CBR400RR vs RGV250 excuse my newbie-ness

[FzerozeroT]

If you are going to buy an older (5+) two stroke, make sure you have a full toolkit, spare garage space and backup transport. Little things that go wrong will take you weeks to fix in your spare time, unless you take it to a dealer and they'll charge you an arm and a leg.

Regardless of actual speed, a 250 2T feels faster than anything else, even when being passed. riding one flat tack round some twisties is mindblowing and once I've got some more coin I'm going to be getting another, was thinking RS250 but budget probably won't go that far.

[gamgee]

are the RGV250's the ones that have a tendency to drop powervalves?

[kneescraper]

Ive heard they do drop powervalves but Im not 100% sure.

Awesome points you guys have brought up...really got me thinking about what I'm getting my self into. I might give it a miss, Ive got my eye on a DR350, Ive been wanting a trail bike because of the practicality of them. But the one I'm looking at on trademe has gone to high.

I might keep on looking....

[awesker]

Yeha they do, the Vj21 (88-89) has that problem but as long as you keep checking the play in the powervalve housing type thing (where the valve rods connect onto the shaft that connects onto the powervavle wheel) youll be sweet. The VJ22 (90-95ish?) have the most problems with it because it was redesigned from the older model, I heard its a pin that snaps (gets brittle then cya!) and then drops the whole unit into the cylinder so its a bigger problem that the older ones! and if your lucky enough to get your little mits on the vj23 (96 onwards?) I think they dont have any problem at all.. correct me if Im wrong.

Still ironing out the kinks on my RGV atm, but its getting there. its pretty bloody fun! but its a bitch to commute on.. smells gewd though.

If you want to find more about the weakness of the RGV just do a search on RGV.co.uk, pretty sure they got a step by step walkthrough on how to check it.

[vixter]

go for the rgv i used to have one many years ago

id still have one if i had the spare doh

[White trash]

RGV's quicker than a CBR400, no question. And if ya get an NX new one, it wont have some dicky 180kph limiter. And it's lighter, has a shitload more cornering clearance and is generally more fun to ride.

To quote a very wise man, "Middle weight four strokes are for homosexuals"

[The_Dover]

And to quote an even wiser man

"Hondas are for homosexuals"

[Deano]

To quote a very wise man, "Middle weight four strokes are for homosexuals"

And racing thanks.

And to quote an even wiser man

"Hondas are for homosexuals"

Yawn.

[lukelin250]

And to quote an even wiser man

"Hondas are for homosexuals"

uh huh

[kneescraper]

Hey guys.

Thanks for all the feedback.

In my spare times I've done some reading, the later models...had one pin in the powervalve can can drop into the engine because its vertical...however the one I am looking at doesnt have that problem....or so I've read.

After speaking to the owner it has had a engine rebuild in the last year or so.

I'll have alook through the RGV.co.uk site.

[paultz250]

dont be scared of the 2stroke dude jst ride it in the powerband all the time and yourl be sweet i learnt to ride on a tzr250 and still ride if the brakes on the rgv are as good as the tzr youl be going rear whel up into every corner and the sound good luck on the tough choice

[jade]

As said above, dont be afraid of the 2 stroke, Yes they can be tempremental but you will learn to know what your bike likes and doesnt, and what makes it tick, It is a more engaging bike to ride as requires a different style to a 4 stroke, a four stroke you can put in 3rd gear and twist the throttle as you please, a 2 stroke you will need to be in the right gear for the exit from a corner so you are constantly shifting up and down,
Yes the rgv will beat the 400, not by much - but it will.
When people say the powerband will throw you off if you hit it in a corner its an exageration, powerbands are fun and you will quickly get used to it, do Not be scared of the bike, start slow and youll gradually get used to it and harness the power, the best bit about the bike is it has more potential than most riders - thus you wont get bored with it,
I got an nsr250 for my first bike and knew nothing about mechanics, I had a bit of trouble at first but quickly learnt what made it tick to the point I knew every inch of the bike, what it liked and what it didnt, Get the rgv, you wont regret it, p.s - its fine for commuting and would be fine for long rides anywhere between 100 and 200km/per hour, the only time you would have trouble is sitting on the rev limiter in 6th for more than 10 mins
last time I sat there for 6 mins ...the only trouble I got was a 900 dollar fine
Get a 2 stroke

[hurricane_r]

, ppl can give u tips, but u guta get on and ride ur self, ul uderstand it weather u like it or not , iv never ridden 2-stroke, but id love to,

[vtec]

A lot of people are saying don't be afraid of the two stroke, but I say... do be afraid. The RGV was the cheapest bike I ever bought, but at the same time, the most expensive. Got about 1.5years of riding out of it, but that wasn't commuting, so it was probably only about 10,000k's max. Spent 1 g on engine work in one sitting. Used as much gas as my 200hp Honda Prelude (twice as much as a CBR250), and used a fair bit of oil too. Fouled plugs, and was generally a pain in the ass, sounded like a weed eater, and kick starters look pretty gay if anyone is watching.

The benefits are, that it was very light, very "flickable", and if you know how to ride it, it will be as quick out of corners as an RF900 (actual experience).

To be quite honest for road riding, you want a four stroke. Cheap on gas, cheap on maintenance, reliable, and if you get the right ones, pretty damn fast. I'm guessing an RGV with a good rider would do 1.11's around Puke? A CBR250 with a good rider will do 1.15's, I reckon a 1.14 is possible. The main difference is that a 2 stroke FEELS way more powerful because of the way the power is delivered, when power is delivered in a peaky manner, it makes a vehicle feel way more powerful. Like my Evo 4 (280hp) felt boring to accelerate because good power came in around 3.5krpm, and my Prelude (200hp) feels just as good if not better because the power kicks in at 5krpm and is a lot more peaky. Should be noted that the Evo will lose more power to the ground than the prelude so the difference isn't as much as shown in the numbers given here.

[duncan_bayne]

Well, I've owned a '92 TZR250 and an '86 FZR400 ... the FZR was faster in a straight line, and made a better road bike most of the time, in that it had a more forgiving spread of power, better ergonomics, and lower running costs.

The TZR was, however, faster around corners, and much more fun to ride hard given it's acceleration, powerband, and wannabe-GP-racer sound.