What's the pick of the 250 four-stroke fours? [Archive]

digger02

17th September 2013, 20:13

Akzle

17th September 2013, 20:22

no. For 2 decades, every 250 has been raped to fuckery. So unless youre buying 2012+, flag it.

hayd3n

17th September 2013, 20:27

a 250 honda hornet or suzuli bandit or kawasaki bailus are the more modern IL4's
but why a 250??????

Akzle

17th September 2013, 20:34

a 250 honda hornet or suzuli bandit or kawasaki bailus are the more modern IL4's
but why a 250??????

just about your sig... Are beer and bourbon not booze?

mossy1200

17th September 2013, 20:40

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dual-purpose/auction-638667717.htm
New 4k ok its not the best but 1year warrenty and should last as good as an old trashed 250.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-639620020.htm
Something different. Might break down most days unless not ridden at all.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-636774498.htm
Likely the best but a bit dearer.

Found the perfect learner

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dual-purpose/auction-639888522.htm :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Ender EnZed

17th September 2013, 20:49

You might be able to get this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-635449734.htm) for $4k. Faster than a 250 four and a lot less raped.

hayd3n

17th September 2013, 22:18

just about your sig... Are beer and bourbon not booze?
lol ill drink anything

cbfb

18th September 2013, 00:33

I'm trying to decide whether it's a good idea to get something like a cbr250rr or zxr250???? Who knows these things and has the pros & cons for each? the more desireable models (mc22/newer kawi's) seem to all be around the $4000 mark or more. are these worth the hassles if any compared to more modern alternatives like the new ninja's etc????

What makes you keen for a 250 4T four?

When I got mine it was because of the old rules but you've got a lot more options now.

Having said that I think there's still relevance in the 250s as learners and will be trading mine in over summer for something a bit bigger.

digger02

18th September 2013, 05:37

Still currently on my restricted license until next Feb. Just really want something to fill the gap before I go bigger & want something fun. I liked the idea of the screaming fours & what they can do

Akzle

18th September 2013, 06:03

there's still relevance in the 250s as learners

Not when they want silly prices for them.

cbfb

18th September 2013, 11:27

Still currently on my restricted license until next Feb. Just really want something to fill the gap before I go bigger & want something fun. I liked the idea of the screaming fours & what they can do

That's only 5 months away, is it worth the expense changing bikes at this stage?

Not when they want silly prices for them.

It's the people that pay the big money that are silly, not the people who want it. There are bargains to be had if you shop around and the market will eventually level out as demand drops.

EJK

18th September 2013, 15:03

Still currently on my restricted license until next Feb. Just really want something to fill the gap before I go bigger & want something fun. I liked the idea of the screaming fours & what they can do

For the last time, crying out loud, get a GSX-R1000. It's a fantastic learner's bike! Or go test ride a Yamaha R1. That's a good learner's bike too.

cbfb

18th September 2013, 15:07

For the last time, crying out loud, get a GSX-R1000. It's a fantastic learner's bike! Or go test ride a Yamaha R1. That's a good learner's bike too.

Make sure you put Ls on it though, there's a $100 fine for that

digger02

18th September 2013, 15:27

That's only 5 months away, is it worth the expense changing bikes at this stage?

The thing is right now I don't have a bike, & with all these fine weather days that seem to be happening and summer getting pretty close I'd rather not miss out on the next 5 months if I don't have to. Hence why I'm only looking at 250cc as most stuff bigger in the LAMS category is ridiculously expensive & I'd like to have a bit of fun on a bike over summer if I can.

cbfb

18th September 2013, 15:47

[QUOTE=cbfb;1130613606]That's only 5 months away, is it worth the expense changing bikes at this stage?

The thing is right now I don't have a bike, & with all these fine weather days that seem to be happening and summer getting pretty close I'd rather not miss out on the next 5 months if I don't have to. Hence why I'm only looking at 250cc as most stuff bigger in the LAMS category is ridiculously expensive & I'd like to have a bit of fun on a bike over summer if I can.

Ah OK, KB says you have a gl145.

Yes that would suck not having a ride in this awesome sunshine (well here anyway), Spring Fever hit me recently to and I got the bike out again.

I've had my wee bandit for a while now (same engine as the GSX) and been pretty happy with it. Enough power to have fun (it is quite grunty for a 250) but I haven't got myself in trouble too much either.

