Best 125+400 on road + track (either or both for each CC)

[LoweredOne]

Whats your favorite/best 125/400 for road and track use. I'm liking the old 2T NSR (most HRC bikes) Just want to know what's good as a weekend rider. Looking into a project as i have the money and time to put into something like that.

[BillyJ]

CB250RS
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Had: '06 CBR125R + '01 GSF600 + '07 SPRINT ST 1050 + '80 CB250 RSA + '93 Ducati 900SS
Have: '13 GSXR-1000 + '01 CB500S
"The aryan confuser"

[G]

Did you mean to see on and off road .
'Road and street' typically mean the same thing.

Why focus on '250'.
That's like asking 'which blue bike is the most fun to ride?'
Sure, it can be answered, but you're unnecessarily removing a lot of similar bikes for no good reason.

[MCN.]

3MA and KR1S.

[C1REX]

I would go for CRF250L. I have no idea about mechanics and 8000 service intervals for such bike is amazing.

It works as an adventure bike as well.
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MCForum meetup - One of the biggest motorcycle clubs in UK

[thx1138]

Yeah CRF250L on the stock three its good for motorways, a roads, back roads and byways (as long as not too boggy or claggy)

Though I've got mousses and mud tyres on mine now, so hopeless on major roads now.

[LoweredOne]

[G]

So, why focus on 250?

A poor choice for a trackday bike, I'd say.

(I have ridden my own 250s on trackdays as well as raced a 'hire' one, though only one meeting.)

[Eddie Hitler]

Kawasaki ZZR400.




















https://i.imgur.com/XGFxpG7s.jpg

[LoweredOne]

[LoweredOne]

[G]

I might have thought that, before I did some trackdays.

Of course, it depends what you get out of them.

I've often found trackdays frustrating on smaller bikes.

I spent about 2/3rds of one day at Cadwell on an Aprilia RS250 seemingly always stuck behind the same R1. I'd catch up and sometimes get past going into, through and out of the corners. Then he'd disapear off the straight for the same to be repeated the next corner. (Did manage to make it stick eventually.)

Had similar at the old Snetterton on a 64hp SV650 - was a pace day so sent out with riders with similar lap times, but it so happened that said riders were on litre bikes, meaning I was constantly being slowed in the corners.
I'd call it frustrating more than fun.

For me and many others the 'sweet spot' for trackdays is a 600cc sports bike. They've got low enough power you can still wring their neck without being too worried of having to be really cautious, but also high enough power that it's only right to the end of the straight that you're losing out to them, so you don't need to be that much better than them to get and stay past.

As a new rider to track, I'd suggest a bike that can 'keep up' is also worthy.

They're also readily available in good spec and relatively good condition for trackwork. Less money thrown on the bike means more track time, which is the fun bit!

On all that too, as you're talking SV sort of power, if you want a bike with that sort of power - I'd just get a bike like an SV.
I hate the SV650 and love 2 strokes, but track days and racing, the engine character only comes in to play when you mess up - you should always be at the top of the revs regardless.

You can get a secondhand race SV650 for a very reasonable price.

[LoweredOne]

[G]

At 17 you can ride a superbike as far as the ACU is concerned I believe - sure you can at 18.

Going to trackdays with an ACU licence is another matter and certainly used to be the case that for some at least you'd have to go into an ACU group. Somewhere that is NOT for new riders to track.

Not all tracks care about your license.

No, a 250/400 will not be 'easier to put into corners'.
If any bike is, you're riding it wrong or it's a fag bike or something.
No, a bigger cc bike won't be easier to hang off, which is pretty separate to 'putting it into corners'.
Newer bikes tend to be easier to ride and you don't get new 250s that are fun track choices.

If you want to have fun on track, then I'd suggest either minimotos or pitbikes. Both are excellent starting blocks, both are cheap to buy and to ride. You're also less likely to hurt yourself (I typically send people out on mine and tell them TOO crash them) and can push the limits more easily.
(You can easily spend £30 on fuel alone at a big bike trackday, after all the other costs - two pit bikes being ridden pretty continuously for a bit shy of 4 hours each cost me under £15 in fuel between them - that's each getting twice the track time of a big bike trackday).

[LoweredOne]

[wr6133]

[G]

[LoweredOne]

[LoweredOne]

[G]

Minimotos and pitbike supermotos are both used on tarmac.

How many 1000cc bikes have you ridden?

How many times have you ridden on track?

What off roading have you done?

[LoweredOne]

[G]

What pit/money bike is it?
Have you ridden it as fast as possible around a kart track with supermoto tyres?
I've not seen any decent 50cc 2 stroke examples of pit/monkey bikes.

I asked about litre bikes because I'm confused about why you have the attitudes you do. (Well, that they're less fun - they're obviously not significantly bigger, because they're not.)
I do tend to agree with you as it goes - but I formed my opinion AFTER having owned/ridden them.

Similarly for off roading, except I do enjoy it - as do the majority of people who enjoy trackdays in my experience. So I wouldn't rule it out if you haven't tried it.

[LoweredOne]

[G]

Looking on google images, that's not a monkey bike, that's a cheap kid's dirt bike.

Deciding you don't want to do minimoto or pitbike SM based upon that is like watching an Asylum mock buster and deciding you don't like films.

Again, if you actually want the experience of track riding/racing, minimoto or pitbike SM is by the best bet in your position I'd say.

If you just want some pictures of you riding a track bike on a track, sure go that route.
It seems you're focused on an idea, without any real clue about the reality of the idea.

(Again, I've raced various things including big bikes and done most sorts of on and off road riding you can do.)

[LoweredOne]