First Bike ZXR or CBR?

[SN4PD]

Hi,

I'm looking for a first bike to learn on, I've been told that the ZXR and CBR's are some of the quickest as I only want to spend 5-6K

What’s the difference between, CBR 250, CBR 250 R, and CBR 250 RR?
And also ZXR 250, ZXR 250 C, and ZXR 250 A?

Any suggestions / advice / comparisons would be greatly appreciated.

Also what should I be spending on gear, is there much of a difference between in quality between spending $200 and $300 on a jacket. I've been told about $1000 all up for pants, jacket, helmet & gloves is average, but will I get much better gear if I spend $1200-1400?

Also if I go for a private sale is there somewhere I can take the bike to get it thoroughly checked out for $100-200? (I don’t want to buy something and then spend another grand fixing it up).


Again any advice would be great.


Cheers

nz_liam

[HDTboy]

I bought A CBR250RR just over 6 months ago as my first bike, and I must say that to learn on they're a little bit unforgiving, if you crash it (which I did on the first night) it won't be cheap to fix. This goes for all the bikes you've mentioned though.

That said. You should not feel the need to buy a bigger bike till you get to your full licence if you buy one of these bikes, they go plenty fast enough, and once you learn to ride it well you'll be out there passing the 600s round corners.

It all depends on how much experience you've had on bikes and how much you're willing to risk on a crash.

On the gear question I'd say buy the best gear you can afford, shop around, and try to get yourself a discount for buying a whole set of gear at once, I paid $750 for jacket, gloves and boots and I'm happy with what I got.

Most bike shops will do a pre-purchase inspection for you, I don't know what it will cost though.


PS, Welcome to the site

[Suney]

The zxr250c was my first bike
They are pretty much the same, but I chose the zxr because it was inverted forks and a single piece headlight and just looked cooler :D

[Sharkey]

I got a zxr250a for my first bike - still got it. For my 2 cents worth I think the kwakas are better finished than the hondas - slightly better attention to detail. But they all go like stink - especially if you are new to bikes. Don't worry about the quality of the fairings too much - you are almost guaranteed to drop it at some stage, but make sure the rest is in good nick. Good shops will be able to give it a once over and give you a good idea of how much any repairs will cost in the short - medium term.

Welcome aboard.

[bugjuice]

both good bikes. Try riding them both and see which one fits better. The CBR is smaller in seat position and size than the ZXR, and a bit more 'sporty' in the general riding poisition. The ZXR is a bit more upright by comparison, but still a sporty bike too. I had a CBR before I got my current bike, and loved it to bits. Went like the clappers out on the track, but was easy as, to ride.. I rode a ZXR a few times, and while still sporty, wasn't quite as sharp as the CBR.. So it depends on how you're thinking about riding. Go sit on both, even ride both, and see what you feel is best. Both good bikes, both for around the same price

welcome btw ;)

[sAsLEX]

cbr rr has a bananna swingarm and twin front discs and is the top of the range for the 250's

I had a cbr250rr till some dick knicked it so add the cost of a decent lock in to the price you want to spend as well, should be able to pick up a decent RR for around 5

rode mine for 18 months or so and never crashed it

[N4CR]

Personally I would go ZXR - looks good, especially the C model (that is the single most important factor for buying a bike......) :rofl: Bigger bike, don't look like a toy bike etc :devil2: (j/k) and the public thinks they are 400's/600's.

I have ridden both, CBR is the most newb friendly for riding, little more relaible due to not having a friggen cam chain issue like ZXR's on 90's onwards models. Also easy to ride with no torque shudder problems at low rpm/going round tiny roundabouts with the wrong throttle amount - or mabey that's just my bike ;) .

Handling wise the cbr (91rr) seemed to be easier to 'push' and steer in but the zxr had the raw/racey feel to it with a steeper learning curve and this made me feel like it would let me learn more.

Speed wise they are extremely close - In my opinion the zxr has a tiny tiny advantage in reality and on paper, but I would really want to try a drag strip to completely proove it.

Search threads on kiwibiker for comparisons/specs.. motobike.be or whatever is NOT very accurate.

Choose what suits you - they are both great bikes!

[SN4PD]

Thanks for all the advice.

