What are good/practical modifications that are within a low budget for an ol' 250?

[zeocen]

Gidday !

So I was riding along today, admiring my old 1990 beauty that is the gpx ninja 250. And then my eyes turned to her many imperfections, which lead me to wonder what I could do to 'spruce' her up. :scooter:

She's still running good (as good as a 17 year old bike should) so it's mainly cosmetic that I'm looking for.

I a) wouldn't know where to start and b) wouldn't know where to find anything for said bike!
I'm in a good position right now as I work from I don't need to rely on my bike to be in working order for going to and from work, so I would like to try my hand at getting some things done myself (within reason, I'm a complete novice.)

Just to show you how much of a novice I am, these are the things I have done to date: Replaced indicator, removed fairings to replace headlight bulb, replaced tail light bulb, put in new clutch cable. All of these I had an extreme sense of satisfaction on completetion, even though they're every day tasks hehe. So hopefully that shows my 'background' on my way around a bike (lack of..).

Anywho, she has a cracked fairing and some marks from my first off from when gravity turned on me in my first week of riding, but to be honest I'm not too fussed with them, I think they give it character and I'm not ashamed of them. My windscreen is definately needing a replacement, I was thinking a double bubble one but I haven't found any local places that sell them for the gpx model.

I'd also like to look into a new exhaust, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, and I above all people like being loud and noticed. But sometimes I feel it can be more irritating than loud (high revs sound fine for me, but for passer-by's it sounds very tinny and intrusive). So I was thinking either a nice quiet sound or a grunty loud but no tinny rattling sound (wishful thinking on a 250?).

There's many, many other things wrong with the bike but I'd like to leave some character in her, if anything to rub off on me!

Sorry, I prattle on a lot.. Once I get talking about my bike it's hard to stop :dodge:

So yeah, could anyone with GPX or similar knowledge point me in the direction of some reasonably priced parts that would make her a bit more unique? I was thinking of a really nice paint job but that would probably cost quite a bit, plus I'd need to get some welding done and fix the fairings a bit I think.

Oh, here's a picture of her looking her best, it's not much.. I know. But it's my first bike and my first love!

Many, many thanks in advance !! :done:

[PS. This isn't because of a certain shiney red ZZR 250 taking the kawasaki glory, I swear... ..why don't you believe me? It's true, damnit!]

[FilthyLuka]

I'd also like to look into a new exhaust, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, and I above all people like being loud and noticed. But sometimes I feel it can be more irritating than loud (high revs sound fine for me, but for passer-by's it sounds very tinny and intrusive). So I was thinking either a nice quiet sound or a grunty loud but no tinny rattling sound (wishful thinking on a 250?).

nope, not wishfull thinking... ive heard some grunty sounding 250's...

you could drill the baffles if your cheap... or you could take it to custom chambers (or equavalent) and get a new exhaust made up... a shiny one :)

[Pwalo]

Have a look at this site. Everything that you could possibly want to know about the GPX and modding.

http://www.ninja250.com/

Wish I'd had one when I was learning.

[zeocen]

Cheers Pwalo, a good site!
Hopefully they have some info on what I can get in NZ !

[Marmoot]

the direction of some reasonably priced parts that would make her a bit more unique?

Magnesium or Carbon Fibre wheels. From BST (check out your bike magazines) from ONLY 1985 poundsterling special offer. Don't miss out.
Cuts 6-8kg from your unsprung weights

I would if I could........

[zeocen]

I wouldn't mind, but I was thinking unique for cosmetics and comfort rather than getting any more power out of it, that's later on for when I get my full :yes:

The ninja250 website didn't have much in the way of new zealand products :(

[James Deuce]

Start with suspension. Do fork oil and fork springs. Replace your rear shock with something that works. A good Hagon monoshock for your bike is around $795. Sounds like mental money, but the improvements will outweigh any capital expenditure pain immediately.

Everything else about riding a bike stems from your suspension working right.

Then replace every driveline bearing, every bushing, rear cush drive, and your steering head bearings.

