If you can keep your 250, DO IT.

[zeocen]

This is a story about me, zeocen.
I bought my first 250 off a fellow kb'er after joining this site, a GPX Ninja 250r 1990, FireFight gave me a damn good deal on a damn good bike, I would firstly like to thank him for that. I did not have much money, and he was generous with the price.. this allowed me to get into biking with appropriate gear, and get into biking as not only a hobbie, but a lifestyle change.

I now have my full license, I got it without hassle about 3 weeks ago. Before that I bought a ZZR600 1990 (I like my old bikes, what can I say?), so I had my gpx 250 and ZZR600 before I got my full, of course temptation would take it's course and I would ride the 600 up the road to the dairy (less than a minute, literally) before I got my full, but never further.. no insurance. So I stuck to my 250 and I was damn happy to do so.

But I could not keep both, I took a small loan out to buy the 600, and the 250 had to go. I felt sad, as this was my first bike, quite like a first guitar it has sentimental value.

These two videos below are me riding my 250 to the new owners house. The end is cheesey as hell, because I made it that way. But at the same time, when I left it there, and when I reviewed it, I actually was sad. It was like giving your pet to someone else.. you want to tell them everything, how to feed it, what food it likes, how it likes to be scratched...

When I have the funds to buy another 250 I will, I had the best time of my life on one and even though I do admittedly have more fun on the 600, the 250 is the revitalisation of my youth that started everything. I may even try track down the same 250 and see if the current owner is willing to sell. It was very hard to give up.

So I put this to you, if you have the space and the money to keep your 250, do it, you won't regret it.. having two bikes is a blessing. Having a 250 that can run 400km+ on a tank of gas and the flickability of a paper plane is blissful. I love my 600, but 250's will always be in the back of my mind.

So long, Black Beauty, gone but not forgotten, not by a mile :bye::bye:


Part 1 (6 min)

<div><embed src="http://www.livevideo.com/flvplayer/embed/BE43AA05A4CC4ED8B29B8E1A24AD1808" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" WIDTH="445" HEIGHT="369" wmode="transparent"></embed><br/><a href="http://www.livevideo.com/video/embedLink/BE43AA05A4CC4ED8B29B8E1A24AD1808/406662/final-ninja-250-ride-part-1-o.aspx">Final Ninja 250 Ride. Part 1 of 2.</a></div>


Part 2 (6 min)

<div><embed src="http://www.livevideo.com/flvplayer/embed/65E749FA2D1A4A01B4AD973EB60FA91F" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" WIDTH="445" HEIGHT="369" wmode="transparent"></embed><br/><a href="http://www.livevideo.com/video/embedLink/65E749FA2D1A4A01B4AD973EB60FA91F/407438/final-ninja-250-ride-part-2-o.aspx">Final Ninja 250 Ride. Part 2 of 2.</a></div>


yeah It's cheesey, but shit, it's a memory worth keeping. The vehicle that changed my life :sunny:

Now - bring on summer and long, LONG tours on my 600.

[xwhatsit]

I'll definitely be keeping my 250. My little RS is mine for life. It's got more than a few faults, but nothing I've ridden really is quite the same. It's lots of fun in its own quirky little way.

In addition, who can fault the economics of it? To be sure, I'll definitely have a big bike or two, but am I going to ride a Goldstar (I wish :D) to the shops/work every day? A CB1300 would be overkill for the same thing.

27kms/litre, tyres that last forever, brake pads/shoes go a decade, and if I do something stupid and crash, it's not going to be expensive to fix.

I think everybody should own a 250 of some description, just for shits and giggles.

Zeocen -- buy a GPX250 in 20 years for too much money when you're old and sentimental for your youth :)

[Donor]

Mine can fuck RIGHT off.

Roll on the new bike!

HUZZAH!!!

[deanohit]

Will either be keeping my rattler for a Bucket Motard or to pass onto my younger brother to use. I love 250s as well, the only time I want a bigger bike is on the long open stretches of road when I hate it, on gravel and through the twisties, I love my bike.

[sidecar bob]

I still have the '81 Katana 1100 i bought in 1984 because it would be similar to selling one of my children, although i have only had the oldest one of them for 8 years, not 23.
Had to smile at you refering to a 1990 bike as old. To me, old starts at about 1978 & goes back from there.

[duckaddict]

I have the photo of my 1988 CBR250R framed on the wall, plus lots of photos and videos, they are something special those 250s.

However, I won't want to hang on to them, simply cause I know nothing about fixing them (cost more too) and the newer ones feels so much better :msn-wink:

p.s. just noticed, check out the post count! haha...

