So everyone wants a ninja (250)...

[Daise]

Does this mean baby blades might finally go down in price?

[bertie]

nah coz they're still faster.

[padfoot]

They were already going down in price... The Hyosung was responsible for that.

But I suspect that when 250 Ninjas are a year old and start appearing on the market, Babyblades will drop again... Not a huge amount, but a little.

After all, it's just a GPX with a few fairings, right?

[woodsy175]

i certanly don't want a 2008 GPX ... oh sorry they call it a Ninja now right?
CBR price has gone down a little in recent times but still the CBR and the ZXR 250 will alway be sought after because they look the biz and they go well for a 250.
thats my 2c.

[Barfrangipani]

They went well 10+ years ago.

Now after at least half a dozen n00b owners, a few crashes and general wear and tear...most of them aren't pretty. Anyone who pays $5k or more for one these days needs their head examined.

[TORQ]

Glad I'm not everyone.

[Billywhizz]

I want a couple but they have to be mega cheap

[thro]

Given the choice between a 15 year old babyblade and an 08 ninja for around the same price, i'll take the ninja thanks.

[foolishboy]

Now how many people here on PSB have actually had a ride on what could arguably be considered the top 4 in 250 bikes?

I started out on a ZX2R, awesome little bike wish I still had it but finding parts for it was a bit of a nightmare at times.

Ridden two baby blades, an early girl and an aussie import, both very similar to the ZX but still in my opinion way overpriced for what they are but thats thanks to the licensing laws there.

The Hyosung to me actually felt loose, not as sharp as the japanese bikes, definately down on power but was more comfortable and more forgiving also.

The new Ninja, with a two brothers pipe on sounds a hell of a lot bigger than it is, is comfortable, handles really well and still has plenty of go for a 250, yeah its not as revvy like the inline 4's from japan. Still I reckon handling wise would probably be on a par with them if not better.

Gotta remember theres an extra 10 years of development behind this bike, yeah the engine is based on the old gpx but its far superior and the chassis is all new, weighs stuff all and once the rider learns its all about corner speed then I think some bigger bikes will be in trouble again.

[Mosh]

I started out on a ZZR250 for a year or two , then moved onto a ZZR1100 , Shit myself for a month or two then settled down...Now I'm onto a tamed ol thing...Age has got the better of me ...hehehe

The Mosh

[xanthian]

Gotta remember theres an extra 10 years of development behind this bike

I thought the number one criticism of the GPX 250 was that it hadn't been developed in 2 decades? When did that change?

I like pretty much everything about my cibbie, and think it looks better than the hyosungs, and on-par with the new ninja. The only thing I don't like about it is my current inability to find a carbie rebuild kit (so I'd have it lying around for when I'd need to do the things).

Then again, if I knew anything about two stroke engines and the parts weren't even harder to come by, I'd probably get my hands on an NSR 250 instead, for rarity and bragging rights too. And I'm not alone; hence why a more reliable inline 4 holds a higher value than a less reliable but more powerful 2-stroke.

I personally don't think the ninja as a machine holds a candle to the old inline-4's, but with suzuki and yamaha looking to come back to the table with 250 sportbikes of their own, there's nothing to say that there won't ever be a new high-revving 250 ever again. And that's when their price will really dip.

Edit: As far as your cornering claim goes, that's gonna be all tyres. And the stock ninja tyres aren't anything special from what I've heard.

[foolishboy]

ur right in that the GPX was pretty much unchanged for 2 decades, the new ninja only shares an engine based on the old gpx engine. Its been refined and changed, bit more grunt but Ive never ridden the old gpx so wouldnt know.

Yes the standard tyres are pretty poor, but the suspension is good, the chassis is good and the brakes are great. Of course thats compared to 250's that are 10 years older.

Remember, these bikes are 250's, theyre built to be cheap an affordable as an entry level. They will never handle as well as a CBR1000 or an Aprilia RS250 but for what theyre designed for theyre a great little bike.

[thro]

^^ irrespective of development, you also have to remember that there's 10-18 years less wear and tear on the new ninja.

[Barfrangipani]

spot on thro. 10-18 less years of "nah, I won't bother servicing it, I'm about to sell it"

[woodsy175]

yeah but not everyone shares that attitiude... alot of people love their first bike to death and look after it well even if only keeping it for a year. And not everyone is a spaz and forgets to put the stand down...

[padfoot]

yeah but not everyone shares that attitiude... alot of people love their first bike to death and look after it well even if only keeping it for a year. And not everyone is a spaz and forgets to put the stand down...

Correct as well... But with 20 odd owners, you can bet at least half of them wouldn't have bothered and even if they did... They might not have know what they were doing anyway, thus weren't doing it right.

[thro]

yeah but not everyone shares that attitiude... alot of people love their first bike to death and look after it well even if only keeping it for a year. And not everyone is a spaz and forgets to put the stand down...

I was more referring to things like
- shocks/forks
- head stem bearings
- electrics
- chain/sprockets
- pistons/rings

None of those are totally preventative maintenance items... they all eventually wear out due to age/kays.

Don't get me wrong, the baby blades are a fine little bike, but I just do not think they're worth what people are asking for them.

Of course, they're worth whatever someone is willing to pay, but for the price you could probably pick up a newer Aprilia RS250, or certainly an RGV (or a TZR, NSR, etc). That mint Rizla RGV of Stratos's for example sold for less than a typical CBR250RR.

It will completely own a CBR250RR

But, back to topic... people want the Ninja for good reasons. They handle, look good and are a brand new bike.

[xanthian]

As stated, two-strokes are cheaper for a reason; parts are often harder to find and the engine itself won't travel as far as a 4-stroke before needing to be rebuilt. That, and good luck finding someone to fix your two-stroke when people are even afraid of carbies these days.

[thro]

Good thing the 2 strokes only have 2 of them, not 4 like the CBR then isn't it

Price difference between cbr and rgv is at least 3 engine rebuilds...

[House]

Gotta remember theres an extra 10 years of development behind this bike, yeah the engine is based on the old gpx but its far superior and the chassis is all new, weighs stuff all and once the rider learns its all about corner speed then I think some bigger bikes will be in trouble again.

The new ninja is actually a fair bit porkier than the old GPX in the weight department.

No idea why, given that it's a newer design and has a single sided exhaust