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[PeaceBlondie]

daveboo, when most of my kilometers were daily commutes of 70 km roundtrip on a fast superhighway, I always got 29 to 31 km per liter, and always measured it from fillup to fillup.  Now I am getting a little better, still flogging it at high rpm.  I doubt it needs service since it still gets 139 kph top speed.  I think anything around 32 km/l is good enough for the performance.  My NV pickup may not get 10/liter!

[JonnyF]

I saw this bike at the motor show last night and I have to say that it looks great. When I first heard the price I thought that it was way too much for an extra 100cc compared to the CBR150 but to be honest the bike is in a different league - it looks more like the ZX6R than the CBR150. The only thing that lets it down is the back tyre which is very thin and looks a bit out of place but I'm sure you could get that sorted.

FWIW, the Kawasaki guy on the stand told me that the price would be 150,000 and it would be available to buy in August, but he didn't seem too sure of himself so I wouldn't bet on it.

[PeaceBlondie]

JonnyF, on 2008-03-30 08:45:28, said:

I saw this bike at the motor show last night and I have to say that it looks great. When I first heard the price I thought that it was way too much for an extra 100cc compared to the CBR150 but to be honest the bike is in a different league - it looks more like the ZX6R than the CBR150. The only thing that lets it down is the back tyre which is very thin and looks a bit out of place but I'm sure you could get that sorted.

FWIW, the Kawasaki guy on the stand told me that the price would be 150,000 and it would be available to buy in August, but he didn't seem too sure of himself so I wouldn't bet on it.

It is beautiful, and so forth.  Even at 140K, the Ninja 250 would still be more than double the CBR150R.  August, November...we have been waiting since that guy in the suit announced it last November.   How many dealerships (you know, real distributor type, factory franchised big shops with well trained mechanics) does Kawasaki have in this kingdom, maybe ten outside BKK?  How many bikes larger than 125cc has the K brand ever sold in Thailand?  If we drop by our nearest dealership, will they even have a KSR110 on display?  At least the Triumph and my local Yamaha dealership are bulging with 600cc and larger examples.  

I apologize for my negativity, but after owning 8 Japanese bikes that were not the K brand, I wonder if Kawasaki is the tiniest Japanese name in Thailand.

[JonnyF]

PeaceBlondie, on 2008-03-30 10:31:23, said:

JonnyF, on 2008-03-30 08:45:28, said:

I saw this bike at the motor show last night and I have to say that it looks great. When I first heard the price I thought that it was way too much for an extra 100cc compared to the CBR150 but to be honest the bike is in a different league - it looks more like the ZX6R than the CBR150. The only thing that lets it down is the back tyre which is very thin and looks a bit out of place but I'm sure you could get that sorted.

FWIW, the Kawasaki guy on the stand told me that the price would be 150,000 and it would be available to buy in August, but he didn't seem too sure of himself so I wouldn't bet on it.

It is beautiful, and so forth.  Even at 140K, the Ninja 250 would still be more than double the CBR150R.  August, November...we have been waiting since that guy in the suit announced it last November.   How many dealerships (you know, real distributor type, factory franchised big shops with well trained mechanics) does Kawasaki have in this kingdom, maybe ten outside BKK?  How many bikes larger than 125cc has the K brand ever sold in Thailand?  If we drop by our nearest dealership, will they even have a KSR110 on display?  At least the Triumph and my local Yamaha dealership are bulging with 600cc and larger examples.  

I apologize for my negativity, but after owning 8 Japanese bikes that were not the K brand, I wonder if Kawasaki is the tiniest Japanese name in Thailand.

Compared to the CBR150 it seems pricey I agree, but this isn't just a CBR150 with a bigger engine stuck in it. Like I said having seen the bike I can honestly say that it should be compared more to the bigger bikes than the CBR150 because it bears far more resemblance to them. When you think of it that way then 150k for the 250 compared to 450k (ish) for the 600 doesn't seem so bad. I can really use the extra 100cc that I get over the CBR150, but I think I'd be risking my life trying to use the power of a 600 in LOS so it seems like quite a decent compromise.

I don't really worry about how many dealerships there are - how many main dealers do you need? As long as I've got one fairly close then that's enough. In the unlikely event of some kind of major failure while I am in the middle of nowhere that can't be patched up by Somchai (how often does this really happen on modern, well maintained bikes?) then I might need to pay a local a couple of thousand baht to take me to the nearest main dealer in the back of his pickup but I don't really factor things like that into a decision of whether to buy something like this.