I’m leaning towards the ZXR because I'm about 6'1 & sit at desk all day :P ... I'm not too worried about dropping it, part of the learning curve. I have ridden lots of farm (AG) bikes and a few Moto-X but nothing on the road, (folks brought me a car and said if I want a bike then I have to fork out for it), so it shouldn’t be to steeper learning curve.

Are there any particularly good helmets out there without blowing the budget, I've been told not to buy a $150 job but to spend about $200-300? Anything I should look for?

Cheers

nz_liam.

[N4CR]

HJC CL-14 is what alot of people get for first helmets - anywhere around $200 depending on graphics etc.

I'm 6ft as well and the bike is fine - gareth_d is even bigger and he is on the A model with no problems.

Good luck (btw the public loves the pipes on the front of the zxrs, they don't (pipes) do much though :) )

[Jonty]

Thanks for all the advice.

I’m leaning towards the ZXR because I'm about 6'1 & sit at desk all day :P ... I'm not too worried about dropping it, part of the learning curve. I have ridden lots of farm (AG) bikes and a few Moto-X but nothing on the road, (folks brought me a car and said if I want a bike then I have to fork out for it), so it shouldn’t be to steeper learning curve.

Are there any particularly good helmets out there without blowing the budget, I've been told not to buy a $150 job but to spend about $200-300? Anything I should look for?

Cheers

nz_liam.

Hi there,

I got into road riding after riding Auto AG's and a number of motrocross bikes (CR 250) and I found that the ZXR was great first bike. I think they look better than the CBR and I am 6ft and it was comfortable as it could be for the size (bearing in mind you won't be able to walk after about 200km!!).

Be very careful with selecting a specific ZXR, they have notorious cam chain problems and if one of them goes you can say good bye bike (ask the dealer when it was last replaced, they should be done every 45K). Also the fork seals (with upside down forks) are prone to rupture every second week :no: .

I have not ridden a CBR rr but I have heard they are not to much different so the best suggestion would be to have a ride on both. Just remeber the CBR r is nowhere near as quick.

In terms of helmets, I would suggest looking at an HJC, the CL-14 is a good starter helmet that will not explode on impact (which is always nice). They are around the 200-350 mark. From there you are looking upwards of $500 for Shoei etc. DO NOT BUY A HELMET WORTH LESS THAN $150 and never a second hand helmet unless you know the owner.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

[Suney]

Also there has been a correalation between the bike you get and where you are from.
If you are from Northland such as myself, tristank and john, we all have(had) the zxr :D :woohoo: :Punk:

[mikey]

dont do it.
you are getting raped up the ass paying 5-6000 for a 15year old bike "sportsbike"
not being racist (actually yes I am) but there built for short tiny little slant eyed chaps, no good if your average kiwi(around 6 foot an 75-80 kg), not sure about zxr but cbrs dont have great cornering clearnace unless you hang off the bike like your rossi, pegs will scrape a lot
i say buy a bigger bike, older bandit or something for same price, more user friendly an bla bla bla,, an dont give cops any reason to pull you over

[sAsLEX]

I am 6 ft and had no problems on the cbr fitting wise, and stay away from those dodgy fuckin krapasakis with their crap cam chains, gears are the way to go!

[N4CR]

Also there has been a correalation between the bike you get and where you are from.
If you are from Northland such as myself, tristank and john, we all have(had) the zxr :D :woohoo: :Punk:

I'm not a dirty north hoodrat :P Westie more like it!

Seems like alot of people are going for them lately (why not ;) )

[HDTboy]

Also there has been a correalation between the bike you get and where you are from.
If you are from Northland such as myself, tristank and john, we all have(had) the zxr :D :woohoo: :Punk:
I'm ex Whangarei, just to blow your theory away.

PS I'm 6 Ft and fit fine on the CBR, did 600ks on saturday and had a sore arse, but that's about it

PPS CBRs don't have the cam chain and fork seal problems of the ZXRs, ask John how reliable his ZXR has been :rofl:

[sAsLEX]

but cbrs dont have great cornering clearnace unless you hang off the bike like your rossi, pegs will scrape a lot


neh I never decked the pegs on my one but was wearing the tyre right out to the edges

[HDTboy]

neh I never decked the pegs on my one but was wearing the tyre right out to the edges
I agree, I've had my toes on the ground, but not my pegs, and I'm using all of the rear tyre

[slob]

A de-restricted CBR250 will give a CBR400 a run for its money, or so I've read. Apparently, once derestricted the CBR250 can put out around 50hp (probably @19000rpm)!

