new to road bikes whats should i get ?

[adamt]

i'm really keen on getting my bike ticket and i'm really keen on the RGV250 as 250 is the max i'm aloud etc what bikes are worth looking at including the RGV coz i wanna fast bike, is there anything faster then RGV250 ? looking at spending round 3grand mark so yeah any help would be awesome cheers

[kickingzebra]

presumably you have been around bikes for a while, KDX etc... in which case, yeah, in that price bracket you might find the odd rough RGV250, or the alternatives are yamaha TZR 250s (hard to find, harder to find parts for)
and Honda NSR 250s.
I had an NSR, that was plenty wicked fast for a 250... Bear in mind for road useage these things drink gas like it is going out of fashion...
Only ever got about 180km out of 18 litre tank on honda...
Get better than that on the GSXR by a country mile.

Edit, and touring is an affair for a deep wallet, and a few spare spark plugs...

[Madness]

Don't rule out the four-strokes. Bandit 250's go like snot and are maybe more versatile/comfortable than the GP replicas.

[vtec]

I suggest you read this: 2 stroke vs 4 stroke (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=28184)

[APPLE]

wot is it with rgv's?now listen to uncle apple my young jedi?a 4stroke 250 is probably the better option for yah,rgv's need alot of money,e.g power valves,servicing,like every 5 or 6 thousand k's,could be less than that,may be 3000k's.1st service should be around 20-25 grand.in my opinion the 250 rgv should hav never been released on public roads.tuned right, there very fast and unforgiving.shit loads of these ''pocket rockets'' came from japan,like 10-13years ago.i had 91 rgv-t model,banana arm.it cost me a fortune to run this little bike.all im sayn is you gotta hav money to own one of these.............think wisely@use the force

[adamt]

what would you suggest then as a 250 4 stroke sports bike ?

[adamt]

looking at a ZXR 250 on trade me they look like a nice bike 4 stroke also i know nothing about road bikes! by the sounds of thing 4 strokes sounding nicer !

[Madness]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=53347410&key=391848

Something like this, maybe with a few less k's but it's just an example.

[APPLE]

what would you suggest then as a 250 4 stroke sports bike ?
Honda cbr 250 4stroke,yamaha makes a TZR 250 4stroke,kawasaki makes a zzr 250 2stroke,which is more user friendly than the rgv,not as fast as the rgv.

[Gremlin]

...zzr 250 2stroke...
errr.... I so wished...

its a 2 cyl, 4 stroke :scooter:

[justsomeguy]

errr.... I so wished...

its a 2 cyl, 4 stroke :scooter:

And slower that *thinks of the slowest thing he can think of* - slower than me :yes:

[Gremlin]

And slower that *thinks of the slowest thing he can think of* - slower than me :yes:
I dunno, I could push mine around quite well, but obviously it could never beat the cbr or zxr... I used to see myself gaining outa the corner, then they would pull away :angry:

not the fastest 250 4 stroke, but you could ride it beyond its limits, suspension bottoming out, and getting the tyres to peel a bit... good learner.

[kickingzebra]

Honda cbr 250 4stroke,yamaha makes a TZR 250 4stroke,kawasaki makes a zzr 250 2stroke,which is more user friendly than the rgv,not as fast as the rgv.

The Yammy four stroke is FZR 250.
As has been said, ZZR 250 is four stroke parallel twin.
I have one in the garage, they aren't tuned for horse power, but mine has over 70,000 kms on it, and still pulls strong.
Basically, all the guys on here with 250s, bugger all of them can ride them as fast asn as hard as they will go, and in honesty, doing that on the roads is shite anyways. Sure, speed a bit, muck around, but full noise everywhere, not really the brightest thing in the world.
Costs lots of money in tickets, and time, for second jobs to pay said tickets...
If I was to go the 250 route again, any of the fours would be alright,
zzr is fine though, and they go really well. suzuki GSX 250s (after 2001) are slower again, but stable, and reliable, and cheap to look after.
I took my zzr out at manfield, and sure, got passed on the straights, but corners are were it counts. I gave a few much bigger bikes the learn on corners.
Cheap to buy, cheap to run, handling is very forgiving, and not the most expensive things in the world. The parallel twins have it.
(20 bucks a sparkplug for the cheap ones for the GSXR, and any four cylinder... Expensive ones are more like 50 bucks. every ten thousand odd Kms...)

[Sniper]

Seems alot of new riders place their skills in getting to the speed limit fast. Darwin must be rubbing his hands.

