New bike: '08 Kawi Ninja 250

[Mookitty]

I'm getting one of the new baby ninjas soon (fingers crossed, [censored] things are popular). Talking with the dealer revealed that the bikes come pre-filled from Kawi, and they don't add any oil. I'm assuming they're filled with Kawi house brand oil.

I plan on running that oil for 100 miles and then changing it out. I was planning on going with some expensive stuff, since a filter and fill is less that 2 qts. But reading this site over the last few days, I'm rethinking some.

This will be the first brand-new bike I've ever owned, and plan to be religious about maintenance. Since I'll be changing oil every 3k (with UOA) maybe the expensive stuff would be a waste? Even at only 2 qts. a fill.

So, finally, some specific questions:

Given a 3k OCI w/ UOA, would expensive oil (Motul, etc.)be a waste?

Since the bike is high-revving, low capacity, shared sump, and water-cooled, would synthetic hold up better than dino?

Does anyone have any experience with Castrol Tection? I've been brought up in a Castrol family, and lean towards their oil from good personal experience.

Thanks for helping.

 

[dwendt44]

100 miles seems low for break in.
I'd suggest 500 miles.
Yes synthetic will hold up better.
If Tection is Castols diesel oil, it should work just fine.

 

[wantin150]

What is the recommended weight? 10W40? I waited until 600 miles to drop the OEM fill in my 07 Yzf600 and then dropped the dealers fill in another 600. Oil was pretty nasty. Maybe look towards Rotella 15W40 for bang for the buck.

 

[Mookitty]

My idea for dropping the OEM fill at 100 is to get the big chunks out fast. I've read about dropping it at 25 after a hard & fast dyno break in.

Also the oil going in at 100 will be dropped at 500-600, as per spec. (Forgot to mention that.) I doubt I'll be using the dealer 600 mi service, since the bike will be my only transportation and can't really be without it for a day. I'll be doing on a day off.

And, yes, Tection is the Castrol diesel oil. But they don't seem to have a syn version. So it'll probably be RTS. What sucks is that AZ doesn't give employee discount on oils. Regular Rotella is $2 off per gallon now, but I won't know about the August sale for a few weeks.

I'm also thinking about a UOA on the OEM fill, seems like it'd be funny (in an osht way) to see what's in it.

 

[kballowe]

Originally Posted By: Mookitty
My idea for dropping the OEM fill at 100 is to get the big chunks out fast. I've read about dropping it at 25 after a hard & fast dyno break in.



Really, really, bad idea. The purpose of the break-in is to give time for all the parts to seat. The enemy here is heat. A dyno run is a torture for an engine.

My opinion (you did ask for opinions?) is to stay out of it for first hundred miles or so and then try not to blow it up for the next four or five hundred miles and then change the oil.

We have a couple of those that ride with us (occasionally) and they run the living $hit out of them. Wide-open most of the time.

Do yourself a favor and change the front sprocket to go up at least one tooth. This will make your speedometer relatively accurate (OEM is optimistic) and drop your RPMs a little.

 

[craigq]

The speedometer is driven off of a gear on the front wheel, so changing the front sprocket won't correct its (in)accuracy.

Don't forget to visit: Ninja 250 Rider's Club

 

[Steve S]

Study up on the motorcycle UOAs .Then make an informed decision on your oil selection.

 

[wantin150]

He may have meant dino oil run, not the other. I took it as the oil, not the machine.

 

[Mookitty]

I was referring to the motoman site that recommends a dynamometer break in that is pretty hard and fast. Link.

 

[wantin150]

I stand corrected!

 

[FowVay]

It has been a while since I worked in a cycle shop but none of the bikes came from the factory pre-filled with engine oil. The engines are obviously filled and run at the factory and then drained for transportation. The only lubricating fluids that came pre-filled were the brake fluid and on domestically produced Kawasaki bikes they had the final drive gear oil pre-filled if they were a shaft drive. All Japanese imports didn't even have the final drive filled. The initial set-up included filling the sump, checking the coolant on water-cooled engines, putting the electrolyte in the battery, filling the shaft drive housing if applicable, and setting the tire pressure.

I suspect that the dealership is going to fill the sump with whatever they buy from a bulk supplier. You can ask to poke around in their service department to see precisely what they're using.

