Can anyone tell me why 250cc bikes have to be either old or gutless?

**little green FXR** · 29th January 2008, 15:33

I've had a 250cc GSXR previously, and am now looking to buy another higher performance 250cc bike to keep with the licence rules, and finding it damn frustrating. It seems that the newest GSXR, CBR, and ZXR 250s on the market are 1995, and even getting that age is a stretch. I can understand that when you are on your learners or restricted licence it does make sense for the power of your bike to be restricted to the 250cc class, but why is it that there are no newer high performance bikes available? Does anyone know how something manufactured around 2000 is impossible to get (unless a 2-stroke is wanted?)
Can someone please give me the reason for this strange situation where the only bikes that can go fast in the 250cc class are at the age now where they have ancient technology, and old, old parts???????

**Grub** · 29th January 2008, 15:35

Originally Posted by little green FXR

Can someone please give me the reason for this strange situation where the only bikes that can go fast in the 250cc class are at the age now where they have ancient technology, and old, old parts???????

No ........

**R6_kid:Me** · 29th January 2008, 15:37

It is rumoured that around 1993 there was a horsepower restriction placed in Japan that limited 250cc bikes to either 35 or 40hp at the crank. The current production 250 sportsbikes (ZXR250,CBR250,FZR250 etc) were already over this and production was ceased.

Aprilia makes a new RS125 and it looks really damn sexy too, you'll just have to pay the price. It handles like the bees knees though!
http://www.thebikerzone.com/road_tes...0306_77819.jpg

It's still only 33bhp unrestricted, but i'd guess that is rwhp, and it's a bloody light little bike.

**MVnut** · 29th January 2008, 15:45

It's just the rules, OK

**bugjuice** · 29th January 2008, 15:51

old, no.. saw in the flesh today, the new kawa 250. Was actually impressed with it. I'm sure it's still pretty gutless tho, I think it's still a twin air-cooled 250. But still, tis a stuna

new grunty? nope.. old skool is your friend. Besides, the older a bike is, the more parts there are around for them.. All the good solid 250 sprotbikes of yesterdecade are still often found to be going strong. So most are pre-95. So what? You can still find a smart example of the CBRs and ZXRs, and look hard enough, and you get some RGVs and may be, just may be, the monster of a TZR too..

**little green FXR** · 29th January 2008, 15:52

ok, I understand that it's the rules, but I'm hoping that people can give me more insight into how these rules came about than "it's just the rules".

**madandy** · 29th January 2008, 15:53

Production costs also..?
It wouldn't cost much more to manufacture a 600cc sports bike with all the designs and features being essentially the same as the tiddlers and only the size of parts, and the engines being a little larger. Not many people would like to pay close to 600cc prices for a wee 250.
Just a guess...

**MVnut** · 29th January 2008, 15:56

Originally Posted by little green FXR

ok, I understand that it's the rules, but I'm hoping that people can give me more insight into how these rules came about than "it's just the rules".

My attempt at humour (sorry)

**disenfranchised** · 29th January 2008, 15:59

I've seen things online about newer Hobda CBR250RR's.
Seems like they might have kept on making them, but don't seel them in every country.
If this page can be believed, new models can be got in Australia
http://www.ausbikeprices.com/Honda_CBR_250_RR.html

You've always got the Aprilia RS250, but that'll cost ya.

Main reason is probably market forces.
Not worth worrying about the NZ rules, cause we're not big enough, so Europe and the UK will be the target, and they have HP restrictions..hell over there you can get a low tuned 500 and still meet the provisional requirements.

**kiwifruit** · 29th January 2008, 16:04

**onearmedbandit** · 29th January 2008, 16:14

+1 for everything imdying said in his post 1 above.

**R6_kid:Me** · 29th January 2008, 16:21

Originally Posted by imdying

Nup, that's just how they're registering them over there. Very very very popular in Australia to put the latest paint jobs on them and flog them for big $$$$...

I dont know how many times this has been said throughout this forum...

the CBR/ZXR/FZR 250's were all last made in 1993.

Kiwifruit also makes a good point - a 250 motard would get a you a long way into a lot of fun & trouble, but at the same time like imdying said, those two stroke 250's are mental little buggers.

**jrandom** · 29th January 2008, 16:30

What kiwifruit said.

Motard the motherfucker up and go hard!

Actually, didn't I originally make that suggestion a while back in a 'what's the coolest two fiddy' thread?

Plagiarist!

I was all about the YZ250, though, not the four-stroke 'F' model.

A brand new street-legal YZ250 smoker with road tyres and rims would kick serious arse.

**R6_kid:Me** · 29th January 2008, 16:45

Originally Posted by jrandom

I was all about the YZ250, though, not the four-stroke 'F' model.

A brand new street-legal YZ250 smoker with road tyres and rims would kick serious arse.

Good luck getting one road legal... however im sure you could get the YZ250 engine into the WR250F frame if you want, or at least the YZ250F engine anyway. But would cost a bit more than most n00bs could afford me thinks.