Hi guys- I’m a newbie here too, after having arrived from Vietnam. I’m also in the market for a ‘larger’ 250 bike, as I have to commute up into the mountains of Shilin every day- having ridden mx bikes in Nam and bigger bikes generally. The Ninja 250 seems like a lovely little machine, but at the current prices I’m seeing- 290,000NT for a second hand 2009, I’m not sure I’m prepared to take the hit! They are asking 600,000 for a new one!
I have been trying to find out about a new CPI 250, but can’t get much info- even from the suppliers, but i need something reliable, not like my Cr250 i had last year. I am going to try to test ride what I can find in the next couple of weeks, but the Sym T2 is looking good as a commuter, as its reliable and fairly’ish powerful for a white plate machine and 165,000 brand new- not peanuts, but not too much more than a poxy scooter… Any advice? 
[quote=“Tintin”]Hi guys- I’m a newbie here too, after having arrived from Vietnam. I’m also in the market for a ‘larger’ 250 bike, as I have to commute up into the mountains of Shilin every day- having ridden mx bikes in Nam and bigger bikes generally. The Ninja 250 seems like a lovely little machine, but at the current prices I’m seeing- 290,000NT for a second hand 2009, I’m not sure I’m prepared to take the hit! They are asking 600,000 for a new one!
I have been trying to find out about a new CPI 250, but can’t get much info- even from the suppliers, but I need something reliable, not like my Cr250 I had last year. I am going to try to test ride what I can find in the next couple of weeks, but the Sym T2 is looking good as a commuter, as its reliable and fairly’ish powerful for a white plate machine and 165,000 brand new- not peanuts, but not too much more than a poxy scooter… Any advice? [/quote]
Huh? Used Ninja 250s currently listed on Ruten range from 158,000 (for a lurid green 2009), to about 220,000. I think there’s also a really heavily modified one for 230,000 at the moment. New ones should run around 250-260,000 I reckon.
As for the SYM T2, it seems to fall a bit short of the Ninja in every department. Maybe after a couple of months owning one of those, you’d start wishing that you’d spent a little extra and got the Ninja.
Anyway, I bought a Ninja 250R on Sunday for 185,000. A beautiful black 2010 in perfect condition, with 10,000km on the clock. Brembo brakes and an upgraded chain but otherwise all original. Brand new tires.
A Taiwanese friend is helping me sort the paperwork when I pick up the bike on Friday. Hoping for some good weather at the weekend so I can go for a nice long ride out of the city on it …
[quote=“Tintin”]Hi guys- I’m a newbie here too, after having arrived from Vietnam. I’m also in the market for a ‘larger’ 250 bike, as I have to commute up into the mountains of Shilin every day- having ridden mx bikes in Nam and bigger bikes generally. The Ninja 250 seems like a lovely little machine, but at the current prices I’m seeing- 290,000NT for a second hand 2009, I’m not sure I’m prepared to take the hit! They are asking 600,000 for a new one!
I have been trying to find out about a new CPI 250, but can’t get much info- even from the suppliers, but I need something reliable, not like my Cr250 I had last year. I am going to try to test ride what I can find in the next couple of weeks, but the Sym T2 is looking good as a commuter, as its reliable and fairly’ish powerful for a white plate machine and 165,000 brand new- not peanuts, but not too much more than a poxy scooter… Any advice? [/quote]
i think you are getting prices for the Ninja 600… as that is what a 600 cost around here…
Somethings about the bikes , and suggestions
A Ninja 250 is considered a white-plate so your good to go on that part as other’s have said. Now going for a imported bike… The new 250 costs around 288,000NT for the new one. Second-hand ones, usually go 170,000+ Now , as where the fastest way you can find a 250 used, is on Ruten, because not many people drive 250 imported , they rather save for a large displacement bike.
Other suggestions could be the SYM T2, which is a 250cc version of the T1. Accordingly the T1 has had alot of issues, and since they revamped the bike with a 250cc, I’ve haven’t heard any problems with it . It’s like a naked version of a Ninja . Another would be a Hornet 250, and from what I’ve seen from this bike, this bike… gives you all the big bike feelings, but with a 250cc engine. Thing is , used prices are still the same as the Ninja.
In the end, if you have alot of money to drop on the bike, plus for the future of it , and for the ease of maintanence, the SYM T2 would be a suitable choice. 166,000Nt for new one .Other than that , if your still set on the Ninja, good luck trying to find one haha .
