a new CBR 250. He told me that only a mad man would pay so much for a used bike. I casually told him that I could pay 20K more than what Syed had offered if the bike was in good condition.

I was looking to buy an RX 135 at this time and I was not able to find one. Thats when I went for a test drive on the baby CBR, which I did not like.
A week passed by, I still was not able to get my hands on a good RX. So, I made a quick math and realized that I could arrange the money required for the Ninja. I contacted the add immediately. I got a reply in 2 days that the seller would agree on the price. He was asking for a little more though. That was when I started this thread. All this even without knowing any details of what the Ninja looks or feels like in flesh.

After I test drove the Green Ninja, I decided that I am going to get this machine. I contacted the seller many times, but I could not reach him on phone. He did not reply to mails quickly. I was disappointed many times, thinking that the bike might be sold already. Finally I reached him and decided to check the bike out on 30th July.

In the mean time, I also had to convince my wife to let me buy the bike. Everybody at office, all my friends asked me not to spend so much on a bike. I convinced everybody that this is what I had always dreamed of. This was the best time for me to buy it.

Me, Dr. Syed and another friend went to see the bike. It had some scratches on the silencer and a few mild scratches on the tank. All of us liked it. My friends asked me to go for a new Green one. If I go for a new one, I would have to wait for the bike to come and then I will have to be patient for a long time to run in the bike. Instead if I compromise on the colour, I get a bike right now, that is already run in for a price that is less that a new one.

I was desperate to buy it, but the owner was not in Bangalore. I took vacation from office on Monday 1st Aug to arrange the money. I also went to Indranagar RTO and took a B Registration extract to check if the bike was Hypothecated to a bank. It was not, it was bought with full cash. I also went to the pro biking service center to check the service/accident history. The bike was clean.

I scanned the required documents and mailed it to the owner. The owner was supposed to signed the documents and sent it to his parents on Monday itself. He was not quick in doing this. I was scared that I lost the deal. I made up my mind that if this deal does not not happen, then I will buy a new one.

Finally I got a call on Wednesday that the owner's parents had received the documents.. I could not resist myself. I wanted the bike right away. I was scared if something was wrong with the bike. I thought of pushing my luck on this one. I took a vacation on Thursday and got a DD for the discussed amount. Me and Dr Syed went to collect the bike and finish the paper work. Finally, my dream of owning a real fast bike came to reality at 5:15 PM on the 4th of August 2011. I even got a custom made racing type of a stand along with the bike.

[RacerByHeart]

I had to ride the bike from coles Park to J.P.Nagar, a distance of about 15KM. I filled her up with a full tank of Shell Regular at UB City. I got stuck with the evning peak hour traffic at Dairy Circle. I was dissaponted with the amount of heat coming out the sides. The Heat guage was showing more than 50%. It getting close to the RED mark. I switched it off at every chance I got. I reached home, with all smiles on my face. The buyer of my Enticer was at home, waiting for me. I finished the paper work. It was 8:30. Went to a temple nearby. It was just about to close. Since my parents knew the priest, he did a pooja of the bike.

All this while I had not pushed her at all. I wanted to ride it the way I wanted to. I got a straight stretch near my house. I did the same stretch 10 times. Once with every member of family. Practiced taking the turn in 1st gear, push it to 12000 RPM, she was screaming out loud like the noise from a big turbo charger, shift to Second. Push it again and shift to 3rd. The road was over :(. Every time I took the same road, my confidence increased.
I realied that this is not a bike that can be used to run errands. It is built for racing. It is not a bike that can used to office daily.

Some more details and pictures in the next post.