zxr250 test ride

[ducatilover]

i took a zxr250 for a ride on friday.:yawn:

i let her warm up, as i do and rode through the 50k area towards the gorge amazed by the complete lack of torque and power below 12000rpm. the seat im sure is a plank of wood. the engine was incridibly smooth....but it was gutless. maybe it was the gearing? anyway, im in love with fairings now:rockon: ...
engine characteristics; smooth, very very smooth and creamy. but severly lacking in power and torque even when pushing the redline in the gears:zzzz: but it still pulled decent speed above 140ks. sounded gay. i found to pass people i had to go through the gears, which may i add the gear box wasnt as smooth and precise as the spadas. when spinning over 15krpm it starts to move but not that hard. i was dissapointed with the engine in all honesty.

suspension and brakes; simply awesome! the USD forks worked beutifully and were good at keeping the ride smooth and yet somehow extremely firm. i was amazed by the brakes, the twin disk front end hauled her up bloody fast and smoothly, very good brake feel and feedback. the front and rear suspension worked together perfectly for my minimal weight [53kg...]

handling; cant say im impressed by the handling, she dropped in slower than the spada and didnt have as much lean, i found i couldnt lean off the bike as easily as on my spada. although the handling was very stable. the bike felt comparitively wide but thats to be expected of a four cyclinder... mid corner bumps and small corrugations were soaked up and the bike stayed on line very well, the bike had a nice crisp or stiff feel to the chasis and was very predictable to ride quickly.

comfort, usability; the seat, putting it shortly; was crap. it was flat and way to hard, i couldnt move around very easily, and my rideing style involes alot of leaning off [ask hXc he knows i lean way off] the clipons were rather low and i f*cking loved them, im now lowering my spadas clipons below the triple-clamps. the foot pegs were in a good place, not too high and certainly not low. the switch gear was easy to use and simple, my only gripe with the gauges was the brake fluid reservoiur blocked my view of the temp gauge, but thats no big deal. suprisingly there was no petrol gauge:shutup: but thats something im used to.

overall, i would recomend this if you are going to be doing riding in higher speed areas but not around town as its too revvy and has fu*k all torque. very uncomfortable. if only the spada came with fairing.....
i personnally wouldnt buy a zxr250

[Karma]

250s are gutless... 400s are better :D

[ducatilover]

250s are gutless... 400s are better :D
unless its an rs250:rockon:

[ZeroIndex]

i took a zxr250 for a ride on friday.:yawn:

i let her warm up, as i do and rode through the 50k area towards the gorge amazed by the complete lack of torque and power below 12000rpm. the seat im sure is a plank of wood. the engine was incridibly smooth....but it was gutless. maybe it was the gearing? anyway, im in love with fairings now:rockon: ...
engine characteristics; smooth, very very smooth and creamy. but severly lacking in power and torque even when pushing the redline in the gears:zzzz: but it still pulled decent speed above 140ks. sounded gay. i found to pass people i had to go through the gears, which may i add the gear box wasnt as smooth and precise as the spadas. when spinning over 15krpm it starts to move but not that hard. i was dissapointed with the engine in all honesty.

suspension and brakes; simply awesome! the USD forks worked beutifully and were good at keeping the ride smooth and yet somehow extremely firm. i was amazed by the brakes, the twin disk front end hauled her up bloody fast and smoothly, very good brake feel and feedback. the front and rear suspension worked together perfectly for my minimal weight [53kg...]

handling; cant say im impressed by the handling, she dropped in slower than the spada and didnt have as much lean, i found i couldnt lean off the bike as easily as on my spada. although the handling was very stable. the bike felt comparitively wide but thats to be expected of a four cyclinder... mid corner bumps and small corrugations were soaked up and the bike stayed on line very well, the bike had a nice crisp or stiff feel to the chasis and was very predictable to ride quickly.

comfort, usability; the seat, putting it shortly; was crap. it was flat and way to hard, i couldnt move around very easily, and my rideing style involes alot of leaning off [ask hXc he knows i lean way off] the clipons were rather low and i f*cking loved them, im now lowering my spadas clipons below the triple-clamps. the foot pegs were in a good place, not too high and certainly not low. the switch gear was easy to use and simple, my only gripe with the gauges was the brake fluid reservoiur blocked my view of the temp gauge, but thats no big deal. suprisingly there was no petrol gauge:shutup: but thats something im used to.

overall, i would recomend this if you are going to be doing riding in higher speed areas but not around town as its too revvy and has fu*k all torque. very uncomfortable. if only the spada came with fairing.....
i personnally wouldnt buy a zxr250
Thanks for the good review.. If it weren't for fairings, how do you find that Spada of yours? Saw one in Hamilton for sale and it looks quite nice..

