Kawasaki Ninja 250R: First Ride

The wait just got over! For bikers who aspired for top notch contemporary motorcycles without having to shell out in excess of a million rupees, rejoice! The spanking new Kawasaki Ninja 250 is here and is just what the doctor ordered!

What is surely of the essence is that we finally have a motorcycle which has the right bits on it, looks like Kawasaki's litre-class superbikes, goes like stink, handles like a dream and best of all doesn't blow a hole in the wallet! You can have your Yamaha R1s and Honda Fireblades (damn fine machines these, but you'll get four plus Ninjas for the price of one of these hyperbikes!) but when it comes to corner carving on our roads and also doing the high speed hustle, the Ninja 250 has the beatings of all the big bikes in our biking eco-system. And best of all, with this attribute comes yet another trait, the Ninja 250 is an all round everyday bike with great ergonomics that allows you to play street scratcher, high speed commuter and MotoGP pilot all rolled into one with aplomb!

Kawasaki makes an entrance

Ever since Bajaj Auto began considering the Ninja 250 at Auto Expo 2007, the buzz around this quarter-litre bombshell has been immense. Everyone could see why because the bike was to be built in India from CKD kits shipped in from Kawasaki's Thailand facility and not being a CBU like the large 1000cc machines meant the pricing made it easier for many to consider it strongly. Until that is of course the yen-dollar-rupee equation went off into the stratosphere and the project got delayed. But it is here, launched yesterday at Bajaj Auto's corporate HQ in Pune, it is the 2010 model no less and on sale at ProBiking outlets all over the country at a super cool Rs. 2.70 lakh, ex-showroom.

The Ninja 250 is the only serious 250cc twin cylinder street bike (well there is the vee-twin air cooled Hyosung Comet 250 if one can call it a competitor) on sale in Europe, the US and Japan and it has single-handedly rejuvenated this class and type of bike after over a decade. Not for nothing therefore is it the bike of choice of a newer younger generation in the developed world. Here in India though it will be for those who want the big bike experience, feel and performance in a smaller, lighter and more manageable package.

We 'Figure' it out!

The overall layout and proportions of the bike make for a machine with a generous 1400mm wheelbase (aids in strong stability) but with a sharp yet easy to handle rake angle for quick, precise and safe turn-ins. The weight is well spread front to rear and with an ultra-comfy 790mm saddle height, it is just right for the average Indian physique. Factor in a fantastic riding position - well tuned for both upright seating as well as a propensity to crouch behind the fairing for high speed blasts, and you know that the Ninja 250 is what will set the benchmark for all other 250cc sports bikes from here on. In fact its nearest rival, in stance, performance, steering geometry and handling plus the desirability quotient comes in the form of the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSi but then the latter machine has yet to get so many tasty bits which are already on offer in the Kawasaki.

I am not mentioning the full-faired styling of the Kwacker which the biggest Pulsar has to reckon with but other bits like liquid cooling, a six-speed gearbox and a monoshock rear end which are unique to this class of motorcycle presently on sale in the country. And here as well the engine has the right bits on call - a short stroke motor which is rev happy, four-valves-per-cylinder, double overhead camshafts, fuel injection, 33PS of power (at 11,000rpm) and 22Nm of torque at 8200rpm. I don't know what will get riders shaking their heads in disbelief or whistling within their helmets, the strong acceleration and top whack or the way the power is laid out in a silky strong seam. If the Pulsar 220 DTSi is the quickest and the fastest Indian (no doubts on this count), the Kawasaki Ninja 250 has to be the quickest and the fastest Indo-Jap there is! She goes from zero to 60km/h in 3.42 seconds, does zero to 100km/h in 8.1 seconds and maxes out at 169.1km/h!

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Considering the traffic conditions and the way we have errant road users cropping up in zombie mode on our roads, the Ninja 250's ability to handle and yet maintain a very quick pace makes it one of the best handling two-wheelers money can buy in the land. Rock solid through the corners and with a headstock which can take the weight of a locomotive as you hit the anchors and then turn-in, it will surprise everyone, across skill levels, as being the bike they would want to ride every day. The first batch of the baby Ninjas are now ready for the picking all across the country but I can foresee that the second and third and.... batches might already be on the high seas. ProBiking outlets sure seem destined to be the most frequented biking spots, we reckon. Roll on Ninja babe!