Hyosung 250R v Kawasaki Ninja advice

[Br3ndan]

Hi all,

I am new the scene... just getting into motorbikes! I have been into alot of the v8s and japanese sports cars since I was 17 (I am now 24) and now I have decided to stop that for awhile and start riding bikes!

SO I have heard alot of jokes about the Hyosung 250Rs... is there a reason for this? Are they the rice burners of the bike world? I was thinking about getting one simply because they are relatively new, cheap and I do plan to only use it for 1 to 1.5 years while on my RE licence. Or should I go for the Kawasaki Ninja instead? This may take me a bit longer to save and get although I would assume they are a better bike?

So what are your thoughts about a new rider and those two bikes?

Also as for safety gear, I was thinking about starting off with Helment (shoei?) Jacket and gloves. Is there anything else I would need when it comes to just starting to ride? I don't need to be decked out with all the brands but I do want quality, as thats what is between me and the road! Also how much are you guys paying for insurance on these 250's?

Thanks for the help guys!

[Jimpap]

Hey Brendon welcome to the bike scene hope you enjoy it. I'm also fairly new and loving it. In regards to your question my opinion the Ninja is probably a more refined slighty better quality being a kwaka, but for what you get for value for money I think you can't go past the Hyosung. The other thing I like is they're a full size bike. From what i found in alot of cases you can get a hyosung and your gear cheaper than the Ninja...great fun to learn on sell it when your done!

[out_in_front]

Yep - the ninja is more powerful, reliable, less weight etc
Hyo is cheaper - but suited better to taller riders.

[scotch]

I had the Hyo as my first bike. Good fun and reliable. I had it for a year which was all I wanted it for. There is plenty of good first bikes other than the Hyo and Ninja. My thought is that it's only for a year of use so it didn't really matter what I had. My goal was to get an 08+ R6 and that's what I have now. My Hyo was used for learning how to ride a bike. It was always going to be a stepping stone.

Also worth considering is the riding position. The Hyo is more sporty whereas the ninja, although sporty looking, has more of an upright riding position. Try and test ride them both and see which one feels better. Good luck!

[Goldmember]

Talk to squash as he has a hyo that is currently under repair have a look at this thread Hyo may have the death rattle already :( before you make the decision.
I would go for the Ninja over the hyo any day of the week

[robo3172]

i test rode the new hyo and ninja and ended up buying the ninja has extra gear and cruses nice mines a 2010 model and i ride it every day cant get enough of it defnatly the better bike

[Steppo_GT]

When I was looking for mine last year I had a 5g limit, ended up with a 06 hyo and had money left over for a Shoei helmet and leather jacket and gloves. If i went the more expensive bike I wouldn't have had the quality gear.

Its only a 250 and not like you can really feel that much difference in speed or handling and its only for a year anyway so it never really bothered me. You still get the same experience which is why we buy them in the first place.

I've never had a problem with my Hyo and same story with a few of my mates who also have them. I'm actually selling it to upgrade to a larger bike at the moment too.

[Steppo_GT]

Talk to squash as he has a hyo that is currently under repair have a look at this thread Hyo may have the death rattle already :( before you make the decision.
I would go for the Ninja over the hyo any day of the week

Thats a 650 which have known engine problems!

[SOLID]

Yep - the ninja is more powerful, reliable, less weight etc
Hyo is cheaper - but suited better to taller riders.

Correction the ninja has more hp and the hyo has more torque

[Maxo]

Br3ndan, you'll notice the hyo fanboys will flock to anti-hyo threads like flies to shit.
This isn't necessarily because hyo's are bad bikes, its just the people that buy them seem to have some weird penchant retardation for not being able to accept that their bike isn't the best choice thinking hyosungs are good.


e.g

I'm selling my bike, which is fine because i'm selling it, buy my bike, it's good, who cares if it is shit it is only a 250, buy it.

While both seem to be made from a mix of polystyrene and cheese, the cheese holding the ninja together seems to be slightly more rugged.

Not to mention people seem to prefer buying the ninja over the hyosung when it comes time to sell.

So yeah, buy the ninja and you'll spend a little extra to start with, but as long as you don't ruin it you'll be able to sell it for a decent price too (rather than having to invade peoples "I'm looking at buying a 250" threads).

[Not-So-Rad]

I had that choice not so long ago and ended up with a Hyo. Reasons:
Price - Cheap
Looks - Seriously better than a ninja
Size - Ninja was like a pit bike and was insanely uncomfortable for me (6"3')
Reliability - If you get a recent year hyo their original design flaws have been worked out and are no less reliable than a ninja
Jokes about hyo - Sure they happen, but in the end - isn't the goal to get 12 months of experience over and done with and upgrade to a new bike. I don't care if a dude on a ninja is faster than me (seriously JUST faster) there's always someone with a 'busa around the corner which does the top speed of a 250cc in first gear.

