Will a 250cc be fine from Wellington to Taranaki?

[Brayden]

Uni holidays soon and thinking of tripping up to the Naki in the next few weeks. Thing is at 110 kmh my bike is running in the power band range at 9000, redline is at 13.

Would is survive a 4-5 hour trip up without the engine screwing or overheating etc? Anyone else ridden long distance on a 250? Cheers

[wanpo]

My friend and I went around the North Island, with up to 11 hours riding in a day.
I was on a GT250R, he was on a FXR150.


Your bike will be fine, enjoy yourself.

[george formby]

Uni holidays soon and thinking of tripping up to the Naki in the next few weeks. Thing is at 110 kmh my bike is running in the power band range at 9000, redline is at 13.

Would is survive a 4-5 hour trip up without the engine screwing or overheating etc? Anyone else ridden long distance on a 250? Cheers

You should be fine & you can sit at a 100kmh if you want too.

I rode 470 miles in one day on a 125cc 2T many years ago. Never did it again but the bike was fine.

Make sure you check all your fluids, rubber & mechanical bits before you go to avoid suprises.

[blackdog]

You''l be sweet mate. Enjoy!

As gf says, give it a good check, lube and ya laughin'.

[Scuba_Steve]

I did an 8hr tiki tour to Auckland on an FXR150 did fine, cheapest Auckland trip I've ever had, only downside was the swore arse

[faredce]

that will be a good trip...hope the weather is good for u

[Brayden]

Mean sounds all gravy looking forward to the ride! Planning on seeing the grandparents, have driven as a passenger countless times to the Naki but never been in the drivers seat!

Sort of worried about the country roads though, my VT250 isn't exactly the most bump friendly bike out there, I think I'm gunna have a seriously sore arse by the time I'm done!

[Rosie]

I've done a lot of long distance trips on my 250s, you have to be a bit patient when trying to overtake, but otherwise I've never have any problems.

If you aren't used to riding longer distances, make sure you take plenty of breaks, keep yourself warm and fed and hydrated. If your seat isn't the best - make a point of changing position and wriggling around a bit right from the start of the ride, if you wait until you feel sore, it's too late to do much about it.

[jasonu]

I rode a Suz A100 from Auckland to Wellington and back up to Bulls in a day then back to Auckland the next day with no issues (except ma false teeth came loose)
You will be fine on your 250.

[WuZards-Eugene]

Last years Grand Challenge, someone done it on a GN250. He done it in something like 20 hours non-stop. Hows that for some encouragement.

[Dodger]

I've been from Wellington to Invercargill and back twice on my Hyosung Gt250 with no issues. :)

[Ratti]

Perhaps invest in a sheepskin for the seat. An old fashioned idea that still works. Look on trademe and see if there are any going

[Oakie]

Perhaps invest in a sheepskin for the seat. An old fashioned idea that still works. Look on trademe and see if there are any going

I second that. For the luxury ride though go to a stationery shop and get a metre or so of the biggest bubble wrap they sell. It goes between the sheepskin and the seat. You can thank me later.

[rastuscat]

Did Auckland to Invercargill and back in December 1982. On a Honda CB250N. I wouldn't do it now, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

It's the mindset of the rider that counts. My mindset just can't be arsed now.

[insomnia01]

Watch the weather a few days before hand & up till departure, Check your bike over a couple of days out & prior to departure,pack bags with weight over the rear wheel, RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE & ENJOY DUDE !!!!!!!!!!! Touring is awesome fine

[FlangMasterJ]

Should be fine.

The old man used to do trips up to Taupo just for shits and gigs on his old XL175 with a full back pack and a rifle hanging off his back.

Hard as nuts.

[\m/]

I often go for 400+ km rides on my 250 Bandit, longest was 600km in a day.

[Viscount Montgomery]

No, you can't travel between Wellington and Taranaki on a 250. It won't make it. 250's have no business being out on the open roads. It's illegal. A 250 would blow up if you tried riding any sort of distance on it.

250's can't handle highways or even secondary roads, it's a well known fact. All 250's are made for streets and town riding only. You'll find that the 250 people traveling over 35 kilometres distance in one ride are actually riding special 250's with special heavy duty engines that they've specially imported from Germany. Be sensible and don't venture from the immediate neighbourhood until you can save up for at least a 1200 - 1500cc machine.

[\m/]

No, you can't travel between Wellington and Taranaki on a 250. It won't make it. 250's have no business being out on the open roads. It's illegal. A 250 would blow up if you tried riding any sort of distance on it. There is no law regarding engine size for open-road riding.


250's can't handle highways or even secondary roads, it's a well known fact. All 250's are made for streets and town riding only. You'll find that the 250 people traveling over 35 kilometres distance in one ride are actually riding special 250's with special heavy duty engines that they've specially imported from Germany. Be sensible and don't venture from the immediate neighbourhood until you can save up for at least a 1200 - 1500cc machine.
There must be something wrong with me, I've been commuting from Raglan to Hamilton on my 250 and doing long open-road rides for the past 10 months and it's still running fine. And it's imported from Japan, not Germany.

[ducatilover]

I've done bigger Kms on my old Spada in a day, it'll be fine mate.

If in doubt, I'll ride it up :Punk:

[Hitcher]

Many people believe that any motorcycle becomes munted after having travelled more than 20,000km in total or more than 200km in one burst. People interested in buying 250s bring a whole range of other prejudices with them, foremost of which is paying silly money for something that's at least 15 years old and which has prominent vacuum cleaner hoses attached to the tank.

