Alright let’s get straight into it. Found this 1990 Kawasaki Ninja 250, looked rough sitting under a tarp for years. Owner said “make an offer.” Figured a couple hundred bucks, worst case it’s scrap metal. Paid $250. Mistake number one.
Got it home. Started poking around. Bad news everywhere.
The Initial Horror Show
- It wouldn’t even pretend to start: Tank was full of rusty sludge. Petcock? Solid rust. Had to rip the whole fuel system out. Cleaned that tank for ages – baking soda, vinegar, shaking it like crazy. Still rusty crap coming out.
- Carbs were pure gunk: Took ’em off. Jets blocked solid. Float bowls full of nasty varnish. Had to disassemble everything, soak it in carb cleaner for days. Needed new float bowl gaskets and some tiny O-rings just vanished during cleaning. Rebuild kit time.
- Battery was dead obviously: Bought a cheapo acid battery.
- Plug wires crumbled: Yep. Ordered new plugs and wires.
- Brakes were frozen: Pistons seized in the calipers. Brake fluid was mud. Master cylinder looked grim.
Starting to Tally the Damage (My Wallet)
- Carb Rebuild Kits x2: About $60. Couldn’t skip it.
- New Fuel Lines & Filter: Another $15. Old ones were cracking.
- New Petcock: Found a cheap replacement. $30.
- Plugs & Wires: $40. Gotta have spark.
- Battery: $50.
- Brake Overhaul: Pads front & rear ($50), Master Cylinder Rebuild Kit ($25), Brake Fluid ($10), Caliper Rebuild Kits ($40). Brakes ain’t optional.
- Oil Change Stuff: Oil filter and cheap oil. $25.
- New Air Filter: Old one was crumbling. $20.
After wrestling with bolts, scraping off old gaskets, bleeding brakes for ages… it finally coughed to life! But wait…
The “Running” Isn’t The End
Sounded awful. Idle was jumpy. Choked and sputtered over 6k RPM. More problems:
- Needed new tires. Seriously bald. Found cheap tires, $100 for the pair? Mounted them myself to save cash – nightmare.
- Chain and Sprockets: Rusty chain, teeth hooked on the rear sprocket. Kit was $80.
- Clutch Cable Snapped during a test ride. Another $20.
Got the carbs adjusted better (mostly), replaced the clutch cable, put the new chain on. Finally, felt rideable. Sort of.
The Final Gut Punch (Cost Total)
Let’s add it up:
- Bike Purchase: $250
- Parts Mentioned Above: Roughly $500
- Misc Stuff: Gaskets, bolts, fluids I forgot? Call it another $50
Total out of pocket? Around $800. That’s doing all the grunt work myself in the driveway over months.
Oh, and it still isn’t perfect. Headlight flickers sometimes. Exhaust has a small leak I gave up fixing. Runs like crap until it’s warm. But hey, it goes!
So yeah, how much does a “cheap” 1990 Kawasaki 250 repair cost? If you get really lucky, maybe a few hundred bucks. My reality? Found the worst example possible and dumped $800+ into it just to make a noisy, slightly unreliable old bike. Would I do it again? Probably. But man, budget at least double what you think it’ll cost.