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I love seeing folks building budget bikes.. and I've used anything and everything in my possession to build up bikes. I like what you are doing..
My comments were strictly to express my experience in the little ninja .
As for your build .. what shock are you using ..if it is the factory ex250 part I can recommend a better path.
A 2006-2007 Suzuki GSXR 600 shock will fit with very little modification.
It beefier, has better adjustability and has a integrated gas reservoir.
I have installed these on many ninja 250's.
They are plentiful on Ebay for cheap too!
Good luck!

Curious as to why you chose the 2004 ninja 250 for parts.  The wheels are 16" and tires are not widely available. A 2008 or newer parts bike offer better suspension which still is functionally/dimensional similar to that of the pre gen ninjette.
Most importantly the rims are 17" which opens up a world of options for you.
I have a 74 RD250 that I am doing a similar but different thing on. I will retain the conventional twin shock layout but use 2009 Ninja 500 fork, 17" rims and brakes. I will modify the 500 swing arm to fit the RD frame and accept the shocks.

They've found a better home! What direction do you want to take them?
Wade

The R5 I think back to mostly stock. Not a resto but close enough.  350 top end.. probably stay with the piston port and 5 speed ..

The 250 is a mess that front end is so wrong and the only good thing is the motor is complete, carbs and all. So I think it will end up a cafe or street-able road race clone. 

Ok.... so I have this one I picked too....

The old "ran when parked, just needs a carb clean" gag applies here.

LOL.. yeah..
The only good on either of these is that I got them and not a scrapper...

It's a 74 250 I think

Ok.... so I have this one I picked too....

If you want to go racing....and have little or no experience then the #1 thing you need first is seat time. There is in just about every locale.. track day promoters that are offering events for you as a novice to be involved in that will get you up to speed on running your bike in a safe environment as close to race traffic as possible. The amount of real track seat time you have the better prepared you will be for the real thing..
Most track day events will not only have qualified instructors to assist..but the participants will be likely 1/2 actual racers getting... more seat time.
All the technical details for the organization you want to race in is readily available on the orgs sites.. but actually being ready to race.. takes practice and .... seat time in a track situation.
Good luck..

I posted up on the Wrench board about the motor.. it's a DS7 lower in my R5 chassis

I'm hoping to get this bike in road shape by next spring... a lot of work to do!

As you can see I was able to get pics resized and posted...
As I said... rusty and crusty.

Thanks to ya'll for responding.
Decisions...decisions...

Doing the swap(s) you mention is not difficult, it is all remove and replace stuff but you need to make sure you have all of the right parts when doing so. If I were you I would forget about the trans swap and rebuild the bottom end you have and use it. If you want a 350 just look for an R5 top end to put on it.

Why would you not do the trans swap?

So my R5 project has only a DS7 lower unit in it. No top end.
I want to build a 6 speed motor and put 350 top end on it.
I have read many of the posts about doing the rd400 trans and clutch swap
Not certain yet whether to search out piston port or reed jugs.  The bike will see a mix of country back roads and highway use.
My main question right now is whether the DS7 bottom end is a worthy one to build from or should I just find  R5 unit..
Is one any better than the other for this project. ?

Hi folks I thought as my 1st real bike post show you the R5 I picked up some time ago.
I pulled this out of a guy's barn... he really had kind of a little salvage yard going on north of where I live at...  way out in the country here in Oklahoma.
  This thing was really left for dead as it's missing tank and as you can see a whole bunch of other parts. Also the top is missing off the motor.
The bike has been sitting as I said in a barn but it had a lot of water on it in so... a whole lotta rusty, crusty parts on it that will really need to be looked at.
The bike seems to be one that I would like to go ahead and build-up.
I never owned an R5 before and I was looking to build one over the next few months to get ready for next summer as a regular rider for back and to work and some fun rides too.
The bike doesn't have what looks like the original engine. Looks to be a DS 7 engine lower ...I guess a 250cc so I have a little bit figuring out to do to build it up engine wise ... meanwhile other than that start getting parts for it.

I'm trying to add a pic but keep getting a error message saying file size too large??

Hi folks!
I received my membership just yesterday and want thank the admin for letting me in.
I'm Scott from N/E Oklahoma (in them thar woods) and I love motorcycles
I love building and riding vintage bikes and have done a bit of racing too.
Currently at the fine age of 60 I have collected a stable of old 2 strokers needing restoration or building and this forum seems like a great resource to help me get them back on the road.
Prior to joining the site.. I have spent the last week reading as many posts as I could.. lots of great info and cool ideas.. seems there are many knowledgeable folks here ...
Again thanks for the invite!