Kawasaki Ninja 250SL

Quick Review by Maxabout Team

Kawasaki unleashed a fully fared sports bike called Ninja 250SL in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 14, 2014. The bike has received positive reviews all across the media and bike enthusiasts due to its stunning looks like Ninja 300R while maintaining a good power and performance figures. One thing that is certain that the bike will be available in different parts of Asian market under two different names, Ninja RR Mono for some and Ninja 250SL for some. It will arrive in the Indian market probably by the end of this year. Let's check out this bike in detail.

Design and Style

Kawasaki Ninja 250SL has got some remarkable features and eye-catching design elements which are worth mentioning. It includes a single bright halogen headlight, black rear view mirrors, front and rear turn indicators, nicely positioned handlebar and footrests, a tube type diamond frame chassis, a step-up seat, a beautiful tail light, a stylish exhaust, a well sculpted fuel tank, 10-spoke and 17-inch wheels with 100/80 section tires at front and 130/70 section tires at rear, a maintenance free battery, self-start and many other features to blow your mind.

Dimensions, Weight and Fuel Tank Capacity

The bike has a length of 1935mm, a width of 685mm and a height of 1075mm as its dimensions and has a large wheelbase of 1330mm for a stable ride. It has a good ground clearance of 165mm for a bump-free ride and a kerb weight of 151kgs along with a fuel tank capacity of 11liters.

Instrument Cluster

The instrument console is also an all-digital one with a LCD display unit to show a digital fuel gauge, tachometer and speedometer, two digital trip meters, a pass light, a stand alarm and the low fuel, oil and battery indicators.

Engine and Transmission

Kawasaki Ninja 250SL has got a 249cc, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel injected, DOHC based engine with a maximum power of 27.62bhp at 9,700rpm and a maximum torque of 22.6Nm at 8,200rpm and is mated with a 6-speed gearbox transmission to give a top speed of almost 153kmph. It has got a bore and stroke of 72mm and 61.2mm respectively along with a wet multi-disk clutch.

Brakes and Suspension

Kawasaki Ninja 250SL has got 290mm diameter single petal disk brake with dual-piston calipers at front and 220mm diameter single petal disk brake with dual-piston calipers at rear. The suspension system consists of 37mm telescopic forks at front and 5-way preload adjustable monoshock with a uni-track linkage at rear.

Expected Price and Shades

Kawasaki Ninja 250SL will be available with a different name (Ninja RR Mono) in some parts of Asia in four beautiful shades which includes White, Red, Green and Yellow at an expected ex-showroom, Delhi price of INR 1.95 to 2.15 lakhs, which may vary.

Kawasaki Ninja 250SL vs. Honda CBR250R

Kawasaki Ninja RR Mono will get its toughest competition from another Japanese giant Honda CBR250R as there is not much difference between their power and torque figures. But, CBR250R is providing its customers with better brakes along with the availability of ABS at much cheaper price in comparison to the Ninja RR Mono.

Also, Honda is somewhat ahead of Kawasaki in terms of selling their entry level sports bikes in Asian countries which will pose problems for Kawasaki. Another major factor which may add more problems in the share of Kawasaki is that the new CBR250R will be manufactured locally, thus will have a low price than Ninja RR Mono which will arrive in the market as a CKD unit, which will have an absolute and determining effect in the emerging markets.

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