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  1. #1 DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    C-Moto Noob mmickinkle's Avatar
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    I've been doing some research on different bikes and have narrowed it down to 2 bikes. I am a small person so my max weight would be a 300cc. I like the look of the df but my mechanic says that parts and finding a place to work on them is not easy. However, the price is right. The ninja has been around forever but to get one at a decent cost it has to be older and anything older than an 09 or so is just ugly. Has anyone noticed that the DF needs more maintenance? I don't want to spend the money on when and then realize I should have just went with the more expensive bike.
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  2. #2 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    The reason the DF250 is cheaper is because it is inferior in every way to a Ninja. I'm not sure which DF250 you are talking about the Lifan DF250 or the Dong Fang 250. Regardless Chinese bikes are mostly a bit crap compared to a Japanese bike. There are some exceptions where there are well proven bikes that have a good track record, these bikes are the exception to the rule and usually 125cc machines mostly built by the same factories that manufacture Japanese branded bikes on a different production line with different badging. Some are even getting closer like CFMOTO and Chinese made Benelli, but still you'll always be wondering when the next EFI or electrical glitch might happen.

    You often hear things like 'it has a 2 year warranty so it'll be OK' or 'my mate has one put 15,000 miles on it so it's fine'. In nearly every case I'd prefer the 2nd hand Japanese bike. Better assembled, better designed, better components. Doesn't mean the DF is destined to fail, just much more likely to.
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  3. #3 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    C-Moto Noob mmickinkle's Avatar
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    Thanks ZMC. It's the dog fang I was inquiring about. My mechanic said the same thing but he might tell me anything. I wanted to know from someone who has personally had one or knows someone that does. I know how dependable the ninjas are but with this being my first motorcycle I wanted it from the horses mouth. Thanks again.
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  4. #4 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru MJH's Avatar
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    Its actually 2008 for the revised 250R…you can get one for under 3K and sell it fairly easily if you want to get another bike later. There have been a few that posted on the site claiming they bought one of the DF250 sport like bikes, they are all short stories, those bikes are really the same as a dual sport covered in fairing. In that the makers can hide all the bad welds and crappy wiring harnesses. If you buy one it may be fun for a while but if you lose interest in it, that loss of interest will come with it losing nearly all it’s resale value as well. You might want to do some more research until you figure out that you could own a Ninja 250 for the same amount of time as owning a DF250 and come out of owning the ninja with residual value, you would be throwing away your money on the DF250, even if you only ride it gently and take excellent care of it, it will still lose its value, basically at resale the Chinese bikes are near worthless. Whereas the Japanese’s bike will retain value.
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  5. #5 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    C-Moto Noob mmickinkle's Avatar
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    Thanks MJH. I was worried about resale value as well. I may want to go to a bigger bike someday and don't really want to lose money on it.
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  6. #6 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru MJH's Avatar
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    Let’s be honest the reason you are even considering the Chinese is because you cannot test ride a used bike. I would not let a person that is not licensed and insured test ride a bike I am selling. So you see these shipped to you as a way to beat that. A way to get endorsement? But in reality if you buy one you will lose any investment.
    In the spring I test ride allot of bikes for sale. The seller of used bikes are all ready to sell and if you show up with a license and insurance they will let you take it out on the road. You have to be licensed and insured in reality, if you are researching then really research.
    So at first you have to just get licensed for as little investment as possible. Then once endorsed you can test ride and really get and understanding of different bikes.
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  7. #7 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    Senior C-Moto Guru MJH's Avatar
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    if you bought a CB300F and only used it to learn...you could sell it for over 75% of what you paid for it. At 3,999 plus fees you could ride it under full warranty and then sell it. for over $3,000.00. If you buy a cheap shitty Chinese bike you will loose much more 200% of what it would cost to get a brand new Honda.
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  8. #8 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    C-Moto Senior Symon260z's Avatar
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    I'd take the Japanese bike any day. A 10 year old Jap bike will give you less grief than a new Chinese one !

    About 4 months ago I bought my wife a Honda 110 Scooter and at the same time 2 of her friends bought Chinese scooter. The Honda just needs petrol, washing and an oil change. One of the Chinese scooter has stopped completely and the owner is still argueing with the seller to get it fixed, the other one as been into the dealer 3 times for issues.

    I rest my case :-)
    Previous bikes . yamaha DT 50, DT 125, DT 250, DT 400, XT 500. Ossa 350 Trial, Ossa Mike Andrews replica. And now a Yamaha XTZ125 here in China.

    Biking is like sex :- you don't have to be good at it to enjoy
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  9. #9 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    C-Moto Senior galenernest's Avatar
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    I'd go for a used Ninja 250 over a Chinese bike, especially since you live in the States and there are tons of used Ninja 250's, often with low miles, for cheap. One great benefit is that Kawasaki made little changes to the EX250 (Ninja 250) since it was introduced. I think the 87-07's are all the same except the colors, so parts availability is no problem. In '08 they updated the bodywork and added 17" wheels, and made some other minor changes (not sure on the specifics, though). The 17" wheels are nice for better tire selection, but you can still get excellent tires for the 16" rims.

    My suggestion having ridden the piss out of Ninja 250's: as a first bike, I'd go for a used one you can pluck for under $2000. Maybe even an '08 if you wait long enough... but you can buy a good used "first gen" Ninja (87-07) all day for $1500 or less. It's your first bike, right? Don't worry about looking cool... you'll probably drop it half a dozen times just getting used to riding.

    That is a much better option than a Chinese bike.
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  10. #10 Re: DF 250cc or ninja 250cc? 
    C-Moto Noob mmickinkle's Avatar
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    It is my first bike so used is obviously the better way to go. I've already decided that. I guess I need to make it clear that I will NOT even attempt to ride a motorcycle until I take the MSF safety course. Debating on which bike has nothing to do with the endorsement or if it can be shipped to me. The thought never even occurred to me. I am actually currently riding a cheap little 49cc scooter which is a no name and I've already had to spend over $700 to replace the engine in and $300 before that to replace the clutch. I only paid $800 for the stupid thing but it gets me where I need to go and I get 110 miles a gallon. I knew at some point I would want to grow up to a big girl bike and now is the time. I've always liked the ninja's. I love the body style and I've heard great things about the way they handle and how they are as a first bike. I didn't know of the Dong Fang's until recently and wanted to get an opinion on them from the people who knew best. The one I found was actually on craigslist so it was already assembled and wouldn't need to be shipped to me. I've looked into the honda cbr as well but performance wise it looks like the ninja wins hands down. As for looking cool, I'll admit, I want a nice looking bike. I mean hell, you wouldn't screw someone you're not attracted to so I don't want to ride something that has no appeal for me which is why I don't like the look of the first gen ninja's. The one headlight does nothing for me. lol.
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