Bowlch
9th May 2011, 13:28
Honda VTR250 2010 Review
Firstly I must let you guys knows I am a brand new rider who has only had his L plates since March. So apologies for any discrepancies / amateur behavior from now on ;-)
Having spoken to Todd at Motomart Wellington, I decided to choose a Honda VTR250 over a Ninja. Mainly due to the fear of having to replace fairings and also the ride height/position seemed more suitable on the Honda. I ended up spending $8500 for the bike (63km’s on the clock), helmet, gloves, trousers, boots and jacket.
Anyway, having got the paperwork completed and gathering the correct safety gear I headed out onto the streets and have hardly left it since!
ENGINE:
The compact iquid-cooled 250cc V-twin engine has decent acceleration, and I’ve had no trouble pulling away from the lights without hardly trying. At 100kp/h the revs hang around 6500. So cruising along doesn’t sound like a stabbed cat. The engine has most torque around the 5000-9000rpm range.
BRAKES:
Up front there is a single 296mm disc with twin piston Nissin calliper. At the rear there is a 220mm single piston Nissin calliper. They have both been able to stop me quick enough in all circumstances so far.
SUSPENSION:
This is the one area of the bike that seems to be a (minor) let down. Non adjustable front fork and a rear mono-shock do the job, but certainly isn’t anything special, but then again on a starter 250cc bike who can complain. The rear shock is adjustable via a threaded collar, but to alter this you need to remove the seat and pull back a rubber flap.
RIDE:
Riding around on the VTR I feel very secure and in charge. It has a 776mm seat height, and I can easily get both feet down at the lights. Having a kerb weight of 161kg combined with the broad bars and low centre of gravity means throwing the VTR around corners is great fun! I can’t help but grin when going over the Rimutakas!
The one thing I’m not 100% happy with are the mirrors, I cant quite get them angled correctly as the range available is quite limited. But with a tiny lean of the head, visibility improves dramatically.
FUEL EFFICIENCY:
The tank has a capacity of 13 litres total. I have managed to average around 300km between fill ups, and that was with me not trying to be fuel efficient ;-) So all in all a very fuel efficient bike.
MODS:
Since purchasing the bike I have had very little altered. I recently had some Oxford Hot Grips installed, as well as a tank protector. Some frame sliders are being ordered soon just in case. Also there's some red rim tape in the post, but god knows when that will arrive.
CONCLUSION:
Personally I have found this little V-Twin to be a fantastic learner bike. Not too powerful, yet enough grunt to make me grin from ear to ear. Ride positioning is comfortable, allowing excellent visibility.
For those wanting to see video. Here is a link from a few weeks past going over the Rimutakas. Apologies for the ride, I promise I've improved since then :-P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DG48tRXdWA&feature=youtu.be&hd=1
Firstly I must let you guys knows I am a brand new rider who has only had his L plates since March. So apologies for any discrepancies / amateur behavior from now on ;-)
Having spoken to Todd at Motomart Wellington, I decided to choose a Honda VTR250 over a Ninja. Mainly due to the fear of having to replace fairings and also the ride height/position seemed more suitable on the Honda. I ended up spending $8500 for the bike (63km’s on the clock), helmet, gloves, trousers, boots and jacket.
Anyway, having got the paperwork completed and gathering the correct safety gear I headed out onto the streets and have hardly left it since!
ENGINE:
The compact iquid-cooled 250cc V-twin engine has decent acceleration, and I’ve had no trouble pulling away from the lights without hardly trying. At 100kp/h the revs hang around 6500. So cruising along doesn’t sound like a stabbed cat. The engine has most torque around the 5000-9000rpm range.
BRAKES:
Up front there is a single 296mm disc with twin piston Nissin calliper. At the rear there is a 220mm single piston Nissin calliper. They have both been able to stop me quick enough in all circumstances so far.
SUSPENSION:
This is the one area of the bike that seems to be a (minor) let down. Non adjustable front fork and a rear mono-shock do the job, but certainly isn’t anything special, but then again on a starter 250cc bike who can complain. The rear shock is adjustable via a threaded collar, but to alter this you need to remove the seat and pull back a rubber flap.
RIDE:
Riding around on the VTR I feel very secure and in charge. It has a 776mm seat height, and I can easily get both feet down at the lights. Having a kerb weight of 161kg combined with the broad bars and low centre of gravity means throwing the VTR around corners is great fun! I can’t help but grin when going over the Rimutakas!
The one thing I’m not 100% happy with are the mirrors, I cant quite get them angled correctly as the range available is quite limited. But with a tiny lean of the head, visibility improves dramatically.
FUEL EFFICIENCY:
The tank has a capacity of 13 litres total. I have managed to average around 300km between fill ups, and that was with me not trying to be fuel efficient ;-) So all in all a very fuel efficient bike.
MODS:
Since purchasing the bike I have had very little altered. I recently had some Oxford Hot Grips installed, as well as a tank protector. Some frame sliders are being ordered soon just in case. Also there's some red rim tape in the post, but god knows when that will arrive.
CONCLUSION:
Personally I have found this little V-Twin to be a fantastic learner bike. Not too powerful, yet enough grunt to make me grin from ear to ear. Ride positioning is comfortable, allowing excellent visibility.
For those wanting to see video. Here is a link from a few weeks past going over the Rimutakas. Apologies for the ride, I promise I've improved since then :-P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DG48tRXdWA&feature=youtu.be&hd=1