Thank you- very useful. I will keep looking, but if anyone hears of a reasonable Ninja 250 or a used T2, please drop me a message. Thanks.
Good luck - just keep checking Ruten and something should come up soon.
I took delivery of my “new” Ninja yesterday. All hopes of going out on it this morning quickly evaporated when I looked out of the window at a deluge that would’ve had Noah racing for his hammer and nails 
Thanks. Good luck with the Ninj- i still like- will look out for you. i posted another thread earlier- I came across a lovely UM 200FI XStreet today- various colours 100,000NT new delivered- 2 year warrenty, fuel injection, aggressive styling street fighter, disk brakes, mono shock, led lights, under seat exhaust, 16 HP, 4 gallon tank. I know they are big in latin America and the owner said they make them here in Taiwan, hence the low price- defo better than a T1 or a Quannon. Does anyone know about them? I am still considering a new T2.
umglobal.com/ 
i am from Colombia and i travel often to several countries in Latin America, and i have never seen one of those… maybe there are but i just didnt notice them… i would still go for well known brands, the resell value is high and it just feels safer…
That UM200 looks nice … it’s only got about half the power of the Ninja, though.
I was finally able to get out on my new acquisition on Sunday. Really pleased with it so far. Have to say that it doesn’t feel a lot slower than the Ninja 650, which I’ve driven a fair bit in the past. The 250 is obviously less torquey than the bigger-engined bike, but at 6,000rpm+ it goes like a rocket - easily fast enough for most Taiwanese roads - and it leaves the young scooter punks way behind away from the lights.
It looks great too - here’s a couple of pics I took yesterday on an after-work ride out to Sizihwan Harbor and Shoushan (Kaohsiung):
it looks very nice!!! how wide is that rear tire?
Awww. Sweet! Did you get it from a dealer? If so, what was the address Dominic?
Pretty sure its only a 130. Taiwanese people rarely customize the tire rim for this kind of bike. People try it in the US, and they said fitting a 150 is already pretty tight ,
The tire width is 140.
Tintin, I bought it privately via an advert on Ruten. From a guy who hardly had it any time at all, he was upgrading to a ZX10. The 250 is plenty fast enough for me, especially on city streets - I imagine it’s hard to drive a ZX10 to anything like its full potential on most Taiwanese roads.
Ah- I take it you must have had a handy Taiwanese friend to help you out with Ruten and the deal, or that your Mandarin is pretty damned good!
A Taiwanese guy here in Kaohsiung whose business is mainly renting, fixing, and selling scooters to foreigners helped me. He knows a thing or two about bikes so it was very useful to have him around.
[quote=“dominic77”]The tire width is 140.
Tintin, I bought it privately via an advert on Ruten. From a guy who hardly had it any time at all, he was upgrading to a ZX10. The 250 is plenty fast enough for me, especially on city streets - I imagine it’s hard to drive a ZX10 to anything like its full potential on most Taiwanese roads.[/quote]
Since i have had a 150cc, 250cc 636cc and 1000cc bikes in Taiwan i have my own perspective:
i am a “big” guy, 190cm tall and 100kg
150cc: FZ-150 just a bit better in power than a scooter, but lacks the space to put the stuff for daily drive in the city so there is no real advantage when compared…
250cc: CB-250 Hornet, a perfect bike for the city and small mountain roads, plenty of power to be in the city and pass everyone, but at the same time not to crazy… lacks of HP when doing long trips or going to really steep mountains…
636cc: Ninja ZX6R, it was the best bike all around with high enough HP, decent torque and looks awesome… i had no problem traveling 6+ hours in Taiwan, and in the city it is so light that its actually nice to drive it around… when i went to Hehuan San i had to play a lot with the gears as i like to travel with my wife, but it was ok… very nice top speed…
1000cc: Suzuki SV1000, it was the most comfortable bike to ride ever, the seat and riding position were the nicest of all the bikes, it had crazy torque as it is a true 90degrees V-Tween engine… it doesn’t have as much high end speed but it was enough… in the city is a bit too big, but acceptable… in Hehuan San it was awesome…
so my advice is to get a 600cc bike… maybe a V-Tween or a 4 in line street bike or super-bike, it all depends on your riding style…
Wow, sounds like you got a lot of fun here!