[UrbanMyth]

zxr250s are pretty good for a 250cc 4 stroke.
I test drove one ages ago just out of intrest and it wasnt bad then again the guy selling had put a expensive exhaust to make it sound bigger.

They are without a doubt the sexiest!! 250cc bike and are rather fast for a 4 stroke 250.
Oh and the extremely high redline is pretty funtastic

[Gremlin]

After riding anything bigger than a 250, especially your 650, yes, it would always seem slow. You think it is lacking torque etc because it is a 250.

When riding my little zzr250, I thought the zxr250 was really quick. But then rode my zx7r for a while, and rode a mates zxr250, and to his disgust, came back asking where the power was.

But, but that 250 through tight twisties, and it is a hard thing to keep up with. Oh, put a zx7r side by side with its little brother, and you will see that the zxr250 is tiny.

[N4CR]

Gutless? No Torque? Wtf... it's (C model zxr) the quickest 250 4 stroke around from experience. Go fiddle with the suspension and it will run on rails. Jesus christ, one of the best handling bikes I have ridden when set up properly. Has better/more adjustable front forks than most of the 400 models for gods sake...
A model I don't rate as high but it has a better mid range and that's bout it, more porky too.

Sure compared to a big bike there is nothing there between your legs but shit mate, go race your spada against a ZX2R C model and it's all over rover, an yep your welcome to come try with me sometime. :zzzz:

[cowpoos]

if you thought it was gutless compared to your spada....you were on a sick bike....it would eat your spada....

[Brett]

Yep, if you have ridden ANY other 250cc bike, you would find that the ZXR (C model) is up there dead even, or in my opinion, ahead of the other bikes available.
Ride some others before deciding that it is slower than others, you might be surprised by some of the other 250's. Your one may not have been tuned right i guess.

[Mr. Peanut]

ANY 250cc??
My NSR would own a ZXR....:ar15:

[N4CR]

Your one may not have been tuned right i guess.

I think he is just gay for hondas. What poos said might be reasonably correct as well.
Da Brossss has a heavier dry weight than the zxr wet. Lmao!
RC31E 647cc Bore 79mm Stroke 66mm 56-60hp not a huge amount of grunt either but should be quicker than a zxr in a line if it's delivery isn't all fucked up (being a honda it probably is :lol:).
VT250 seems similar weight to a C model but a bit less hp but same torque, I'd highly doubt those figures but we shall see when it gets put into real world situations some time.


ANY 250cc??
My NSR would own a ZXR....:ar15:

We talking 4 storks here matey.

[Mr. Peanut]

Dont patronise me matey....


Yep, if you have ridden ANY other 250cc bike, you would find that the ZXR (C model) is up there dead even, or in my opinion, ahead of the other bikes available.
Ride some others before deciding that it is slower than others, you might be surprised by some of the other 250's. Your one may not have been tuned right i guess.

See, he said ANY 250 :mellow:

[imdying]

Yeah, he did say any 250.

When I first read this, I remember essentially agreeing, not everything but. Might as well stop being lazy and add my 2c worth.


Total lack of torque: Agreed
Seat sure is a plank of wood: Agreed
Incredibly smooth: Agreed
Fairings good: Agreed, but have a horribly cheap feel compared to bigger
Sounded ghey: Disagree, they sound great when you're raping them
Gotta use gears to pass: Agree, but it's half the fun... shame it gets old so quick :(
Unsmooth gearbox: Yeah, with any neglect they feel like shite :(
Great brakes: Agreed
Great suspension for my 53kg: Hate the suspension, might as well not be there... but then I'm a fatty :lol:
Didn't have as much lean as the spada: Haven't ridden a spada, but there's lean a plenty on a ZXR250, gotta get your damn toes outta the way or they scrape horribly :D
Felt wide: You must have ridden some tiny bikes... feels positively anorexic to me
Comfort, usability; the seat, putting it shortly; was crap: Yep, couldn't agree more... but it's a psuedo race bike

Would recomend this if you are going to be doing riding in higher speed areas but not around town as its too revvy and has fu*k all torque: Can't recommend this bike anywhere, only saving grace is you can ride it on a learner licenses.

