The most fun in a small package?

[palmer]

What would be a good week end toy?

Looking for smaller capacity <400cc, fairly revvy bike for week end fun.
Been looking for things like cbr250's and nsr250 but havent made up my mind which would be the best type of bike. Pretty sure i want a small sports bike though.

Looking realy for anything under 2000 i guess. Not worried about all out speed, just something thats got enough power to break a ton, go around corners, and have enough character to keep me interested until i want a bigger bike. Looked into an rs125 too, but insurance was crazy.

Any sugestions?

thanks
palmer

[Dischord]

Look into something like a DT, KMX or something like that!

They will top around 80mph, very cheap, you can go offroad, pull wheelies....thats what comes to mind when you say fun in a small package anyway!
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2012 KTM EXC 250

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[palmer]

More after a decent handling sports bike, ridden a few crossers and they didn't realy do anything for me.

[Andy C]

[veeeffarr]

[jon23]

If i was u id go for a rs250 quick revvy and fun also quite small aswell
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[steady eddie]

Check out https://www.yamaha-rd.com/forum/

Some pretty clued up folk on there

[palmer]

i did look at one on ebay toby r ... at the moment its £500...

Hmmm

[mchaggis]

If you want the easy answer (well, someone has to say it) get a VFR400. Plenty of character (sort of), sporty, nippy enough, pretty lightweight, definately fast enough. Just don't spend the next 6 months cleaning it obsessively.

Alternatively, if it really has to be less than 400, get a CBR250 if you can find one. See if you can find the video of Goose's. The rev limit on them is ridiculous.
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[Blau Zedong]

I guess I should supress my biased views and give an honest answer . All manner of 250 strokers can be had for that money, NSR and TZR V-twins handle like on rails, are super complex and are a twat to get full power from. RGV / KR1S, as previous but not quite as trick, UK bikes are full power - go bang often but spares and knowledge freely available. 4T 250 fours - some are pretty, most have nice chassis and engines that rev further can you probably bare! They are also all about 40bhp and have a most unsatisfying power delivery once the novelty of thrashing something that much wears off. The sensible choice for the money you are looking to spend is a 4T 400 I'm afraid, GSXR, CBR, ZXR etc.
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18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

[crazymotorbik...]

If you want something just for the weekends, under 400cc and is farily quick then i'd say go for a 2 stroke.

I used to have an RD350 and it was the most fun bike i've ever owned. Was powerful for its size, easily passing a ton, i had it upto 120, and they are fairly reliable. Mine never broke down anyway.
Only downside is that they drink 2 stroke oil and fuel like a fish.

As for price i got mine for 800 quid a few years ago and sold it a year later for 750, so not a great loss. Insurance was dirt cheap as well. Cost me 230 squid tpft at 17.

Cheers,
Shaun.

[Blau Zedong]

An RD would of been my suggestion too (check out my bike list ), but he didn't indicate a penchant for strokers. Plus the newest (Jap) YPVS are 16 years old now and decent ones fetch good money, so on a pure value basis I think 400's are better value. RD's etc are an aqquired taste only obtained through experiencing one, you know if you want one.
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18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

[crazymotorbik...]

I agree with you BLUEX5. My dad keeps showing me ads for them in classic Bike magazine. Some of them go for over 2000. Makes me wish i'd kept mine now!! It wasn't immaculate but it was in good condition.

If you can find one though, cheap enough, then i'd definitely get one. In my humble opinion everyone should experience an RD350
Cheers,
Shaun.

[ram_doom]

Newest zxr400 you can find... prices have died off this year, and now its winter, you'll pick up a bargain. And you have the facilities to change the head gasket every 16k
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[G]

Wasn't too impresed by my RD350, especially as far as handling goes.

RS250 I like, nice eninge - for my just fast enough without being too fast. However will undboutably feel pretty fast for you. The engine does have a pretty revvy nature, definitely more work to ride than a 400 - good if you want that kind of thing. Doesn't weigh that much, definitely a fair bit less than the CBR250 etc.
Ideally budget a bit of money for sorting the front forks if you go for the better looking pre-98 model, though the later goldfish design is better. Of course some suspension fiddling will help most stock bikes.

[Kickstart]

[G]

I need to ride an earlier version sometime, rather than the one I had (f2) with the restricted top end.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Difference as stock is sod all between the F1 and F2, just the F1 was better for tuning.

The ones whose power was restricted were the Brazilian ones (RD350R I think) which had some pretty dire exhausts.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Blau Zedong]

RS250 uses RGV motor though - weak thing dependant on fully synth oil with short piston and powervalve life and festooned with electronics (Powervalve, TPS, air correctors ). For me the modern V-Twin strokers are too complex, thereby instantly foresaking an advantage of a two stroke. You can pull the engine out of an RD, strip it, put it back together and get it running in under six hours using only a flywheel puller and a clutch tool (I know because I've done it). The ultimate in recyclable motorcycling, hell if you are on your last rebore you can get the barells resleeved and start again. I would take a 400 over an RGV / RS any day of the week (and I love strokers), although not a big fan of the ZXR - 16K engine strips are NOT acceptable on a 4 stroke. The GSXR is the strongest 400, about 6 of us had them at the same time, totally indestructible - I used to hold mine on the limiter in neutral and all sorts, only problem amongst us was a shot 3rd gear from changing gear in rigger boots.
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18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

[Blau Zedong]

[G]

I was sure there was something that could make a noticable difference. Can't find the relevant info right now - power on mine definitely tailed off before it should and this was consistant with the info I had.

[Kickstart]

Hi

More likely it was 20 years of abuse, or maybe someone had stuck some of the pipes from a Brazilian one on it.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Blau Zedong]

Perhaps it did, but on stock pipes or cheap expansions so did the N / F1. Supposedly the F1 ignition can keep the fires burning upto 10500 rpm, but you ain't going to be making power that high unless you have a full tuning package.
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18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

[stinkwheel]

two stroke = toy.

Any of the Yamaha RD series are far more entertaining than they have any right to be, and I include the air-cooled ones in this (especially the RD400).

You'd get a tidy liquid cooled RD for £2000 or get a shitter and have enough to do it up (engine out, send off to Stan Stevens for stage 3 tune, do up the chassis and fix the electrics while you're waiting for it to come back as a fire-breathing monster).

The 350 powervalve is special though, but only if you can afford to keep it in fuel (my stage 3 tuned LC2 did 20mpg on a good day).

Never ridden an RGV250 but I remember reading a review of them when they came out. As I recall the conclusion was "Buy one before they're banned.".

It's not about all-out speed. You want a bike that delivers power like the starship enterprise going into warp drive, get an RD.

Oh, look what I saw on ebay RGV chassis with Powervalve engine Not the prettiest in the world IMO (better off just fitting the RGV running gear to the powervalve chassis) but quite a toy!

Oh yeah. Rare as rocking horse poo, but Yamaha made a bike called an SDR200. There are odd imports about. Designed as nothing more than a toy. Stunning looking bike, single seat, clip-ons, nickel plated trellis chassis... Sorry, I have to go and lie down now.
https://www.250ccbikes.com/images/upload200203261148079911.jpg

[hmmmnz]

best fun sub 400cc ive ever had was my first road bike the mighty rgv 250 62hp and as mental as anything on the road. fu(K£n mental bike.
brilliant. any decent 2stroke will do the job
the rds are awesome as well
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