So I bought a new toy [Archive]

Grashopper

17th July 2013, 14:06

It’s not a Super Four, or a Hornet, or a VTR, but a cute little red Honda Spada. Will pick her up on Saturday. I’m so happy. From its size it seems like the bike was made for me. It is light and has a low seat height. The seating angle is quite a bit different from my GN though, but I will see what I’ll like better. And it looks awesome. :D
The bike seems to be in a good nick for its age. Will need a good service, though, as it has hardly been used the last few years, and definitely some new tires. The manual says tire size is 100/80-17 (front) and 140/70-17) (rear). I’m now trying to figure out what tires I should go for. I definitely need something that is good in the rain, too. I’m not riding like a twit, but I have confidence issues especially regarding my tire grip in the wet. So I would trust my bike much more if it had tires that I know will hold up on wet road surfaces. Might possibly take the bike onto the track, too. Will be good to get some feeling for it and see how it behaves compared to the GN.

Will upload some pics on Saturday, when I’ve stopped admiring the bike and make it out of the garage. Edit: I finally made it out of the garage :) Photos are in post #30.

Aside of that, is there anything I should be aware of with these bikes? Aside of that parts might be an issue cause they only have been produced for a couple of years?
Does anyone know what the difference is between the Spada VT250J (mine) and the VT250L (owner’s manual that I found online)?

Edbear

17th July 2013, 14:12

Love to see the pics! I rode one many years ago and was amazed at its performance for a little 250!

I don't know anything about them though so will leave it to others to tell you what to look for.

240

17th July 2013, 14:15

Yeah a good choice, I reckon Spadas are an awesome looking bike :drinknsin

Edbear

17th July 2013, 14:28

One good source of info...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_VT250

Katman

17th July 2013, 14:33

Best wet weather tyres for it would be Metzeler Lasertecs.

(Edit: Except that they don't come in exactly those sizes).

Next best pick is Pirelli Sport Demons.

Grashopper

17th July 2013, 14:35

Yep, saw that site. Interestingly it doesn't mention the VT250J version at all...

Edbear

17th July 2013, 14:38

Yep, saw that site. Interestingly it doesn't mention the VT250J version at all...

It's in the spec sheet under the '84-'85 column which cover the Z,H,J and K models.

Grashopper

17th July 2013, 14:44

Best wet weather tyres for it would be Metzeler Lasertecs.

(Edit: Except that they don't come in exactly those sizes).

Next best pick is Pirelli Sport Demons.

We probably have to stick to those sizes, eh?
I've heard good things about both of those. The lasertecs got recommended to me before I think (or at least something with the word laser in them... :))

Grashopper

17th July 2013, 14:50

It's in the spec sheet under the '84-'85 column which cover the Z,H,J and K models.

Lol, sorry, seems to help if you can read. Weird though, because its an '89
Chassis is MC20, but engine is MC15E :scratch:

xXGIBBOXx

17th July 2013, 17:54

Sport demons for the win ! Had them on my gsx250 love them . Mint in the wet

ducatilover

17th July 2013, 18:05

:2thumbsup Bloody brilliant!

Tyres:
I ran sport demons, 140/70 rear and 110/70 front. Was the nicest feeling sizes I had on mine over 130km, I think I went through about 7 sets of Sport Demons on it?
There's a MAXXIS tyre that'll work too.

VT250J, J denotes what year it's made in. The L would be a little later, VT250F/Xelvis probably and not a Spada, but, essentially all the running gear is the same. I had a Spada manual on my PC at home, so whenever I go back there I will have a look for you

Service, oil filter is cheap and should come with an o-ring, same filter as a lot of Hondas including the TRX500FA and most other VTR250s (to name two of about a billion...)
Plugs are easy to do it you use the right length extensions :msn-wink: or otherwise you'll be there for five years lol

:cool: Awesome little bikes them, enjoy it (and please let me play on it)

st00ji

17th July 2013, 18:14

i went through a bunch of sport demons too, good tyres i reckon.

did wear out fairly fast though. price you pay i guess?

