Opinions please... stepping up from a ZXR250 to what?

[metric]

Howdy... am approx 6 weeks away from my full... and will be looking to step up from my ZXR250.

Would appreciate some things to consider before buying my next bike.

Obviously, am really keen on Kawasaki's... but I'm trying to work out order of importance of what to consider:

Engine: 400, 600 or 750? am thinking 600's at this point in time

Manufacturer: Kawasaki or other? have heard/read good things about R6's though

Year/mileage? was thinking mid '90s, 20-40km ish

Other considerations: I'm about 5'9", 85kg... so the bike can't be too big/small

I have used my bike to commute over the last 7 or so months... and that's been it's primary purpose, but I do intend to go 2 up travelling/touring NZ so I'll need something that can handle this easily too.

your thoughts?

Will be going on holiday now so won't be able to reply for a couple of days, but don't let this stop you :)

[MSTRS]

If you wanna tour 2-up then I suggest you skip the 600 step & go straight to the 900/1200 tourers. And don't let your size dictate bike size per se. I'm slightly taller but lighter than you and look what I ride.....

[Maha]

Well im several months away from selling mine, it has 20,000 odd km's, you can pick up a 5 yr old R6 for around $10k-$11k, great bikes but for a pillion they may be sitting just a bit high where as a sports/tourer, which is what im looking at has a better seat configuration, pillion sits more level with the rider,well in my case anne does......

[Jantar]

Consider the type of use your bike will get. If, as you say, it will be mainly commuting and 2 up touring then stay well away from the pure sports bike like the R6 and opt instead for a sports-tourer.

Bikes like the R6 are designed mainly for the track, and though they are very nice to ride on the road, you will feel cramped and get a sore bum after a couple of hours in the saddle. Your pillion also will not feel too happy at the end of the ride.

Have a good look at the Honda Hornet and Suzuki Bandit as being sporty types but will allow you to tour in comfort. I can tell tell you that even on my GS1200SS the riding style can get cramped after a few hours and the limit for my wife as pillion is around 420 kms of highway riding or 300 kms of tight twisties.

On the Southern Cross ride it was almost comical to see Blackbird, Mangel6 and myself all riding along with our legs stretched out sideways trying to alleviate that cramped feeling after only 5 or 6 hours riding. The riders on R1s, R6s, Busas etc were doing the same after only a couple of hours and on almost every straight section of road.

[onearmedbandit]

Kawasaki ZX6R, 1997'ish. imdying just sold his mint NZ New model done 40,000km for $5750. Seen a few others for similar money.

[imdying]

Yeah, I'd buy another ZX6R in heart beat. Great handling, plenty of power, dribbles around at 1500rpm, something my SV1000 won't do. Comfy enough, passengers didn't complain too much. Pitch a tent with the induction noise... never felt the need for a pipe, woulda been a damn shame to loose the induction sound :D

[GR81]

i went 250 to CBR600.
great by yourself *grin*... bareable 2-up, but could do with something a lil bigger for 2-up long trips.

[boomer]

same... Go for a Thou :blip:

[pritch]

you can pick up a 5 yr old R6 for around $10k-$11k,

He could pick up a new Hornet for that and it'd be a better bike for what he wants to use it for. Physically similar to a 600 in size, similar maximum power but more useable more of the time.

[Kendog]

I went from a GN250 to a Hornet 900, without any problems with power, (just seat height and the weight of the hornet), but have 2 uped on them (both mine and hubbies) and they are really comfy and the other half said he barely noticed me there. From a pillion perspective, found the CBR600 was more comfy to sit on the back of as had more seat to sit on.

[vtec]

OK if I had your list of prerequisites there would be only one bike for me... well maybe a couple, but number 1 on my list would be:
Honda VFR800 V4 vtec. This bike is brilliant in terms of looks handling power rideability, comfort and even fuel economy. I wouldn't go past it if I wanted a two up/commuter/sports bike.
Secondly I would settle for a CBR1100XX or even better a Hayabusa. My dad just bought a brand new Hayabusa, and as well as being extremely powerful, and good handling, mum seemed very happy... excited even, after coming back from 500k's of touring yesterday, on the back of this very sports focussed tourer.

I myself will be going for one of the big 4 japper's 600 specials. In order of preference: Honda CBR600RR, Suzuki GSXR600, Kawasaki ZX6R/R, Yamaha R6. I could get my licence now, but there's no point, cause I can't afford jack at the moment.

