Stroker 250 as a daily rider - straight up answer

[JeremyW]

I am a newby biker looking at purchasing an 89 tzr250 and I want some sound advice from people with motorbike knowledge far in excess of mine.

Is it sensible for me to consider using a 17 year old 2 stroke, done 17000km and in overall good condition (forks, frame, electrics, tyres etc) as a daily rider if I am a student earning about $300 per week?

I am really stuggling to convince myself it is a bad idea but after riding one tonight I have absolutely and completely fallen in love...

What do you think? Would you do it?

I will make my own decision but it would be great to hear what you guys and girls would do in the same situation

[imdying]

Heaps of my mates in similar circumstances to you did, and I in worse circumstances did too... If I was 16 again, I'd have another in heartbeat (although I'd try for an NSR). Sensible it's not, but hella fun

[hXc]

I'd personally say no. But I'm biased to my naked, 4-stroke, v-twin. It is as my pro says: Pure sex

[Magua]

It'll be great fun on the weekends, but it'll be a total pain in the arse for commuting.

[hXc]

If you want a stroker, go for a 150. EVen though the TZR is older, it is still a performance bike, therefore you'd not be riding it how it should be ridden. Just a waste of an engine.

[Brett]

If you haven't done much riding i really would not suggest getting a two stroker as one of your first bikes! Rather go for a 4 stroke 250cc if you want a sports bike. I recommend the ZXR's!

[Shadows]

I don't consider a performance 2 stroke to be a particularly good bike for a learner, especially if it is going to be a daily rider.
They have to be ridden at consistently higher revs to get anything out of them, otherwise they won't "pull the skin of a rice pudding". Focussing on keeping up engine speeds through corners etc. to maintain efficient engine output isn't the best riding style for somebody who needs to concentrate on developing more important things, like self preservation techniques.
Better to go with something more torquey like a single or twin four stroke, which will maintain a more even and controllable power output throughout a wider rev range so you can concentrate on other things until they become second nature.
Not very exciting but you have to learn to walk before you can run.

[Ixion]

I have been using a 30 year old two stroke for daily transport for the last few weeks. I wouldn't want to do it for too long. I am a big fan of two strokes but daily commuting is not where the sports two smokers shine.

It's OK if you have plenty of money for the maintainance which WILL be required, and another vehicle to use when its off the road . But as a practical ride to work, no sorry I'd not recommend it. Communting is hard on these machines. And DEFINATELY not if your commute requires lane splitting.

I would also echo the "not a good bike for a learner", except that I see you have a street magic, so I assume you have some experience.

Can you not use the Street Magic for cummuntering?

The 150cc two strokes are a different story, they are much more practical (though even they can run up maintainance bills that stretch a student's pockets - ask Mr Magua, or Mr Pyrocam)

Stick with four strokes until you can afford to own a two smoker just for sheer fun.

[slowpoke]

...I'm biased to my naked, 4-stroke, v-twin. It is as my pro says: Pure sex

If your fourstroke twin is pure sex then it's straight missionary style with the lights off: nice but not memorable. The TZR is nasty, dirty, drunken sex behind the nightclub kinda sex: much more fun but it does come with some risks.

You've got to ask yourself can you afford something to go wrong mechanically? Two strokes are simpler than 4 strokes but at this age you've got to expect something to go toes up at some stage. What is the commute like? Are you zipping along some backroads or are you stuck in traffic slipping the clutch for half an hour? Do you have alternative transport?

Just a few things to think about anyway.

[mynameis]

As a general rule of thumb any bike which is ten years or older will require more maintance than newer bikes and obviously two strokers require more than four stroke bikes.

17 000 km on a 89 two stroker is high km's and an old bike. TZR's are less common and parts would be harder to find and hence more expensive from my understanding.

They also have to be ridden in a certain fashion as outlined above and are less forgiving than a CBR or ZXR 250 in corners. And from what I know TZR's are the most powerful two strokers in 250's.

More regular servicing and maintance and more money would be spent compared to four strokes so I think a four cylinder four stroke would be better bike a ZXR 250.

[JeremyW]

Thanks for your comments guys. You have all echoed my thoughts exactly but it is nice to hear it from someone else.

I think I will leave the 250 stroker for a time when I have more experience and definately more $$$! I have the 'you are poor' and the 'you want to live' voices getting very strong.

I think it will be the RG150 for me as I love strokers and this bike will certainly be better for commuting with the odd longer ride on the weekends.

I would certainly go for a 250 four if they werent so damn expensive! I refuse to pay the asking price for most of them so I will wait for my full until I get my first four stroke experience.

Thanks again

[willy_01]

its a bloody silly idea. I did it with an Rg so it aways overheated at the lights in the summer - being kick start it was a bit of a drama. But mate after a hard days uni/work you find your self really looking forward to the ride home, i sometimes smiled just thinking about it in class. My bike was a pain in the arse, and let me down many times, but my only regret is i didnt make it faster - go for it!

[Theatre]

I ride to uni every day on my KR and its fine, the whole 'you've gotta thrash it or else it'll clog up' argument is just a good excuse to go on lots of rides! Got no idea about the older 250s though. I think your plan of a 150 2 stroke then moving up a bit later is a good one, the 150s are still be heaps of fun.

[Jeaves]

i commute everyday from pt chev to manukau via the motorway on the rg , dont have any real issues other than needing to keep the revs up to be Manoeuvrable in and around the traffic . Never ridden a 250 2t though so cant comment on that

[nudemetalz]

Many many years ago I used an RZ-500 as my daily commuter...needless to say on many occasions it became an RZ-375-V3 and RZ-250-V2....
Quite easy to see which plug had fouled by one exhaust not smoking while others were...
But I reckon no, get a 4-stroke, even just a small one, and save the TZR for weekend blasts.