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ZZR250 & 250R - Whats with this?

1K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  Commuter Boy 
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#1 ·
On www.ninja250.info they have a section that says "ZZR250; How does it compare?" And later down the line it states that it's no surprise the ZZR250 will not be imported into the USA.

So with that in mind I rechecked www.kawasaki.ca and saw no 250R so I went to www.kawasaki.com and there was a 250R but no ZZR250. The engine is said to be the same on these bikes, or at least it's "shared."

Does anyone know anything about this, does Canada get a watered down version of the 250R? One last thing.. I did notice in the Action Motorcycle School brochure that they show a picture and list the 250R, so that's kind of weird too.
 
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#2 ·
ZZ-R250 is what we get, 250R is what the americans get.

ZZ-R is not watered down (doesn't it say that on the mentioned site?). Main difference from my research is that the 250R is bit snappier in the curves, while the ZZ-R is a bit more stable on the highway. This is due (IIRC) to a slightly longer frame in the ZZ-R.

Why complain? IMHO the ZZ-R looks hella better.
 
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#3 ·
The site I mentioned states this "the acceleration under any throttle setting other than fully twisted on would have seen any ninja fly past it; it felt quite gutless. So thus I thought we were missing out on something. The "reviewer" also claimed the ZZR250 was more expensive than the 250R.. I'll just post up the entire article.

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What about the ZZR250; how does it compare?

Damo - Sun Oct 24 12:05:13 1999

My first impression of the ZZR when it was started was "wow, that sounds identical to a ninja," which is hardly surprising seeing as they share the same engine. Out on to the road and I was immediately impressed by the very powerful front brake and nice firm suspension. All was well in a straight line, the bike felt ultra stable when upright and very smooth, although the acceleration under any throttle setting other than fully twisted on would have seen any ninja fly past it; it felt quite gutless.

First impressions of cornering were that it didnt dip easily into corners at all like the Ninja; it took a lot of physical effort to drag it into a turn which wasnt nice at all. But the most disturbing thing was when moderately leaned into one corner, without any warning the bike gave a kick and tryed to spit me off. I tryed a few more corners with similar results, and just couldnt get the pig to give me any feedback on what was going on with the tyres. Every Ninja I have ridden (and I've ridden a few now) is brilliant at letting me know what my state of traction is; the ZZR gives none of this vital feedback until it is almost too late.

The verdict: when buying a more expensive machine with an identical motor to the 250R you would at least expect some kind of handling improvement or engine performance. The ZZR has neither of these things so dont bother being upset that they dont import them into the U.S.
 
#4 ·
Having ridden both, I can confidently say the ZZR is worth the extra $.

The stock tires are crap, it's no wonder they gave way without warning
in the review. It's got a 17" front compared to the 250r's 16" one, so it's
much more stable, and less "twitchy" cornering.

This may feel like a heavier turn in, but it's quick as any of the modern 600's
for that. 16" fronts are kind of scary if you're not used to them.

The aluminum beam frame is stiffer, the bigger fairing gives more wind
protection. The gearing is a little more highway biased, but that's easily
changed to whatever you want. The engines are basicly the same, with
some carburation changes, again, easily played with one way or the other.

The 250R isn't sold anywhere else except the US as far as I know. Kawi
USA's too cheap to bring in the ZZR, which the rest of the world has had
for over a decade now (but we've only had for about 3-4 years).

I like it, if you can't tell. I'll have put on nearly 35,000kms in the 15 months
by next week. Nice little bike, that doesn't feel as little as the 250R does.
 
#5 ·
Supposedly there is some engine changes or something in the engine... if you search the actual forum at www.ninja250.net you'll find more info on it.

yeah as Dave mentioned we got bigger wheels (17 inch) and has a much nicer fairing, which does a better job of cutting out wind around the legs and such. and it looks nice with the aluminum frame showing and stuff... ;)

it's a bit heavier because of the extra's... SUPOSEDLY we also (zzr) get an adjustable rear shock.. but I haven't found it.

alas the ZZR, is EXPENSIVE, compared to the 250R, I wish i coulda bought a new 250R for that very reason... the US 250R is under 3000 dollars US... and a new ZZR is 6200 CND... do the math, with exchange it's quite a bit more! :(

but it's been a good bike.

-Joseph
 
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#6 ·
Thanks for clearing that up guys, appreciated.

Yes I did indeed notice the 250R is under $3000 USD and I was thinking today about what the exchange differance would be, but if the R250 is better for the most part (with maybe the exception of some people saying the 250R feels more gutsy where as the R250 is geared better for highway speeds..) but so far I haven't found a bike for the price under 400cc with as nice styling.

If you guys (Dave & Joeseph) or any other R250 owners come back, care to share your personal experiance, views and opinions of your bikes? As said, this is the bike with the most interest for me at the current time.. lately I've been wondering if 250cc will be enough down the road and if there is 300cc - 400cc bike that would be a better alternative, I say no more than 400cc because of insurance.
 
#7 ·
Dietrich said:
If you guys (Dave & Joeseph) or any other R250 owners come back, care to share your personal experiance, views and opinions of your bikes? .
I've been riding for nearly 20 years now, if you count all the time zipping
around country roads on mopeds and dirtbikes. I've had big litrebikes
and even rode around my wife's scooter for a year.

The 250 is a fine piece of equipment. I just finished a 2500 km roadtrip
to Montana and back in two and a half days. One of those days was
hundreds of kilometers of twisty backroads. I didn't seem to have any
problems keeping up with the guy on the Ducati. He did occasionally
have some problems keeping up with me :)

It's NOT an ideal beginner bike simply because of the fairings. You will
drop it, it's a given. If you buy one, make sure it's already been down
and pay accordingly. I would strongly suggest you not buy a new, shiny
bike to start with. Ideally, you should look for a 400cc and up dual sport.
They crash well, would do you for a summer around town and short trips,
and there's a good resale market for them.
 
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