All of the above are GUARANTEED to both improve comfort and help you ride faster and smoother.

[F5 Dave]

in a similar vein: Change the fork oil. Nobody ever does on old bikes & Small kawis are renowned for having incorrect qty fish oil from new. Easy job to undertake one self if you can work out how to prop the bike up safely. Google the oil level. 10 weight would be fine.

[James Deuce]

I said that, Dave :p

[F5 Dave]

I might have skipped over that bit & thought it was odd you went straight to the shock. But instead I'll be belligerent & claim that I said it better.:innocent:

[James Deuce]

You always were belligerent, Dave.

I started with Fork oil and fork sprinegs. Sorry Zeocen. We shouldn't be having fun in your thread.

[kiwifruit]

Rider training :yes: and the best tyres / suspension you can fathom

[F5 Dave]

Change of tack. Perhaps strip the paint off the wheels & polish them, chrome the tank, gold plate the instruments & fit purple bar ends.

YoYo. X-ibit sez I'm going to Pump your Rump, or Gimp yor Pride, (or summit like that)

May help you forget that it is drinking oil like a student downing $4 jugs in happy hour. (more politically correct anecdote than your other thread).

[zeocen]

haha, thanks for the replies guys.

I'm not really sure about working on the suspension and all that, I'd rather just improve it comfort wise (better seat, better mirrors etc) than worry on mechanics, I won't be on this bike much longer but I'd like to give it a spruce up, if only it is skin deep.

[mark247]

If you do take the baffles out of the exhaust to make it louder and sound cooler you may want to get the carbs rejetted or just tuned to run richer because it may make the bike run lean as and cause damage to the engine. But take it to the shop and they can do that, it wouldnt cost much... oh and debaffling the exhaust defently makes it sound more powerful but if you dont do the jets as well, it will probably make it lose power...

[riffer]

What F5 Dave and Jim2 said are gold.

Never underestimate the power of decent fork oil and properly lubed bearings.

And I'll add one more thing - put some good rubber on it.

These things will make you twice as fast as a turbo on the motor would.

[zeocen]

I don't really want to make it go faster, that's for when I get a bigger bike and have more experience under my belt. I just want to make it comfortable (which I'm sure proper suspension would definately do - however I can't warrent spending so much on a bike I may not keep after I get my full) untill I get there.

So I was thinking in the way of maybe a new seat that doesn't feel like a plank of wood, or repainting the fairings if it's cost effective.

The tread on my tires (apart from the chicken strips) are almost at the minimum legal limit so that's on the market anyway hehe

Thanks for the help though, the performence tips have gone into the ol' memory banks for when I buy a bigger bike!

[FROSTY]

DUDE --listen to the old farts here---
Replace the fork oil and the tyres as first prioroty.
Its better for your resale than a bit of cosmetic fixing up

[zeocen]

I know what you're saying Frosty, but that post seems to come across as you thinking I'm a kid who doesn't know what he's doing.

The probability of me selling this, my first bike, is slim.. I don't care about resale. And I don't particuarly want to give it any performence boost because I want to keep it as a project bike to practice on once I move up. I would want to do that myself to get into the guts and nitty-gritty of a bike.

So for now, I just want it to be pleasing to my eye and nice to sit on.

I hope this post doesn't come across as a "know it all mid twentys idiot", far from it.. It's just I've said what I wanted to do a few times now :/ Believe me, I take every advice of the resident veterans to heart. It's just.. not what I want to do right now.

[F5 Dave]

Maybe I should have hit the unsubscribe button ages ago, but I am a little curious,

You launch into a “What are good/practical modifications that are within a low budget for an ol' 250” thread.

People suggest some low budget bang for buck mods, but. . . “It's just.. not what I want to do right now”.


Erm ok. . .

So a paintjob? Well option 1, find a shop to do it. Grand easy. More if they are good. Or you find a mate to do it, a good mate will rush you 2 -3 hundy on product & maybe paint it for free. Next year, after he’s cleared a few other jobs away. Maybe.
Or spray cans, which ‘can’ be made to look good, but not by many. $100 for enough primer & paint to do the job. Expect to be under-whelmed.:sick:

Or seat refoam. Rider seats are 500 notes. Other upholstery companies can have a bash, maybe for 200, but cutting the foam to suit & knowing what foam to use is an experience thing. Low budget ones I’ve had done were not much improvement.