[gijoe1313]

Hehe well as everyone that knows me, I'm keeping my little ol'hornet for ever and ever. Even when I get my full, I'll still be riding my machine and won't be upgrading immediately (as everyone is wont to do).

I can recall the posts others have made with that wistful nostalgia and regret about selling off a cherished bike ... I'm determined never to let that happen to me! (And I am also a bit daft like that, 'cause apparantly you have to be a fruit loop to hold onto a small cc bike!)

And oh, yes, Daisy will be mine forever and ever as well until Donor comes to his senses one day and demands her back! :sweatdrop

When I can no longer keep them running, I will set them up as majestic full scale models for me to ooh and ahh at! :love:

Though I think my little ol'hornet should keep ticking along for a wee whiles yet! :woohoo:

[yungatart]

I have already sold my 250, but it has gone to a kb mate and sometimes ends up in our shed over night. I guess I could ride it if I wanted to?

[Coyote]

I would've hung onto my old Purple Fury, RG150, to race, but my stupid bigger bike needed to consume money without adding any value to it. Hate the fucker, high maintainence bitch. So now Koba is happily racing it, good to see someone using it at least.

I love getting on 250s. They're so much more forgiving, like the other day I rode a mates VTR250 and I was locking up the front wheel no problen. Last time the VFR lost front wheel traction it sent me hard into the ground (due to wet paint, not me being a hoon). Plus the girlfriend is in the market for a 250 which has meant I've had the excuse to ride several of them :D

[JimO]

my first bike was a ts185 suzuki back when almost everybody had a road legal trail bike as a first bike, one old mate had a suzi 750 waterbuss

[DMNTD]

my first bike was a ts185 suzuki back when almost everybody had a road legal trail bike as a first bike, one old mate had a suzi 750 waterbuss

Ha! My first bike was a Waterbus,good ol' GT750! In fact I learnt how to ride on it which was a bit exciting :blank:
No regrets selling it as I had(have) no mechanical aptitude plus I like to try all the lollies in the store and try them I have!
Most fun I ever had on one particular bike I've owned was a old Z1000. :niceone:

[sidecar bob]

Ha! My first bike was a Waterbus,good ol' GT750! In fact I learnt how to ride on it which was a bit exciting :blank:
No regrets selling it as I had(have) no mechanical aptitude plus I like to try all the lollies in the store and try them I have!
Most fun I ever had on one particular bike I've owned was a old Z1000. :niceone:

Yup have to agree, youre one of the most out there lolly tasters ive met, This guy comes to my workshop on all manner of cool stuff while most of us are working. Bastard!!!

[DMNTD]

Yup have to agree, youre one of the most out there lolly tasters ive met, This guy comes to my workshop on all manner of cool stuff while most of us are working. Bastard!!!

Hahahaha! Hey Life's short...eat lollies while ya still have your own teeth :drool:

[delusionz]

hmm, I plan to customise mine with different decals, windshield, indicators & tail lights and then put it in a good home at the end of my restricted. Hopefully someone that will let me ride it again..

[xwhatsit]

Mine can fuck RIGHT off.

Roll on the new bike!

HUZZAH!!!

Ah, but the ZZR was just a quickie fling after your real first -- who will always be just around the corner waiting for you to kickstart (and get a flaming footpeg in your leg, whoever the fuck designed that I will punch on the nose)!

Have you posted a thread yet? I want to see photos of the shiny goodness :love:

[ducatilover]

my first toy was an 86 gpz400r. it was crap. i hated it.
my second toy was a 2004 gn250e, it was worse and i hated it with a passion.
my third and favourite bike was the lovely characterful 1990 honda bros nt650.... i miss it alot, it went good, handled good, sounded orgasmic and i crashed it good.
my current toy is an 89 vt250 spada and it handles nice and is economical. but its a pile of crap, the brakes and suspension are crap.
fuck the 250....i want my bros650 back:bye::love:

[breakaway]

I miss my RG150 :(

[r00kie]

my 1st bike is here wiz me`~ i love her:banana:

[Rosie]

Mine can fuck RIGHT off.

Roll on the new bike!

HUZZAH!!!

Lol. Know the feeling. Admittedly my new, bigger bike is a 250, but when I sold the 150 on Monday, I wasn't really sad to see it go.

[Donor]

Well, as at today I am no longer stuck on a two fiddy.

And I still have NO desire to hang onto the one I have - hell I can't even force myself to think nice things about it!