Having said all that... I love them despite their obvious faults. They're slower than a wet week to be sure... but you can cane crap outta them, doing the whole Doohan thing, and still not be breaking the law too much. You can drop em in on their side and giggle your way round a roundabout till you throw up... there'd be a place in my garage for one :) Lets face it, the RS250 would eat it, but the ZXR would be a much better neglected, screw occasionally, visit your mates bike.

[Mr. Peanut]

Id rather have a Cbr250RR

Saving up for one now, have you seen how long those engines last?? :eek5:

Still, if you want a really anti-social noise, try an NSR250 with cut pipes and a drilled airbox coming on its powerband :done:

[Karma]

GO THE ZX4R!!

All the handling of the ZX2R, plus the extra engine power!!

Seat still gives the ass a good caneing thou...

[imdying]

Id rather have a Cbr250RRHeheh, I'd rather have your NSR man!!! I can live with the maintenance :D

[Mr. Peanut]

Heheh, I'd rather have your NSR man!!! I can live with the maintenance :D

Oh you got me wrong... I meant both :laugh: CBR for commuting...

Anyone got a decent 4-stoke 4 250 theyd part with for $2000?

[ducatilover]

Gutless? No Torque? Wtf... it's (C model zxr) the quickest 250 4 stroke around from experience. Go fiddle with the suspension and it will run on rails. Jesus christ, one of the best handling bikes I have ridden when set up properly. Has better/more adjustable front forks than most of the 400 models for gods sake...
A model I don't rate as high but it has a better mid range and that's bout it, more porky too.

Sure compared to a big bike there is nothing there between your legs but shit mate, go race your spada against a ZX2R C model and it's all over rover, an yep your welcome to come try with me sometime. :zzzz:
in a straight line a zxr would beat the spada, but only when its moving quicker and the aerodynamics come into play. it has nothing on a spada in the bends and it felt very well set up for me. plus it had no torque compared to the spada, the spada is geared to 165ish though and it will be quicker off the lights and in the corners. the spadas brakes are complete shit compared to the zxrs.
so there

[ducatilover]

nc4r - yes the zxr handles very well. yes it is "faster" than my spada [when its doing more than 120]....but...
it has no midrange and im not even commenting on the lower rev range, and it does produce a few more horses than the spada, but it has bugger all torque.

it only felt wide because im so used to the spada/bros thing.

and on the subject of the bros650,
mine [was] 56rwhp@8000rpm/68nm@unknown rpm.
169kg dry/180wet
0-100kph- 3.9secs [with moriwaki zorst and re-jet kit]
0-160kph - 10secs
yes it has a lack of power [on paper] but it would have eaten a zxr250c in a straight line with ease. oh and the quarter was in 12.4secs:mellow:

and dont go all protective of your bikes please because this is just one persons opinion and this opinion says, the zxr i rode sucked arse unless wrung out like a grannys pantys on washing day:confused:

[hXc]

They are without a doubt the sexiest!! 250cc bike and are rather fast for a 4 stroke 250.
Here is where I disagree entirely with you. To me, fairings look gay. I love the look of a naked bike. Yes, fairings are practical for high speeds but they're expensive to fix, and look stupid.

[ducatilover]

Here is where I disagree entirely with you. To me, fairings look gay. I love the look of a naked bike. Yes, fairings are practical for high speeds but they're expensive to fix, and look stupid.
thats more like it

[N4CR]

I'd doubt the cornering statement based on the fact that it is not a pure sports bike with adjustable everything like the zxr, but i'd love to be proved wrong...

[aff-man]

ok... having owned both a vt250f and a zxr250 I would say that you probably had one very sick bike... Or you wern't riding it properly...

If you want to see them shine you shouldn't be dropping it below 13000k..... ever. They like to scream and will preform if you ride the shit out of them (kinda like N4CR's mom:killingme ).

