250 vs bigger bike. In case you wondered.

[Reido]

Not so much you but just Dean and WBKS and Dean and short circuit and dean and many others

well thats dean for ya,
he's all good in person though lol

[Hiflyer]

well thats dean for ya,
he's all good in person though lol

Yea I know. met him ages ago on the 250 ride you organised

[wbks]

Not so much you but just Dean and WBKS and Dean and short circuit and dean and many others

Shut your face, you ride a hyovag

[Hiflyer]

Shut your face, you ride a hyovag

So? I like it.

[wbks]

And I like bitching about someone I've never met. I was just joining in with KBs national sport!

[glanvillejon]

I had loads of fun on my GN250 when I was on my learners, until I got my bandit and I discovered what fun really was! GN was great to learn on tho, very forgiving in everyway.

[Jules13]

I know a lot of 250 riders out there wonder what a bigger bike feels like. Many of you think that pootling around on a 250 for a year is some kind of torture and can't wait to ditch your bike for something big and grunty. I have news for you, riding a 250 is not all bad. If for example you like riding sportsbikes in twisties, then the right 250 may give you some things that a bigger bike can't. A 250 has a lightness and flickability that heavier bikes with bigger tyres can not match. I used to ride a Kawaski 250 and now I ride a R6. Let me discuss the relative merits.

Coolness factor. That is obvious so I won't even go into it.

Power. You will never ever find yourself riding with the throttle pinned for any significant length of time on the R6, while on a 250 you could sit there for ages with everything wide open. The extra power is nice but it can kill you if you are not very careful. Having to give it everything, revving to the limit and using the gears effectively on the 250 can be fun. Scaring yourself on the 600 can also be fun.

Handling. Once cornering the 600 feels more stable, planted and it feels like it could corner faster. Turn in and transition between corners is easier and faster on a 250 than a 600. The 600 has a lot more engine braking so you have to watch your downshifts, or the rear will get very twitchy. Same goes for accelarating out of corners, the more powerful bike may bite you if the surface is not perfect. So, ultimate cornering speed may be faster on a 600 but the 250 is nimbler and more forgiving.

General riding feeling. The 600 feels like it is rock solid and it feels like it is going slower at any given speed. What stands out most is that feeling of solidity, the 250 just feels more like it is made of many pieces bolted together and free to move a bit relative to each other while the 600 feels like one solid piece.

Brakes. The brakes on the 600 are way better, and they have to be for obvious reasons.

In summary the 600 is not better than the 250 in every way and you can have plenty of fun riding on the 250. It is a different and less dangerous type of fun than the one commonly had on a 600.

So, when you get your full license, should you be in a huge hurry to ditch your 250? I think not, take your time and consider carefully if you want a change and what you want to change to.

That is the greatest review/ explanation I have read. I have stayed on my 250 for such a long time and have just bought another, the 08 ninja. I am also looking for a bigger bike and are finding it difficult to decide. Now for a start I will keep the ninja. Secondly I have got my head around something else that will help me. I am looking for a bike that will suit the way I ride but the way I ride suits a 250 and I will need to change and adapt or I will be disappointed at the handling and may have to change my pants a lot if I expect the bigger bike to handle with such ease like the ninja. I still dont know what to get for certain but I also have a heads up on differences in corner handling for test riding. I have been riding for a while but love to learn from others . Thanks

[gatch]

I rode my spada for 5 years cause I knew, KNEW that if I was to get a litre bike I'd either be in jail before long or 6 feet under.

Nothing much has changed, I have some better skills than when I first started riding, except I blew up the 250, so thought I'd get a bigger bike, a NC30

O boy, I can't wait to pick her up..