Kawasaki Ninja 250R Service Manual (2008)

Kawasaki introduced the completely redesigned Ninja 250R for 2008 as a small-displacement, full-fairing sportbike intended to combine approachable road manners with the visual identity of the larger Ninja range. Kawasaki's 2008 annual report notes that the model was introduced in Japan, the United States and Europe and describes it as both easy to ride and sporty. Kawasaki later characterized this 2008 machine as the first generation of a strategic global Ninja 250/300 series, serving as an entry model in developed markets and a higher-end sport model in emerging markets. In North America the generation carried the EX250 family code, with EX250J identifying the redesigned platform.

The EX250J8F documented here is a 249 cc parallel-twin sportbike with a liquid-cooled DOHC two-cylinder engine, 62.0 × 41.2 mm bore and stroke and 11.6:1 compression. The North American specification in this manual uses two Keihin CVK30 carburetors, a wet multi-disc clutch, six-speed constant-mesh gearbox and chain final drive. A tubular diamond frame, 17-inch wheels, telescopic fork and Uni-Trak rear suspension gave the motorcycle conventional, serviceable chassis hardware, while the compact 249 cc twin was designed to deliver usable performance without the weight or power demands of a larger supersport. The factory specifications list 23.4 kW (31.8 PS) at 11,000 rpm and 22.0 N·m at 9,500 rpm for this configuration.

The platform was sold internationally with market-specific differences. Kawasaki's environmental reporting describes fuel-injected Ninja 250R versions introduced as emissions standards tightened, while the EX250J8F covered by this U.S./Canada-oriented manual remains carbureted. The broader EX250J generation continued through the early 2010s and became one of Kawasaki's important lightweight global models. Kawasaki's later Ninja 250/300 technical paper describes the 2008 model's worldwide sales success and explains how its successor was developed around the same core ideas of supersport appearance and ease of riding. For 2013, Kawasaki launched the next-generation Ninja 250, with revised styling, fuel injection and a newly developed platform that also underpinned the Ninja 300 in other markets.

This download is specifically the original 99924-1391-01 publication, whose factory application table lists the 2008 EX250J8F. Later EX250J motorcycles share substantial platform lineage, but Kawasaki issued subsequent manual revisions as the model evolved, so this product is intentionally cataloged for 2008 rather than assuming later-year procedures are identical. Related Kawasaki lightweight-sport material can be browsed in the Ninja 250R service manual category.