Going from a 250 to a thou....too much of a jump?

[Gubb]

HTFU you pussies!

Quiet please.

[DarkLord]

Well spoken bud.

YR64L needs to be riding one of these -

[Dobie]

When 16 to 22 i rode a honda CB 350 with friends we used to have some great rides to the west coast and akaroa.I then learnt more about girls and other things that took me away from riding motor bikes.I am now in my mid life crisis and after 32 years of not riding bikes have returned and bought a BMW R1100RS.After buying the bike off a really nice guy on trademe i decided to take a one hour training lesson from the people at mainland riding school.This was one of the most beneficial things i have done to update my riding skills after all the years.The bike arrived by bike tranz from Edendale to Christchurch.Great guy spent nearly half an hour teaching me its functions highly recommend them.When quiet on the street at about 7.30 at night went out to practice just going round the block and getting used to the size and extra speed.I then increased my distance as i got more used to the bike and its tendacies.After three nights it was put wifey on the back and off to lyttleton .Then Diamond Harbour just very quietly still getting used to bike and so forth where it said 35 for a bend thats what we did.Every time we go out i learn a little bit more and after one month of riding kaikoura but very slowly as it is not a race to learn.And hi to eveybody on the forum great forum

[Damantis]

Ive only been riding a couple of months and am dreaming of owning a thou sportsbike too. Have done a alot of open road riding and have taken my bike up to 150kph while overtaking. I think to jump on a litre bike that would happily "cruise" at that speed, not to mention get to that speed twice as fast would be a pretty silly step up. I think the key is to make the most of your 250, as I am doing, and when it's time to get a bigger bike go with a ninja 600 or cbr600rr? Am sure it would provide an additional 2-3 years of excitement and learning. If you learnt to drive in a maza 323, would it be sensible to make your second car v8?

[EJK]

Good advice
Wow 10 year is a preety big gap

Well, welcome to the site

[Citroenjunkie]

One bloody great big leap!

My 50 would, on a good day, down a very long, steep hill probably got all the way up to 90. The GT 550 would do 90 in first.

I got a speeding fine on the first day I had my licence and the cop crapped me out non stop for about 10 minutes telling me what a wanker I was. The guys in cars were all pissing themselves until he turned on them and gave them a rev too. It was actually bloody funny...expensive though!

When I came back to riding 4 years ago I deliberately bought an old, slow 250 just to give me lots of time to get the feel for riding again.

After two years I had done the 'back to riding' course and about 3000k's and so went to buy a 650. I came home with a Honda CB400SF which has as much power as a 600 and is the most fun I've ever had on a motorbike. I see no need to spend time in jail, cause that is what would happen if I owned a 1000. 180kph on the 400 is enough! (Theoretically of course as travelling at that actual speed on a public road would be both foolish and illegal!)

[Monty69]

I reckon go for a 600cc supersport bike (CBR ofcourse). Ive been riding 250's for 7 yrs and am still finding ways to ride them even faster, have more fun and i still never get bored. However years of lust for a properly fast 1000 have caught up with me and next month im buying a CBR600F4i. Yep... thought about it sensibly and decided u just dont need that much power! How often are u really going to use a 1000 to its FULL potential? Modern 600's make 120+hp and are very, very fast by any standards. They are cheaper to buy, cheaper to run (petrol $2 a litre soon) and lighter making them more nimble and agile. On new zealand roads, in the real world, the straitline advantage of a 1000 could rarely be used to full effect. I believe the jump to a thou can be done easily, if u know ur limits and have good self control. But a 600 will be better allround...

[YAMASAKI]

I just recently made the step up to a bigger bike(KTM520), I ummmm'd and aaaah'd for ages before coming to the realisation that top speed is pointless on NZ roads . I recon you should consider a supermoto, they're a LOT more forgiving than a sports bike and are just as much fun at a lot slower speed. mine weighs in at 114kg, less than my zxr250 but it has stupid amounts of power. Once you're used to having used to the front wheel being off the ground 90% of the time you'll be fine .

[motelbob]

go for it. After a week on a litre bike you'll be so used to it ,you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Hammer it.

[Ryan432]

...but the idea of having all of that torque and acceleration right there is an attractive one.

Why has no one mentioned the SV thou? Its the perfect road bike! (then again I am biased ) It sounds like a monster, with some yoshi's of course, and it goes more than fast enough to have fun on.With the twin the acceleration kicks in straight away so I find that your more aware of your speed whereas on a I4 you are pootling along until you hit 8000RPM and then you take off into the startoshpere without realising and find youself moving at very dangerous speeds very quickly! Not saying that the SV isnt quick you still have to be carefull its just easier to manage. With a big twin you have "all of that torque and acceleration right there" any time you want it!

[MSTRS:Me]

....one the 'back to riding' course and about 3000k's and so went to buy a 650. I came home with a Honda CB400SF which has as much power as a 600 and is the most fun I've ever had on a motorbike....

Excellent choice until you are well back up to speed, riding-wise. But 400 having the same power as a 600? I don't think so. Your bike has 54hp, the 600F has 95, and the 600RR version has 117.