first 250??

[cobra7_nz]

Gday i know theres HEAPS of threads on 1st bikes but just a quick question...
Im moving up to chch next year and want a bike to commute back down to dunners in the weekends.

What would ya'll recommend? it needs to be something comfortable but i also want a quick bike.
So basically what sorta comfortable 250cc sports bikes are out there and what do ya reckon is the best?

thanks
pj

[Sniper]

GPZ/GPX 250 IMHO

[froggyfrenchman]

Well....... You have just started a hell of a debate for your first post.
Welcome to the site.



*sitZ back and waits for the usal drivel...

[GB500nz]

For that length of ride and the need for comfort you haven't much choice. Most 250 sportsbikes will leave you crippled after 3-and-a-bit hours. Sit on a few and see. Honda's VTR250 or Hyosung's equivalent might do you. I'm not at all sure that there's a 250 that will do the job, though.

[marty]

VTR250. best 250 around. apart from an aprilia RS250

[ducatilover]

VTR250. best 250 around.
nice ride them they handle bloody good too.:msn-wink: the hyobags seem good give skelstar a bell and ask what his goes like:spudwave: :spudwave:

[flash]

two stroke

[vtec]

I reckon for the new entrant to motorbikes, two strokes are too much of a pain in the arse.

I reckon if you want speed reliability and good gas mileage, one of the following fourstrokes is the way to go. They hold their prices really well too, so as long as you don't smash it up you should get a fair bit for it once you are over your 250 stint.

My list of good learner 250's (learner doesn't mean it ain't fckn fast)
Fast ones (in order of favourite to least favourite):
*Honda CBR250RR
*Kawasaki ZXR 250 (ZX2R)
*Honda VTR250 (Different ride type from the CBR, easier to do tricks on, more torque less power, better gas mileage than the CBR, plus no fairing means that you won't have to spend heaps fixing fairing all the time, just you might damage other important items on the bike)
*Suzuki GSXR 250
*Yamaha FZR 250
*Honda CBR250R (Don't know how you could settle for second best in a brand range, which is why I put this last)

Slow ones (You get the benefit of more comfort and less maintenance and cheaper fuel costs with these)
*Suzuki GSX 250
*Virago (can't remember the brand, probably Suzuki)

Two Strokes (Don't touch these if you aren't a mechanic, too much effort and money to keep running, but cheap as dirt to buy them)
*Suzuki RGV 250 (I owned a Pepsi racing replica which had been raced)
*Honda NSR 250 (Sweet 250)
*Aprilia RS250 (Expensive as, not worth it in my opinion unless money is no object, cause you'll probably just drop it anyway)

[ducatilover]

virago is a yammy. dont get a virago get an srv250:yes: or just get a cbr250rr or a zxr

[TerminalAddict]

if you're taller than 3 foot the virago will get to you after a while (sorry crashe :P ... I'm sure you're taller than 3 foot )

My money would be on the vtr

[Coyote]

Comfortable sportbike?

[Yokai]

vdont get a virago get an srv250:yes:

There's a nice srv250 for sale in Masterton...

Lovely bike to ride - I love mine.. I've ridden to Wellington from Auckland on it and done the Coromandel Loop a couple times - You'll want to get off the bike every 90 minutes or so anyways (just to keep blood flowing and being alert - you gotta have alert blood you know) - but the SRV has a nice touring speed of 100kph and yet is thin and nice to handle....

I'd like something with a little more acceleration but for that commute? Ummm - I'd go with the SRV.

[ducatilover]

There's a nice srv250 for sale in Masterton...
yeah that one...mmmmmmm the vtr is waaaay better though:banana:

[Sniper]

two stroke

For a first bike? You realy are a jobberknowl

[vtec]

Comfortable sportbike?

Yep, I'd rate the CBR that you ride alarumba as probably one of the most comfortable sprotsbikes around. The up right sitting position takes a lot of weight off your arms. And the seats are made out of really nice material that moulds to your butt. The only thing I don't like are that I find my knees are quite bent and after a while my right knee starts to give me major pains... But this is due to ligament damage suffered as a kid playing soccer. My next bike will have even higher footpegs, cause these ones are always scraping on the ground.

My RGV however was a lot more stretched out so you are leaning further forward and putting more weight on the arms.

[vtec]

Also you might notice that a fair portion of replies are from guys that ride the CBR. I'd say its popular for very good reasons, and people have them for reasonably long periods cause they keep running well, and are also piles of fun. For me CBR was pick of the bunch. VTR just wasn't as much of a screamer, as the CBR but it has its benefits.

[Sniper]

Yep, I'd rate the CBR that you ride alarumba as probably one of the most comfortable sprotsbikes around.

I would disagree though. I would say and FZR would be, but that is also saying I have never riddin a VTR

[Coyote]

I would disagree though. I would say and FZR would be, but that is also saying I have never riddin a VTR
Yeah, I find the ape hangers on the CBR are just a bit awkward and the footpegs are too far forward

[jaybee180]

Gotta love the VTR 250!!!!

[Phurrball]

The Dunners-Chch run is a pretty decent journey.

For that distance go for comfort (as well as performance) i'd say - try a few bikes out if you can. I'd imagine that a screen of some sort (at least) would be an advantage to deflect some wind/bugs on that run. A really loud 'zorst is fine on shorter rides, but on a long ride it can be a little bit draining if it's constantly howling away at steady throttle (I know this from my Bandit).

Have a look not just at a <a href="http://motorbikes.be/en/Honda/2001/VTR%20250/">VTR250</a> if you're looking at naked 250s, but also at some of similar ilk like a <a href="http://motorbikes.be/en/Honda/2000/Hornet%20250/">250 Hornet</a>, <a href="http://motorbikes.be/en/Suzuki/1995/GSF%20250%20Bandit/">250 Bandit</a>, or a <a href="http://motorbikes.be/en/Yamaha/2001/FZX%20250%20Zeal/">FZX 250 Zeal</a>, or even a <a href="http://motorbikes.be/en/Kawasaki/2004/Balius%20-%20II/">Kawasaki Balius</a> (if you can find one).

