what bike?

ok... im getting my bike learners and i need to get a bike. im in aus and i noticed a few others in here are too... L bikes are limited to 260cc, so im getting a 250, but im not getting rid of it as soon as i get my lisence, i'm planning to keep it for 3-4 years or maybe even more. i'm into smaller lighter bikes anyway (and im only 5'11"), so i need help choosing a bike. right now its looking like its going to be a cbr250, but i am also considering the aprilia rs 125 or the rs250 if i can scrape together the money.... now can anyone tell me the differences between a stock cbr250, cbr250r and a cbr250rr? thank you for all your help and feel free to make suggestions...

good to see another from the land of oz. which year models are you refering to. back when i got my fzr250rr, it was a 91 and a grey import. all the research i did back then was that the RR was the twin front disc from 91 onwards. the cbr,fzr and zxr were all imports and roughly the same performance. the main difference is the size. fzr's are for larger guys than the cbr and zxr's are the smallest. there are cbrr's that are not imports but they will be newer models

as for the aprillia, my apprentice had one while he learnt and it was a fun bike but not one to own. many problems and bad resale. his main problem was the speedo kept breaking so don't believe any k's on a second hand one

i want to mod the bike iget as well so far i have thought of only a few things: custom paint job (white and light blue), sports muffler, fat rear (how wide should it be?)and blue halogen headlight.

i dont know much bout bikes so what other easy mods would give me more power, or improve the bike in some way? including a brake upgrade - pads definately, anything else?

this bike is the inspiration 4 my desired paint job - the colours anyway but i always like blue n white bikes (prob coz of the blue r1's lol)

http://www.tigimages.ninemsn.com.au/DisplayImage.aspx?ItemID=451334&PropImgID=2&ItemPropImgID=1203417&size=ImageSuperSize

also the yellow R1 the other guy posted is also a hot paintjob (pics gone)

Sidenote: This thread will remain OPEN because it asks a specific question about specific bikes available in a certain area of geography. THIS is a perfect example of what people who are unsure about certain bikes should have in mind when they post. [/rant]

Welcome to our locale, engineer! :D I'd help, but I am a yank.

Sidenote: This thread will remain OPEN because it asks a specific question about specific bikes available in a certain area of geography. THIS is a perfect example of what people who are unsure about certain bikes should have in mind when they post. [/rant]

Welcome to our locale, engineer! :D I'd help, but I am a yank.


thank u so much 4 being supportive; i posted this thread, then i read the stickies and i was scared 4 a second i was one of those idiots asking what i should get as a first bike... well i guess i can stop being paranoid now lol...

i want to mod the bike iget as well so far i have thought of only a few things: custom paint job (white and light blue), sports muffler, fat rear (how wide should it be?)and blue halogen headlight.

i dont know much bout bikes so what other easy mods would give me more power, or improve the bike in some way? including a brake upgrade - pads definately, anything else?

this bike is the inspiration 4 my desired paint job - the colours anyway but i always like blue n white bikes (prob coz of the blue r1's lol)



also the yellow R1 the other guy posted is also a hot paintjob (pics gone)


to be honest and blunt. don't waste your money on a 250. buy it ride it and unload it as soon as you can upgrade. you can't get much more power out of the little motors as you can the larger ones. keep in mind they redline at 19000 rpm. if you need to paint it then do it but whatever you do to a bike, the next owner will be wanting to know why you did certain things and wonder are you covering up damage.

the brakes on the RR are good enough for starters but new pads and fluid would be smart no matter what bike.

as for a fat rear, the handling would be shithouse if you went anything larger than standard. the swing arm can only take a certain size before it will rub.

seriously think about upgrading as you can and put the money you would have put into the 250 into a second hand cbr600rr. by the time your ready the current shape will be available at a decent price.
i see your from mexico too, you should meet Lyndon on here soon enough. he's a mexican too.

i see your from mexico too, you should meet Lyndon on here soon enough. he's a mexican too.


mexican? umm maybe u should look again. unless mexican has another meaning apart from a citizen of mexico that i dont know about? i live in melbourne 4 christ's sake. and yeah i will look into your advice...

haha theres no real reason, but for some reason, us melbournites are 'mexicans'... go figure..

welcome to the board dude, im knew too :D so if you've got any questions related to newbie stuff, i might be able to save the more experienced riders a bit of finger power and answer it for you instead :)

by the way im Lyndon :D

sorry dude, i'm from sydney so your south of the border. hence mexican.

sorry dude, i'm from sydney so your south of the border. hence mexican.

