Pro's vs Con's of 250cc motorbikes

[Old_Skool_Bmw 0]

Hey Guys,

I'm in the market for a fairly new/reliable 250cc motorbike and before I buy I am hoping you guys can help with a few questions, maybe point me in the right direction. I plan to have the bike for a few years, to upgrade to my Full licence. I've outlined a few things below.

USE: Mainly commuting to work each day (aprox 30km's each way. 95% open road 100kph riding). With the occasional weekend riding over the Rimutakas to get better at shifting weight around, cornering etc.

BUDGET: $4-6K ceiling

STYLE: Sports

ENGINE: 2cyl/250cc (inline or v-twin)

Based on the above it's been suggested I consider the below bikes;

Hyosung GT250/GT250R

Kawasaki EX250/GPX250

Honda VTR250

I've read up about each model.. but there's only so much you can believe on the net.

I'm keen to hear from anyone who has had real life experience riding any of these models. Or if you ride bikes a lot your thoughts would still be greatly appreciated. I've ridden a bit, but mainly on the farm/beach (eg: XR250's), so I have practically no experience with road bikes. This bike will get me used to road riding and I expect to put a few km's down on the roads over the next we while.

Questions:

What are the pro's vs cons for each bike??

Which will be most reliable?

Fuel Costs,- are they similar?

Long term costs?

Other that that any input will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Laurence

[oscar90 0]

Would go;

Honda

Kawasaki

Korean brand

Based on what all my mates who play with bikes say

Now to let the actual riders chime in

[huff3r 347]

Also consider the suzuki bandit 250, ive heard they are pretty good. Kiwibiker forums are a good place to glean info, except beware they love flame wars and have rather loose moderation

[m_power 0]

Go for the Hyosung mate. Iv got a Hyosung GT650 and GT250R race bike, never had a problem with either of them and they go great!

As for reliability, i think you'l think they are fantastic. Never EVER had a problem with either of mine and the Hyosung GT650R which won the pro twins race class has done 31 rounds on the original engine - go figure. The GT250R has also won the 250 production class three years running - thats up aganist ninjas.

A quick run over of specs, yes the ninja appears quicker on paper. However in the real world you have to rev the hell out of them to make them move, the hyosung being a v-twin has better spread of power. Also has twin disk brakes up front.

You need to ride them though and see what suits you, but if your anything over 5 foot 7 and want some man points go for the Hyosung! the ninja looks like a girls bike - just look at all the advertising...

As for people saying they arent rewarding, ask them have they owned one? raced one?

Edit: reguarding fuel economy, i got 37km/l outa of my gt250r before i turned it into a race bike, that was with a mixture of town and open road riding.

Edited April 19, 2011 by BBS-RS

[Old_Skool_Bmw 0]

Also consider the suzuki bandit 250, ive heard they are pretty good. Kiwibiker forums are a good place to glean info, except beware they love flame wars and have rather loose moderation

Prefer to stay away from 4cyl/250cc engines.. From what I've been told v-twin or 2cyl's perform better and don't have the same tendency to break down/need repairs at lower km's

Cheers,

Laurence

[Old_Skool_Bmw 0]

Go for the Hyosung mate. Iv got a Hyosung GT650 and GT250R race bike, never had a problem with either of them and they go great!

As for reliability, i think you'l think they are fantastic. Never EVER had a problem with either of mine and the Hyosung GT650R which won the pro twins race class has done 31 rounds on the original engine - go figure. The GT250R has also won the 250 production class three years running - thats up aganist ninjas.

A quick run over of specs, yes the ninja appears quicker on paper. However in the real world you have to rev the hell out of them to make them move, the hyosung being a v-twin has better spread of power. Also has twin disk brakes up front.

You need to ride them though and see what suits you, but if your anything over 5 foot 7 and want some man points go for the Hyosung! the ninja looks like a girls bike - just look at all the advertising...

As for people saying they arent rewarding, ask them have they owned one? raced one?

Edit: reguarding fuel economy, i got 37km/l outa of my gt250r before i turned it into a race bike, that was with a mixture of town and open road riding.

Thanks - good info.

I was leaning more towards Hyosung.. They are cheeper than the Kawasaki rival (ninja). From what I've heard the body work isn't as flash but the engineering is top's.

Cheers,

Laurence

[m_power 0]

Body work isnt too bad, paint work could be better...but i guess thats what you get as 250's are built to a budget. Good thing about Hyosung is all panels are two piece so if you crash on one side you dont have to replace both hahah this is good for racing but also road i guess as keeps costs of repair down.

[Cale 36]

I realise you aren't keen on il4 bikes but I used a Honda CBR250RR to go through the license process a few years ago.

I bought it at around the 32,000km mark and never had any issues with for the next 8,000+ km's.

I had rode a few other 250s and I wouldn't do anything different as far as owning an il4 bike. I reckon by the end of my ownership, if the bike was any less powerful or easy to throw into corners I would have got very bored very quickly. Although a null arguement, I went on a few rides alongside Fireblades, GSXR thou's and Ducati's and the Honda held it's own very well.

