What do you think about this bike/scenario as a beginner?

R

RockThis52

Well-known member
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Hi all,

Recently found a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250 for $2300 with 4800kms on it. The seller claims the low kms and cheap price is because he is studying abroad (which automatically sounded fishy to me) but then he continued to say that the bike would be delivered to my house by his friend who owns a truck and I could test ride it and what not. And that if I liked it, it would be a cash sale (which brought my hopes back up).

He did send pictures.

So my first question is:
1) Should I steer away from this guy? What's weird is that I sent him an email asking why he's selling and I guess he assumed I'm automatically interested and took the ad down.

2) I have been looking at insurance quotes for this and I'm getting quoted at around 2000/year. I can afford this, just wondering if thats reasonable for 0 riding experience, 21 year old rider with a clean record (knock on wood).

3) I have asked one of my rider friends to come down and check the bike out, if I will even go about with this deal but I just need an overall opinion of this whole purchase. Hate to have my first purchase be a huge scam LOL

I have allocated funds for the entire purchase (insurance, gear, and bike).

Thanks in advance

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That does not look like a local plate holder. Is that bike supposedly in Canada?

If the seller is not here, pass.
There are many 125 & 250 bikes avail.

And yes. Expect to pay that much in insurance
 
That does not look like a local plate holder. Is that bike supposedly in Canada?
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Supposedly, yes.

These are the sellers direct words.

"I'm getting rid of my bike cuz i no longer use it since i went abroad for archaeological research where i'll be living for 2 long years and i left the bike to my brother who was keeping it since a few months but he called me a few days ago saying that he's moving to New york and he can't any longer keep my bike.I don't have anyone else around who will be keeping it for me for all those long years so i decided to sell it quickly at a low price to get rid of it.
I intrusted the bike to a private truck driver in Ontario who's taking care of the sale and of the delivery as well."

And yes. Expect to pay that much in insurance
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I love 2000/year considering I got quoted at 6800 for a honda civic LOL. Might even be able to bring it down to 1500 if I play my cards right.
 
Looks like you thought it out, you have the money, you are cautious and even have a friend coming to take a look at the bike...

No harm in taking a look at it and never feel pressure to purchase something you are unsure about. Two things to keep in mind: title and engine temperature. Make sure you get a valid title that can be insured (watch for salvage or no titles) and since the friend is using a trailer to bring the bike to you the first thing you should do is check whether the engine has is warm/ has been run recently. The bike is a 2008 with 4800km...that is about 700km a year but it is very possible that it hasn't be ridden in a while and that riding was all done early in the bikes life. If you do like it, and everything lines up and you pull the trigger, change the fluids on the bike and get her nice a fresh for your first season.

Other more experienced riders will be able to add their 2 cents as well - this is just from what I have learned by reading around!
 
Looks like a scammer to me. Be careful.
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Absolutely, probably worth it to spend 400 more and a few thousand kms more but be sure it's a legit sale.
I guess what they say is true...If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
 
Come on OP, such a Nigerian scam...

Private truck driver? LMAO
I wish I knew some of these samaritan guys who store and deliver bikes out of sheer kindness of heart.
... And good luck with your archaeological research dear Nigerian prince! Maybe they'll teach you how to write in English during those 2 years.
 
They dont usually foul... The carbs are known to need cleaning if they sit with fuel in them. Small pilots plug very easy with this crap we call gasoline now...
Any 250 ninja ( or small displacement carbureted bike) can suffer from this.

That first one is a total scam. that exact story is used all the time. dont do it.
 
read any other scam email out there on the net, they all use these kinds of words
Cuz
Abroad
2 LONG years
Who was keeping it since a few months
all those long years

This is a scam. At last minute there will be some issue and the scam comes in.

If you decide to go through with is, ask for the VIN number and run a UVIP (Used Vehicle Identification Package), it will tell you the status of the bike.

Then if he does show up with the bike ensure it is the same VIN but my honest opinion is Run away.


RockThis52 said:
Supposedly, yes.

These are the sellers direct words.

"I'm getting rid of my bike cuz i no longer use it since i went abroad for archaeological research where i'll be living for 2 long years and i left the bike to my brother who was keeping it since a few months but he called me a few days ago saying that he's moving to New york and he can't any longer keep my bike.I don't have anyone else around who will be keeping it for me for all those long years so i decided to sell it quickly at a low price to get rid of it.
I intrusted the bike to a private truck driver in Ontario who's taking care of the sale and of the delivery as well."


I love 2000/year considering I got quoted at 6800 for a honda civic LOL. Might even be able to bring it down to 1500 if I play my cards right.
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Do not buy from archaeologists and people who are working on oil rigs from Kijiji. Just my two cents.
 
i've seen these types of "sellers" before. they are complete scam. they will ask you to paypal your payment and then disappear. find locally. like someone said before, there are tonnes of 125/250's here in the gta/surrounding areas. anything with someone studying/working abroad is a scam. and someone with a truck will drop it off. that's all scam. it was actually in the news once, about a year or so ago.

as for the insurance question, that figure sounds about right.
 
RockThis52 said:
Ok how about this deal.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-bikes/city-of-toronto/2012-ninja-250/1042202931

He'll deliver up to 100km away. I'm about 150km away. I'm sure I can pay him an extra 50 or so to have it delivered to me.
How do the tires look?

And...He posted this
"Carbs were re jetted last summer to deal with the constant fouling that this bike is known for."
is that true?
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The carbs on the Ninja 250s are notoriously lean from the factory, making cold weather starts sometimes painful. The re-jet is a small modification meant to allow for a more fuel-rich mixture in the cold. The owner may claim to have re-jetted the carbs, and a cold start (if going to look at the bike to purchase) can confirm that.

Otherwise the bike is largely what you would expect. The damage to the fairing shouldn't be a huge concern. That said, I wouldn't pay any more than 2500 for it. Live with the broken plastics, you'd be throwing good money at bad just fixing those.
 
Any seller/buyer who can't facilitate the transaction in person is a scammer, don't even question it.
 
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