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The $1000 Ninja 650 Rebuild Series: Episode 1

The $1000 Ninja 650 Rebuild Series: Episode 1

A Ninja 650 rebuild series by YouMotorcycle.

A like-new motorcycle, with only 200 miles, for $1,000. Even if you aren’t looking to buy a motorcycle, it’s too sweet of an opportunity to let slip by you. In my case, the bike is a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650, and I’ll be doing a video series outlining all of the work that I’m going to be putting into making this 13 year old girl like new again, inside and out.

I bought the bike from the original owner, who hadn’t been riding it much due to combination of life, fatherhood, a fearful wife, etc. He was one of my motorcycle towing customers just looking to move his bike or get some cash for it.

Even though the Ninja 650 looked pretty good, and the mileage was next to non-existent, I knew it was going to need some love:

  • The oil may be the original break-in oil from the factory
  • The coolant was definitely original
  • The brake fluid was definitely original
  • The tires were definitely original
  • The kickstand had a little rust

I’m used to pushing my 620 lb V-Rod around, but this little 650 felt even heavier. Obviously, the first fix was putting some air in the tires. In this first episode, I tow the bike home and get her onto my motorcycle table lift for an initial inspection. That’s when I come across an unexpected surprise.

Check out Episode 1 of the $1000 Ninja 650 rebuild series to see what happens:

watch this video


Click the little unmute button in the bottom left corner to unmute the video.
Watch this video!

COMMENTS: If the bike is 13 years old, but only has 200 miles on it, is it “neglected” or just unused?

UPDATE: Episode 2 just went live, you can check it out here.

About Adrian from YouMotorcycle

I started riding motorcycles in 2007, founded YouMotorcycle in 2009, and was working in the motorcycle industry by 2011. I've worked for some of the biggest companies in motorcycling, before going full-time self-employed in the motorcycle business in 2019. I love sharing his knowledge and passion of motorcycling with other riders to help you as best I can.

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