Ok so im 19, have my RE Licence (QLD) and im thinking of buying my first (road) bike. Ive ridden dirt/trail bikes and quads all my life, growing up in the country helps Now that i have the licence, ive been looking for a good, reliable, gutsy 250cc road bike. Im not a huge fan of cruisers, but if the right one came up i would consider it, i have however been looking at two different sports bikes at team moto in springwood. The first is a 1998 CBR250RR, 6 speed with just over 8000 on the clock, and the other is a Aprilia RS250 which i dont know too much about, though ive heard they are a pretty mean little weapon. Im just wondering if anyone has any experience with either bike or if there is another bike that might suit a p plate rider. I dont want to spend my money on something too small for me or anything under 250cc. Im not allowed to ride anything over that, so dont even suggest it. Oh and if it helps im about 6 foot 2 and weigh about 75kgs.
Aprilia is the better bike by far... BUT... this is your first bike... you're gonna drop it... So get the CBR because they are like the commodores of the bike world... part for them all over the shop. With aprilia you're parts and servicing would be a touch pricey... Have you considered naked bikes? personally I think they are a better beginner bike as they have no faring to crack and damage... I was going to get a VTR250 a few years back... Good luck with finding a bike.
a friend of mine had a CBR250 for a few years, about the same vintage too. only sold it to upgrade. loved it though, just asked for more everytime he gave it some curry.... definately worth the buy, and Jester is right, Aprillia are a good bike, but they are too hard to get parts for/repair quickly in most areas.
i would go the cbr. went i wanted a 250 i got a zzr. i had it for 3 years, in that time i only serviced it. my partner dropped it a couple of times and cracked the fairings but i put up with that.
Yes. A 1998 CBR RR with 8000km is most likely a 1988 CBR RR with 80,000km with an unknown engine and shagged out bits. 3rd party will be expensive, one drop will ruin the look of the bike and you're going to need to rev its tits off to get anywhere (revs to 20,000rpm). What do you want the bike for? Dragging SS's at lights, taking twisties, wearing full leather race outfits to your local cafe? CBR's a boy racer bike. If you want a nice solid bike with good resale get an SV650, VTR250 or even a CB250. Not sure how QLD work, but if you can get a LAMS bike, consider the SV. That said, the saving grace of the CBR is that it teaches you sportsbike, ie. how to handle stupid amount of revs, proper gear shifting etc.
i used CBR250RR engines in a couple race bikes. they are a very loud and high reving engine. the last one i had was a 94 model and that redlined at 19500rpm. and the newer ones are reving +20,000rpm. my mate has a 2007 model and that thing goes pretty hard. aprillia are definitely a good bike as stated about but parts and things are pricey and there is alot more hondas that u can rip apart at wrecking place. the kawazaki ninja is also a good buy. they're not as insane as a cbr but have just as much power without the noise. i would look at big brand models like suzuki gsxr or kawasaki ninja or honda cbr. but if ya cant find anything u like thats in ur price range, check out some cheaper chinese models like the hyasung 250. a few mates have had then and they are fine for a first road bike. not as flashy and maybe a tiny bit less than the CBR and such but still a descent bike. hope that gives you a few ideas mate
The other thing is that the CBR is a tiny bike. I had an FZR, it's much bigger and better equipped for taller people.
just a side note... i know your not allowed to ride anything above 250 but if ur sneaky you can get away with it. my mate had a hyasung 250 couple yrs back but he was bored of it and apparently couldn't wait the 6months he had left of his 250 limit. so he bought a 650 hyasung and pulled the stickers off and got 250 stickers made up. now people like you and i can quite easily distinguish a bigger sports bike from a 250 (real wheel size, general frame size etc) but not many police would b able to tell unless checking the plate. my mate went thru the rest of his 6 months with no hassels. he got pulled over a few time but as soon as they see the 250 stickers they dont bother checking the plate. im not telling you to go out and do this but merely saying that it can be done quite easily.
On a side side note... don't bikes have a power to weight restriction going on these days too? I recall someone mention that they sold a bike to a kid on ebay and the kid only researched the bike afterwards to discover it wasn't P legal... even though it was a 250cc... Something to double check...
hmm havent heard that here in WA but it does make sense... could turbo a cbr250 and it would be just as dangerous as havin a big bike
Yep. LAMS. Most of the ole 2 smokes aren't allowed, which is a good thing. A lot of people come unstuck when they've got no idea what to do with the powerband, especially with right turns. The good thing is that you're allowed to ride higher cubed bikes. Ie. the SV650, CB400. Which I forgot about. I rode the CB400 around Thailand last year and it's a bloody solid bike. Learner legal too.
Aprilia RS250 is 2 stroke also & such would probably need a little more maintainance compared to CBR. My Brother had a 95 CBR250RR for his first bike aged 18 only sold it last Summer,Easy as for him to ride never dropped it or come off. Not easy for me to ride,Felt like getting on a BMX after a 10yr gap lol,prefer cruisers. Only thing we needed to replace was the battery which was bugger all. The real pain in the ass is doing a plug change theyre right behing the radiator stuff all room,better off getting a shop to do it lol. Other than that go for it,They do love to rev though.
i own a rgv250, which is the same as an aprilla rs250 just better quality, they both have the same motor, and i can tell you, it leaves the cbr for dead, the only reason i would by a cbr250 would be for the sound, besides that they are too slow, even by 250 standards. but yeah as said before there not learner legal oh and the crap about dropping your first bike it bullshit... all my mates ride and i dont know anyone that has dropped there bike,
its all depends on how much experience you have on bikes. there is always a chance of making a simple little mistake that will see you hit the tarmac. alot of my mates are into a road bike phase and the majority of them didnt grow up around bikes so its all brand new to them. they have dropped it a couple times from just doin stupid things like not paying attention and running up the arse of their mate or lane changing without looking properly. and even still, the most experienced riders can have stacks depending on how they ride. my family is a prime example, we all race and can ride quite well but if ur bein a d***head then ur gonna drop it. my little brother has stacked his company scooter countless times coz he upgraded the engine and thinks its a racebike so he hits roundabouts doin 80clicks. and just the other day my old man binned his 2008 harley down the end of our rd coz he was doin 180 tryin to show off and ran outa road tryin to slow down. so its quite easy to have stacks especially in ur first yr of riding. just coz none of ur mates have stacked doesnt mean that it doesnt happen. only thing u can do is wear the rite gear and try to ride sensibly and attentively if ya dont want ur bike and ur body bein smashed to bits
100% true! It is so so so easy to drop a bike. It just takes a second of inattention or being a dick/showing off and bam, your on the ground.
the two key points i picked up from that, "scooter" and "harley", there not real bikes, there "wow i dont use much fuel and look like a girl" and "wow bikies ride these i must be tuff and look how fast i go in a straight line" both are not bikes that are meant to be ridden hard, we some how pissed a guy off on a harley in the national park on my rgv and my mate was on his r6, through the twisties the harley could not keep up with an 250.
Ok. Some good help and some funny stories in there!! The CBR250RR felt like a bigger bike compared to the new ninja and most of the sporty looking 250s like the kawasaki ninja 250. That is pretty much what im looking for, one of those japanese crotch rockets! Ive had a look at the Hyosung GTR250 and that is a fairly nice looking bike, bigger stance, real size wheels, nice.. but.. chinese.. Again in qld there is only a engine size limit, no power to weight ratio.
lol at Harley, aka Harley Ferguson too, real tuffy bikies hate it when you blow them off the lights with a dirt bike too lol, there allright if your into that sort of thing
