Centre Stand 250cc road bike.

[middleaged2wheeler]

Does anyone know the road bike 250cc models of recent 12 years that has a centre stand for quick oil checks and chain adjustments (other than the GN 250) Older blokes don,t want to be lifting heavy bikes onto frames.
Even my honda ct 90 had a centre stand, also yamaha rx 125 and suzuki 50cc--all road bikes big and small had them not so long ago. I see websites in England and Aussie where you can buy them as extras for 125 quid plus fitting and post--but that,s only a few models. If customers demand them-manufacturers may make them.
Anyway my next purchase will be a bike with a centre stand- IST requirement. CAN the latest Virago have a cente stand fitted???

[xwhatsit]

I'm pretty sure the Yamaha Scorpio has a centre-stand.

I agree, such a pain in the arse not having one.

[kiwifruit]

Zzr 250 :)

GSX250(?)

[mark247]

yep GSX250 has a centre stand

[middleaged2wheeler]

thanks to replys
Kawasaki zzr has one I seen on trade me. 2006 model there done 90,000 kms in two years..must be a good bike. Whoops--a GPX that is--what a large mileage for 2 years

[PirateJafa]

GSF250/Bandit.

[Gubb]

Hyosung makes 'em.
Additional extra though.

Just buy a Paddock stand. Cheap, and can use it on your future bikes as well. Mines already paid for itself.

[PirateJafa]

Hyosung makes 'em.
Additional extra though.

Just buy a Paddock stand. Cheap, and can use it on your future bikes as well. Mines already paid for itself.
But it's a bit of a pain carrying one around everywhere in case you need to work on the bike on the side of the road! ;)

[FJRider]

Thats what the wife's for... to hold it for you...:innocent:

[McJim]

Paddock stand is the way to go. If I ever get a bike with a centre stand I'll remove it after a few minutes. It's actually easier to put the bike on a paddock stand than it is to use a centre stand. I nearly give myself a hernia every time I put the wife's GSX750F on the centre stand.
Apart from the fact that it's an extra 3 kilos of useless metal that you're carrying around on the bike.

[Ixion]

Like the man said, it's a pain having to strap the paddock stand on the bike. And the y'still carrying the same 3kg (probably more)

Absence of a centre stand would rule a bike out if I were buying new.

I shall pointedly refrain from mentioning that ONCE UPON A TIME every respectable bike had a centre stand , a prop stand (often two) a rear wheel stand, a front wheel stand. All as standard. And quickly detachable wheels that could easily be removed by the roadside with no tools whatsoever. No, I won't mention that. Might raise too many questions of the "have we really made any progress over the last 30 years" variety.

[HTFU]

thanks to replys
Kawasaki zzr has one I seen on trade me. 2006 model there done 90,000 kms in two years..must be a good bike. Whoops--a GPX that is--what a large mileage for 2 years

If you click on the speedo photo of that bike you can see it has done 9000km silly bugger has included the 100 metre units.

I paid $6000 for a new one last year and have seen some yellow 2001 ones go for $3500-4000 not long ago.

The gpx goes well compared to my GN 250 I had the year before, at 110-120km/hr highway riding it does about 300km on 15L with 3L still in reserve (good size tank for touring). Soft rear shock is no good for really loading it up with gear or a pillion but it is really comfortable on the bumps. The centre stand is handy.

[PirateJafa]

I shall pointedly refrain from mentioning that ONCE UPON A TIME every respectable bike had a centre stand , a prop stand (often two) a rear wheel stand, a front wheel stand. All as standard. And quickly detachable wheels that could easily be removed by the roadside with no tools whatsoever. No, I won't mention that. Might raise too many questions of the "have we really made any progress over the last 30 years" variety.

Please don't mention that!

I'm too tempted by the old BSAs, Nortons and Triumphs that I see already. :(

[KelvinAng]

And there I was thinking if I'm the odd one wanting a centre stand. Those things are blardy useful to me... it's the single most missed item when I moved from the scooter to the bike. Next is the storage compartment.

[EJK]

Yamaha Scorpio Z

end of story.

[F5 Dave]

. . ."have we really made any progress over the last 30 years" variety.

Tubeless tyres? Tyre repair kits?

So why would you want to work on your bike away from home?

Paddock stand & ideally a stubby table to roll the bike up on. oh the bliss when I got one. That's what I call progress.:woohoo:

[middleaged2wheeler]

Most bike repairers I speak to love centre stands also.
Anyway thanks for imputs .I like the look of the Hyosung but not sure of longevity--will they last 10 years and i ask myself that about a scorpio-if i buy one today will it be useable in ten years time. My plastic pony xt 225 probably will be but some of the CHEAPER CHROME PONIES, well i wonder.
XT too high off the ground for a centre stand, although it has too holes in a bracket under there. Chrome quality from some countries-words fail me. A cheap suzuki gz 250 on trade me right now- at palmerston north -$2000--00-a make a buck oppurtunity for someone one.