Ah well, I guess that's 'cos I'm a double hard bastard... :headbang:

[gijoe1313]

Well, as at today I am no longer stuck on a two fiddy.

And I still have NO desire to hang onto the one I have - hell I can't even force myself to think nice things about it!

Ah well, I guess that's 'cos I'm a double hard bastard... :headbang:

And that's how you treated Daisy as well! :Oi: Now I have to get you to help her get back in running order! :o :whistle:

[Bren]

My first bike was a good old Kawasaki Z200...i loved that bike, and would love to have another z200 one day...then a GN250...I know which one I would prefer to have back...The Z200 had character....the GN just had reliability...bit like my corolla stationwagon, purely a tool...

[sprag]

Well, as at today I am no longer stuck on a two fiddy.

And I still have NO desire to hang onto the one I have - hell I can't even force myself to think nice things about it!

Ah well, I guess that's 'cos I'm a double hard bastard... :headbang:

LOL I hope you don't say the same thing about the kids or the wife :P

[sunhuntin]

the virago will be staying with me as long as possible. i love that bike, shes like a kid really. shes had 7 previous owners, and i feel thats more than enough for one bike, specially being not even 10 years old. my plan now i to try and get one example of each cc rating under the virago banner.
i have plans to customise the 250, but i want a second set of tins so i can put her back to stock if needed.

my first was an 86 gn250... would still be riding her had that bitch not pulled out and collected me. learned to ride on that bike, and she was very forgiving. hell... i ran her to levin and back once with no oil, and she barely even complained. even after the car got her, she still fired up and ran. pup had been in my family for years... brother learned to ride on her, then dad got her and then me. i did have plans on giving her back to dad when i moved up licenses.

the 06 gn was a heap of shit, though i didnt love her any less. she just kept falling to bits, and in the end, wasnt reliable enough [ever been pushed around a forecourt by your boss while trying to jump start???]

and yeh... 1990 isnt an old bike. early 70s and older. 90s bikes are still pups! LOL. gotta laugh at the guy on the harley decker at work "what years your bike" "2000... getting old now! *scrapes her jaw off the floor "that aint old! shes still a baby!!" *gets given a filthy look*

[<G>]

I would love to keep the Eliminator but can't afford to maintain her, she is really showing her age but she still has a lot of go in her. I was concerned about going to Gisborne on her but she rode like a dream.
There will be tears on parting but I hope she goes to someone who will appreciate and enjoy her as much as I have.

[The Lone Rider]

Sold my first 250 already

Have another one but it's to be sold.

I hope to get a 250 sports bike (Hyosung one me thinks) for commuting and occasional blat with other sportys, later on but quite happy with the big beasty that I will be retaining for now.

Anyone got one of those Hyosung sporties in CHCH btw? I wanna have a looky.

[imdying]

I totally agreee... I brought an RGV to compliment my thou :yes:

[jrandom]

Sniff. I miss my Zeal.

<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5900&d=1104194258"/>

[007XX]

Nice topic, cos it's exactly what I have been thinking about of late (amongst other things of course)...

I mean, I absolutely adore my little VTR, and everyone whom I have spoken to that once had one said they regretted selling theirs (McJim being one of them)...So as I see it, I have 3 options:

-Keep my girl as she is and never bitch about a lack of power when I outgrow her.
-Keep her but replace the engine with a 400 one...
-Or sell her and try desperately never to miss her as I ride a newer, more powerful beast.

[jrandom]

sell her and try desperately never to miss her as I ride a newer, more powerful beast.

Buy something with similar ergonomics. That's the key. A Monster, a naked SV650, a Hornet. Something like that. You'll absolutely love the extra power, the fatter rubber and the more expensive suspension components.

Just don't be fooled into going from your VTR onto something that will cramp you up and force you to change your riding style.

[007XX]

Buy something with similar ergonomics. That's the key. A Monster, a naked SV650, a Hornet. Something like that. You'll absolutely love the extra power, the fatter rubber and the more expensive suspension components.

Just don't be fooled into going from your VTR onto something that will cramp you up and force you to change your riding style.

Very good advice...however, I do lust after the likes of CBR600 and 675 Daytona...being of a slight build, I got to admit I look forward to having some shelter from a fairing.

Of course, I would first do a reasonnably long test ride before I decide that a bike like this is for me...

[jrandom]

Very good advice...however, I do lust after the likes of CBR600 and 675 Daytona...being of a slight build, I got to admit I look forward to having some shelter from a fairing.

