Aprillia RS 250

[Biff]

I owned an RS125 once, being from the EwwwKay we only saw a 250s hit the shores as grey imports.

A great bit of machinery. Very nimble and oodles of power for its class.

But as as already been said - expensive parts. Get some quotes for things like brake levers, sindicators etc. Because the chances are it's going to get dropped sometime.

[Edbear]

No doubt, it's a fantastic attractive machine but here's why I stayed away:

1: It's alot of power for new comers.
2: It's alot of unexpected power (2-stroke, powerband etc.)
3: It's a track bike with indicators
4: It's heavy on fuel
5: It's heavy on oil
6: It's heavy on tyres
7: It's heavy on pistons requiring frequent rebuilds.

Unless you have deep pockets, beware.

Sigh! I know, but if I had deep enough pockets, I'd have one like a shot!

[Edbear]

Yea but I sorta wanted to learn a road sports bike.What about aKAWASAKI ZXR250 or Hyosung GT250R or Yamaha FZR250 or a SUZUKI GSX250 are any of them any good?

Yep!




Blimin'10char!

[APRILIA RS250]

I've made my mined up to not getting an Aprilia RS250.But what about NSR 250's I know they are 2 strokes but would it be to powerful for me.As I say I've got expereince in riding bikes.
Do you guys have any sugestions of sports 250's.

[Ixion]

What are y' a girl or something? Why go wimping out. You've got the experience, you need a REAL fast bike. D' you want to be the wimp at the back that everyone else is waiting for and laughing at? Go for the Aprilia. Or the Suzuki RGV250 its the same engine. Horsepower is all that counts and with your riding experience you don't have anything to learn


(I've decided to promote Accelerated Darwinism. The gene pool isn't being cleaned quickly enough)

[Jantar]

As I say I've got expereince in riding bikes.

Maybe you do have experience in riding bikes, and I'm sure that you can power out of a corner, lift the front wheel when you want, handle jumps and whoop-de-dos with ease. Unfortunately for you, that's not what is required on the road. You now have to learn how to recognise that the car stopped at the intersection on your left is about to pull right into your path; that taxi parked on the opposite side of the road has lined you up and is about to U-turn right into you; the bus in the lane alongside you is about to move into your lane and squash you; the kids playing on the footpath 50 meters ahead are about to run into your path without looking; etc. etc. etc.

Riding a bike on dirt does give you handling skills on difficult terrain, but it doesn't prepare you for the road, or for conflicting traffic. The bikes you have suggested are all pure sports bikes and require a totally different riding style to what you are used to. You won't be able to stand on the pegs if the going is a bit rough, you can't let the bike move under you as much because instead of riding the bike you must wear it like an article of clothing. Sports bikes are the exact opposite end of the spectrum to dirt bikes.

As a learner on the road get yourself a bike that is midway between a sports bike and a dirt bike, and after a few months to a year, decide what bike best fits your riding style.

[slydesigns]

I've raced MX for over 15 years on YZ 250s and finally YZ125's (easier to get upside down off jumps and they don't try to beat you to death if you get tired like a 250).
I got my licence and spent a month on an 03 GSX250 and nearly fell asleep, it was soooo damn uninteresting. Last month I bought a KR1 instead. Now I am truely discovering the appeal of sport bike road riding and my partner is struggling to keep up on her GPX.
Yes is chews gas (fill up every 130-150km).
Yes is chews 2 stroke oil (I have 3 cases of Yamalude from MX to burn through).
Yes it is going to chew components, but I swapped out YZ125 pistons every 6 hours, so nothings changed there.
Yes its a light flickable toy with a chance to head shake every time my hands leave the bars.
BUT DAMN ITS FUN! If you worked on and PAID FOR your own MX bike maintanence then an RGV, TZR, NSR, KR or RS250 shouldn't be that much of a problem. If you rode 4 strokes offroad, and /or had someone maintain your gear, get something else. And I dont know many 15 year olds who worked on ther own gear properly and with an attention to detail. These things dont throw you into dirt at 80km when they fail, they hurl you into livestock, powerpoles, picket fences and oncoming traffic at up to 220kph!

Food for thought.

[Korea]

Wise man once said to me:
"...a 2-stroke 250 machine is the bike you buy after you've mastered all the other bikes..."

As the Suzy RGV250 was my second bike, I think he may have been right; I spent so much time scaring myself (overshooting corners, missing brake points, horrible lines) that I really didn't learn anything about riding...

In the end, I was much faster on an Yammy FZR400RR

Good luck~

[Coyote]

If you've got the money for an RS250, go for the new RS125 instead. It's a beautiful machine

I used to own a CBR250RR, it was a great bike. But since it was my first road bike I dropped it a few times and it cost a fair bit of money to bring it back to it's original value. I suggest to avoid them, I'd like to see no one buying these bikes and hopefully the wankers like Red Baron (who always seem to be ahead on the price hiking) might have to bring the price back. They're great bikes but they're not worth the $7000 they're now asking for them, nor were they worth $5500 when I got mine

I got the RG since the CBR was so expensive and I had a habit of falling down. I bought a lemon, but I've worked on it and it's now the fastest RG I've ridden. It's a brilliant bike. I've even bought a second, the one Jamezo crashed

EDIT: CBR250RRs 1994 and over have had power reductions due to laws in Japan at the time. If you do end up spending up large on one of them, go for 1993 or under

[Mr. Peanut]

I've made my mined up to not getting an Aprilia RS250.But what about NSR 250's I know they are 2 strokes but would it be to powerful for me.As I say I've got expereince in riding bikes.
Do you guys have any sugestions of sports 250's.

Don't be stupid like 90% of new bike buyers. Buy something cheap and simple. Enjoy riding, not trying to be the fastest. I've had more fun on scooters doing stupid shit, than at 220km/h trying not to die.

[Racey Rider]

.... Yes is chews 2 stroke oil (I have 3 cases of Yamalude from MX to burn through)....

Just be sure it's ok for injector systems if your KR1 is still set up that way.
Don't make the mistake I made of putting a pre-mix oil into a auto injection system. It was too thick to get through the injectors at the reqiured rate.

Racey

[sugilite:Me]

Since you have been riding dirt bikes for 6 years, you should not struggle with a 250 2 stroke road bike.
Just respect it and you should be fine

[APRILIA RS250]

Yea I want something to get me over the Rimatakas fearly fast regualy.And to get to school and back.

[Mr. Peanut]

CBR250 or ZXR250.

[Jamezo]

No way. Expensive, not as fast, easy way to write off huge value if you bin it.

Slightly better in the financial stakes with a single-R CBR, but still a lot of capital whizzing round.