[Brett]

I bought a ZXR250c, and am 6ft3. My cousin has a CBR rr and I felt more cramped on it, plus the zxr looks a tad bettet and feels a tad tighter, tho they are so incredibly close it really doesnt matter. CBR sounds better.
My ZXR has not given me any issues yet...

[rammstein636]

I've had my ZXR for about 9 months and its a good ride but proving expensive.(Remind anyone of their missus's?)

If your getting a zxr look at the condition of the forks. mine are screwed and its gonna cost me a lot to keep replacing the seals, but 4-500 will get them rechromed and should last a few years from there. Size...i'm 5'9 and I feel comfortable, peg clearance for corners is fukn huge, congratulations when it becomes a problem.
Back to the forks - look to check oil leakage, if it's bad then chances are it's on your brake discs so you'll need to replace the pads (on top of the $$ of new seals. (not cheap). The cam on both my engines has been fine. But unless someone can tell me otherwise(please do if you know where), gaskets arn't available in full kits anymore so don't open it up until you have the replacement gaskets@!

Maybe you want to look into the GSX250 that is available new at the moment, i've seen them for $5k. Though they might be crap. Don't know. Maybe someone knows about them? But it'd mean you don't need to worry about a bunch of worn parts.

Gear, Wait for a deal, - I've seen full riding kits for $750 advertised, Might not be the best but it'll do the trick well enough. You probably want around 1300 though. Then if your that interested in the fastest jap 250 your probably going to want a set of leathers. KBC have 1pieces from $450.

[N4CR]

I'm (well.. 'just above averagely') big and have no trouble with the clearance on the ZXR - infact I find it hard to get knees down/near the ground on them (and I have scraped the pegs on flat ashpalt corners) :devil: so it is probably seating position (as the rossi comment before was mentioned).

The seals depend on how many rock chips you get on the sliders, and also WETHER YOU WIPE THE FULL CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE SLIDERS OFF WHEN THEY GET DUSTY/DIRTY!!

5000-6000km's on reasonably pitted but sanded shocks and not even a leak (they failed when I first got it due to shipping fatigue of being stored) because I wipe them and don't do stoppies every 5 minutes like someone up north does... :lol:

Well I can't do them for shit anyway...

[sAsLEX]

plus the zxr looks a tad bettet and feels a tad tighter, tho they are so incredibly close it really doesnt matter. CBR sounds better.


meh CBRs look the nuts

<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13585>

[awesker]

To put it simply CBRs are the shit. :Punk:

[SN4PD]

HJC CL-14 is what alot of people get for first helmets - anywhere around $200 depending on graphics etc.

I'm 6ft as well and the bike is fine - gareth_d is even bigger and he is on the A model with no problems.

Good luck (btw the public loves the pipes on the front of the zxrs, they don't (pipes) do much though :) )

I had a look at the HJC CL-14 online this avo, and upsold myfelf to the HJC FG-14 for $365 :D Looks cool :D

[SN4PD]

Thanks for the pointers, I'm leaning towards the ZXR 250C, partly because my mate has had a ZXR 250A for about 4 mths now, (could come in handy when I break something). I will commandeer the 2 level car park at work tomorrow and take it for a spin, as I'm getting my learners in 2 weeks. (Or perhaps the car park at motat).

One bike I have short listed is, http://www.bikepoint.co.nz/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=944556&TabID=3553&

The dealer said:


It has a full service to ensure trouble free running. In this instance,
oil, hydraulic, coolant, plugs change, new cam chain. Also 2 new
Bridgestone tyres - lovely little sticky compound.
It comes with the standard 1 month used bike warranty.

[John]

I'm ex Whangarei, just to blow your theory away.

PS I'm 6 Ft and fit fine on the CBR, did 600ks on saturday and had a sore arse, but that's about it

PPS CBRs don't have the cam chain and fork seal problems of the ZXRs, ask John how reliable his ZXR has been :rofl:
I bet a thousand dollars my bike would make you feel like your honda was a 50, btw its fine now, and has been for days/weeks.