[PeaceBlondie]

I finally got to my local Kawasaki dealer in Chiang Mai.  Not one of those holes in the wall, but a big Yamaha-Kawasaki place, where the driver was about to deliver 3 KSR110's.  Of course, no sporty bikes on display, and the first saleslady knew nothing, but she called the driver out of his cab.  That guy gave the usual line: maybe a Ninja 250 in October, and maybe a cost of 180,000 baht.  We did not bother to talk about the Yamaha 150.

Some of the photos show the Ninja 250 as a monoposto, single seater.  I hope it has a pillion.

[nefelimhg]

Just got of the phone with Kawasaki Motors Enterprise on Rama 9, they told me the 250R will cost around 150,000THB and is scheduled for July.
This is because of the injection version is not ready (tested he said?!) yet (the 250R's sold in other country's are carburetor versions).
So here is something to keep you busy will waiting ;-)

Edited by nefelimhg, 2008-04-02 15:30:16.

[Richard-BKK]

All (except the one who made in the USA) 2008 Kawasaki EX 250 J have fuel injection, the delay is a problem with the electric wiring, a large amount of the 2008 EX 250 J are worldwide recalled by Kawasaki.

Nothing serious, it only burns out the rear-tail-light, but also not funny if you need to replace the tail light every week or so.

Edited by Richard-BKK, 2008-04-02 19:16:20.

[gmac]

nefelimhg, on 2008-04-02 15:27:15, said:

Just got of the phone with Kawasaki Motors Enterprise on Rama 9, they told me the 250R will cost around 150,000THB and is scheduled for July.
This is because of the injection version is not ready (tested he said?!) yet (the 250R's sold in other country's are carburetor versions).
So here is something to keep you busy will waiting ;-)

Great news --  I think!!  Better news if the Yamaha R15 arrives as well so I can decide if the extra 60-70,000 Baht is worth spending.  At the moment it's a case of buy another CBR or go up 100cc and  a price bracket for the Ninja.  How much better if there was also the option to go up just 10-20K for a new-tech 150cc Yamaha.

[dave_boo]

I'm confused...I followed this link, and it seems to indicate that FZ150i is a small step ahead in terms of fuel injection, but you lose your rear disc brake, 6 speed transmission, and 4 PS less - 79% of the CBR 150R's(about the same loss in HP for us Americans).  However, it is 75% of the price of a CBR 150R in Malaysia.

Is this essentially the same engine in the "R15" that's purpotedly coming to Thailand?  Are the specs of the "R15" going to exceed these, or are they going to be identical?

[LivinLOS]

No the R15 is supposed to be a much better water cooled engine.. The Fz150 is a step back in power and engine design IIRC.

[LivinLOS]

thinking about it.. Seem to remember numbers like 14.5 ish for the old v-ixion (indo one) 17 or 18 for the new FZ150 aircooled.. and 22 ish for the watercooled R15.

All from hazy memory tho.

[dave_boo]

Thanks for the reply.  I just stumbled across this, and saw that it was fuel injected thus leading me to wonder if it was what we were to expect the next pocket sports bike from Yamaha to look like.

[voracious]

I was in Berkeley, Ca for Sunday breakfast at the Thai temple there and stopped by "Tuk-Tuk" market afterwards. There's a black 2008 Ninja 250 parked in their parking lot (regularly) and it was gorgeous. Really does look like a bigger bike until you look under the plastic.

It redlines at 14,000 rpm and from what I have read, the powerband doesn't really even kick in until 9,000 so sedate at lower rpm for city commuting, fun when you want it.

There's been a couple of recalls. The rear light bulb that was mentioned earlier, as well as a break line bracket and an air box fix

When I make my move to the LoS, I'd love to have one of these and a four door truck and I'll be 'set' for transportation...

Edited by voracious, 2008-04-08 03:36:41.

[nefelimhg]

Keep in mind that the crumple zone for both the bike and the truck are starting at your knees  
http://www.thaivisa....howtopic=172699

[gmac]

A Kawasaki Ninja 250R on the Thai Road
Saturday, April 05 2008 @ 11:43 PM GMT+5
Contributed by: news  A_Kawasaki_Ninja_250R_on_the_Thai_Road_1.jpg   10.97K   7 downloads
[i][color="#0000FF"]Motorcycle ReviewsI'm on a brand-spanking-new Thai build 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R I've never ridden and the Ninja 250R doesn't even belong to me. With the shock turned to its lowest setting, my feet can reach the ground. I need to confess that as a Thai female I'm not that big.
......