The baby Ninja was redesigned this year and it had some important updates. A couple of cycle magazines have well-written articles on them. I am amazed that this small bike is as popular as it is. It has been a top seller for Kawasaki for over 10 years.

 

[Norm Olt]

Congratulations on your soon-to-be new bike purchase! Kawasaki is famous for the stickers that detail the break-in requirements, and I hope you follow them to the letter: it will be good for your warranty and long-term life of the motor.

That said, it would seem to me you are fixated with the concept of oil analysis vs. just riding, maintaining and enjoying your new motorcycle.

Changing out the factory oil early is a personal decision, although I would just use Kawasaki dino for the 100-600 mile period. Make sure the REQUIRED 600 mile service is both performed and documented. I have doubts as to whether the money for early analysis would not be better spent by buying a case of Kawasaki filters and switching to a high quality synthetic, and whether it is motorcycle-specific or one of the many fine alternatives you can read about on this board (my specific recommendation would be to buy the Amsoil AME 15W-40 in the gallon jugs) your lubrication needs will be more than covered for many, many years. Try analysis at 12 or 15K, if you must. Remember that most motorcycles in the US never see 10K...

The littlest Ninja has been an amazing bike for decades: I had (among three others) a 1974 S1 (250cc 2-stroke triple!) for years and really enjoyed it. Hopefully the new version of the 250 Ninja motor will continue Kawasaki's reputation as being the brand with the strongest, most durable motors. Nothing wrong with the various Honda's, Suzuki's and Yamaha's of the last 40 years but Kawasaki has always been known for their powerplants and very robust construction & engineering.

Cheers!

p.s. Make sure your safety gear is the best you can afford: at any mph it hurts just as bad from a 250 as it does from a 160 hp literbike

 

[Mookitty]

Nice to hear Kawi has such a good rep for motors. This will be my first new from the dealer vehicle of any kind, so forgive a little obsessiveness. Also, the idea of having some baseline data on a new bike is something that interests me.

Part of my idea for a UOA or two in the early life of the bike is just shear curiosity. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see the results.

(The one drawback of the baby ninja, is that when the topic is brought up, there's a general assumption that the rider is new.

I've been car-free for almost 4 years, and ride the living [censored] out of my '82 Yamaha Seca. No flame intended, Norm, just a pet peeve of having to justify my purchase. But it's the nicest of the few new bikes that I can afford to pay cash for, while keeping insurance costs, etc. low.)

 

[FowVay]

Mookitty, I've been riding motorcycles since 1975 and I still prefer the fantastic handling and fun character of the small bikes. One of my favorite is the Suzuki SV650. It's just a plain motorcycle but something that I can enjoy all day long.

I remember the day when a 550 or 650 was considered a big bike. Now it seems that if you don't ride a 1500 that you must be a novice. There is a handful of bikes that I'd love to own,, and only a couple are in the liter class.

I hope that you enjoy this 250. It'll rev the heck out of you because it's such a small powerplant but that won't hurt a thing. It should last you as long as you want to ride it.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: FowVay
It has been a while since I worked in a cycle shop but none of the bikes came from the factory pre-filled with engine oil. The engines are obviously filled and run at the factory and then drained


In 1988-1991 I worked at a warehouse that stored thousands of bikes for the local dealers. We also pre assembled the bikes before shipping them to the dealers.

The 4 strokes came full of oil. Just put the tires on and raise the handle bars.

The 2 strokes came empty. Both the engine and trans....Empty.

I assembled probly 10,000 Yamaha Blaster quads

Not as many kawasaki Mojave's. Tons of Banshees etc.

 

[Blue_Goose]

I have a 250 Ninja along with my F4i....The 250 is WAY more flickable in the corners and twisties...I'm hating to sell it but can't justify 2 bikes




Goose

 

[Mookitty]

Quick question, at my store we don't sell a lot of RTS. So we haven't been resupplied in quite a while. So I can still get many gallons of CI-4+ RTS.

Is it worth it, to buy a bunch?

 

[02zx9r]

yes

 

[Steve S]

Norm I owned a 71 500 triple it was the most fun/took a licken kept on ticking M/C I ever owned. Looking at todays superbikes worries me that I would die before the I signed the paperwork. they are scarey powerful.