whats a standout 250cc roadbike to get for a first bike?

So even driving one of these 250cc roadbikes with a lead wrist will burn
as much fuel as a thirsty turbo 6? I was under the impression motorbikes
used far less petrol then even a 4 cylinder? (slap me if i'm wrong)

 

Consider yourself slapped......

There are actually small economical motorcycles, but nobody would be see
dead riding one of them. ;-)

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Slap yourself if that's your thing. If you genuinely want to save money on
fuel you'll find that you can buy an old Daihatsu Charade in your price range
which will probably beat most bikes for fuel efficiency and keep you dry and
warm to boot.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R

 

ZZR is a standout frst bike, good size brakes, and decent suspension, not
bad looking either.

I drove one for 10 months as a learner, many years ago,

used to get 340klms to the tank city driving, average, have heard some guys
got up to 400klms to the tank.

Whilst there may be other bikes that are more fun out there, overall i would
still rate the zzr highly,
its got a very comfortable seat too.... unlike some of the sportier bikes

be mindful of this when commuting, your butt will thank you!!!

my 2 cents.

 

Bah come on i do have some pride. I think i'll take the motorbike
option, if warm and dry is in order i'll drive the supra.

ZZR is high on the list
Thanx!

*leaves the group unscathed*

 

Wow, up to 5 grand on a bike to save a bit of petrol!
I will bet that bike depreciation, registration, insurance, tyres,
chains/sprockets, fuel, maintenance etc will far exceed any fuel cost
differences between car and bike.
I assume that the car will be kept and used for all those delightful
Tassie days when only Polar Bears are wandering the streets ;-)
If this is an excuse just to have fun - well that is a different matter
entirely!
Cheers

 

Depreciation is more a problem buying new.
depreciation for me has only been a problem with computers, Cars i
always find good deals on and seem to make at least what i put into
them. Supra i picked up for $2500, had some damage done to it, but i've
fixed it up and it's worth more for sure now.

Nearly had a suzuki 91 GSXR250 for $1500 jap import complianced. It had
some carb problems. just missed out.

anyway

Can't having fun and getting more k's per litre be combined??

 

CBR250RR's are a nice bike but one you find at $3k to $5k likely aren't
nice... they'd be rough.

For a nice reliable bike in that price range check out the GPX250 (or a
ZZR250) or the Across.


G-S

 

No... that's the CR250. The CB250 is a slow, unfaired and rather
underpowerd very basic 250. They are reliable and not exciting...


G-S

 

i'll look into them thanx.

 

Yes Nev they are the same motor but the GPX is slightly de-tuned compared to
the ZZR so doesn't go as hard.
I haven't had one myself I will admit but a good friend at work started out
on the ZZR250 and was travelling over 150kms a day to and from work (lived
out in the boondocks) and he's a hard man on machinery (i know that for a
fact) and that little bike was ready for more. At 4am in the mornings he's
burning down the M5 (hume hwy) at over 130+kms in most cases (it's got me
buggered how he hasn't lost his licence) and has had it to 180kph (indicated
on a very long wind-up) when he was running late for work one morning but
only for a breif time. He reckons that sitting on 120kph on the motorway
will get him around 250-300ks to a tank, sometimes more sometimes less
depends how he decides to ride it. It never broke down on him and he put
about 80,000ks on it before he moved to the bigger bike.The fairing on the
ZZR will give you a bit more wind protection than the GPX as it is wider on
the sides.He told me sometimes he wished he never sold it.After a brief
stint on a 650 kwaka he moved onto a ZR1200 (the green machine) and it's
costing him a motza in tyres.

DJ

 

I could be wrong but I seem to recall the GPX was lighter than the ZZR
with the same motor, so it would actually be MORE feisty (if true)

JL
(but I can't be arsed googling up the facts to check)

 

Nev.. wrote:
...snip re ZZr250

I've seen 180 indicated on a ZZR and 160 with a fair bit left on a GPX -
noting that the speedo is however probably wildly optimistic and I
probably weigh half what you do...

JL

 

Really ? First I've heard of that, what's the detuning differences ?

JL

 

It really sounds like the sort of 'fact' a salesman trying to sell DJ a ZZR250
might have blurted out. Just for the record the Kawasaki website lists the
ZZ-R250 as a "Sport" and GPX250R as a "Supersport".

Nev..
'03 ZX12R

 

OK OK....I'm not gunna argue this as what i was led to beleive about the GPX
being not feisty as ZZR......I have no proof but only going by what I've
been told by those who I thought (not salesmen by the way) should have
known...in otherwords...I've been led up the garden path. I'm only a newby
myself but I will say that the ZZR has a nicer and what seems to be a more
protective fairing.
I surrender...but only for now phew!!

DJ

 

<eyes pop out on stalks a la "Mask"> ROTFLMAO ! You're kidding me.

Barely differentiated sports-tourers the pair of them.

JL

 

i've owned the cbr250rr and the zzr250.

if i had to choose one it would be the baby blade for sure - no
question. even for an experienced rider it could put a smile on your
face in the tight little corners. looks ok and with the right exhaust
can have a nice note too. i use to get numb hands after 2 hours on it
but thats about as far as it would go without a fuel stop anyhow. fwiw,
i wouldn't spend less than $6k on one... for ya money the gpx looks
like the best option. wouldn't get an rgv (or any 2 stoke) if i where
you.

 

OK, stop right there... six grand for a BabyBlade in 2005 would be a
ripoff if the bike came with a decent helmet, jacket and ditzy
girlfriend willing to get on the back in a skimpy outfit.

No offence, but how many bikes have you bought in your life?

 

Yep the ZZR/GPX250 and honda cbr250r/rr are high on my list.
Have seen some good examples for $3.5-4.5k. $6grand is outa my price
range. Was hoping to get a good second hand one, fix up any problems
myself but overall after a solid reliable bike, fingers crossed anyway.