[Jantar]

I agree with Sniper. What's with these riders "New to road bikes, and want the fastest bike available"? If you are new to road bikes then start with something that you can learn on and advance to faster and quicker handling bikes later.

Many of the 250 cc hyper sports are no more than street legal race bikes and it takes a very experienced rider to get the most from them. A beginner would be much better off with something more tractable and more economical until they get that level of experience.

[scracha]

i'm really keen on getting my bike ticket and i'm really keen on the RGV250 as 250 is the max i'm aloud etc what bikes are worth looking at including the RGV coz i wanna fast bike, is there anything faster then RGV250 ? looking at spending round 3grand mark so yeah any help would be awesome cheers

Most bikes above 250cc are faster than an RGV250 :stupid: An Aprillia RS250 is also faster. A new biker on a 250 2'smoke is like putting a 15 year old kid in a Skyline Turbo.

Avoid 2 smoke's if you ask me. They're expensive to run [1], harder to ride for new riders [2] and a lot more fragile [3]. Would also avoid 250 4's; the 400's are a big enough PITA when it comes to adjusting tappets/shims.

A nice 250 single or twin is much better for learners. Easier to ride, cheaper to run, hold their value better and depending on the style are more comfortable and crash better [4].

You'll find any 250 will get you up to the speed limit quicker than most cars. If it's any consolation, yurropeans are limited to 12/15bhp 125cc/150cc until they pass their test so even a 250 single pumping out 30 ponies is still good fun [5].

Get a cheapie, spend the money you've saved on decent motorcycle gear and kick about for a few months on it to see if you actually enjoy it. Pass your test, sell it for what you paid for it (or more if you look after it properly) and then move onto something a bit bigger.

A t-shirt clad biker with a ancient lid and no gloves on a sports 250 is not a good look [6]

End of sermon.

[1] Decent 2 smoke oil is dear and they drink gogo juice
[2] Zero engine braking, narrow power band
[3] Nothing looks less cool than pushing a 2 stroke after siezing a piston.... :no:
[4] Statistically you WILL crash your first bike so it makes sense to go for something without acres of expensive plastic.
[5] As every 2nd corner in NZ is full of gravel and other $hite I find my mate's 350cc single more enjoyable than my 750 v4.
[6] How much more so when you see middle aged men wobbling around on ZX10's and Hyabusa's wearing gear that's well past its sell-by date.

[Ixion]

i'm really keen on getting my bike ticket and i'm really keen on the RGV250 as 250 is the max i'm aloud etc what bikes are worth looking at including the RGV coz i wanna fast bike, is there anything faster then RGV250 ? looking at spending round 3grand mark so yeah any help would be awesome cheers

Then provide a fast rider.



is there anything faster then RGV250 [with an inexperienced rider]


Yep, almost any bike with an experienced rider.

Biking isn't like cars. Not just a matter of sitting there and pushing the accelerator hard. Two smoker 250 with an inexperienced rider is going to be a slow bike , point to point. Probably slower than a GN250. And you will almost certainly crash, as well.

The advice that others have given in this thread is sound and the result of many years experience. You would be well advised to heed it.

BTW, my experience is that riders who begin biking with no other purpose than "to go fast" seldom last long. They either crash and remove themselves, or discover it's not just a matter of buying a fast bike, and accordingly, lose interest.

[adamt]

yeah i been doing abit of reading and sounds like the ZZR 250 is a good starting bike have heard RGV's are alot harder bike to ride and losse as, i mean ive been riding dirt bikes but still think i'll start with something more tame to get my skills up on the road so whats some other bikes in the calibar of the zzr etc which would you suggest is worth looking at ? NSR 250 looks very nice too! also i'm 5'11 and 68kg.

[ducatilover]

Seems alot of new riders place their skills in getting to the speed limit fast. Darwin must be rubbing his hands.
same as a boy racer huh? its fun getting to the speed limit fast..... the first 3 times and then its gay and pointless.... why not focus on your rideng skill? the bike doesnt make the rider....but the rider makes the biggest difference on a bike. yeah im a pussy in a straight line i know and i do have a gutless bike but it handles awesome and id rather go through a set of twisties and gain on someone through a corner than being american and using the straight line speed to win:laugh: .....fastest 250 pfffft put rossi on my spada and hell beat your rgv/nsr/tzr/rs/ringadinga bike.