They handel great. and have awesome brakes.:Punk:

[ducatilover]

ok... having owned both a vt250f and a zxr250 I would say that you probably had one very sick bike... Or you wern't riding it properly...

If you want to see them shine you shouldn't be dropping it below 13000k..... ever. They like to scream and will preform if you ride the shit out of them (kinda like N4CR's mom:killingme ).

They handel great. and have awesome brakes.:Punk:
yes they handle great. the spada is hugely different from a vt250f though, the torque curves and power curves are vastly different and the spada weighs less, and has a better frame and swingarm... the vt250f has a welded steel frame and the spada has a cast alloy frame which is over 30% stronger in all directions and weighs quite alot less. i am not much of a rider but i know for a fact that my spada had engine charectoristics that i found i liked more.

[ducatilover]

I'd doubt the cornering statement based on the fact that it is not a pure sports bike with adjustable everything like the zxr, but i'd love to be proved wrong...
come and ride mine.

im thinking of doing a front end conversion with a cbr250rr or nsr250.

spadas handle better just accept it. but yes you will probably be a better rider blah blah and will beat me anywhere, but my bike still floats my boat

[UrbanMyth]

Here is where I disagree entirely with you. To me, fairings look gay. I love the look of a naked bike. Yes, fairings are practical for high speeds but they're expensive to fix, and look stupid.

yeah just a personality thing i do love! the street fighter look very! much.But on bigger bikes that have some beef :P

[N4CR]

come and ride mine.

im thinking of doing a front end conversion with a cbr250rr or nsr250.

spadas handle better just accept it. but yes you will probably be a better rider blah blah and will beat me anywhere, but my bike still floats my boat

Hmm.. that will be interesting to follow the progress of that, I like unique one off bike mods! I just doubt it (handling wise being better than zxr's at high level etc) because otherwise they would have used that technology on the cbr250 series if it was so good. If you get what I'm trying to say. I guess it would be good enough still as it weighs sweet fuck all.

Horses for courses, if you like that bike more then mabey it's just more suited to your style, and/or that zxr was a bit poked. Same with me if you follow the turbo thread I posted - after riding a whole shitload of bikes I still love mine the most.

And I'm fuckin slow nowadays after getting the paint done on my baby, so I wouldn't expect much. Infact I'd love to ride your bike as it sounds like a shitload of fun from what you are saying. I don't judge people from online, I judge them on the 'track' (cough where i have never been ..).

Keep it real and have fun on that little beastie.

[hXc]

yeah just a personality thing i do love! the street fighter look very! much.But on bigger bikes that have some beef :P
A naked is not the same as a streetfighter. Not ever!:ride:

[UrbanMyth]

i know i just guessed that was the kind you liked.o well back to the zxr talk

[ducatilover]

Hmm.. that will be interesting to follow the progress of that, I like unique one off bike mods! I just doubt it (handling wise being better than zxr's at high level etc) because otherwise they would have used that technology on the cbr250 series if it was so good. If you get what I'm trying to say. I guess it would be good enough still as it weighs sweet fuck all.

Horses for courses, if you like that bike more then mabey it's just more suited to your style, and/or that zxr was a bit poked. Same with me if you follow the turbo thread I posted - after riding a whole shitload of bikes I still love mine the most.

And I'm fuckin slow nowadays after getting the paint done on my baby, so I wouldn't expect much. Infact I'd love to ride your bike as it sounds like a shitload of fun from what you are saying. I don't judge people from online, I judge them on the 'track' (cough where i have never been ..).

Keep it real and have fun on that little beastie.yeah i see what your saying dude.:Police: . the spada does suit my style more as i hang off more than most people and the seat and all that is just right on the spada, my only problem with the spadas rideing position is the clipons are too high, so im going to work at dropping them below the triple clamps

[R6_kid]

i had a ZXR250 for 6months as my last ride in the 250cc bracket. After a trackday i had the (mis)pleasure of riding home a 98 VTR250. Now yes it was easier to ride (slightly wider bars) and had more torque, its a fucking v-twin what do you expect. It was fun, but not in the same way as the ZXR was.

