Ninja 250 Rider's bookshelf

Riding Technique

Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough

A Twist of the Wrist II by Keith Code (This one is for street riding. The original TOTW is for racers.)

Total Control: High-Performance Street Riding Techniques by Lee Parks

How to Ride a Motorcycle by Pat Hahn

Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch

Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way by Reg Pridmore

See also: Nuggets of Wisdom: Links to other very useful sites

Owners manual

If you don't have a copy of the owners manual, you can look at it for free at kawasaki.com. It can also be printed out, but you can't download it. To get there you have to jump through a few hoops. Go to Owner Info --> Owner's manuals, then click through a few screens to your year of bike, then click Owner & Service Manuals. You'll finally get to Download Manual, which will allow you to read it online or print it out from Acrobat Reader.

Maintenance and Repair

Important Copyright Notice: The Kawasaki manuals below are only available in paper version. There are no legal copies to download. Besides being illegal, these electronic versions are often incomplete, missing entire pages with important information. They're a waste of your money. Please, purchase the official copies. You can tell them by the price. A Service Manual and Supplement are about $35 each. An EX250J Service Manual is about $65.

• Official 2008-> Kawasaki EX250J Ninja 250R Factory Service Manual at repairmanual.com
  Also available at kawasaki.com --> Purchase Manuals (Part #99924-1391-04)

• Official 1986-2007 Kawasaki EX250 Ninja Factory Service Manual at repairmanual.com
  Also available at kawasaki.com --> Purchase Manuals (Part #99924-1066-01)

• Official 1988-2007 Kawasaki EX250 Ninja Factory Service Manual Supplement at repairmanual.com
  Also available at kawasaki.com --> Purchase Manuals (Part #99924-1109-66)

• For more information on how the service manual/supplement concept works, please see the Service Manual page.

Motorcycles: Fundamentals, Service, Repair by Bruce A. Johns, David D. Edmundson, Robert Scharff

Other interesting reads

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart

Perfect Vehicle: What It Is about Motorcycles by Melissa Holbrook Pierson

Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon

Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman

Long Way Down: John O'Groats to Cape Town by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman

Motorcycle Camping Made Easy by Bob Woofter

Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon isn't moto-related at all, but it suits the vagabond spirit.

Blood, Sweat and 2nd Gear: More Medicine For Motorcyclists by flash gordon, m.d. covers medical, health, and emergency tips for motorcyclists.

Deck The Halls - a carol by ATG

Where to buy

Whitehorse Press sells many different kinds of motorcycling books.
Powell's is a general-interest bookstore that usually has a good selection of moto books in new, used, and out-of-print.
Aerostich has a large assortment of books and other items.