Of course I did a lot of commuting, central city and motorway lane splitting and had no issues whatsoever. Obviously would have been easier on a torquier twin or something more upright but made up in other areas. With the carb it was a little bit touchy on cold morning starts.

Personally not a fan of Hyosung, so would ride a few of the listed Quackers or Hooondas.

Definitely check out Kiwibiker too.

[elmarco 56]

Been a while since I rode a 250, but I rode a Kwak KR-1 2 stroke race rep for a number of years. It had plenty more poke than my mates on 4 cyl 250's too. Although it was pretty reliable it was a 2 stroke race rep so wasn't an ideal commuter machine for anyone larger than a jockey... A mate had a Hyosung 250 4 stroke for a couple of years - he reckoned it was OK. Didn't look offensive and seemed to hold together but was pretty gutless.

Having owned sport bikes my suggestion is to get something a little more relaxed if you are commuting on it - race reps are killers on your wrists. I would also be holding out for a 600 under the new rules.

[E30-323ti 66]

The licencing law is due to change and a power index is going to come into play,under this system you will be able to buy any bike up to about 40kW or 650cc.

Depending when the new rules are due to come into law I would go hunting for a 500 to 650 that meets the rules

A larger bike is a lot easier to ride and commute on and you will be able to progress more with it.

P.S. I commute about 80k per day return

More detail / source please.

I rode for many year, first road bike was a Suzuki GF250 (basically a bikini clad gsxr).

Never missed a beat and wasn't as revvy/peaky as an actual gsxr was a great commuter.

Then went onto a '91 FZR400RR which was one of the easiest bikes I have ever riden (fast), also commuted well, but the posture was terrible for traffic (heels up your a**hole & wrists by the front axle) and would get sore arms. Open road (rimutukas!!) it was awesome.

Decided I didn't want to get killed going to work (or have time to enjoy the open road) so sold it and used the train, sad I know, but getting to work isn't that important.

Seriously reconsidering & always trawling the bike on TM

Still having a Learner License (yes I know & had it for +15yrs), is a real kicker with the current 250cc limit.

It is also a crock, as you can legally ride an RGV or RS 250 with ~65hp, which would be the worst commuter in the world, but you can't ride a practical GS550 or old school CB400 / SR500.

And equally infuriating is all the <250cc bikes are silly expense.

I guess the easy answer is just get my A into G and get a full license.

Not a very constructive post sorry. But interested to see what you come up with.

My current bike of interest is an RG 150, has a bit of mo-jo @ ~38hp and easy to maintain single cyl 2-stroke.

But I keep an eye open for an old suzuki X5 or X7.

[Old_Skool_Bmw 0]

Found a pretty decent 2010 Hyosung GT250R on Trademe the other day. Probably going to go for it.. Is being serviced this week, come will service history and as a bonus the factory warranty is still valid for the next 17-18 months.

Cheers,

Laurence

[twisted 45]

I've had a Hyosung GT250 (upright naked) and an FZR250R.

FZR Owned the hyo in every respect. Better handling (i prefer the crouched riding position of a true sports bike - so this played a big part) more power, and that silly 18k rev limit i loved so much.

TBH, the 250 twin just didnt have the required balls for commuting. 130 was about its limit, and whilst thats above and beyond the limit it just didnt sit comfortably at anything above 90ish.

The FZR on the other hand topped out at near 200 and commuting at or near the speed limit was a breeze.

Biggest thing though? I had massive love for the Yami and zero love for the Hyo.

[m_power 0]

Regarding top speed of Hyosung, i dont know why you couldnt get more than 130kph, cause i can get 175kph out of mine and some times 180kph - pretty quick for a 250 twin really. And you cant compare a upright naked v-twin to a inline 4 sports bike, gotta compare apples with apples here. People need to get over the brand thing and there egos.

[E30-323ti 66]

The new direction regarding licences is on Saferjourneys.org website

Will have a look, thanks

[Old_Skool_Bmw 0]

Cheers for the further input guys.

I had considered holding out for the new law - bigger cc engine but I've decided to stay with a 250cc, mainly because of running cost/registration/insurance. Insurance nearly tripled (3rd party), rego up 1/12 times, fuel costs up too.. I could easily spend $1000 extra per year just getting the bike on the road..

I'm not too worried about lower top speed. Happy to cruise to work at 90-95kph. There's so many damn road works on the main road these days it's impossible to get to 100kph anyways, lol.

I'll get pics up soon when I pick the bike up - in a few weeks or so.

Laurence

[twisted 45]

Regarding top speed of Hyosung, i dont know why you couldnt get more than 130kph, cause i can get 175kph out of mine and some times 180kph - pretty quick for a 250 twin really. And you cant compare a upright naked v-twin to a inline 4 sports bike, gotta compare apples with apples here. People need to get over the brand thing and there egos.

Pass. Thats just the way it was. Wasn't quick by any stretch. Was an early carbed one though. Had the CDI mod and a cycleworks can - would have benefitted from a re-jet and some intake work.

Good point on the sports i4 vs naked twin - but its simply my experience.

Anyway, to the OP - Have a ball when it arrives. There's some great roads out the wairarapa for a sunny winters sunday ride.