So it seems that what you really want is someone to tell you to do what you want to do.

Heck ok, go for it, you have our permission.

[Steam]

so it's mainly cosmetic that I'm looking for.


I've said it to other people, I'll say it to you: Matt black spraypaint, solid wheels, raggedy lagging, and whatever the hell else you can think of.
You will not be ignored. Small children will cry and their parents will flee.

Here it is here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1000897&postcount=56

[FROSTY]

Im agreeing with Dave here.
What I will add is that the GPX to my knowledge hasn't changed phsicaly from its introduction way back whento the "latest" model available today new
From your point of view this means that updating your cosmetics can just be a matter of sitting back and waiting.Id put all the wreckers on my e mail contact list

[Ixion]

Fish. Cactuses. Missile launcher from the warewhare. Change from $50. Sorted.

[zeocen]

Maybe I should have hit the unsubscribe button ages ago, but I am a little curious,

You launch into a “What are good/practical modifications that are within a low budget for an ol' 250” thread.

People suggest some low budget bang for buck mods, but. . . “It's just.. not what I want to do right now”.


Erm ok. . .

So a paintjob? Well option 1, find a shop to do it. Grand easy. More if they are good. Or you find a mate to do it, a good mate will rush you 2 -3 hundy on product & maybe paint it for free. Next year, after he’s cleared a few other jobs away. Maybe.
Or spray cans, which ‘can’ be made to look good, but not by many. $100 for enough primer & paint to do the job. Expect to be under-whelmed.:sick:

Or seat refoam. Rider seats are 500 notes. Other upholstery companies can have a bash, maybe for 200, but cutting the foam to suit & knowing what foam to use is an experience thing. Low budget ones I’ve had done were not much improvement.

So it seems that what you really want is someone to tell you to do what you want to do.

Heck ok, go for it, you have our permission.

I had no idea where to start looking for paint/seats etc, I figured making a thread after searching the forums would be a good start, no?

I didn't "launch into" anything. If you read beyond the thread title you'd see, pretty clearly, that what I was looking for was cosmetic, and that suspension and the rest ...is just, not what I want to do right now.

But you gave me advice on the price and quality of various ways of painting and custom seats, that's all I was really looking for, advice on what I was looking into, so thanks for that!

[skidMark]

see if you can find somebody to make custom LED tail lights for it , or perhaps a rear cowling from another bike with a modern tail light.

get it a paintjob i know a guy and there are plenty around that will do it for 300-500 get some really nice graphics,100 bucks or so i know a plastic welder that will do stuff for me for under $20 a whole fairing put back together.

and then remove the front indicators and thier indents in the fairings (well before you get it painted obviously)

get it all smooth then put some nice little triangle oxford indicators on it

you could always skimp on a paint job etc and streetfighter it , leave the lower part as a little belly pan

and get a streetfighter headlight , ie the acerbis cyclops.

heres a pic of my one when i streetfightered it

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just some ideas take from it what you like.

SM

[okeh]

Leaner = more power. Richer = less power
But going to lean can be bad for the engine.

[T.I.E]

if it aint too long to wait, save ya money till ya get ya full liecene and spend it all on the next bike.
if ya want some extra comfort try ya fork oil, and tyres. its makes the ride so much better. i know suspension ya dont wanna, but the ride of the bike and comfort increases with it, just a bouns ya get a better handeling bike too.
led's would be cool for the tail light, but also extra led's on a switch for under bike and engine to give it that night time bling :yes:
or go the whole hog if ya got the money and go all out and bling the hell out of a GPX250. probably never been done before.
depends how much money ya got and how long its gonna take till ya get ya full and move up a bike.
but ya could be waisting ya money.
instead of the bike, what about ya own personal gear? how are they looking? new leathers maybe?