The ZXR has its handle bars in tight which is why it takes a lot of effort to get it to lean, but once you get used to it it goes and goes and goes. As said the one you had musta been sick. I've seen a GT250 Hyosung vs CBR250 in corners with riders of comparable skill level, and although the GT turned easier the CBR had it.

Truth is, you really have to RIDE a ZXR not let it take you along such as with the VT/VTR... in that way its a 'pure' sportsbike, and requires you to work it the right way. I never rode my ZXR under about 11k in corners, yeh its gutless below there but its a 250 FFS.

After being on my R6 for over 6months i stepped down onto a ZXR250C for a mate to 'test' his tyres for him. I rode it at full throttle the whole time, never going below about 14k (sorry merwood). I was saddened to find i was in 6th doing 160 and having what i would call no pull (R6 is in 2nd or 3rd and kicking u in the ass at 160) but the handling/brakes etc were so enjoyable that if it had the power i woulda stayed on it all day.

ZXR == PWNS YOU ALL. Get yours and N4CR's ZXRs side by side, do 3 laps of taupo head to head, and swap. Then do your spada vs your zxr. I think ZXR would come up trumps each time.

[ducatilover]

a vtr250 is alot different than a spada. the spada is completely different fom a vt250 and a vtr250. the spada has more torque than all the 250 vtwins and has the flattest torque curve and the gearing is better, it has a close ratio 6 speed box, unlike the vtr250s 5 speed box. the spada handles better than a vtr250, i know this as i have riden two vtr250s and the just didnt handle as nice. but i have no doubts a zxr250 would beat a spada around a track, with equal skilled riders, but say over the rimutaka hill? the spada would win hands down.

[ducatilover]

the spada doesnt have bars like the vtr250. i think vtrs are fucking dumb, why replace the spada with something less powerful, slower, with a crap gearbox, gay bars, and not as sublime handling? and its not as good quality finish.

[imdying]

They're both incredibly gutless, I don't think it would matter which one you rode 'over the hills', you'd still have to flog the crap out of them. But that's ok, they're 250s... they'll always be gutless. They're merely a set of wheels to do you time on, nothing more, nothing less. If you want a 'fast' 250, get a 2 stroke and suffer all the joys of (neglected 10 year old) 2 stroke ownership.

As Gareth says, once you've spent 6 months on a good 600, riding a xxx250 again will rape all of your 250 memories, and you'll wonder why you ever cared. Ask anyone who's been riding bikes a while, they'll all have fond memories of their 250s, no matter how crap or slow they were... but after riding late model sports bikes that don't need full throttle *everywhere*, they're best left as that, memories.

[ducatilover]

They're both incredibly gutless, I don't think it would matter which one you rode 'over the hills', you'd still have to flog the crap out of them. But that's ok, they're 250s... they'll always be gutless. They're merely a set of wheels to do you time on, nothing more, nothing less. If you want a 'fast' 250, get a 2 stroke and suffer all the joys of (neglected 10 year old) 2 stroke ownership.

As Gareth says, once you've spent 6 months on a good 600, riding a xxx250 again will rape all of your 250 memories, and you'll wonder why you ever cared. Ask anyone who's been riding bikes a while, they'll all have fond memories of their 250s, no matter how crap or slow they were... but after riding late model sports bikes that don't need full throttle *everywhere*, they're best left as that, memories.
...good point... but im still with my opinion.:ride:

[imdying]

I think the worst part of riding a ZXR250 is how slow they are to rev :( I remember 4 cyl 250s as super revving beasts... I wished I left that memory alone... it sucks to know better.

[Fishy]

Saving up for one now, have you seen how long those engines last?? :eek5:


Yep I did just over 70,000k's on my one in a year and a half and thrashed the nuts off it constantly. And I got $4k (back in 1997) for it as a trade in on a fireblade.

[aff-man]

beat a spada around a track, with equal skilled riders, but say over the rimutaka hill? the spada would win hands down.

Again. I say that that is blollocks.
http://www.motorbikes.be/en/compare/3328/782/ thats fot the vt25f
trying to find specs on the spada...

[ducatilover]

im telling you the vt250f and spada are completely different.
and the spada still handles better than the zxr250s.:mellow:

[cowpoos]

i have no doubts a zxr250 would beat a spada around a track, with equal skilled riders, but say over the rimutaka hill? the spada would win hands down.

