Over at Iconic we’ve featured all kinds of top-tier and expensive machinery, but to me this little sleeper is one of the most interesting motorcycles we’ve ever featured. This is a Kawasaki Ninja 250 which had a blown motor and was replaced with the drivetrain from a new-ish Ninja 400!
In the seller’s words, “this started as an original Ninja 250 with 1136 miles and a bad engine, I sourced a wrecked Ninja 400 and carefully combined the two. To my surprise, a lot of the bike wanted to go together. The goal was to create the bike that Kawasaki should have built. I always had a soft spot for the ‘brick ninjas’ and this one is my greatest creation out of the 4 I’ve owned over the years.”
This example is VIN: JKAEXMF135DA12021. The seller purchased the original Ninja 250 via Facebook Marketplace in January of 2023. The seller states there is 20,299 miles on the engine and 2,678 miles on the chassis. In addition to the drivetrain swap, this features a Suzuki GSX-R600 rear shock, Jardine RT-One muffler with aftermarket header and midpipe, RaceTech gold valve emulators, KawasakiBrad O2 sensor delete, stainless front brake line, EBH HH brake pads, TST block-off-plate, PAIR eliminator plug, R6 throttle tube, and a RK X-ring chain/JT sprockets.
Per the seller, the motorcycle dyno’d at 46hp, and they have since upgraded to Barnett clutch springs paired with an updated pull rod and bearing from Kawasaki.
Find this custom Ninja for sale in Sherwood, Arkansas with bidding up to $350 and the reserve not met (but it’s a super reasonable reserve in my mind!) here on Iconic Motorbikes.
Disclosure: Bike-urious is a partner in Iconic Motorbikes.