[ducatilover]

id recomend a spada if you want a twin. :ride: its the nicest one in my opinion:drinkup:

[adamt]

those spada's seem to be cheap looking at this one on trade me http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports-tourer/auction-54319740.htm i think u guys are right get a cheap easy to ride bike to see if road bikes are really my thing thanks for the help! now just gotta decide what i really want

[justsomeguy]

fastest 250 pfffft put rossi on my spada and hell beat your rgv/nsr/tzr/rs/ringadinga bike.

I know you guys like to say that - but why don't you compare apples with apples????

Eg. - Put Rossi against another guy with 20+ years of top level international racing and see how he does, he may beat them but at least the other guy had a fighting chance.

No point comparing Rossi to a learner or Stroud to Two Smoker or Two Smoker to Gareth_D ......... compare people of equal experience.:finger:

Adam go test ride all the bikes that have been recommended and make your mind up that way.

[Ixion]

I think Mr Ducatilover was meaning that rider counts for more tha n bike. that learners should not expect that they can compensate for inexperience by buying a fast machine.

[justsomeguy]

I think Mr Ducatilover was meaning that rider counts for more tha n bike. that learners should not expect that they can compensate for inexperience by buying a fast machine.

The attitude towards newbies here of late has become a little ":no:", they are young guys who want sportsbikes, they've seen it in the movies and played the games, come on, how hard can it be??

Sure reality is a tad different, but they're young remember!:doh:

[adamt]

hell yeah! us young guys a 10 foot tall and bullet proof remember ! :Punk: nah i'm 21 and i value my life lol thats why i'm asking ur guys advice and its changed my views on which bike i'm getting i think!

[justsomeguy]

hell yeah! us young guys a 10 foot tall and bullet proof remember ! :Punk: nah i'm 21 and i value my life lol thats why i'm asking ur guys advice and its changed my views on which bike i'm getting i think!

Don't worry bud, I used to be 21 not that long ago and I'm still dumber than most 12 year olds.

Listen carefully to people like Ixion, Motu, Zed, Frosty, WINJA (yes WINJA) they've been around long enough to know their arse from their ass and they mean well. A lot of others just like to sound their trumpet (me included) so take everything you read with a bit of salt.

Get out and test ride as many bikes as you can, even two strokes so you know what others are talking about. Find empty open roads and carefully see what these bikes feel like at half throttle, then make your mind up. Don't forget to get someone who knows these bikes to look over them before you buy it too.

[Krayy]

those spada's seem to be cheap looking at this one on trade me http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports-tourer/auction-54319740.htm i think u guys are right get a cheap easy to ride bike to see if road bikes are really my thing thanks for the help! now just gotta decide what i really want
Good man...I like to see new bikers using their heads for a change. You'll find the Spada plenty fast enough through the twisties where it counts. My VTR has few less ponies than the Spada, but handles like she's on rails in the tight stuff. Also the torque curve is fairly constant so you don't get the huge surge like on the in line 4's that can cause problems if you're not used to it. Just good, strong acceleration all the way from 2k to redline. Hope to see you out there in the furture.

[Str8 Jacket]

Have to agree with some of the comments here. I wrote of my first bike 2 months into riding, I spent less than half of what I spent on my first bike on my second and 7 months and 8000 k's later I still have it. Interestingly enough my first bike was a 4 stroke 250 and my current bike a 2 stroke 150, I have learnt more on this bike than the GN and it is so much more fun. Oh yeah and it smells great too! Everyone learns and rides differently but id definately recommend getting a second hand or at least a cheaper bike for your first one. Im still paying for the bike I wrote off...

[Ixion]

I do not include the current 150cc two strokes in the strictures directed at the 250cc ones. The 150s are in the sport tourer tradition and excellent machines for learners. It is not that the RGV250 etc are two strokes per se, it is that they are practically racing two strokes. I would apply the same caveat to, for instance, a Manx Norton as a learner machine.

The RG150 RGV150 KRR150 are fine for beginners.

[imdying]

Any 'fast' 250 inside your budget is either shagged or a time bomb. The NSR/RGV/TZRs of the world are just waiting to blow up by the time they get into the price range you're in. The 4cyl four strokes are all little revvy slow turds, not really worth putting the extra money into. Best bet is to spend as little as possible on your 250 days, and wait till the real fun begins later.

Agree with Ixion a bit... one of the two stroke 150s would be great fun, and better priced (ahh fashion, a wonderful thing). Don't be put of by the size, everything 250 and under is gutless anyway..