Too many options! Confused on which bike

[Justin94]

Hi im having a bit of trouble of choosing which type of bike to get.

I'm about to turn 17 and desperately need transport, I have owned a moped since I was 16 (until it got stolen) an am ready to get my 250 license.

Im not sure which would be more practical for me seeing as I have a budget around ~4k, a road trail or a roadbike suchas Hyosung.

I have been offered a CBR250RR 1990 model for around my 4k mark, although that bike is nearly 22 years old and there are alot more running parts so if it breaks Im going to be without transport and without money. ( Any ideas on what could go wrong with this and repair price too please )

Keeping in mind this bike will be used for everything, visiting friends, possibly longer trips ~200kms, getting to work every morning etc.

Which should I choose? Also are 250s practical for long 400 or so km trips?

Thanks.

[shan]

Right up antill the 400 km trips I was thinking road trail.
Easy to comute, crash well, cheep enough.
Learn and move on.
400 km trips, fairing is good, double bouble screen, desent gear to keep warm / cool and protected.

So , bet you still confused

[Spiren]

i had a cbr 250 1992 for my first bike. those bikes will run for ever if you keep them serviced. found that a lot of people ran into problems when they started trying to mod the carbs and intake so if its stock would be a good way to go. hyo for a newer bike but for 4 k not sure what youll be getting may be lucky and find a good one, also depends how tall you are hyo's are nearly full size frame.

[AliastheJester]

I've been doing Bunbury to Perth commute twice a week on a VTR250. Nakeds are fine for comfort till past 110 imo. With roadbikes your better off with twins rather than singles unless its the new CBR250r, but the trail bikes aren't as short of power as the road singles. KLX 250s can be picked up in your budget, a few years old and with low Ks, plenty of other options but they might be harder to find.

[Justin94]

The cbr is a four pot i believe, but i dont know how practical it is to put my shopping in and goto work every morning. the resale value on this is really whats got me, also the fun it could offer and ability to travel to Perth and back comfortably.

[Wedge]

In my opinion, get a newer bike rather then an old cbr 2fiddy. A GPX would probably be my pick as VTR's tend to be more expensive, they also come with some handy luggage tie down points, Hyo's tend to fall apart, and there's plenty of 5-10 year old GPX's for that price.
The CBR I can see having problems...

[Justin94]

My thought exactly Wedge, Hyo - bad news and commonsense says a bike older than me would have seen its day. Also what are the GPX's like? Would I still be able to have some fun on one and take a passenger?

Nvm a simple google turned up the results i was looking for. Thanks wedge, the GPX sounds like the allrounder bike I'm looking for!

[Loud]

Thought about getting a car first?

[Commander Keen]

Take a look at the ZZR250, same as a GPX except with 17" wheels (Better choice of tyres) and some other minor changes

[Justin94]

Loud, I lost my license for letting a friend ride my bike without a license, therefore I have not yet got my log books and also other circumstances have prevented md from doing my log book (you have to hold it for 6 months). I need immediate transport.

[Wedge]

hey? Hows that work?

[Justin94]

Commander, i think that the zzr maybe a little out of my price range. the GPX is reasonably priced for what it is.

[Justin94]

Wedge, when I had my moped I was at the beach with friends and one asked to borrow my scoot to go home to get a towel or something I let him and I got summonsed to court for knowingly allowing an unlicensed person to drive a motorvehicle got 3 months suspension so haven't bothered with log book.

[Maxo]

Loud, I lost my license for letting a friend ride my bike without a license

?

- you lost it how?

- Immediate transport without a licence?

[Commander Keen]

Mate, if you lose your car license you can't just get a bike license and all will be sweet. You're suspended, you can't drive/ride anything until the suspension is up.

Also, you can't get suspended when someone else is riding your moped, that's just stupid.

[filbert]

My thought exactly Wedge, Hyo - bad news and commonsense says a bike older than me would have seen its day. Also what are the GPX's like? Would I still be able to have some fun on one and take a passenger?