Maha

17th July 2013, 18:21

Did you get the one from Wellington Motorcycles?.. keeping the GN or time to say bye bye ?
Good choice of bike too, you'll be well happy.

unstuck

17th July 2013, 18:32

Yes to the sports demons, best ones I have had on my VF so far.:Punk::Punk:

Grashopper

17th July 2013, 18:44

Did you get the one from Wellington Motorcycles?.. keeping the GN or time to say bye bye ?
Good choice of bike too, you'll be well happy.

Nah, that one is still there. I found one in Rotorua. Was a bit closer and and the bike had less k. About the same price though.

For the time being I will keep the GN. It is still a fun ride. And I'm not yet sure about that sporty riding position on the Spada. Will probably take a bit getting used to. So I will at least keep the GN for a few months more. My garage will look much nicer with two bikes in anyway :sunny:

nerrrd

17th July 2013, 18:54

Ausgezeichnet!

FWIW I've got Metzler Roadtec Z6s on the Beemer, have absolutely no complaints with grip in the wet (but then I don't push it either).

Goblin

17th July 2013, 18:54

Awesome girl! +1 for the sport demons! Hope to see you on the track next month.;)

Maha

17th July 2013, 19:20

Nah, that one is still there. I found one in Rotorua. Was a bit closer and and the bike had less k. About the same price though.

For the time being I will keep the GN. It is still a fun ride. And I'm not yet sure about that sporty riding position on the Spada. Will probably take a bit getting used to. So I will at least keep the GN for a few months more. My garage will look much nicer with two bikes in anyway :sunny:

I will take a few days to get used to the different riding posture, then it wont be long and the GN will up for sale..only because the fun factor will be increased riding the Spada.

Mom

17th July 2013, 19:26

What a cool bike! And red too, that is the best colour, apart from blue :o

Ride a few kms and you will be surprised how easy it is to ride compared to the mighty Ginny.

Congratulations! Cant wait to see the pics.

Grashopper

17th July 2013, 19:32

(and please let me play on it)

Lol, we might be able to strike a deal there. Your Spada looked pretty neat. Especially that black frame :yes:
And it survived 130k, so you must be doing something right. :D

ducatilover

17th July 2013, 19:38

Lol, we might be able to strike a deal there. Your Spada looked pretty neat. Especially that black frame :yes: And it survived 130k, so you must be doing something right. :D It was a fun little bike, and anything that'll put up with 130km of my riding is a good bike (or I'm nicer to my bikes than I think I am?)

puddytat

17th July 2013, 20:09

They're a cracker wee bike & handle really well.
Those tire sizes are fine,& on the Spada you'll wear your hero tabs pretty quickly (on the track of course)

I was told & so did so with my one, that tthe oil level in the sight glass is actually a little "low" & it should be filled so that the level is above the two holes & a tad under the top of the class after you've run it a bit...........'cause it can cause crank issues supposedly.
They go really well when thrashed mercilessly.
And are great the rest of the time.

Drew

17th July 2013, 21:17

Yes to the sports demons, best ones I have had on my VF so far.:Punk::Punk:You missed the boat old boy. ME33 compound K (back when you could get them) up front, ME55 on the rear. My VF was gorgeous to ride with that set up.

unstuck

17th July 2013, 21:29

You missed the boat old boy. ME33 compound K (back when you could get them) up front, ME55 on the rear. My VF was gorgeous to ride with that set up.

But how do they handle gravel?:devil2:

sil3nt

17th July 2013, 21:38

My 2c

Bridgestone BT45 for lots of commuting as well as sporty riding (harder center/softer sides on the rear so should last longer).
Pirelli Sport Demons if your doing more sporty riding than commuting.

Both are excellent in the wet.

Drew

18th July 2013, 06:00

But how do they handle gravel?:devil2:Tough call. The ME55 would be all good, but given the front tyre size on the VF, I doubt there would be fuck all in it unless you got knoblies.

Grashopper

18th July 2013, 10:34

Hope to see you on the track next month.;)
Haven't registered yet, but that's the plan. :) It's the day before the L'sAngels ride, but should be all good. Not sure about which bike I'll be taking on the track though, yet.

bluninja

18th July 2013, 18:04

Congrats on the new bike. I'm sure you'll have fun.