As for the helmets nitro are cheap and good I like them I think there are a special on the N620's at motomail, and my old helmet shoei Raid II are on special for 399$ thats a spiffy price if you ask me.

As for the CBR vs. ZXR its your choice you make it - both have their problems both run good, no point trying to get the fastest one when your just starting out...

all I say is my one gets the needle above 200kmph, can yours HDT?

[John]

meh CBRs look the nuts
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13585">

touche'
<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10728">

[HDTboy]

all I say is my one gets the needle above 200kmph, can yours HDT?
Nope, the speedo only goes to 190, but the tacho keeps going round after that :motu:

[John]

So you derestricted it? the speedos actually goto 195.

[HDTboy]

My speedo goes to 190, at 190 it's pulling 17'000rpm, and at 18'000 rpm it runs into a wall, dunno if it's electric or aerodynamic. I'd say electric.

Discliamer: the above results have come from testing in controlled conditions away from the public

[Joe Blogs]

Quite frankly I think all you people are bloody nuts buying a ZXR, and whats this shit about CBR's giving you cramp im 6ft and it dont give me cramp, I test drove 2 zxr's both my knee's dug into the fairings, they are what you people should be worried about. If I brought a ZXR I would have to go get the jig saw out and cut a good 2inchs off the bloody fairings, or my knees of course! And what are you saying about looks, my shit looks more attractive than a ZXR. Also honda's are well known for reliability where Kawasakis are known for the opposite. Hondas are far more popular than kawasakis so thats got to tell you something, eg. bike point has 1253 hondas for sale where kawasaki has only 511. Hondas are just better bikes.

[d2g11]

hey man dont forget the fzr250 r 3ln1 dam underated bike as long as its 1989 and new models they are really nice bikes suspieson bit soft they are little faster than alot of the other 250s cause the got exup so also not to bad mid range handling good stoppers suspiesons on the fronts a bit mediocre but liveable and lastly good tough motors alot cheaper than cbr zxr nice 93 model at red baron at the moment 5 grand

[SN4PD]

Hey everyone, bit of an update on the bike situation.

I picked up my ZXR250C from the sea freighters this avo, (came up from chch); it's a 91 with 9,800 on the clock and seems in reasonable nick. Went for a ride round town & up to Silverdale this evening and put in my first 150k's in on a road bike. Had a bit of fun in the hail @ dairy flat and a few gusts over the bridge, definitely a lot of learning to do :D Did notice a bit of brake fluid leaking onto the front disc when I put it away, will probably book it in for a full service next week and get the shop to give it a once-over. Will get a few photos up tomorrow :D

Cheers

nz_liam

[Jonty]

Hey everyone, bit of an update on the bike situation.

I picked up my ZXR250C from the sea freighters this avo, (came up from chch); it's a 91 with 9,800 on the clock and seems in reasonable nick. Went for a ride round town & up to Silverdale this evening and put in my first 150k's in on a road bike. Had a bit of fun in the hail @ dairy flat and a few gusts over the bridge, definitely a lot of learning to do :D Did notice a bit of brake fluid leaking onto the front disc when I put it away, will probably book it in for a full service next week and get the shop to give it a once-over. Will get a few photos up tomorrow :D

Cheers

nz_liam


Make sure you do, don't go riding anywhere if you have oil leaking on to the discs!!!!! I would check to see if the oil is coming from the fork seals as well.

[R6_kid]

Quite frankly I think all you people are bloody nuts buying a ZXR, and whats this shit about CBR's giving you cramp im 6ft and it dont give me cramp, I test drove 2 zxr's both my knee's dug into the fairings, they are what you people should be worried about. If I brought a ZXR I would have to go get the jig saw out and cut a good 2inchs off the bloody fairings, or my knees of course! And what are you saying about looks, my shit looks more attractive than a ZXR. Also honda's are well known for reliability where Kawasakis are known for the opposite. Hondas are far more popular than kawasakis so thats got to tell you something, eg. bike point has 1253 hondas for sale where kawasaki has only 511. Hondas are just better bikes.

hmmm someone has their panties in a bunch. You have to remember its a personal preference at the end of the day. I am 6ft 3 and have not problems with the fairings unless i sit really fucked up on the bike.