[Lazy7]

ZX7R. got to be. :2thumbsup

[Scouse]

The suzuki 600 Bandit sounds like a good fit for you low seat hight and a big seat for 2up riding

[iwilde]

I went straight to a ZX9R, love it! But I had a bit of experience in my early days on a CBX750, fast but handled like shit!!!

[Fishy]

I suggest you go and test ride a few once you get your full and see what you like the best within your budget. I went from a CBR250RR to a CBR900RR and loved it.

[bugjuice]

Have I got a bike for you..


Project: X (http://blogjuice.kiwibiker.co.nz/index.php?cat=22)


Just undergoing the final stages of completion, and it'll be up for sale. A 1995 ZX6, just rebuilt.

[kickingzebra]

I was inchs away from buying a hayabusa or cbr 1100 (for the wifey comfort thing, Then kinda went, hey I am going to be riding this more often than not, and was going for an sv1000, the 650 felt too small and light for pillioning,
anyways, rang the insurance company, and they said, under 25, we'll only insure up to 600 CCs.
GSXR 600 has more horsies when tuned proper, than sv1000, but whatever!!
My wife can live with being on the back of the gsxr, but it isn't as comfortable for either of us as a sport/tourer
VFR 750/800s are all good for a bit of both. Just go testing once you have the license, no sense buying something you don't really like.
For the record, I like plastic, and I like the look of the gsxr, hence, I can live with it being a sportbike.

[Teflon]

I know of a TL1000R that would be perfect for you. low k's, mint condition.

[OMG]

Agree with MSTRS, if you're gonna be touring, get a larger capacity sport tourer. They got plenty of poke, and should commute pretty good too.

[sugilite]

ZX9R's make brilliant all round bikes, they are very easy to ride at a slow or fast pace and will tour and do 2 up work with ease.
Having said that, a 97/98 ZX6R would be pretty good too.
And I'm not biased towards Kawasaki dammit, Ahhh OK, maybe I am!:niceone:

[The Pastor]

I went straight from a 250 to a thou:headbang: ... Its been 2 days... lets see how long I last......:shit:

[metric]

thanks all... definitely some food for thought there

need to sort the finances, get the full and will test a few out based on these recommendations

much obliged *tips hat*

[metric]

I went straight from a 250 to a thou:headbang: ... Its been 2 days... lets see how long I last......:shit:

good luck fella!!

[kickingzebra]

GPZ thou, all the fuel consumption of a litre class, but not too much of the power...

[R6_kid]

i went from a ZXR250A to a 99 R6 (first model) and havent had any problems with it, infact i have loved every bit of it. Awesome for track days and weekend trashes and i love it in the traffic - its a stable bike and the handling helps me out in sticky situations whilst lane spliting.

Taken it two up more than enough times to have a feel for pillion riding. If your missus weighs much more that 60-70kg you wont want her on the back of an R6 for more than an hour or two. The pillions i took that were down around 50-60 didnt make a difference, 70-80 is noticable, and with texmo on the back at 90kg + me at 95kg, the bike did it, but i dont think it wanted to.

Only downside i have had is that they have shitty cam chain tensioners, so if you can get a 2000-2002 model then you'll have more fun than the 99. Also get a suspension setup off the net (i can hook you up) as it makes all the difference.

Main thing i would say when you step up is dont get hamfisted because big bikes arent so forgiving. If you want speed then a 600 is all you need to step up too, if you want power for commuting and touring then perhaps a 1L vtwin would do the job (its my second choice at the moment).

[Jonty]

I first owned an 89 ZXR250 and my preference when upgrading was to get something that had decent amount of grunt so I wasn't left behind by everyone else but it needed to be able to take my grilfriend on the back and do a bit of touring. My investigations lead me to the CBR600F which, to be honest ,has ended up being perfect for the job. I have ridden it to invercargill on it and could still walk the next day:yes:

The only down side is that you will still not have the equivilent power of an R6 or 6R but in the corners you can hold your own. Also they are very reliable and you shouldn't have any trouble with them. I think the next uprade for me will be the busa as I am not a huge fan of knees up around my shoulders on pure sports bikes.

Good luck

[ManDownUnder]

Anything 600 up will nicely handle being two up, abut if you do it all the time I'd make it a 750 up.

On the other hand don't make yourself into pole paste by buying something grunty that your right hand will kill you on. A 250 to a thou can be done but some personalities don't seem to agree with all that power. They enjoy it between hospital visits of course.

No matter which way you go, take it easy on the new beast for the first couple of months (yes... I said months...) learn learn lean, how it handles round corners, in the wet, dry, gravel etc.