All these bikes seem, more or less, to have engines very close in spec to those from their racey, fully faired siblings. (someone correct me if I'm wrong here) They probably don't go as fast outright, but are more likely to have a more relaxed riding position and be a bit more comfy. Most of all, go with what suits you - and if your doing that sort of distance, make sure you save some coin for the best gear you can afford - you won't regret that - it'll last beyond your 250 riding days.

A race-replica 250 may be more you - who knows? Have a good look around the bike shops and on bikepoint.co.nz and let us know what you get!

My $0.02.

[Jase W]

Seeing as I own one, i'll sing my praises for the GSXR250 hehe...

Bloody brilliant bike imo. Mine's done 77000k and the only problem ive had is that 2nd gear has worn out (currently being fixed at the moment). This may seem a pretty major thing, but at such high k's i'd imagine things like this are bound to happen (plus I mis-shift 1st-2nd too frequently and crunch the gears). I find it to be a very comfortable bike, I can quite easily ride from welly to palmy without having to stop for a rest.

At the moment i'm riding a cbr250r while the gsxr is in the shop, and i'd say they are an excellent bike also - however the one I have is in a fairly sad state, been dropped/crashed at least once, engine needs a tune as it has a really flat midrange and the clutch cable just snapped on me tonight while riding out eastbourne way!!

just my 2c

[N4CR]

Reason they all love the easy to ride hondaaa cbr is because they can't ride well enough to take adavantage of the superior zxr250c POWAH!

Teheheh.

Honda hornet (the detuned cbr engine one.. might not be the hornet!?) is a terrific bike, and one of the most comfy ones I have ever ridden. Very learner safe as there are no fairings to bugger up.

[Brett]

Of all of the cbr250rr's i have raced, i have so far beat all of them. Seems to me that the ZXR250c is the quickest 4 stroke, however i think that the CBR might be the most reliable and easy to maintain...though i have not yet had any probs on my ZXR in 12000kms.
If you want ease of riding, go with one of the naked bikes like the Hornet or summin.
If you are smallish in size, i would probable go with a CBR, if over say 5ft9 i would go with a ZXR.

[John]

get one you can afford within reason, I will hazard a guess that you arent old and your penis still makes you do naughty things - get a gpx that will do you right until you taste some tarmac and learn a lesson or two not a big fan of people jumping onto the zxr's/cbr's as a first bike, Get an RS250 they are slow as shit.

[nudemetalz]

Well my Suzuki NZ-250 is for sale in the next couple of weeks.

Sure it ain't the fastest (but will still do 160km/h) , but it's comfortable, stylish, handles well and is amazingly economical.

[Test Pilot]

Deffinatly the CBR250RR more of a sports than a tourer but they can get up to a bit of speed and they handle real well to

[Coyote]

Of all of the cbr250rr's i have raced, i have so far beat all of them. Seems to me that the ZXR250c is the quickest 4 stroke
I seemed to kick the ZXR250 arses just fine on the CBR, only they stayed upright unlike me

[John]

Must have been the zxra model I know I rooted one in the ass in a line.

Or maybe how many other "bikes" we beat arent even relative to him buying a fucken new bike? SO STOP GOING ON ABOUT COCK SIZE YOU FUCKEN SHITS.

[ducatilover]

RS250 they are slow as shit.
you mean an aprliaaaah?:spudgrr:

[John]

you mean an aprliaaaah?:spudgrr:
you retard.

[Sniper]

you retard.
Thank you! :killingme

[ducatilover]

you retard.
what brand is that?:wait:

[slopster]

I'd have to recomend a suzuki bandit 250. I didn't ride one till I recenltly borrowed one to sit my full licence on. It was reasonably quick, had no fairings to scratch and was so much fun on the low speed corners. And they're pretty cheap too.

[Sketchy_Racer]

i have ridden a GSXR 250, a ZXR 250 (it was a bucket but still had all the same handle bar positions, foot rests etc) and of course my CBR250RK.

and in all honesty, im not a honda fan either, the cbr was the best it had stightly higher bars so no leaning down (wight on wrists), and the knees wernt very bent.... compared to the ZXR 250. but the GSXR were lower.

the fairing on the CBR works really well which is good too.

but as a kawasaki fan, i would have a ZXR 250 anyday of the week, but my CBR came at the right price at the right time :)

[TLDV8]

:eek5: Thats 724 kms return...:2thumbsup love that pioneering spirit,so definately something comfortable with a fairing is all i can add.

http://www.aatravel.co.nz/main/td-calculator.jsp

[Brett]

Yeah, I find the ape hangers on the CBR are just a bit awkward and the footpegs are too far forward
Meh, i dont really care...they are still only 250's at the end of the day. One guy may be heavier, have more fuel blah blah blah and it will all effect the bike. I actually like the cbr as well, just am too tall to ride one, and they LOOK more like a 250 than the ZXR250c...odd as that sounds.
Handling wise...i dont really know, the cbr felt lighter to throw around...

[sefer]

The differing opinions on the weight of bikes and how easy they are to throw around is quite funny really, I found the cbr to be heavier than the zxr (though I believe on paper it's the opposite).

My ZXR is confortable enough, but I must admit I get cramp sometimes (expecially when riding 2-up) so the VTR would be my pick in those stakes.

[Sketchy_Racer]

i have not ridden my CBR enough to find out if it cramps me up... but it is a very comfortable bike.... and very light.... almost as light as mt FXR150