To get shelter from current sprotsbike models, you have to tuck up and lie on the tank in your very best "full throttle on the back straight" impersonation.

And, to be honest, under 160kph you need earplugs, not a fairing. Fairings don't really come into their own until you're hitting twice the open road speed limit or higher, or unless you have a tourer with a huge screen that insulates you in a giant bubble of stillness.

The 675 has a very crouched riding position. Older CBR600 F4s have a great comfy riding position, but I'm not so sure about the more recent models.

I personally suspect, based on the way you're responding to your VTR, that you'll be much happier on the more upright bikes.

[007XX]

To get shelter from current sprotsbike models, you have to tuck up and lie on the tank in your very best "full throttle on the back straight" impersonation.

And, to be honest, under 160kph you need earplugs, not a fairing. Fairings don't really come into their own until you're hitting twice the open road speed limit or higher, or unless you have a tourer with a huge screen that insulates you in a giant bubble of stillness.

The 675 has a very crouched riding position. Older CBR600 F4s have a great comfy riding position, but I'm not so sure about the more recent models.

I personally suspect, based on the way you're responding to your VTR, that you'll be much happier on the more upright bikes.

Cool, thanks for that...However, do bear in mind that for a lot of us ladies with smaller bodily proportions than you guys, what might seem cramped to you might be quite comfortable for us...

So really, that is all conjecture until tried in the flesh, so to speak...:yes:

also, I am lucky enough to have an engineer at home who loves to do mods on bikes, so changing clipped handlebars for example is no problem whatsoever, and makes a world of difference I'm told...(Neil did that for his SV1000).

I guess what I'm trying to say is, a lot of people just accept a bike ex factory as is...I have the opportunity to think outside the square and would like to explore that too as part of my decision making.

[jrandom]

I guess what I'm trying to say is, a lot of people just accept a bike ex factory as is...I have the opportunity to think outside the square and would like to explore that too as part of my decision making.

Mm, yes, true.

I look forward to seeing what direction you end up deciding to go in.

:)

Certainly the likes of the 675 would be sublime for trackdays. You'd improve your riding very quickly that way, whereas a lazier bike might end up holding you back.

[007XX]

Mm, yes, true.

I look forward to seeing what direction you end up deciding to go in.

:)

Certainly the likes of the 675 would be sublime for trackdays. You'd improve your riding very quickly that way, whereas a lazier bike might end up holding you back.

Indeed...That is something I have taken into account. I do realise that sometimes, I could use a little more power from my VTR, especially when overtaking uphill, and the likes...but I refuse to change just for the sake of it, and want to do a couple of track days on my girl first and know for sure that I am skilled enough to use all she's got before I decide to upgrade.

I'll give you a call when I do a trial ride and can compare notes maybe? :niceone:

[jrandom]

I'll give you a call when I do a trial ride and can compare notes maybe? :niceone:

I intend to test-ride a 675 sometime soon; perhaps we could sync up at one of the dealers and make it a two in one with a bike swap halfway. Always better when you have someone else to bounce impressions off immediately after riding something.

[007XX]

I intend to test-ride a 675 sometime soon; perhaps we could sync up at one of the dealers and make it a two in one with a bike swap halfway. Always better when you have someone else to bounce impressions off immediately after riding something.

Oh I would so love that...:clap: :D

Unfortunately, I'm not yet legal to ride any other than my girl. :no:

But I would gladly tag along anyway, and get your impression on it. :yes: Any excuse for a ride...

[jrandom]

Unfortunately, I'm not yet legal to ride any other than my girl. :no:

When will you have your full licence?

[kanny]

Gee just the thought of saleing bumble makes me cry:crybaby: Though yes i will wont another bike:lol:

[Tank]

My 250 was a GN (one of the new Chineese ones).

Couldnt wait to get rid of the thing.

[blue eyed savage]

im keeping my bike. the 250 bandit has got a place in me heart,
and my mates probly want a bike to ride on the weekend so it will become the flat bike, what a way to get my mates into bikes.
lucky to be them.

[Blue Velvet]

I got rid of mine. Dead weight, another WOF and rego to feed...

[Number One]

If I'd made it to full I would have kept mine. I'm a short arse and I could throw it around and put my feet on the ground at intersections...somewhat helpful! Wish I'd been able to keep it...hard to get back on two wheels and build confidence when you don't have one in the garage you can jump on anytime. oh well....must keep nagging hubby :clap:

[PeteMun]

Cool vids man.. Ive had my learner licence for 3 months now and wont be getting a bike until february but after watching the vids i really really want one now :crybaby: