Has anyone bought a 250 and just stuck with it over a year?

[Forsooth]

So, getting my R-E's real soon and starting to go window shopping for my 250. I have a bit of a thing for the Tu250x but the advice I keep getting is to just spend 3.5-4k on a semi-decent 250 "because you'll upgrade to your R as soon as you can." I also don't have a tonne of cash so if I do upgrade to a bigger bike in a year, I would have to sell the 250 to cover it.

At the moment I'm not planning to upgrade to R ASAP, as I mostly want to use the bike for commuting and just cruising around the suburbs. Not too keen on country rides or pushing limits at the track, or at least not thinking about it just yet. As such it makes sense to me to get something new, that I'll like, that I know will last, because I hope to use it for at least a couple of years before upgrading.

So I guess it's that tired "new or old?" question.

Was anyone in a similar position to me leading up to getting your R-E? Did you end up changing your mind after a couple of months on the road, or are you still a dedicated 250 rider? Did anyone buy a brand new 250 and then end up feeling it wasn't worth spending an extra $1-2k over an old bike?

Cheers fellas

[Scoundrel]

You will find that most people can't wait to get the hell off the 250 and onto an open class machine as soon as they are able. Hence it doesnt make much sense to blow all your hard earned on something that you would only keep for 12 months.

Then again I used to work with a bloke who is still on a 250 and has been for the past 20 years...

[SOLID]

Never plan for the present always plan for the future.

You may not feel these things being new to riding but with confidence and time you will want to upgrade.

[thegraeman]

I rode a Honda TA200 Shadow for five years, longest relationship I ever had. Top speed 120 downhill with a tail wind. Still kept me happy though.

[Thirsty]

And plenty of quality near new used 250's to choose from, Id hazard to say if you were looking at the ninja 250r, they have been the best selling bike, there's tons of them out there... it'd be hard to pick a bad one, plently in near show room condition, saving a few $$$ from new, and some with minor cosmetic damage from stationary drops (its a learner bike, stationary drops do happen and dont affect the performance of the bike) and can save even more $$$

[emrys74]

think you'll find the TU a good bike to start with but you'll tire of it pretty fast and there are a bunch of similar second hand options most with low Km on them.
my sister got a CBF new in 05 its still in the back yard she was in no hurry to upgrade but has done so now and enjoys riding much more on a bigger bike. think about getting your bike once you have a licence and have had the chance to have a go on a few and have some experiance. You might be surprised how your ideas change with a bit of experiance.

[Shortfuse]

My wife. Because I wont spend the money on a Triumph Daytona for her, when I can spend it on bikes, drugs and hookers for me. The rest, I will waste.

[Mart]

I bought a 2007 VTR 250 when I started as I felt the same for you. After two years on a 250.. I finally got around to getting my R class, and then had the itch to upgrade.

Not much faster on the big bore, except perhaps in take off.. and maybe straight line, definately slower in the corners. I certainly miss the servicing costs, insurance, and tyre prices of the 250cc.

[Blazon]

I had a vtr250 as well. After 3 months I felt the need to upgrade coz it felt underpowered.
Especially when the lights turn green & the falcodore behind wants to mow you down.

It was a great 1st bike & I agree the servicing costs on a 250 are cheaper but I'd never go back.

[lippy]

year and a half on the 250 i didnt mind at all then inlaws got me a bigger bike for my birthday and i went and got my r class and now loving it

[Lethal]

Yep, I had my 250 for about 3 years, but that was a very long time ago and I never felt the need for a bigger bike back then. It was just to get me around during summer, and was a hell of a lot of fun!

I reckon if you're still honing your skills on a 250 then don't take the step up until you're ready for it....

[Blazon]

fwiw, my vtr was a 2006 model with 2500k's which I bought in 2010 & rode for 12 months.
you'll find plenty of low km bikes worth buying. I wouldn't buy new.

[Mart]

ah yes... I certainly don't miss the asshats in commonwhores.. I had forgotten

[Veefore]

I continued to buy and ride 250's for a few years after getting my K class. I was racing 250 proddies at the time so my bikes were dual purpose. Rip the lights and indicators of and race on sunday. Then put it all back on and ride it to work on monday.

[SP1RITED]

Good thread btw. I had to get the fastest 250 (tho I thought) that was the Ninja ZX2R (older 4 cylinder)
Being a wannabe racer (still am) I upgraded to an Aprilia RS250 after a few months when I discovered them.
I still like jumping on a low powered bike every now and then and bought another RS250 recently. Anyways
don't buy new if ur afraid of losing a bit of cash, but new 250's seem pretty cheap to me at the moment.
My personal pick if speed is not a priority would be the VTR if u like it naked, CBR250R if you want the latest
and greatest, and the Hyosung GT250R if ur over 180cm tall. If you don't like it, sell it and try another.

[timmay]

Also depends...
If you are after a bike purely for cheap commuter purposes, to work and back for example, a 250 may be more practical, and then have another bike for the weekends.

[killswitch54923]

I had mine for 2 years didnt bother me too much just meant i saved and spent more on my upgrade..

[Bowlen]

I had my 250 for about 5 months before I upgraded to a larger bike. That being said, I had my R-E for a while before I actually got a bike.

[DrRockso]

I bought a 125r and have stuck with it for almost a year before I can go for my R. It's a good bike and fun to ride fast, it doesn't have rocket power but compared to cars how many bikes are really "slow". You'll get more practice changing gears fast on this. So I resisted the temptation to get a 250. I was going for a Ninja at the time and I think I would have been pissed with the price drop because I would be looking at selling now costing me K's

(Shameless cross-promotion link #1)
2008 honda cbr125r black

[Teedo]

I've had my gpx250 for coming on 4 years, It does the job and I will upgrade when I have some spare cash.