Trouble is, we arrive on an international licence (yes I have been riding every make and size of bike for 30 years with a full UK, Vietnamese, Jordanian and UAE driving bike licence) and we have to get that stamped and are then limited to 249cc for 1year. If we have the time and energy to hire a big bike, do the test and and do the course, then I can get the heavy bike licence. Unfortunately, as a professional who works long hours I don’t have the time or energy. The government wants to make it difficult for me, as there is no reciprocal agreement in licences for a uk passport holder. Therefore 249cc is where I shall stay and it’s fine by me, as Taiwan is a Mecca for well sorted 250’s.
About the helmet thing, I’d suggest at least one of those 1,000NT helmets, that surround part of your ear and the back of your head instead of those construction hats for 200NT. For longer trips, I’d suggest full-face. I know the pain in the ass of FF, as I do ride with a SOL-68SII and a SOL-SM1, and let me tell you, I sweat like a bitch wearing it, and when I’m taking short trips, I hate having that helmet wrap around my face. But I have fallen about 4 times , the first time, I high-sided and flipped my bike over , and I landed face-forward first . I ended up breaking my visor and a couple knicks in my helmet. Point is, If I didn’t wear my FF that day , I would have ended up with a broken nose, possibly broken teeth, broken jaw, shattered chin. The next time I fell, was low-sliding, and I fell backwards somehow, and the back of my head cracked on a sewage cap pretty hard. Luckily, again, my FF absorbed my impact. What I’m saying, is if you don’t want to wear a FF, wear a modular one, or wear one of those helmets that wrap your head a little more. You don’t need to spend thousands of NT for a helmet, because how you ride is how that helmet and other gear you got that saves you. If your gonna ride 180KMH, and hit a car or a truck hits you, that gear don’t mean jack-shit. But let me tell you, that egg-shell you got there? If you got knocked down even at 5KMH, and you happened to not have enough time to use your hands to cover your head? Your gonna crack your noggin straight open.
Also? I’m guessing your previous owner had it refitted with a 140 ? Because stock ninja’s start with a 130 .
And actually , yes your right , but in Taiwan, people with big bikes , use it for recreational purposes as their is pros and cons for a big bike. Only good pro, is that you can ride 300KMH on the expressway or on bridges . I have like 2-3 friends who have large CC bikes, and that’s what they do with it . They got scooters for everyday use, and a large bike for fun . They rarely use large bikes to go grocery shopping or to have some stop and go kind of places, they like to ride on mountains, on the freeways.
I always thought about the ninja , but when I heard about the Hornet 250, I really wanted the Hornet 250 in Taiwan, because its one of the only bikes that has a large bike kind of characteristics. The Ninja 250 is literally just like my bike, just kind of light, under-powered, small tires, and the Hornet excells all that . Problem with a Hornet and Ninja ? Their both white plates, and so u have to park it with other scooter slots and stuff and its a freaking pain in the ass. And did I mention, alot of those places where u pay to park scooters, they don’t allow 250cc bikes in their .
The Ninja is mainly a weekend bike for me. I have my Hartford HD200S for short runs around town, or if it’s raining, or if I have to park in the street anywhere. I’ve driven the Ninja to work a few times this week, but I have secure off-street parking at both ends of the commute. No way would I leave it parked in scooter parking in the street, it would only take one betel-nut chewing idiot to knock it over and incur some very expensive fairing damage.
I realise the Ninja is in a bit of a grey area. White plate, yes, but it looks and goes like a bigger bike. I’m sure it’s quicker than most yellow-plate bikes and scooters on the roads. I’ve been riding it like a big bike, cruising along in the outside lane and taking direct left turns at intersections. I did already get a speed camera ticket and I’ve only had it a week - maybe I need to be a bit more careful 
I don’t agree with your assessment that the Ninja is underpowered. It’s much quicker than any other <250cc bike I’ve driven (including the Honda CBR250, which I was quite disappointed with), and performance that doesn’t feel TOO far short of the Ninja 650 - although obviously the 650 is more torquey and you have to work the 250 a lot harder to get decent acceleration. On twisty mountain roads, I would bet that the Ninja 250 can keep up with almost anything.
Yes, I guess the previous owner had 140s fitted. The tires are brand new. They certainly look wide enough for the bike, and it handles great. I agree with your comments about helmets, for sure.