Modifying my Kawasaki Z250

[Changnoi1]

A month ago I bought a Kawasaki Z250 and love it but with my short arms the handle-bar is a bit too low for me. So I thought of rising it with a handle-bar-riser but when I saw the handle-bar of the ER6N I thought ... Lets put a all other handle-bar on the bike! And it was cheap also.

So I ordered a ER6N handle-bar, clutch & throttle cables from the ER6N also. It did cost me about 1000 Thai baht included 150 Thai baht service charge. Hahaha the latter was really cheap as the mechanic has been working for about 3 hours on it. And it works great, although must be said that the front-brake-line fits just about that close to not fitting. And the clutch cable had to be adjusted. And the holed in the handle-bar to fix the trottle-holder must be adjusted a little bit (extra hole). Now the riding position is perfect for me ... but the bike not really looks like a naked-city-bike anymore but who cares?

I also had fitted the foot-pegs (with rubbers) from the ER6N as the standard ones on the Z250 are steel only. They were expensive at 1000 Thai baht, as they change from "Made in Thailand" to "Made in Japan".

There is still one thing I would like to modify .... the Z250 has no hazard-light switch. Weird, huh? I would think that would be a requirement by law. Why? Battery to small?

 

[Ian Bungy]

Photos Please! Hell Mate at this Rate You will be on a Mini Bike soon! From a Versys to a CB500 now a Z250? How small are You willing to go? I Love My 250cc Dirt Bikes but they are not good at any Trips on Long Straight Roads which pretty much describes Your Area? Great around Town and I must say all the 250 Street Bikes I have Ridden are even Worse!!! Apples for Apples I suppose?

 

[TonyBKK]

FWIW I blasted all over the Kingdom on my wee little Ninja 250R back in the day, and while it will cruise along on the highway at 160kph all day long without complaint. (You really can't compare the performance of an ~18Hp dirtbike to a ~33Hp road bike, that really is apples and oranges!)

True the Ninja 250 was woefully underpowered to carry a pillion and would never win a drag race against any larger bike, but in the twisties the light and nimble 250 was a blast!

Chang Noi is "vertically challenged" and was never comfortable on taller bikes. I reckon the 250 ought to fit him quite well :thumbup:

 

[Changnoi1]

Indeed Tony "vertically challenged" although the CB500F was only a bit lighter & lower as my (lowerd) Versys so I think what most contributes for me is the low gravity center of the bike (both the CB500F and Z250). OK only 250cc but quit good performance for a small 2 cylinder engine. OK I will have to shift a bit more as on the Versys or CB500F.

Here the ER6N handle-bar on my Z250. Still have to figure out a better way to install the 12v-outlet.

BTW Ian I (well my wife) had a mini-bike already .... a Stallion Monkey. Dangerous little bike with 125cc.

Anyone has a good idea to install a hazard-light switch (and make it work)?

 

[TonyBKK]

Changnoi1;298456 wrote:
Anyone has a good idea to install a hazard-light switch (and make it work)?

I am told, but I am not 100% sure it's accurate, that if you install the EX650 RH switchgear (with the hazard light button) that you will gain the use of the hazard lights on the EX250.

It's not exactly plug and play, ie. you'll have to wire in the new switch.

In addition to the hazard lights you also gain the high beam "passing" switch which I think is missing from your Z250?

Again, not 100% sure this mod actually works for your bike, just something I read on Kawiforums some time back.

 

[Changnoi1]

Well actually I have already a head-light-passing switch.
I think actually that the all switch-gear is from the ER6N/Versys and they just removed the the hazard-light switch. I will ask next time at the mechanic in Udon when I am there. Unfortunate he speaks just as good English as I speak Thai.

Thanks Tony because what you said I had a other google and ... just found a web-site about the same problem.
http://www.motorcyclephilippines.com/forums/showthread.php?117354-DIY-Hazard-Lights

If the Kawasaki Z250 indeed has the same diagram and if the flasher can work with 4 signal-lights then .....
Option 2 looks like a good idea. Now to find out what the wire from the signal-switch are ... what wire is going to the lights and what wire is going to the flasher? And how much amp is the flasher?

Update 16/4 :
OK I did open the signal-switch and indeed the hazard-switch is just removed and could easily be put back. I would be to no surprise to me if I have to buy an all signal-box for that (so anyone has a damaged one from the hazard-switch can be removed?)
And the wire at the signal-switch are indeed 1 from the flasher-relay, 1 to the left-signals and 1 to the right signals. So would be easy to test. I did switched the right signal-lights on and used a small wire to connect to the wire of the left signal-lights. Now all 4 signal lights should be working .... but that did not happen. Probably as the flasher-relay is not build for this purpose. I did read somewhere already that people replace the stock flasher-relay for another one. Next problem ....