Re the make - to be honest I don't care. Partuclar models (i.e. the GSX or Blackbird etc etc etc) have proven themselves with time, and I expect your budget's not unlimited - so find something proven, of the right size, with a few years on it. Not too many k's of course, but a few years doesn't really hurt the thing.

Enjoy
MDU

[Ham]

If you get a 2000 ish 600, 750, or thou it will probably be lighter than your old bike and handle a gazillion times better. don't be scared of more power, the bike only goes as fast as you let it and on average the thou's only weigh 1 or 2 kg more than 600's and the seats are usually lower on the bigger bikes so dont listen to people that say big bigs are crap in the corners... maybe in the '80s but not now. go for a thou :scooter:

[N4CR]

ZX2R A model is 173ish kg wet, C model 160kg... gixxers are 164kg dry.... bit of a difference there, don't forget weight ain't all - crank inertia etc plays a big part too.

[arj127]

Years ago i went from a GSXR250 to a ZZR600. It was a quick, comfy as bike that was well suited for two up riding.

It got me out of heaps of trouble on the road as it had a ton of grunt, didn't have to go into corners fast anymore as it had the balls to pull hard out the other side.

Was good for 250k, proved that.

Would love to still have it really.

[crash harry]

Go 600. Especially if you're going later than 2000 model. I really wanted a ZX7R cos they're beautiful, but the 9R came up instead...

Now I wish I had a 600. The 9R has so much grunt that I can't make use of it very often. A newer 600 has not much less, but delivered in a different way which makes them more fun IMHO. It was a bit of a shock to the system after riding a CBR250 for a year. I had done some riding on a 400, but it went nowhere towards preparing me.

Yes I know the 9R is hardly a power monster compared to what else is out there, and it's a heavy old slug, but for your first >250cc bike I'd go 600.

Regardless of what you choose, it only goes as fast as your right hand makes it. Big ones just get there a bit quicker. Take it easy out there.

[MrMelon]

Yeah I'd go for a mid to late 90's zx6r or cbr6. The seating position is pretty laid back so it's comfy for long trips but they can still boogie when you need them to. The zx6r's been reliable as a reliable thing for me too. You should be able to pick a nice one up for $4-6k.

[Lazy7]

BUY KNEE_SCRAPERS ZX7R - its a crazy good deal.

trust me you will love it.

[N4CR]

Yes I know the 9R is hardly a power monster compared to what else is out there, and it's a heavy old slug, but for your first >250cc bike I'd go 600.


I'm waiting for WINJA to see this... he has matched modern thous up to 200~kmh on a 9r...

[WINJA]

I'm waiting for WINJA to see this... he has matched modern thous up to 200~kmh on a 9r...
YUP AND I OWNED BOTH AT THE SAME TIME SO NO BIAS , I HAD A 98 ZX9 C1 WITH FULL AKROPOVIC AND 158 MAIN JETS AND IT WOULD BE SIDE BY SIDE WITH MY GSXR1000K2 UP TO 200KMH , THE GSXR ONLY HAD A AFTER MARKET CAN ON IT .
BUT I DID A MINOR MOD TO THE GIXXER INFACT ITS THE MOD I SENT TO ONEARMBANDIT AND THAT CHANGED THINGS THEN.
I ALSO USED TO TAKE OUT MY ZX9 AND GIVE PEOPLE A RIDING LESSON WHEN THEIR ON THEIR GIXXER1000S,BLADES,R1S WHATEVER

GET A GSXR1000 AS YOUR NEXT BIKE , JUST MAKE SURE ITS UP RIGHT AND HAS AT LEAST 2000 METERS OF CLEAR ROAD IN FRONT OF YOU B4 YOU OPEN IT UP

[Gremlin]

like any time you change bike (and others have mentioned this), you need to decided what you will be doing, and how much.

If a pillion is going to be the odd time, then a sportsbike is good, but if regularly, and perhaps longer trips as well, then a sportsbike is not the bike for it.

I've pillioned on the 7 now, and nicksta at 45kg made sweet f all difference to it, hardly knew she was on the back. Rayza at 65 did make a diff, the bike was more sluggish, more revs needed for pulling away etc.

The 7 could still fly with a pillion, just that you couldn't ride it at 3k revs with a pillion on board.

Depending on the weight of your pillions, I would say a 600 would not be enough, depending on how "spirited" your riding would be.

edit: if pillions are going to be a factor in your buying, you ideally should take the main one out with you when test riding. The width of the bike, seat height and seat slant (flat or not) can really make a big diff to the pillion, and you do want to make sure they feel safe.