1998 Kawasaki Ninja 250 review from United States of America

It was trouble free for 10,000 miles except for one warranty repair.

All I did was follow the factory service schedule and made sure the oil was okay - I never had to add oil, by the way.

Oh, the rear tire was replaced at 5,000 miles.

A leaky water pump was replaced at 1,200 miles. I was told that it was a rare repair.

It was a pleasant sportbike. The high revving twin piston engine with a 13,000 rpm redline and a six speed transmission meant lots of shifting on curvy mountain roads.

I dropped it once on gravel in a parking lot, but only scratched the clutch lever and mirror.

It got 70 mpg at 70, about the same in the city. A real gas saver for sure.

The top speed was 105 mph, but you have to crouch down and hide below the windscreen to get that last 5 mph.

Takeoff power was decent, I could do burnouts and lift the front wheel in first and second... maybe that's why I had to replace the rear tire so soon?

I used a sticky gel type chain lube after some oil chain lube made a grease trail on my back jacket.

I liked the centerstand, it let me adjust the chain and lubricate it without having to 'walk' the bike while spraying lube all over the back.

It had a small, but usable compartment under the seat.

The seat got uncomfortable after the first 400 miles of a trip.