HenryDorsetCase

18th July 2013, 19:56

Best wet weather tyres for it would be Metzeler Lasertecs.

(Edit: Except that they don't come in exactly those sizes).

Next best pick is Pirelli Sport Demons.
I'd recommend the Sport Demons also. I had Pirelli Angels on my CB400F and they were surprisingly good... that particular tyre has been superseded though.

I've got Michelin Pilot Roads on the Street Triple which are also good - they came on it and I would replace them with similar (though I would probably go for PR3's - wait for an inevitable tedious thread on it).

Grashopper

20th July 2013, 18:31

Took me ages to figure out how to post these pics. I can't believe it was that easy. Was trying to follow an old, incomplete description in the site stuff bit of the forum... :brick:

But here we go: The first pics of my new pride and joy. :woohoo:
I just picked the bike up in Rotovegas, but yeah, 80 km later, with spongy suspension, on old tires, and wet roads and I'm still pretty much ready to sell the GN...:eek5: I pretty much carried the bike around, cause I was not sure about the tires, but it feels like the Spada has more acceleration in 6th gear than the GN has altogether. I also like that it is lower, which is nicer for me when I stop.

The only thing troubling me so far is that it is very difficult to check for blind spots, due to the angle in which I sit on the bike. My shoulders are always in the way. I did notice the same thing on the Katana ages ago. Is there a trick to deal with that?

Next week it will get new tires, looks like those will be Sport Demons. Thanks to everybody who commented on my tire question. :niceone: And a very thorough service. It has been standing around mostly for the last few years. (What a waste :no:). Will wait until everything is sorted before I take it for a ride again. So tomorrow me and the GN will go for a nice ride. Maybe around the lake. Haven't done that one for a while. But I can't wait to be able to ride the Spada again. :eek:

Mom

20th July 2013, 18:44

But I can't wait to be able to ride the Spada again. :eek:

She is preeety! Red ones go really fast :yes:

Drew

20th July 2013, 18:57

The only thing troubling me so far is that it is very difficult to check for blind spots, due to the angle in which I sit on the bike. My shoulders are always in the way. I did notice the same thing on the Katana ages ago. Is there a trick to deal with that?

Lean forward to check the mirrors, or get some aftermarket ones that are a bit bigger or sit at a better angle.

nzspokes

20th July 2013, 19:24

She is preeety! Red ones go really fast :yes:

Red is proven to be the fastest colour.

Maha

20th July 2013, 19:40

...and with the Spada, you wont ever receive the DFL trophy at the track. :msn-wink:

Drew

20th July 2013, 19:46

...and with the Spada, you wont ever receive the DFL trophy at the track. :msn-wink:What the fuck is "DFL"?

Jesus tap dancing Christ! I can't keep up with the shit people can turn into an acronym?

Grashopper

20th July 2013, 19:57

Lean forward to check the mirrors, or get some aftermarket ones that are a bit bigger or sit at a better angle.

The mirrors are actually pretty good. But there is still a blind spot, isn't there?

I think with DFL he means either Donuts for Life, Dying from Laughing or Dead Frakking Last. I like the first one but he probably means the last one. ;) Which I will probably be anyway because I'm a wuss on the track. But it's fun anyway:sunny:

Drew

20th July 2013, 20:01

The mirrors are actually pretty good. But there is still a blind spot, isn't there?

I think with DFL he means either Donuts for Life, Dying from Laughing or Dead Frakking Last. I like the first one but he probably means the last one. ;) Which I will probably be anyway because I'm a wuss on the track. But it's fun anyway:sunny:

Mirrors that are slightly wider, will have less of a blind spot.

jellywrestler

20th July 2013, 20:11

Lean forward to check the mirrors, or get some aftermarket ones that are a bit bigger or sit at a better angle.

but everytime i've sat on one of your bikes the mirrors have been adjusted so you could watch yourself in them...

Drew

20th July 2013, 21:03

but everytime i've sat on one of your bikes the mirrors have been adjusted so you could watch yourself in them...That's because I'm such a good looking fella. You wouldn't understand.

tigertim20

20th July 2013, 21:46

congrats on the new ride, looks in pretty good nick too from the photos? good score!

