The Yeager's Kawasaki Ninja 250R Maintenance

 

Introduction

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, in part, allows one to choose who performs maintenance on your motorcycle. As long as proper maintenance and competence is documented then you or any shop you chose may maintain your bike and you will not void the manufacturer's warranty. For further information see the following links: Autopedia Entry or the Federal Trade Commission Entry. This website is my documentation on all maintenance performed on my Kawasaki Ninja 250Rs.

 Technical Consultants

• Kawasaki Ninja 250R (GPZ 250R) Motorcycle Service Manual
• Kawasaki Ninja 250R (GPX 250R) Motorcycle Service Manual Supplement
• Kawasaki 2008 Ninja 250R (EX250J8F) Motorcycle Service Manual
• The Ninja 250 Riders Club Site
• Sherman Power Sports (My Local Dealer)

General Maintenance Tips

The following are some handy tips and techniques I have picked and found to be particularly useful

• Pay rapt attention to maintenance schedule and torque specifications.
• "Classic" Ninja 250 (model year 2007 and earlier) specific tips
  • Every time you change the oil on a 2007 and earlier Ninjette take the time to remove, disassemble, and clean the cam chain tensioner.  Upon reassembling the cam chain tensioner liberally coat the internal parts with Silkolene Pro RG2 Synthetic before refitting the tensioner to the engine case.  The details of the procedure I follow may be found via this link.
  • Drill out the spot weld on the right hand ignition coil bracket so that you can easily remove the bracket with the coil when inspecting the valve clearance. Removal of the bracket will not only provide additional working clearance but will also enable one to remove the cylinder head cover without the draining and removal of the radiator.
  • Set the valve clearance using the classic 2 feeler gauge method and a Kawasaki valve clearance tool. Use .004 inch (.102 mm) as a "go" and .005" (.127 mm) as a "no-go" for intake valve clearance; .005 inch (.127 mm) as a "go" and .006" (.152 mm) as a "no-go" for exhaust valve clearance.
• Ninja 250R (model year 2008 and later) specific tips
  • Watch this space.

Recommended Tools

• Good quality basic Metric mechanic's tool set: (Sears Craftsman, Span-on, etc.)
• 1/2" drive 22mm socket (for the front axle)
• 1/2" drive 24mm socket (for the rear axle)
• 1/4" socket drive to 1/4" hex-head screwdriver bit adapter
• 1/4" drive universal joint
• #2 and #3 Phillips 1/4" hex-head screw driver bits
• 3 mm, 4mm, 6 mm, 8 mm Allen 1/4" drive hex-head bits
• A "shorty" #2 Phillips screwdriver (for synchronizing the carburetors and removing/refitting the forward mounting screw on the belly pan with no interference from the front fender))
• Feeler gauge with metric measurements (valve clearance using .004 inch (.102 mm), .005" (.127 mm), and .006" (.152 mm); I also have a metric feeler gauge).
• Torque wrenches. (I have three: a 0-75 ft-lbs deflection bar torque wrench, a 0-150 ft-lbs deflection bar torque wrench, and a 25 to 250 inch-lbs ratcheting torque wrench)
• Kawasaki Ninja 250R (GPZ 250R) Motorcycle Service Manual
• Kawasaki Ninja 250R (GPX 250R) Motorcycle Service Manual Supplement
• Kawasaki valve adjustment tool
• Motion Pro carburetor synchronizer
• A jack(s) for lifting the bike (if you plan to change your own tires)

Maintenance Journal Entries

The Yeager's Kawasaki Ninja 250R Break-in Procedure

The Yeager's 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250R

The Yeager's 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R

God Bless America

 

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