Difference between revisions of "Kawasaki EX250J"

Parts from the third generation are still found on the -J, but its redesigned exterior panels bring the smallest Ninja's appearance out of the '90s and into line with late-2000s sportbikes. The engine and drivetrain retain 30% of the -F model's parts, according to Kawasaki literature. The engine's compression and maximum torque have been lowered to provide better midrange performance, where the motorcycle spends most of its time. The redesign of the engine was a response to frustration felt by new riders, according to Kawasaki, resulting in improvements in engine response at low RPM, and making the bike smoother and "much easier to ride."<ref name=CW2>{{Citation |periodical=Cycle World |page=76 |date=June 2008 |volume=47 |issue=6 |title=Small Fortune; 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Cycle World Test |last=Ets-Hokin |first=Gabe |issn=011-4286 }}</ref>  Though the previous generation Ninja 250 had one more peak horsepower, or five more peak engine horsepower according to official Kawasaki specifications,<ref name=officialGPXservicemanual-supplement/><ref name=kawiofficialspecs /> according to testing by ''Motorcycle Consumer News,''<ref name=MCN2>{{Citation|last=Santos |first=Franke |title=Model Evaluation Kawasaki Ninja 250R |periodical=Motorcycle Consumer News |pages=16–19 | publisher=BowTie, Inc. |date=June 2008 |url=http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/features/200806ninja.pdf |archiveurl=http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:yW88Oh2I2GAJ:www.mcnews.com/mcn/features/200806ninja.pdf& |archivedate=May 1, 2009 5:24:05 PM |quote=...the older model makes one more horsepower than the new one <nowiki>[...]</nowiki> The older model actually makes more peak horsepower than the new model: 27.46 @ 12,000 rpm for the ’04 vs. 26.40 @ 11,000 rpm for the ’08. }} ''Note:  MCN dynamometer data is rear-wheel only.''</ref> the new version's 20 or 30 percent increase in mid-range power allows the bike to pull from 3,000 rpm where previously it had to be revved to 4,000.<ref name="MCN" /> The U.S.-spec -J model uses dual [[carburetor]]s like the -F model, but the European-spec, Brazilian-spec and Thailand-spec model have a [[fuel-injection]] system. The wheels were increased in size to 17", the front suspension was beefed up, and the [[Disc brake#Discs|brake rotors]] were replaced with a larger "petal" design. A fuel gauge was put in place of the previous model's temperature gauge, except on the Brazilian model. With the additional and redesigned equipment, the EX250-J suffered a ten kilo increase in wet weight over its predecessors.