Best 400

[steved]

I've done it a few times, mostly coro loops or the back stright on puke or taupo, it ain't hard to hit 190kph on those, even with my fat ass on the back.

My ZXR400 (SP admittedly) hit 200 kph at Puke, just. Great bike the Kawasaki.

[sAsLEX]

My ZXR400 (SP admittedly) hit 200 kph at Puke, just. Great bike the Kawasaki.

on the speedo? or some other method?

As mines been past 180 past the kmhr bit and on past Nippon on the speedo,

[RC1]

How did it feel like a 250 and in what way mate? You mean grunt wise or was it light? Any other comments on GSXR 400? What year did you have? Common problems? I hear it's top end is the best out of all 400's?

mynameis

gsxr 400rr was a 94 sling shot( lite wise) grunt was good for a 400 was restricted to 205 from memory , only had for a short time about 6wks( before getting rear ended at carbine rd lights) ( wrote off bike and cage) so had no real problems to write of, still enjoyed the vfr the best,although the hot cbr was faster,

[steved]

on the speedo? or some other method?

As mines been past 180 past the kmhr bit and on past Nippon on the speedo,

Hand-held GPS in the pocket. I don't think the speedo goes that high although I can't remember. Klown?

[Karma]

on the speedo? or some other method?

As mines been past 180 past the kmhr bit and on past Nippon on the speedo,

Hand-held GPS in the pocket. I don't think the speedo goes that high although I can't remember. Klown?

Yeh, speedo tops out at 180kph, and on a 12 year old bike can be a tad unreliable... I'd believe 200kph though, dependant on if you're over the tank and weigh slightly less than I do

[arj127]

thats because its a 400 ya knob

i should have said was, if you are moving on from a 250 inline four, go for a 600. I dont beleive the power increase from 250 to 400 is a lot, and you will soon get bored with it. The 600's have unbelievable power, and can show a few 750's or 1000's how its done.
I only bought my 400 as i was coming back to road riding and had always thought the VFR were pretty cool. But i do miss the power and laziness of riding style that my 600 had.
You have to ride the VFR fairly hard through the gears if you want it to boogie.

[Coyote]

My ZXR400 (SP admittedly) hit 200 kph at Puke, just. Great bike the Kawasaki.

So the 400s aren't that much faster than the 250s?

I got to just under 200 on my old CBR (according to the speedo)

[Karma]

So the 400s aren't that much faster than the 250s?

Top speed maybe, but they'll get there a lot quicker... my 400 will outrun 250s in a line piece of piss.

[Coyote]

Top speed maybe, but they'll get there a lot quicker... my 400 will outrun 250s in a line piece of piss.

So it's worth upgrading to a 400 instead of a 600? I won't have to loan cash to get a 400

[steved]

So the 400s aren't that much faster than the 250s?

I got to just under 200 on my old CBR (according to the speedo)

As Saslex pointed out, the speedo isn't a great indication of speed up top.
I think a standard CBR250 would struggle to top 180 in reality.

[Coyote]

As Saslex pointed out, the speedo isn't a great indication of speed up top.
I think a standard CBR250 would struggle to top 180 in reality.

I think it would get to 180, but that would be it. I ran out of road before I hit the limiter

And so would a ZXR250 A/C, before some tosser goes on about how much better they are which is bull

[steved]

So it's worth upgrading to a 400 instead of a 600? I won't have to loan cash to get a 400

I went CBR250, ZXR400 then CBR600. The 400 is still 40%ish more power than a 250 so is a nice step up.

[Karma]

So it's worth upgrading to a 400 instead of a 600? I won't have to loan cash to get a 400

That's really a subjective question and depends on a number of factors;

- Your height / weight

The 400s all mentioned above are fairly small bikes physically, and if you're a slightly larger chap you might want to look at 600s as they are usually bigger.

- Your riding style

The 400s will cruise fairly well on the motorway, but are best in the twisties, the 400s in the twisties over the coro for example will keep pace with 600s and most others (dependant on the rider of course)

- Your riding ability

You'll find the 400s are a very forgiving bike, they've got enough power that they can move if you want them to, but it's also small enough that it's difficult to get into a really sticky situation by accident, I've found my ZX4R gives me plenty of notice if it's not happy with the lean it's on for example, and plenty of time to pull it back into line.

- Where you normally ride

You'll find most 400s are carbed, and in colder climates this can be a bit of a pain, but this only favours the 600s if they were fuel injected, in fact the carbed 600s are even worse in colder climates to get running well. The 400s will generally cruise easily in and out of town, only requiring the odd high speed run to clear out any cobwebs it may have built up.

My personal recommendation...

If you're over six foot tall, or more than 100kgs, you'll find the 400 might not be to your requirements, but anyone else that is coming back to biking, or fancies an easy trade up from a 250 will really enjoy it.

As with anything, test before you buy, the 400 doesn't take much to reach it's limits really, so you probably won't keep it for more than a year or two, but same goes for most bikes really.

[Coyote]

Well I've just grown past 6' and I'm still going (my cousins that I seem to be following are 6'4") but I'm 75kg (haven't had christmas dinner yet). Being restricted to the 150/250s has got me yearning for more power and I think 400s wouldn't be so big a jump and I'll get tired of it easily. I haven't got my full yet, but I've been riding for nearly 5 years and I'm fairly sensible so I think I can handle a 600 (or a 1000 if I was dumb enough to get one. Which I might be cause those early 2000 R1s are getting cheap).

Money will probably decide. Once I've fixed up the RGs I could get over 2000 each which will just be enough for a decent 400. Plus I hope to save up some cash. I've still got another 6-12 months to think about things. I don't mind riding a learners bike on my full for a bit longer

[Karma]

I'm fairly sensible so I think I can handle a 600 (or a 1000 if I was dumb enough to get one. Which I might be cause those early 2000 R1s are getting cheap).

Mate... I'd very strongly advise against an R1 stright off a 250, 400s might be a little too soft, but see how it goes eh.