I'll tell ya what lad....I'll borrow my mates zxr250c....and we'll do that hey?
I bet ya a box of tui I'll beat ya buy a fair margin!

I hav riden spada's....a very close friend of mine had one back when I was a young fella like yourself...I used to ride with him almost daily....I was on a NZ250...thats a single cylinder dohc 250....in a straight line spada was only a bit faster...not much....through the twists...nothing in it....nothing at all...and I really really can not see how a spada would be faster than a zxr250 dude...they arn't a small amount faster....they are a whole heap faster....but when it comes down to personal prefference....maybe you weren't comfortable with the zxr....coz they corner like demons those bikes...you dam near hav to re-adjust your brain to comprehend the corner speeds they can carry I found after riding my friends one when he got it in december...and the mid range on a zxr250 starts at 8500rpm....so ifyou think its got a crap mid range....I think you might be confussing the lower range to your bikes mid range....anyway...enuff said....you wanna go that beer bet?

[ducatilover]

i dont like tui. or beer for that mater. fine it comes down to this, im fatsre on a spada unless its an american race [straight line] or merely a "high speed" race. i rode that zxr no slower than i ride my spada through the manawatu gorge but the zxr was closer to its limits and yes it had good tyres. i do love those pilot powers... but.... im quicker on my spada. no mater what

[aff-man]

i dont like tui. or beer for that mater. fine it comes down to this, im fatsre on a spada unless its an american race [straight line] or merely a "high speed" race. i rode that zxr no slower than i ride my spada through the manawatu gorge but the zxr was closer to its limits and yes it had good tyres. i do love those pilot powers... but.... im quicker on my spada. no mater what

Ok someone please give this man the learn on a zxr.......... Been doing some research and it seems the spade has a different frame (less welds or something) but the same engine. Closer to it's limits... what rev range were you riding in / did you time the 2 runs. Were you jumping off the redline on the edge of the tyres on the zxr?? have you been there?

[cowpoos]

Ok someone please give this man the learn on a zxr.......... Been doing some research and it seems the spade has a different frame (less welds or something) but the same engine. Closer to it's limits... what rev range were you riding in / did you time the 2 runs. Were you jumping off the redline on the edge of the tyres on the zxr?? have you been there?
well....I offered bro....I'm 5mins from the said taka's and hav a zxr250 in my workers garage....if he's game....I am...but he';s shouting me piss for the fact its almost a waste of time to show something that would surely be obvious....

[Mr. Peanut]

:laugh: Who cares, you both obviously think highly of your bikes, isn't that enough? :mellow:

[R6_kid]

im with Mr Peanut. It's the same as reading a fucking magazine... all the mags i read regarding the R6 said it has a flighty as hell (very light) front end... now they might be hardcore track riders, but i havent experienced this, and hardly anyone i know (including hardcore track riders) have said that it's any worse than the others... It's called opinion.

Thing is that here, everyone else but mr ducatilover are saying that ZXR250C > Spada, yet he is set on Spada > ZXR250C. In all comparitve terms, upping the stakes to say VTR1000 SP1, vs ZX10R... no comparison really. Engineering says zxr250c will be better than spada, but perhaps the spada's style of riding suits ducatilover in the way the the ZXR250 suits the rest of the population. Maybe his name should be cocksmoker, cos he certainly is different :confused: (tis a pisstake bro, so dont get offended)

[Mr. Peanut]

I wouldn't mind a spada btw... Nice flat torque curve if any of guys noticed, good fun in twisties and sooooo bulletproof...

Still I wouldnt mind a ZXR either....

Grass is greener and all that...

Hey when I get my bike back anyone in the waikato area wanna swap bikes for a quick fang? Wouldn't mind a go on one of thise 4 stoke 4s :headbang:

[R6_kid]

what a funny guy:laugh:

[Mr. Peanut]

:mellow: Eh?

Wanna swap bikes for a bit? :shifty:

[Karma]

Still I wouldnt mind a ZXR either....

Grass is greener and all that...

No no... the ZXR is greener.

[Mr. Peanut]

Shit, it looks easier to rubuild my nsr than it is to change the plugs on a cbr!! :mellow: