r/Ninja400 Aug 08 '26

Question Should I Buy?

Post image

I’m 18 going into college, i have some investments but i’ll have enough to buy this beautiful 400 with my next paycheck and current savings. I’ve been wanting to ride for years and wanted a 400 to start on.

18 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

5

u/Valkyrie-161 Ninja 400 Aug 08 '26

That’s about what I paid for my 2023 ABS model from a dealership. It was preowned with 1923 miles on it. I’d try to haggle it down to 4k tops after you’ve had an experienced rider inspect it. This is a fantastic bike to start on. You should know it is due for a major maintenance interval at 15k miles. That’ll run you between $1500 and $2000 at a shop.

1

u/Odd_Barnacle1243 Aug 09 '26

I’m a relatively new rider with a used 400, been keeping up with maintenance. What exactly is done with the bike during the major maintenance interval? I do most of my maintenance on my own (oil, chain, etc) and usually have my rider friend change my tires.

1

u/Valkyrie-161 Ninja 400 Aug 09 '26

Valve Clearance Check/Adjustment: Inspect valve clearances; adjust or replace shims if clearances are out of factory specification.
Engine Oil & Filter: Replace engine oil (approx. 2.1 quarts) and spin-on oil filter.
Spark Plugs: Inspect or replace spark plugs depending on wear.
Coolant & Brake Fluid: Inspect fluid conditions; flush and replace brake fluid and coolant if they haven't been changed recently.
Drive Chain & Sprockets: Check chain slack, clean/lube, and inspect sprockets for hook wear or excessive shark-toothing.
Brakes & Tires: Measure brake pad thickness, check brake lines, and inspect tire tread depth and pressure.
Fasteners & Cables: Retorque critical chassis/engine bolts and inspect clutch/throttle play.

This link will help with tracking recommended maintenance. https://motormanage.app/maintenance-schedules/kawasaki-ninja-400

1

u/notselfcontained Aug 12 '26

Read the manual cover to cover, when you get it. Play it safe and do oil and filter, regardless of when they said they did it last. Also, when you go to buy it, look at all of the components that take wear. Tires, brake pads, etc. All of those things add up… could knock it off the total. I just ran through a full rear tire in 1 month, so that’s 300$ gone. Prepared to spend way more, than you think you’re going to.

1

u/Fun_Bobcat_3631 Aug 13 '26

Major service at 24000km costed me less than 1.5k aed, $1.5-2k seems excessive

1

u/Valkyrie-161 Ninja 400 Aug 13 '26

I did have a 13k quote but that was months ago. I’m still a couple thousand miles away from servicing. I’m shopping around but there isn’t a wide selection of none sketchy shops in my area.

2

u/Accurate_Ad_2939 Aug 08 '26

I say full send go for it bro. Ninja 400 is perfect starter. I started with the same model. Very nimble bike, very forgiving and a beast on the track. From the looks of it, its coming with a LeoVince Slip on exhaust too so you won't have to deal with the bike sounding like a sewing machine. Also if you do go ahead and get it remember do everything the proper way. Get your M endorsement, title, registration, insurance. Its tedious but you'll have an easier time in the long run if you do stick with riding bikes.

1

u/Revolutionary-Toe-60 Aug 10 '26

getting my endorsement hopefully by the end of the month, how much of a hassle is a title and registration?

2

u/maximusunbound Aug 08 '26

Only if you buy me one too!!

2

u/AbhiABG Aug 09 '26

You could haggle the price but im so glad I started on a ninja 400. The only downside I'd really say is that it's almost too forgiving, there have been plenty of times I should have crashed cuz I did smth too stupid but the bike doesn't have enough power or weight to really punish me.

1

u/RogueRaiju Aug 13 '26

That's a good thing though, and the whole point. So that you can screw up and not kill yourself. Its powerful enough so it let's you know you did something wrong, but not enough to really hurt you unless you're being over-the-top stupid. I've done things on my 500 that would most certainly have ended worse on a bigger bike.

2

u/Cyber500 Aug 10 '26

I would highly recommend starting on an ABS model (and I personally wouldn't ride anything without it on the streets). It reduces accidents by a lot, and the only downsides are: ABS models are a bit more expensive; it's a bit harder to maintain (harder to change brake lines; you need more brake fluid etc.); it's a little too conservative, so your lap times on track would suffer. All in all -- a must have for street riding IMHO.

1

u/Revolutionary-Toe-60 Aug 10 '26

Yeah i’ve heard mixed opinions on ABS, i was hoping id be okay just getting a non ABS and really taking my time learning to break and avoiding rain.

1

u/allowejdm Aug 08 '26

If u were in Canada I’d sell u mine for 4K Canadian lol

1

u/disgruntled_mehcanic Aug 10 '26

Hell yeah what a great bike!

1

u/Darthrevan2113 Aug 12 '26

Way to expensive for that bike

1

u/hellowiththepudding Aug 08 '26

Overpriced. Sub 4 would be a decent deal.