As for price, people are starting to realise that 250s are not as sought-after as they were before LAMS came in and the market is reflecting it. I know because I am selling my bike later in the year so I have been keeping an eye out. I think I'll lose out a bit but that's life. There are some sellers who are sticking to the pre-LAMS prices but there are a few bargains to be had.

I know there's plenty of people saying 250s have had their day but it's your choice.

Ender EnZed

18th September 2013, 15:52

What sort of bikes would you be looking at if you had your full right now?

digger02

18th September 2013, 16:00

[QUOTE=digger02;1130613676]

Ah OK, KB says you have a gl145.

Yes I had the gl145 at the beginning of the year and have since sold it before moving to Auckland, even though it was WAY underpowered I still had fun when I wasn't on 100kph roads.

[QUOTE=Ender EnZed;1130613680]What sort of bikes would you be looking at if you had your full right now?

If I had my full now I would most likely be going straight for a triumph street triple, I love the look & the sound & the reviews are great.

Akzle

18th September 2013, 16:54

any bike > no bike.

You want a triple? I hav an mvx250 i could sell you...
('some assembly required')

SMOKEU

19th September 2013, 11:33

If buying a 20-ish year old bike, then first get it thoroughly inspected by a reputable mechanic and be prepared to spend a lot of money on maintenance. These bikes seldom get maintained properly, so expect to pay at least $500 straight away to bring ALL the servicing up to date if you want somewhat reliable motoring.

I would suggest buying a modern bike instead if you want something more reliable.

iranana

19th September 2013, 12:03

any bike > no bike.

You want a triple? I hav an mvx250 i could sell you...
('some assembly required')

those mvx's are rad, bet they'd be hella fun to ride but i've read they're unreliable as can be. lots of engine failures. are you the one selling that bunch of them on tm?

Akzle

19th September 2013, 13:32

those mvx's are rad, bet they'd be hella fun to ride but i've read they're unreliable as can be. lots of engine failures. are you the one selling that bunch of them on tm?

not at all.

they are rad.

i have one in pieces for a rainy day.

the main failure was the rear cylinder as it tended to overheat. there are fifty ways around this. this engine has not been smoked. infact i think i might even have two engines. but one is definitely a good runner.

SVboy

19th September 2013, 14:25

iranana

19th September 2013, 14:54

not at all.

they are rad.

i have one in pieces for a rainy day.

the main failure was the rear cylinder as it tended to overheat. there are fifty ways around this. this engine has not been smoked. infact i think i might even have two engines. but one is definitely a good runner.

ah ha good to know, if I'm to buy another project bike it'll be another two smoker of sorts. Those mxv's seem to be the most reasonably priced of the old triples. the only others I can think of right now are those notorious kwaka's which always seem to cost an arm and a leg (and even if you get one on the cheap, it's quite likely you'll lose an arm or leg when riding it anyway..) and the suzuki gt's. there's probably others around though.

an old busted up rd350 or 400 is at the top of my list, cheap parts and easy to work on. and on that note, i dunno why you'd want to spend the moneys fixing up an old inline four when you could get an old lams approved smoker, there's some goodies on there *looks at the rd400*.

Akzle

19th September 2013, 14:55

Oh my god! A[mostly] sensible informative and conversational post! Impressive!

hmmm.
Suck my balls, fag.

SVboy

20th September 2013, 08:55

hmmm.
Suck my balls, fag.

And back to "normal" just like that. I will pass, if thats ok with you. If your personal hygene is up there with the quality of your posts, I doubt if any living soul could be convinced to go there, no matter how much you offered them[which given your circumstances would not be much!]

Akzle

20th September 2013, 09:35

wow. Youre just a shining wit, arnt ya darlin..

delusionz

9th February 2014, 21:21

cbr250 is lighter and a little less power

zxr250 is taller and has more power, is faster

SNF

10th February 2014, 09:16

Akzle

10th February 2014, 10:20

ZXR's are the supposed to be the fastest. Never ridden one so I don't know

CBR's are light an nimble, rev to the heaven's. Rode an MC19. I liked it as much as my bike, felt very similar to ride.

Don't discount FZR's they ride well too.

