The Ninja 250R's particular
ergonomics,
chassis design, and engine placement have resulted in a motorcycle that straddles the
standard and
sport classes. The Ninja's
riding posture also falls between standard and sport.
1983–1985 (EX250-C) The first generation was produced between 1983 and 1985, and known by the production number EX250-C. It was sold as the GPz-250. Sold in its home market of Japan and in Australia, this earliest,
Toothed belt version was first produced in 1983, and shares no commonality with later generations, but is a variant of the z-250-Scorpion and the GPz-305 range. The bike has 32 mm fork tubes.
1986–1987 (EX250-E) Produced between 1986 and 1987 was the EX250-E. This model was sold as the Ninja 250R in Canada and the U.S. between 1986 and 1987. It was known as the GPZ-250R elsewhere. When originally introduced, it was more costly than the Honda Rebel, and reviewers complained that while the 14,000 rpm redline was nice, the engine was slow to rev.
1988–2007 (EX250-F/EX250-G/EX250-H) For the 1988 model year, there were both cosmetic changes and changes in engine tuning. While the bore and stroke, and other major engine components, were unchanged, minor tuning adjustments were made. The carburetor diameters were reduced 2 mm to , the cylinder compression ratio was increased from 12.0:1 to 12.4:1, ignition timing advance was increased, and the rear sprocket was increased by three teeth to 45. Though the previous generation Ninja 250R had a peak power advantage of ,
2013–2017 (EX250-L/EX250-M) The 2013 Ninja 250R had a new bodywork, twin headlights, a digital instruments cluster, new wheels with a wider rear tire, and a reworked engine and exhaust. ABS is available as an option. Like the previous generation, the engine is fuel injected in some markets and carbureted in others. For 2013, in some markets, the Ninja 250R was replaced by the
Ninja 300 (EX300), while in others they are sold alongside one other.
2018– (EX250-P) At the 2017
Tokyo Motor Show, Kawasaki introduced the 2018 Ninja 250R along with the all-new 2018 Ninja 400, with the latter to be sold in Europe and America, replacing the
Ninja 300. Kawasaki once again did a major redesign on the 2018 Ninja 250R, giving it a new lightweight steel tube trellis chassis and completely reworked engine. The new Ninja's chassis and engine uses the Kawasaki H2's Platform Technology, by having the rear suspension, chassis and swingarm connected to the four point engine mounting thus, boosting its rigidity while retaining the benefit of a lighter chassis. Fuel tank capacity has been reduced, from the previous 17 litres to 14 litres. It now weighs 167kg against previous model's 172kg. The new engine although, had some resemblance to the old engine, had gone through some extensive changes. The engine makes 39hp @ 23.5NM Torque at 10,000RPM. Bringing the Ninja 250R back on top of the leaderboard. == See also ==