Nvm a simple google turned up the results i was looking for. Thanks wedge, the GPX sounds like the allrounder bike I'm looking for!

just to confuse you further might i suggest the ZZR or ninja over the GPX they're close to identical to ride and have the same motor and gearbox but have 17" wheels where the GPX has 16" and limits your tyre choice severely, with the 17" on the ZZR and ninja you can choose from any brand with touring and sports options, some are sticky enough that you could outcorner the big boys.

I rode a KLR 250 road trail on my restricted licence period and regularly travelled 450+kms in a day, it all depends how badly you want to get there, there are more comfortable ways to do it but you make do with what you've got, it had advantages it was definitely quicker off the line than anything my friends were riding and i learned wheelies at all speeds, i even put a road tread tyre on it and learned how to corner so don't rule out supermoto or road trail if it's your thing.


edit: beaten while typing and doing other stuff

[Justin94]

?

- you lost it how?

- Immediate transport without a licence?

now I have to explain my life story lol.

I lost my license got it back aftet 3 months, booked in to get my logbook then unforseen circumstances made me move from rockingham to geraldton about 3 days before my logbook test, then I was un-employed and couldn't afford to pay for the test again so I haven't done it. You can get your R-E class license the day you turn 17 whereas C class you need to
hold a logbook for 6 months. I have my R-N class now and am getting my R-E as soon as I find a bike.

[Justin94]

Mate, if you lose your car license you can't just get a bike license and all will be sweet. You're suspended, you can't drive/ride anything until the suspension is up.

Also, you can't get suspended when someone else is riding your moped, that's just stupid.

I know it's a pathetic charge.. -.-

[Phildo]

Im not sure which would be more practical for me seeing as I have a budget around ~4k.

If it breaks I'm going to be without transport and without money.

Keeping in mind this bike will be used for everything.

Ok, so you need 100% reliable. Something that's not going to stuff you around. It sounds like you're not overwhelmed with mechanical ability, so it needs to be something that doesn't need to be worked on regularly.

Something like a CBR250RR is going to be a risk. It might go for a couple of years and run perfectly, or it might have regular problems.

For $4,000 you're getting into Kawasaki 250R Ninja territory.
- newest of the choices
- piss easy to resell later on
- reliable as you'll get
- probably the best range of aftermarket stuff, if you want to pursue that

Considering that these things are selling for $6,000 new, with some searching you should be able to get a good, two year old one for four grand.

Not a particularly exciting bike, but it will fit your requirements of reliability and ability to do 200-400km runs without problems. There are bikes with much better performance, but performance often (ie not all the time, but usually) has an extra cost (ie reliability, maintenance, financial).

Find one that was bought new by the seller (ie one owner) and has had all the right servicing.

[Justin94]

Im fairly mechanically minded, the scoot was an ongoing nightmare replaced the rings piston and bore, i've got mechanical help from family if I need it I just don't feel like taking a risk thats going to break my bank.

The ninja was one of my favourites originally.

Ok, so you need 100% reliable. Something that's not going to stuff you around. It sounds like you're not overwhelmed with mechanical ability, so it needs to be something that doesn't need to be worked on regularly.

Something like a CBR250RR is going to be a risk. It might go for a couple of years and run perfectly, or it might have regular problems.

For $4,000 you're getting into Kawasaki 250R Ninja territory.
- newest of the choices
- piss easy to resell later on
- reliable as you'll get
- probably the best range of aftermarket stuff, if you want to pursue that

Considering that these things are selling for $6,000 new, with some searching you should be able to get a good, two year old one for four grand.

Not a particularly exciting bike, but it will fit your requirements of reliability and ability to do 200-400km runs without problems. There are bikes with much better performance, but performance often (ie not all the time, but usually) has an extra cost (ie reliability, maintenance, financial).

Find one that was bought new by the seller (ie one owner) and has had all the right servicing.