So basically get whichever bike is more comfortable for you (from my experience i would actually steer clear of fully fared and get a naked)

[Steppo_GT]

Would you like a tissue Maxo? I never said a hyo is better than a Ninja the point I was trying to get at is that not all people can outlay 5.5k plus gear all at once, for something they're only keeping for not even a year...

If it was for an open class licence I'd also be on the stay the fuck away from the Hyo bandwagon...

Cheer up princess xoxo

[Maxo]

Cheer up princess xoxo

I never said a hyo is better than a Ninja the point I was trying to get at is that not all people can outlay 5.5k plus gear all at once, for something they're only keeping for not even a year...

Yes, but why would you dump all your cash on something that is going to depreciate to zip in your year of riding. Not to mention will probably require 2 engine rebuilds and lots of prodding about with a multimeter to figure out why it isn't working..

Seriously, if you're going down the path of cheapness, buy a gpx or an old zzr or summat.

I really can't see any reason to buy a hyo than unless you're fat and can't reach normal motorcycle handlebars.

[Seb]

Eh, Hyo's aren't as bad as the stigma attached to them. Yeah, I have one... a 2009 model. I wouldn't defend it to the death, because at the end of the day they're a 250 that gets me from A to B. All 250's are just that, unless you have and RS250 or an RGV, they simply serve a purpose. People will bash Hyo's, Hyo owners will get their heckles up and say how awesome they are, but they aren't and at the end of the 12 months it's getting sold on to someone else that will get all antsy if someone says a bad word about their cheddar bike. You're not gonna get the same resale value out of it as you would with a VTR or a GPX, because you can pretty much sell those for what you buy them for, it's just personal preference. So ride a few and choose the one that gives you even the slightest movement, and save the boner for the R class bike.

[Br3ndan]

Thanks for all the fast replies guys. I am about 6 ft 1 and I was planning to spend around 5k ish mark on bike and gear (kind of the same situation as Steppo_gt), if i want to buy it next month. If I wait a bit longer and/or my skyline sells I will have more money to play with... If thats the case I can probably grt a Ninja. Although I do agree that the fully flared hyosung does look a bit more impressive. I will take a look at both bikes and then make a choice. Get that one year out of the way and look into a decent bike!

What kind of insurance I am looking at for a 24 year old with no past history?

Edit: "Reliability - If you get a recent year hyo their original design flaws have been worked out and are no less reliable than a ninja" - What design flaws are there? What years should I stay well clear of?

[Chaos-incarnate]

Correction the ninja has more hp and the hyo has more torque

True, and dragging a friend off at the lights, I beat her off the mark but then she slowly pulled away from me- and I mean slowly. I had time to reply to a couple of emails and file my fingernails. Seriously, the difference is so minimal, your kidding yourself.
However- I have noticed when I ride with her she gets perved on flat out! Since theres no way its me() it must be the bike! Therefor conclusively proving that the Ninja is more attractive to men.

I am a girl and like the look of the Hyos- I have one- conclusive proof women find the Hyo more attractive.

So I guess the question is, who do you wanna look good for?

Of course, my opinion may be swayed by my penchant for retardation, in which case you should stay away from the mozarella and get the polystyrene instead.

On a more serious note, the price isnt that different- just get an older Ninja of comparable price. The resale will be even better. I would recommend buying second hand anyway, unless you like throwing money away (and hey- that can be fun!). The Ninjas havent really changed, just the fairings so its the same thing, whereas the Hyo has evolved in a pretty big way. I wouldnt recommend buying older than 2008 for a Hyo- although there are a few people on here that say their older Hyo is great, the percentage of bike failure seems to increase pretty dramatically.
Try buy a Hyo that Dale Britton built if you go that way, I googled all over the net and it seems that whoever builds them has a big part in how good they are, and DBs are good.

Insurance- I have A1 rating on my car insurance and this dramatically reduced my insurance. If youve got a skyline, would hope you had it insured? If youve never been insured and your a learner, I cant see it being a fun experience.....

Of course, if you need more information you could always go through the Two Fiddy section and read every post asking the same questions you are asking now, theres roughly one on every page... times infinity....

[Frogger]

ive ridden them both and there isnt much difference. 1 is green and 1 is yellow . 1 has a more upright position the other is more aggressive . 1 revs higher and sounds like shit the other revs lower and doesnt sound much better. theres a zzr250 on gumtree for $2200 atm . id look at something like that, wat u save u can spend on servicing and gear. buy something new and a week later u will be back in the shop spending $400 on a service to keep its warrenty

or better yet buy a rd trail bike. or a jetpack.

[Jimpap]

With the Hyo you can also purchase cheap original parts from Korea off the net for eg you can replace most your fairings or rebuild your engine for under $500 theend ofthe day it about a cheap ride

[Commander Keen]

Ride them both and choose the one that gives you the biggest boner

[Gimpy]

Ninja, without a doubt, or ZZR that MAXO mentioned, much the same, still pisstin's better than a hyo for build quality etc

Plenty of '08 Ninja's going around for $5K mark, wouldn't see why you wouldn't get most of your $$ back when it's time to sell...pending what carnage you ensued' on it within that year