Yes the CBR is more reliable, but then i've gone nearly 10k on my bike without trouble. From what i know the zxr is slightly better handling than the CBR but we are yet to confirm which bike is actually faster (the MC22 is faster than the ZXR250A, but havent been able to get a good gauge against a ZXR-C yet)

Stats dont mean shit sorry mate because: there are more honda shops in NZ (they make farm bikes and good utility bikes - the main market in NZ), Thats the number of bikes for sale not the number in the country - maybe kawasaki owners dont need to sell theirs!

But like i said its personal preference. I did enjoy the CBR MC22 i rode but do prefer my ZXR and like riding position better, so did my mate whos MC22 i tried.

I have nothing against the CBR, and if you are going to get personal about this i suggest getting your arse to taupo for the track day later in the year and do some comparisons on the track. It's not worth getting anal about, its just a debate.

[SlowHand]

have to agree with gareth d. Deep breaths, shoot over to the pantry, and grab a cookie. < eat it. Feel better?

At the end of the day, you ride what you ride and you like what you like. Like anything else in life. From my own and mates experience with cars etc. you normally end up with whatever is the best deal. have fun on your new bike nz_liam. Im veeryy patiently waiting for mine to be ready.

[myvice]

Don’t see the point on having fairings on a bike that wont do 200kph!

[N4CR]

I think gareth had a nice time doing 170+ without fairings on the zxr... got quite buffety apparently. I'll let him explain it though.

I find they are great - if I go GP style the whole way to work in the rain I hardly get wet if I crouch under the fairings.

These bikes could probably touch 200 if they were modded enough.... I have seen mine go off the clock (190) as a fact, but then again out comes the old speedo reliability thread again....

Who knows... long enough straight and down a hill with a digital speedo :P stuff dreams are made of!

[R6_kid]

i had my chin down on the top of the tripple clamps, and touched 170-175, not my idea of smooth riding. Also the rain thing - when you have no fairings you get very wet as the water runs off the tank down between ur legs, at 100k most rain is forced to travel relative to the direction of the bike, so the fairings stop it.

Having ridden a vtr250 at 120kmh i prefer fairings.

[Keystone19]

Having ridden a vtr250 at 120kmh i prefer fairings.

You rode my bike that fast - Gareth, how could you...

[Gremlin]

yesssss, and you have gone how fast on Gareth's bike??? :sherlock:

I reckon this means top speed anywhere... go on... tell us :msn-wink:

I already know that you have gone faster on Gareth's bike than he has...

[myvice]

I was thinking of buying a digital speedo for a push-bike and hooking it up to see just how fast I can get the Bandit.
I can take it off the clock in 5th (just bouncing on the limiter) and it pulls a bit in 6th but I have no idea of the speed.
So if I get one then share it around we can get a reasonably good comparison of the top speed of our little 1/4 litres.
Anyone keen?
Or we can all have our bikes dynode!
For your displeasure a 1995 Suzuki Bandit 250 with variable valve timing puts out 33hp at the rear wheel.
Same as a CBR 250.
If you think I'm full of it you can go to AMPS and call there mechanic a lyre.
No, I wont save you!

The "wont see 200" was a PT, been in a nasty mood for the last 2 weeks! :devil2:
I need a ride! :crybaby:

[SN4PD]

I was thinking of buying a digital speedo for a push-bike and hooking it up to see just how fast I can get the Bandit.
I can take it off the clock in 5th (just bouncing on the limiter) and it pulls a bit in 6th but I have no idea of the speed.
So if I get one then share it around we can get a reasonably good comparison of the top speed of our little 1/4 litres.
Anyone keen?
Or we can all have our bikes dynode!
For your displeasure a 1995 Suzuki Bandit 250 with variable valve timing puts out 33hp at the rear wheel.
Same as a CBR 250.
If you think I'm full of it you can go to AMPS and call there mechanic a lyre.
No, I wont save you!

The "wont see 200" was a PT, been in a nasty mood for the last 2 weeks! :devil2:
I need a ride! :crybaby:

Is a GPS any good for this sort of thing? I have an eTrex Vista (http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexVista/) and just brought a marine mount for it so I can stick it on the bike.