It just boils down to brand and personal preference. I'd be happy with any, I just got mine cos it was cheap and I don't mind working on it, can be fun.

having ridden all three of those, the cbr comes out tops (and i fuken hate hondas) the zxr is a whisker behind (sorry j) and the fzr is a piece of shit. (sorry b, but you fuken know it)

chindit

12th February 2014, 08:31

my ideal bike for you is Suzuki fxr 150 Why
Cheap, you can learn to ride like a demon, knee sliding footrest scraping kind of stuff and its the chosen bike of the bucket racers so a good chance to sell when you want to get rid. But what do I know. Just imagine trying to sell a 250 in 5 months time.http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/icons/icon9.png

Sarah311

12th February 2014, 10:27

I've got a CBR250RR (MC22), a ZXR250RR, a 250Ninja (08)- the CBR wins hands down - I can comment 'cos I have them all. CBR is a natural transition to a 600/1000 (as is the ZXR) - the newer 250's all have a very upright riding position akin to a motoX bike. Never had any issues with any of the bikes engines or handling wise, start first time every time whether they have been siting for months, or riden often. New 250's are like shopping carts, older ones' are shrunk big bikes and go accordingly in my opinion. Of note, the older ones have held and continue to hold, their price. It's also my opinion that they have more character, but that's very subjective and just my personal view. Ciao :-)

Dodgy

19th February 2014, 19:46

Buy a stroker - piss all over any of the 4 stroke 250s.

bigreddog

19th February 2014, 20:34

old school 2 strokes are way more powerful then todays 4 strokes....ninjas etc are way underpowered.But the 90's 2 strokes are not Lams approved.....Wait for the Yam R250,it'll waste the ninja.

iranana

20th February 2014, 09:28

old school 2 strokes are way more powerful then todays 4 strokes....ninjas etc are way underpowered.But the 90's 2 strokes are not Lams approved.....Wait for the Yam R250,it'll waste the ninja.

The RD400 is LAMS approved :D Wish I had one. But as it is, my RD250 with Bassani pipes can get me into enough trouble anyway. They have so much more character (aka dubious handling) than modern bikes. 250 I4's are boring. Even an RG150 is way more fun, cheap, easy to fix and LAMS approved!

bigreddog

20th February 2014, 12:16

The RD400 is LAMS approved :D Wish I had one. But as it is, my RD250 with Bassani pipes can get me into enough trouble anyway. They have so much more character (aka dubious handling) than modern bikes. 250 I4's are boring. Even an RG150 is way more fun, cheap, easy to fix and LAMS approved!

absolutely agree...your RD would be way more fun.

James Deuce

20th February 2014, 12:25

no. For 2 decades, every 250 has been raped to fuckery. So unless youre buying 2012+, flag it.
This. He's right. And shit.

GrayWolf

23rd February 2014, 23:42

New 250's are like shopping carts, older ones' are shrunk big bikes and go accordingly in my opinion. Of note, the older ones have held and continue to hold, their price. It's also my opinion that they have more character, but that's very subjective and just my personal view. Ciao :-)

This really is all you need to read, and it re-inforces both akzle and James D's posts.... small big bikes, and go like them....
it's interesting todays noob's on 250's are such experts on how 'slow, boring, underpowered' the new 250's are..... There's a poster here with an RD250E, I had a 250E-DX for almost 2 years and did 20,000 miles on it, when it WAS the dog's bollox for a 250. The 'underpowered' GPX/ZZR/Ninja 250 is actually quicker on top end, but I cant tell you if they are quicker off the line than the RD.

The original (Japanese) master blaster Z1-900 was only 85bhp, the 'original' superbike? Vincent Black Shadow had noticeably less power than that, yet both were considered 'fast bikes'. It's not about 'RPM/HP/max power or speed' in the real world, it's far better to have a bike with 'USEABLE' power...
If you need to wring the bloody things neck to get any real performance? Or, have one that is maybe slower but far more flexible and less rev fussy?
Take the second,,, remember it may do 160kph+ but anything over 30km's faster than the limit, license gone! And realistically how often ARE you going to ride at more than 110-120kph?

gammaguy

24th February 2014, 02:23

cbr250 is lighter and a little less power

zxr250 is taller and has more power, is faster

You got it all wrong

The heavier the better, since most are so flogged thrashed and tuned by uncles and mates that doorstops or anchors is sadly all they are good for

Go for the old gsx250fws..... They are heavy as fuck

Rhys

24th February 2014, 14:20

And realistically how often ARE you going to ride at more than 110-120kph?
No one would ever go that fast :no:

bawked

27th February 2014, 21:06

Get a zxr250 or a cbr250rr, you won't regret it....

I got a zxr a couple weeks ago, every ride I go on I have a massive smile on my face... rev matching into a corner and blasting out to a million rpms, new 250s don't come close to the excitement :niceone:

GrayWolf

28th February 2014, 12:44

bawked

2nd March 2014, 22:58

As long as the bikes are maintained they can do it day in, day out for 50k+ kms I don't see the problem

GrayWolf

3rd March 2014, 00:00

As long as the bikes are maintained they can do it day in, day out for 50k+ kms I don't see the problem

because they are all getting 'closer' or are at the 50k+ mark.. and are now becoming potential grenades....