Vacuum cleaner hoses aren't necessary for a ride to Taranaki because, as opposed to other parts of the North Island, Taranaki is one region that doesn't suck.

[ynot slow]

When you looking to ride up,am thinking of heading to Stratford in next couple of weeks,maybe first week Sept,or so happy to meet at Sanson and ride with you.

[Gibbo89]

I second that. For the luxury ride though go to a stationery shop and get a metre or so of the biggest bubble wrap they sell. It goes between the sheepskin and the seat. You can thank me later.

What happens when you sit down on it and all the wee air bubble things pop?! :no:

[nadroj]

What happens when you sit down on it and all the wee air bubble things pop?! :no:

Fill them back up with heavy duty air!

[Ender EnZed]

Would is survive a 4-5 hour trip up without the engine screwing or overheating etc? Anyone else ridden long distance on a 250? Cheers

I did 660km in a day on my Spada once and made heaps of trips of more than 500km in a day. It handled it just fine and had no trouble spending hours on end at more than 10000rpm.

[Dodgy_Matt]

What happens when you sit down on it and all the wee air bubble things pop?! :no:
I thought that would be part of the fun on the trip? :shifty:

[Oakie]

What happens when you sit down on it and all the wee air bubble things pop?! :no:

Oddly enough, they don't.

[insomnia01]

when you looking at returning to Wgtn ? I'll be heading down there on the 9/9 we could meet up in Whanganui :2guns:

[gijoe1313]

+1 to all the good advice, also ensure you keep your personal fluids up so you don't get too dehydrated. Stay warm and bring a cloth to wipe your visor clean (you can do it at a servo, but it doesn't help when you are in between them and get a wicked bug splat in the center of your visor!)

My lil'ol 250 Hornet has been everywhere in the NI, once doing a trip from Auckland to Cape Reinga and down to Wellington in one go! 100 000km+ and it's still keen to see more riding!

It's a high revving machine, so I'm pretty sure your beasty will be just fine! Go for it! :niceone:

[nzspokes]

Fill them back up with heavy duty air!

Use helium, bik will be lighter and will go faster.

[nadroj]

Use helium, bik will be lighter and will go faster.

Naa he would sit higher & have more wind resistance.....

[george formby]

I second that. For the luxury ride though go to a stationery shop and get a metre or so of the biggest bubble wrap they sell. It goes between the sheepskin and the seat. You can thank me later.

I will thank you now. Very crever.

[James Deuce]

What the fuck!?

I rode my RG250 all over the country, laden with gear. I rode my GSXR250 all over the country, laden with gear. Capacity isn't the issue. It's whether or not you actually look after your motorcycle well enough to trust it.

That's you as in the you that should be taking responsibility for the reliability of your transport.

That Spada engine. When they test their engine designs, Honda are aiming for 72 hours of continuous operation at redline without significant engine damage. Often, small capacity motorcycle engines are run for 2-3 weeks at redline before they fatally expire. Your engine is designed to be used across its rev range for whatever period of time one could resonably expect to be the "lifetime" of a motorcycle. The engine will probably do 100,000km, even being brutalised by a long line of squid learner riders.

The stuff that wears out on bikes usually isn't engine or transmission. It's suspension bearings and bushes and suspension units themselves and stuff like wheel and steering head bearings that need regular maintenance and replacement, maintenance that NO FRIGGING LEARNER 250 RIDER EVER FREAKING BOTHERS WITH.

*pant* *pant* *pant*

[Brayden]

Man cheers for all the replies. Guess its an overwhelming hell yes it will be fine!

At this stage I'm not exactly sure when I'll be leaving, obviously with all this snow and shit it's gunna have to be weather dependent.

If it clears up by next week i'll most likely be looking at leaving from Welly on Tuesday the 23'rd and coming back from New Plymouth on Thursday the 25th if anyone wants to tag along on any stage of the journey. If not fine then most likely the same days in the following week.

Note however that this will be my first long distance ride! :wari:

[James Deuce]

Note however that this will be my first long distance ride! :wari:

It will be the first of many. There is NOTHING like it.

[Oakie]

and bring a cloth to wipe your visor clean (you can do it at a servo, but it doesn't help when you are in between them and get a wicked bug splat in the center of your visor!) :

I recommend glass cleaning wipes that come in an wee flat pack holding about 50 wipes. Take up virtually nil space in a bag or under the seat and the leave visors, headlights and mirrors sparkly.

[GrayWolf]

Uni holidays soon and thinking of tripping up to the Naki in the next few weeks. Thing is at 110 kmh my bike is running in the power band range at 9000, redline is at 13.

Would is survive a 4-5 hour trip up without the engine screwing or overheating etc? Anyone else ridden long distance on a 250? Cheers

point 1, rev range? You dont HAVE to ride at 110km's per hr.. but I would suggest a good old rule of thumb, no more than 2/3's of maximum revs of the engine for touring speeds. 50-70% rev range should be the sweet spot.
Do a filter and high quality oil change for the journey.

2) YES many moons ago, on an old RD250dx air cooled. I travelled 20,000 miles in one year on that bike (32,000km's) as long as you remember its still a 250 and dont thrash the hades out of it, it will do a 5hr trip quite comfortably.....

[ducatilover]

I did 500km in a day on mine and it probably never dropped below 9000rpm.
I sold mine with 150,000km on it, I put 130,000 on it.

It really will be fine.
Just make sure you've got good oil in her and nice coolant. that's how mine lasted and I thrashed the shit out of it, it was a rev limiter whore.