[middleaged2wheeler]

The search engine on trade me won,t list it unless you search SUZUKI-250cc- lowest price on drop down menu-it,s a red 2002 model

[xwhatsit]

not sure of longevity--will they last 10 years and i ask myself that about a scorpio-if i buy one today will it be useable in ten years time. My plastic pony xt 225 probably will be but some of the CHEAPER CHROME PONIES, well i wonder.
It's worth noting that the Scorpio is actually based on your XT225, same motor etc.

[middleaged2wheeler]

yes good ain,t it--the 2008 xt is 249cc must be the tricker style motor. xt owners could bolt a scorpio power train straight in i suppose. Just the chrome qual. All Chrome jobs aren,t created equal--i wish some scorpio owners would let me know if the chrome is lasting well, as that would be a near ist choice for me resale value years down the track can change with petrol prices and all sorts of factors, but if you have to re-chrome everything all the time that can be expensive.

[middleaged2wheeler]

I guess what has put me off is i bought a brand new suzuki gn 250 in 2004 and looked after it and garaged it and did only 5000 kms in two years and yet the chrome was--well the headlight rim rusted away almost and all bolt heads rusted up and the exhaust pipe flange rusted and it was busting out in rust. If that what happened to visible parts of bike what happens to inside frame and other, under welds and all that?

[McJim]

You shouldn't compare chinese GN250s with the Scorpio 225. From what I've heard the Scorpio is far better made.

The old GN250s from the eighties were fine bikes by all accounts though. Not to be confused with the newer ones.

But if it's build quality you're after get a Ducati :yes:

[CookMySock]

Daelim has a center stand. Also there is an aftermarket one available for the Hyosung GT-R's.

Steve

[middleaged2wheeler]

Ducati --wow- bit out of my price range--always thought a choice bike-them and a BMW. BMW,s do car mileages before needing major overhauls. Recent chat with 70 year old BMW owner and his has 247000 kms on same untouched motor 1987 model--apart from usual wearout things. Good quality,near new, bike i,m sniffing around for OR new scorpio. Centre stand equipt.

[Badjelly]

I shall pointedly refrain from mentioning that ONCE UPON A TIME every respectable bike had a centre stand , a prop stand (often two) a rear wheel stand, a front wheel stand. All as standard. And quickly detachable wheels that could easily be removed by the roadside with no tools whatsoever. No, I won't mention that. Might raise too many questions of the "have we really made any progress over the last 30 years" variety.

Bikes 30 years ago had all that? I beg to differ.

[Ixion]

Prolly more like 50 or 60 years to get all that, I guess. My old SpeedTwin had all that lot. The standard then gradually deteriorated. Though even in the seventies centre stand sidestand and a reasonably QD wheel were expected as satndard. And some of the Briddish still had front and rear stands.

[Badjelly]

...I wish some scorpio owners would let me know if the chrome is lasting well, as that would be a near ist choice for me...

There aren't too many Scorpios around more than 1-2 years old, so it's hard to tell. I've run mine for a year now, commuting in all weathers but garaged every night, and it's holding up *reasonably* well. I used, very occasionally, to see alarming spots of rusty water sitting on the frame after the bike had sat in the rain, but not so much these days, probably because I regularly coat the bike in WD40. The spokes have gone very dull and there's a bit of corrosion on some of the spoke nipples. I give it 6 out of 10 for corrosion resistance.

[crazybigal]

GSF250/Bandit.

nup must be after market one.
ours didnt have one and ive never seen a 250 bandit with one.

[crazybigal]

all the zzr's have them, and the gpx prob will as its basically the same bike

[middleaged2wheeler]

just as i suspected--there are chrome wheels on the road today from the eigthies on various models that don,t ever look tarnished or even a hint of rust.
Thanks for your opinion.--yamaha scorpios have been made since 2002 and sold in Thailand and other asian countries-reading their websites and reviews they rave over them--but not our climate..

[middleaged2wheeler]

Freedom Honda palmerston north just got two zzr,s 250cc in today--that,s were i,ll start my search ---one 20000kms and one 6000kms.

[middleaged2wheeler]

The latest YAMAHA motorbike frames on Two models are controlled ALLOY POURED. I think that means they pour alloy into pipe frame--superscooter XP T MAX 500 and one of the offroad Dual purpose bikes. I used to smash up alloy car motors and gearboxes with a sledgehammer and sell the scrap alloy, and my big sledgehamer used to bounce off those engine and gearbox cases--they are bloody strong-only repeated smashing on one spot got the job done. Good bit of pocket money bye the way. Buy a bike with a frame like that and you,ll never have to worry about corriosion or weakness.

[PirateJafa]

nup must be after market one.
ours didnt have one and ive never seen a 250 bandit with one.

Stock.

Look for the points where it would have attached - a lot of Bandit owners removed the stands because once you touched the left peg down, you didn't have much further to go before the centrestand hit the road!

[Evo1132]

Dunno if anyone has mentioned the Kawasaki ninja GPX250, my old 88 had a centre stand.

[tommorth]

my ktm exc 200 has mounts for a centre stand