Aside of that, is there anything I should be aware of with these bikes?

the only thing Im aware of with the VT 250s was that some of the models had a bad habit of eating cranks/crank bearings right around 50,000km, but I cant remember which models it was that had the issue

Grashopper

20th July 2013, 22:05

congrats on the new ride, looks in pretty good nick too from the photos? good score!
Thank you :sunny: It looks good to me, but I'm not a mechanic. Speedo says it only has less than 19,000 km down, but you never know. It does seem to be in a better state than my GN, which is 16 years younger but has more than twice the kms down.

the only thing Im aware of with the VT 250s was that some of the models had a bad habit of eating cranks/crank bearings right around 50,000km, but I cant remember which models it was that had the issue
That's good to keep in mind. If it is this model then at least we have some time.

Tigadee

20th July 2013, 22:06

Bridgestone BT45 for lots of commuting as well as sporty riding (harder center/softer sides on the rear so should last longer).

...excellent in the wet.

+1 for the BT45s. Got them front and back on my bike and they've handled brilliantly, never slipped in the wet and good value for money too.

ducatilover

20th July 2013, 23:06

That Spada look great Grasshopper :D
What the fuck is "DFL"? Jesus tap dancing Christ! I can't keep up with the shit people can turn into an acronym? Probably because it's an initialism, not an acronym? :bleh:

Maha

21st July 2013, 09:25

What the fuck is "DFL"?

Jesus tap dancing Christ! I can't keep up with the shit people can turn into an acronym?

Dead Fuckin' Last.

Drew

21st July 2013, 09:27

congrats on the new ride, looks in pretty good nick too from the photos? good score!

the only thing Im aware of with the VT 250s was that some of the models had a bad habit of eating cranks/crank bearings right around 50,000km, but I cant remember which models it was that had the issue

Those problems are all sorted before the Spada.

They're reliable as taxes, service it and keep it clean, you'll never need another bike...You will probably want something else of course.

blackdog

21st July 2013, 14:16

Looks a wee pearler.

I bet you'll have doubled it's lifetime mileage within 12 months!

Grashopper

21st July 2013, 17:06

Looks a wee pearler.

I bet you'll have doubled it's lifetime mileage within 12 months!

Lol, very likely :)

Grashopper

21st July 2013, 17:11

Just took the GN out to go to the mountains. Still fun, but after riding the Spada yesterday, it did feel like it was struggling a lot. Hehe, can't wait for the Spada to get sorted out

Maha

21st July 2013, 18:01

Just looking at those photos in post 30, it may be that I once lived just a few doors down (if not next door) to from where they were taken... in 1984.
That's if my bearings are right...would the road name start with R ?

puddytat

21st July 2013, 19:40

congrats on the new ride, looks in pretty good nick too from the photos? good score!

the only thing Im aware of with the VT 250s was that some of the models had a bad habit of eating cranks/crank bearings right around 50,000km, but I cant remember which models it was that had the issue

That may well have had something to do with what I mentioned in an earlier post re oil level.....

ducatilover

21st July 2013, 21:25

the only thing Im aware of with the VT 250s was that some of the models had a bad habit of eating cranks/crank bearings right around 50,000km, but I cant remember which models it was that had the issue

Fortunately only the MC-08E motors were poo, the majority of MC15E ones are fine, apart from wankers ignoring the spastic loud cam chain rattles and wondering why the valves end up in a J shape ;)

newhere

27th July 2013, 16:58

Awesome :woohoo:, sooo pretty, are you bringing it along to L's Angels?

Grashopper

27th July 2013, 18:45

Sure as. I'm currently trying to get as much time on the new bike as possible. it is quite different than the GN and I'm not that confident on it yet. So lots of practise. What a hard ship...:sunny:

On another note, went to Coleman's today for their sale and also saw the Super Four there. Nice looking bike but I wouldn't swap the Spada for it. :)

fridayflash

27th July 2013, 19:16

the spada is a great little bike, im not sure if it shares the same engine specs as the vtr250 but everyone whos owned on or even rode one
raves about how good they are, have fun with your new machine ! :sunny:

Glowerss

27th July 2013, 19:41