Cheers

nz_liam

[N4CR]

I was thinking of buying a digital speedo for a push-bike and hooking it up to see just how fast I can get the Bandit.
I can take it off the clock in 5th (just bouncing on the limiter) and it pulls a bit in 6th but I have no idea of the speed.
So if I get one then share it around we can get a reasonably good comparison of the top speed of our little 1/4 litres.
Anyone keen?
Or we can all have our bikes dynode!
For your displeasure a 1995 Suzuki Bandit 250 with variable valve timing puts out 33hp at the rear wheel.
Same as a CBR 250.
If you think I'm full of it you can go to AMPS and call there mechanic a lyre.
No, I wont save you!

The "wont see 200" was a PT, been in a nasty mood for the last 2 weeks! :devil2:
I need a ride! :crybaby:


I'm keen for that. I also have a digi push bike meter thing of my own. Keep forgetting to hook it up so I can pretend to be an R1/10r etc etc with all that digital 'crap'.

Just find us a suitable downhill road (on the way to wellsford mabey) and we will see what they can do. I get off the clock (190+ with 500 or something rpm left before redline I think...)

[SN4PD]

I'm keen for that. I also have a digi push bike meter thing of my own. Keep forgetting to hook it up so I can pretend to be an R1/10r etc etc with all that digital 'crap'.

Just find us a suitable downhill road (on the way to wellsford mabey) and we will see what they can do. I get off the clock (190+ with 500 or something rpm left before redline I think...)

Sounds good :D My GPS is coming back from "vacation" in Tauranga tomorrow :)

[SN4PD]

Wow, had an introduction to rush hour riding today following a Ducati through traffic :D The trip from Wellford to town used to take me 2-3 hours in the Integra, did it in under an hour this morning :2thumbsup

[SN4PD]

Some low-res Pic's from my PDA phone attached :)

[Gremlin]

neat huh?? Better yet is when people are griping about parking and you ask "What? You pay for parking??" :scratch:

[Counter-Steer]

Have got a CRB250 RR and am 6' 2". No discomfort. Although I will be looking at getting a higher blade.
Can someone please explain what is involved in getting the above mentioned bikes de-restricted, and which models are restricted in the 1st place?

Cheers

[R6_kid]

you can tell if its restricted because you will hit a 'wall' at 180, your bike is a 92 so shouldnt be restricted. IF it is there are a few things to look for, to name a few would be restricted air flow (stuff in the airbox other than the air filter), restricted carbs (fuel delivery) or maybe an speedo restricter which will cut fuel when you hit 180 so you cant go faster.

After 93 all 250 bikes out of japan were restricted to 40hp from factory so i dont think you will have any problems.

[SN4PD]

Well I went for a ride to Paraki with nicmotors this eve, he’s got a very nice 95 Kawasaki Balius, seems way lighter and more manoeuvrable than the ZXR, pleasure to ride :)

(Brings the total number of road bikes I've ridden to 3 :D).

We also checked the tire pressure on my bike, 31 on the front and 26 on the back (warm). I put the front up to 33 and back to 35, the bike seems a lot less sloppy now and a bit easier to manoeuvre, (though it could be all in my head :blah:).

Anyway I think I’m getting a bit better with this low light photography thing :p (And a wood pallet :D)

See pic attached :headbang:

[Brett]

my zxr is a 94 model, if it is true that they are restricted to 40hp, i assume this can be recovered by getting it properly tuned?? I don't like the thought of lost power on my bike, 250's are small enough already!

[transformerboy]

my first was a cbr! "zxrs are cursed just had a friend fuck his leg up on one 2 weeks ago" thinking of u victor! no swiming this summer.

so if anyones got parts for an 89 zxr c model frount fering in particular or has a cbr250 for sale, im looking for another one at the momnt for my younger brother, please drop me a line, thanx!

[R6_kid]

yo brett - the ZXR was only made til 92/93 as the 40hp restriction came into place in 1993. Yours would just be first registered 1994, same as my R6 which is a 99 but was first registered in 2001.

[steved]

Just remeber the CBR r is nowhere near as quick.
Why do you say that?