James Deuce

3rd March 2014, 02:52

As long as the bikes are maintained they can do it day in, day out for 50k+ kms I don't see the problem

They're not maintained, that's the issue. It only needs one owner to not understand the need for an oil change and irrespective of the habits of the subsequent owners it's lifespan is shortened. I've seen one unbodged nicely maintained ZXR250 in the last 20 years, and that was owned by a pedantic ex-KBer. I owned a brand new GSXR250 nearly 25 years ago, and had it for 10,000kms. Except for the sinking into the lawn and breaking a mirror off issue it was cherry. Within 5000km of use by the next owner it was a mess. Rusty chain, rust marks and paint flaking off at the frame welds, broken bodywork, a dented front rim and a seized front brake caliper, hooked rear sprocket, etc, etc. The "owner" got all pissy at my obvious horror and never turned up on the rides we used to organise back then again.

How many owners of those things replace steering head bearings, wheel bearings, sprocket carrier bearings, swingarm bushes and control cables routinely? How many get new cam-chains at the correct intervals? How many get valve clearances checked regularly? When was the last carb balance and compression check? What about suspension components, seals and oil? Carb diaphragms? Carb o-ings? Replacement fuel taps? I often think about owning something wee with a sky high RPM capability but within 10 minutes of looking at one I've usually doubled the extortionate purchase price with maintenance items only. Who knows what mechanical chaos is lurking within without a proper look?

gammaguy

3rd March 2014, 03:37

If you still want one, here's a video of what they were like before Joe crescent and Harry hammer got a hold of them

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wGhDlAFn5S8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

stroka

8th June 2014, 17:39

I had a 93 zxr250 c as my first bike and loved it!! Sounded the part and had enough power to keep me interested. Had 40xxxkm and never gave me any issues.

Kawasakidude

13th October 2014, 21:01

I currently have an 89 zxr250a. It is the most fun I've had on a bike so far. it is slightly uncomfortable on long rides but keeps you amused the whole time and if you are handy with a staple gun and foam you can fix that. You can scrape the pegs without feeling uneasy about the tyres letting go and the sound it makes in the higher rpm is very addictive. They are great looking bikes too for their age. parts are not easy to come by but so far the important ones (chain, sprockets, oil, filter, fork seals and oil, wheel bearings, brake pads, carburettor kits etc) haven't proved to be too much of an issue. It has done 57000kms and so far after ironing out a few wrinkles it passes warrants and runs mint with no hesitation. The best part is I don't feel bad about pushing it hard because I didn't pay moon money for it and therefore if it breaks I'm not taking a big loss (around $1900 so far including servicing and parts). Also the 91 and newer zxr250 are power limited to something like 39hp the A model is 45 at the flywheel. Theres my two cents. :blink:

aws

14th October 2014, 00:29

not at all.

they are rad.

i have one in pieces for a rainy day.

the main failure was the rear cylinder as it tended to overheat. there are fifty ways around this. this engine has not been smoked. infact i think i might even have two engines. but one is definitely a good runner.
I had one of those back in the day. Actually I had two of them. I don't know why I bought the second when the first was such a dog. Burnt holes in two pistons cruising home from Whanganui one New Year. They are often voted as one of the worst bikes ever made. Now the TZR that I followed them up with, THAT was a bike! Plenty of fast, and yet very rideable for a stroker. But I reminisce. That was over 20 years ago and time has not been kind to that era of 250s. Find something newer.

SNF

14th October 2014, 13:50

They are fast and nimble and are great to ride. They sound awesome and are pretty good in the power department for what they are. These are not the kind of bikes you take to a dealer when stuff wears out/breaks. Parts can be expensive and can be hard to find - voice of experience - 2KR Yammy bits are a right shit to find new and used. 4 cylinder = 4 plugs not 1 or 2 like the modern ones. They won't be that economical either. 4 Carburetors to clean and balance. Working on them can be a pain - have to take the headers off to replace the oil filter which is a bitch of a job. I still do it every 5,000 kms when I change the oil. Take care of it, it will take care of you. Best to steer clear unless you can handle a screwdriver and don't mind wrenching.

I wouldn't discount them completely. They are old and they will need money spent on them if you want them to perform how they should.