Just seen this report on the site www.motorcycle.in.th which suggests that maybe the Ninja has now arrived, anyone heard anything definite yet?  Last reports seemed to indicate it was coming July - maybe, maybe!!

Edited by PeaceBlondie, 2008-04-09 13:03:38.
Go to website to see entire article. PB

[nefelimhg]

Hopefully the guy from Kawasaki who i've been talking to made up a story just to get rid of me
But i sure hope he was right about the price.
Tomorrow i will give Kawasaki a call unless somebody has some good news  

[Richard-BKK]

I can say that Kawasaki and the owner of motorcycle.in.th have a special connection, all the Kawasaki bikes they talk about in the past. Are now coming available in the Thai market, motorcycle.in.th was the first who break the news back in September 2007 that the Ninja was coming Kawasaki Ninja 250R Supersport

That was 3 months before the information was made public, at a press meeting at Rayong....

P.S. did anybody see the copyright notice at the http://www.motorcycle.in.th ? Copying a whole article is a copyright infringement!

Edited by Richard-BKK, 2008-04-08 19:47:57.

[gmac]

Richard-BKK, on 2008-04-08 19:43:13, said:

I can say that Kawasaki and the owner of motorcycle.in.th have a special connection, all the Kawasaki bikes they talk about in the past. Are now coming available in the Thai market, motorcycle.in.th was the first who break the news back in September 2007 that the Ninja was coming Kawasaki Ninja 250R Supersport

That was 3 months before the information was made public, at a press meeting at Rayong....

P.S. did anybody see the copyright notice at the http://www.motorcycle.in.th ? Copying a whole article is a copyright infringement!

AN infringement maybe but it hardly does the owner of the copyright any harm, it actually gives him/her greater exposure, I would have thought I should be paid a commission!   Sorry anyway, reprimand accepted.

[dave_boo]

gmac,

Good news.  Let's hope it's releaed at a price point to attract those whos budget leaves them in the 150 range.

[PeaceBlondie]

At RichardBKK's request, since he or his publisher probably do hold the copyright, I have shortened the excerpt without checking with the lawyers.

[Richard-BKK]

Again the prices of the soon to be on sale EX 250 J are again open for discussion, with possible upcoming competition Kawasaki is reconsidering its price.

[submaniac]

Well I do not know if this means anything to anybody...but here goes.  In Los Angeles, a brand new 250 Ninja from the dealer is $2,800 USD.  Hmmmm...I wonder if you can import a motorcycle from the United States into Thailand that was originally manufactured in Thailand.

[PeaceBlondie]

If the naked, new generation Honda CBF250 comes on sale anywhere near 85,000, little ol' Kawasaki had better lower the price of the fully faired Ninja 250.  Good grief, $2,800 in Los Angeles amounts to only 88,200 baht, including cost of shipping to North America, and the dealer having to pay American-sized rent and commissions!  Is that the full retail price, submaniac?  

There are some models with huge profits, that sell steadily because of the demand - probably the Honda Gold Wing 1800.  In America, I have no idea what the profit margin is on tiny little 250's, because they hardly ever sell many.

[submaniac]

PeaceBlondie, on 2008-04-15 18:35:48, said:

If the naked, new generation Honda CBF250 comes on sale anywhere near 85,000, little ol' Kawasaki had better lower the price of the fully faired Ninja 250.  Good grief, $2,800 in Los Angeles amounts to only 88,200 baht, including cost of shipping to North America, and the dealer having to pay American-sized rent and commissions!  Is that the full retail price, submaniac?  

There are some models with huge profits, that sell steadily because of the demand - probably the Honda Gold Wing 1800.  In America, I have no idea what the profit margin is on tiny little 250's, because they hardly ever sell many.

Here's a scan of the ad I saw.


I was a little off, it's USD $2899 not USD $2800, so $99 more.   the MSRP is $2999.  Still, I think the prices that have been thrown out of 140k to 170k baht on this thread are a wee bit high.   It just strikes me that that the Kawasaki folks may not know what they are talking about.  It is hard for me to conceive of tacking on another 60k baht to 80k baht, when the price in the states is so low.  1) the baht has risen sharpley against the dollar 2) it is expensive to ship from Thailand to the states and 3) if the MSRP is $2999, imagine what the dealer cost is.   The bike is not on sale in thailand yet, so I would wait until final pricing before deciding not to buy one because it is too expensive.

[submaniac]

Oops. relooking at the ad I see it is a 2007 model.   I checked on the US MSRP and I guess the new model went up $500 from the old model, so it is $3499.

http://www.motorcycl...08ninja250r.htm