New owner of 07 Kawasaki ultra250x.

[palacios289]

Hello. Just picked up a cherry 07 ultra250x with 41 hours. Picked this up for $5k with triton trailer. Was owned by a older gent, and it’s in really great shape. Service records included too.

I guess my first maintenance item I wanted to do was oil change. I have the tools but any tips on getting the oil filter out? I have big bear hands which don’t help with space!

2nd item would be fresh spark plugs. Recommendations for that?

3rd is it recommend to run some octane boost? On my 04 cobra, I run royal purple octane boost which raises octane 30 points. (91 to 94 octane) I figured any supercharged engine would like additional octane.

[grumpy_steven]

Upgrade the jet pump prop shaft ASAP.

Do some research regarding cracked heads. Be sure to know the warning signs and catch it early before you destroy your motor. Also, look into re-routing the cooling hoses. I never did research it in depth, but saw some articles on re-routing the hoses to help prevent the head crack.

If you have 2 keys, always leave one home in a safe place. If you have only 1 key, get another one.

Cross your fingers. The Ultra 250 had some issues.

[steve45]

Welcome aboard, palacios!

Listen to grumpy! Do not ride it until you verify that the jet pump has been upgraded. If the original pump fails, it will push the driveshaft into the engine and destroy the crank bearings.

[palacios289]

Thanks gents, I’m taking notes of all this so I really appreciate the feedback and advice. Would these be the right parts for the pump? Also I’m fairly mechanically capable on cars. Would this be something I could do myself?

http://shop.jetworksperformance.com/...ade-kit/dp/967

[steve45]

That's what you need. You need a spline tool, and a torque wrench. A service manual is also a good thing to have. There is also a driveshaft holding tool that's nice, but it's possible to do it without that tool.

[palacios289]

Thanks Steve. If I took this to a shop whats the average price to pay for this install?

[steve45]

I have no earthly idea. If everything is in great condition and comes apart easily, they should be able to do the upgrade in about two hours. If they get inside and find broken stator vanes, damaged impeller blades, etc., it could be rather expensive.

[palacios289]

UPDATE- Changed oil and filter. The filter was a bear to take off!
Swapped plugs to CR9EIX. Old plugs were factory plugs. They looked decent but there was some wear.
I removed intercooler and flushed out a few ounces of oil.

I dropped off the jetski for pump upgrade. It should be completed in the next few days. Shop is charging $420 total with parts for upgrade which i believe is pretty fair.

[Myself]

Great! That is a very fair price.

[steve45]

Sounds like it was the factory oil filter, too!