250cc/21hp bikes, will there be enough power?

[Parp]

I am no racer, so forget the Ninja 250, I am thinking more of the CB250 or YBR250 at about 21hp. The low tax, insurance and high mpg of those bikes is ideal for me and my finances.

Will they offer enough of a step up from a 125cc? All I want is to be able to cruise at 60mph without being at the rev limit, be able to hit 70mph to overtake on the country roads and do the odd short motorway journey, be able to over take and accelerate a bit faster than the average car and not slow down so much going up hill.

So is 250cc/21hp enough power to do that?

[G]

Eh? The Ninja 250 is a commuter/'learner' (ie 33hp style learning to ride generally) bike not a 'race' bike.

Personally, I'd find the bikes you talk about frustrating on motorways and dual carriage ways.
YBR250 is awfully new, why not consider an older SV650 restricted?

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Just about.
Get the lightest one.
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[pepperami]

as you said you are not/dont need to be a pocket rocket racer so why would`nt 21bhp do?.

you`re never going to set the world alight, but for around town/urban riding I cant see any problem with what you`re suggesting.

I have a little CG 125 of lovelyness but I would love to trade it up to a 250 as the 125 is just a little bit to slow for what I want so I know just what you`re thinking.
I would do just what your doing if I had the cash.

That Yam YBR is bloody expensive for what it is ..... nearly £3500 new
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[ThoughtContro...]

[Parp]

The Ninja and SV650 are out because I do not want the racer look and the SV650 I found uncomfortable to sit on, as I have with other racers. I like to sit straight up and have found the YBR125 very comfortable, even on a 220 mile round trip.

Restricted bikes still have higher mpg etc than I want to pay.

From what I can find the YBR250 and CBF250 are within 1kg of each other at 138 and 139kg. They actually look very similar, so I have no particular preference.

I don't see any alternatives either.

[G]

Did you try the faired SV or the naked SV?
Have you considered deprecation per mile?
I wouldn't be surprised if you were paying more per mile in depreciation on a YBR250 than you were saving in fuel.
Never understood buying an expensive new vehicle to save money .

You may find 'sitting straight up' isn't so comfortable when you've got a bike that can comfortably cruise a bit faster.

Also, first few times I rode sporty faired bikes I didn't find it too comfortable. Then I got used to it.

[0l0dom0l0]

if you like that sort of styling, what about something like a gs500 or cb 500?

IMO much better than the 250.

When I was looking at bikes, I found that 250's were massively overpriced, had no re-sale value, un-inspiring MPG, look shit, sound shit, slow as fuck etc. Ie I didn't like them

Okay, yeah the 250 ninja looks great and ticks all the boxes, but why on this earth would I pay £3k for a 250? Not only that you have to insure the bloody thing which also costs no less than a 600.

In short you are much better looking at more 'common' and popular commuter bikes. Makes things like selling and availability of stuff so much easier too.

That's just my opinion anyway.
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Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[calyx]

[Rogerborg]

Hey, I grok you. I actively prefer small, light bikes.

Can't speak to the CB250 or YBR250, but I really liked the Ninja 250 I tried out. It's not as leany-forwards as it looks. If you don't like the racing looks, take the fairings off, keep them safe, then put them back on when you sell it to cover the drop damage. Win-win.

The only reason I didn't buy the Ninja was cost (and a dealer who wasn't budging). They do command silly prices compared to a 500. Eventually I cheaped out and went for an older Kwak 300 that's got less aggressive styling but a not dissimilar feel to the Ninja. When (not if) it dies, I may see if I can get a cheap Ninja to replace it. If you can find a "streetfighter" (accident damaged, plastics removed) it might make a better buy.

But... mmm... you have to really want a smaller bike. A 500 twin does make more economic sense.
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[cloric_tzr]

fair enuf you not really into racy style but i wont you get pissed off at being overtaken by performance 2 strokes? my tzr 125 generates about 28 bhp thats enuf to leave a 21 bhp 250 4 stroke for dead imo you would be better of with a on off road/supermoto would you not? crf 250 450 ect? plent of low end grunt to shake/rival us pesky 2 stroke rebels with bikes double the amount of power were aloud on a provisional
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[andys675]

why can't they make them 33hp and lightweight? In 1980 honda gave us the CB250RS, 26hp and much lighter than a wet dream, 30 years later they're going backwards!

[hornetmike]

??? if 125 is 15bhp 250s at 21bhp is it work changing get a cb400 or some balls
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[Blau Zedong]

[cloric_tzr]

^ there is no such thing as a performance 4 stroke until you reach the 400+cc mark IMO
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i dumped my girlfriend the other day! she wouldnt act out one of my fantasy's. all i wanted her to do was come home from work, catch me fucking her sister and join in!!! miserable bitch!
My wifes so ugly, the only thing that goes down on her
Is the internet connection.

[Glenben92]

I'd suggest a 500 commuter as well. Be careful with it and you'll see 80mpg, they've got enough power when you need it, they're common as much so cheap to buy, cheap to insure, cheap to run, cheap to fix.
My GPZ costs me £227 TPFT at 18 years old with 1year NCB
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[Glenben92]

[Rogerborg]

[cloric_tzr]

the cbr 250 r is a inline 4 that screams to 18500 rpm! they sound pretty good!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FMvlKyLx6M
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i dumped my girlfriend the other day! she wouldnt act out one of my fantasy's. all i wanted her to do was come home from work, catch me fucking her sister and join in!!! miserable bitch!
My wifes so ugly, the only thing that goes down on her
Is the internet connection.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Unfortunately the new CBR250 is just a single cylinder 4 stroke.

All the best

Keith
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[cloric_tzr]

so they have gone backward in engineering?!!!
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i dumped my girlfriend the other day! she wouldnt act out one of my fantasy's. all i wanted her to do was come home from work, catch me fucking her sister and join in!!! miserable bitch!
My wifes so ugly, the only thing that goes down on her
Is the internet connection.

[Parp]

Thanks for the replies, interesting reading the mixed opinions!

I have no intention in buying a new one, whether it is 250 or larger my top budget will be £3000ish depending on what we get selling the car the bike will replace, which means I can get a very new YBR for well under budget and a 3 or 4 year old CB for the same.

I take the point of getting used to a sports bike position, it is just I have a back problem and I know I am better sitting upright. I stopped twice for cramp during my first lesson for DAS on a GS500.

Depreciation is not such an issue as well as the initial outlay is so low and I intend to keep this bike for a long time, so long as the performance is enough.

0-60 in 8 seconds, cruise at 60 happily and top out at 80, with 70mpg is what I really needed to know, thanks calyx.

However, it would be nice to have 30hp rather than 21........

[Kickstart]

Hi

The back "issue" you mention is something only you can figure out, but it will depend on where you are doing miles. If you do land up doing quite a lot of motorway journies then you might well find that a leaned forward position helps by taking weight off your back (even if it is worse while bimbling around town at training speeds).

Personally I get back ache from a riding position that is too upright.

[Parp]

An upright position gives me the option to lean forward as well. If I am cruising I can also slide back and sit on the pillion seat to hunker down and stretch out.