which makes u an idiot? oops u already admitted that lol. jk. but then u guys are mexicans to queensland? i just think the mainland should unite against them two headed tasmanians... anyways im not a real aussie - im polish... born there and migrated to aus when i was a young 'un in the early 90's. i have a dual pol/aus citizenship, i consider myself polish, my entire family here and there is polish, i speak it, i eat the food, i am european and proud of it and im not ur typical aussie - but please dont get all racist on me, coz i cop a lot of shit from a lot of the skippies, about being a wog, deigo and whatever else they can think of. please dont say east europe is made up of thirld word countries and please dont say my people are stupid. i know you probably arent like this but i have experienced a fair bit of this over the years and i want to make myself clear

now back to bikes... i really am more into light nimble machines than muscle, i like to wring everything out of a bike/car, because while having a ride that u just hang on for dear life, i like to improve my technique, and have absolute control over what i am driving... and also, the real satisfaction comes from being a skilled driver/rider, than having a fast car/bike that anyone can go quick on thats jut my opinion though.... also cbr250's only weigh about 150kg (330lb for the yankz), so if i can squeeze an extra 5hp that is a 15% gain in power, and if i could push an extra 10 horse thats a 30% increase... in car terms take a 350z... it unofficially makes roughly 215kw (290hp)... a 30% increase would bring power to 280kw (378hp)... that makes for a fun machine. i know i shit on a lot and i apologise 4 this. :screwy:

also, i like the idea of having a 250cc thats quicker than stock, i would like to surprise people that think in their minds "pfff jst a 250, what a slow POS"... i know its a 'ricer' mindset but thats just me and i cant and wont change for anyone...

so i would really like u guys to tell me what are some good mods...

so far i would like to do these mods, over time in a logical sequence

-replace motor oil and shock oil with high grade fully synthetic... will consult experts on what weight of oil
-tyres
-blue xenon headlight
-paintjob (body: white w/ blue OR yellow w/ black, wheels: white, black, charcoal or bronze)
-air filter
-plugs
-full exhaust
-chipped and tuned
-ported, polished and flow tested

i read about some guy sticking a cbr900 windsheild in place of the stock one, could be cool, or i could get 1 of the aftermarket 'smokey' screens...

what are some reccomended brands? i've heard micron is a very good exhaust brand... do K&N make bike filters? or can they be adapted? i've seen the bikes with the pod filter sticking out from the side and i think i'll do that, the airflow would be awesome. ive seen in racebikes where the filter is pokin where the headlight should be but thats not road legal so i cant do it.

and this is a dumb question but are cbr250's carbeurated or FI ? i am almost certain they are carb. if so can i get better carbs for the bike?

i am going to look for an RR model. i have just a few more question... if i was to go to a wrecking yard or buy one of those crashed bikes they sell for parts - and scavenge the brakes from a bigger cbr, like a 600rr or a 900rr etc, how easy would it be to fit? are they any better at all, sorry just cbf looking it up when u probably know this.... what parts would i need to get? just the rotors and calipers? or the lines and master cylinder too? and what other parts could i get off a higher model CBR to make my bike better?

my only other option that i am considering right now is buying a cheapo jap bike... like an NSR150 then waiting a couple of years to buy a better bike, probably a 600... but i dunno i just dont feel like getting a big bike...

dude, Aussie was joking. lol. relax and don't take offense. he doesn't even know/care where you're from.

Like Blayne's name says: he's an idiot.

Back to bikes... Micron has a nice, rich sounding exhaust on the R6, don't know much about the 250's because us "damn yanks" always have to have the biggest and best. You CAN get K&N air filters for most bikes, I don't know about oil, but I am pretty sure they make those for 2 wheelers, too. Also, on my Seca, I got a UNI filter (K&N wannabe at less than 1/2 the cost) AND I took the entire top off the airbox so it is just held in by brackets to the pocket that the air goes to the engine. It seemed to help a little b/c the previous intake was about 3-4cm diameter. As for "better" carbs, you may be able to find a jet kit which will change the needles, in turn changing your fuel/air ratio, thus why you need to have a modified air intake and exhaust if you DO take this route.

queenslanders are canadians!!!!!

anyhoo, youre on the right track but a new 600 is around 168kg and puts out shitload more than you could ever hope to get out of a 250 for the same price. also the current cbr600rr is pretty much the same size as the old 250's. once you get a taste for riding you'll want more power.

as for brakes, it would take too much effort to chande the setup to a larger version's brakes. just get new discs, calipers and braided lines for your model.

as tangie said, K+N do make bike filters but they are not the same as a car. they make replacement inserts which don't give huge power gains. they tend to smooth out rough patches. unless you do the rampod out the side but again its a big cost for the posssible gains. usual mods for average power gains would be to jet the carbies, get the filter and exhaust that all work together well. check out www.rrzone.com for more cbr specific chat rooms (most of these guys are cops).

with exhausts, i don't know which one would suit yours better. i run an akrapovic on my blade and to start with it sounded shit but now i'm used to it

hmmm its got me thinking... i think i will stick with my cbr250rr plan, but when i get some more money and a full bike lisence i will look into a 600... like an r6 mmm...

by the way i found out the differences between the 250r and the rr:


The frames are different
R - a simple 5 section box twin spar alloy frame similar to most sport bikes
RR - wider and more stylish twin spar frame that allows easier access to items such as the radiator cap. Longer head stock.

The Brakes
R - a single 330mm disk with a single two piston caliper (f&r)
RR - duel smaller disks each with a two piston caliper (front).

Rear Suspension
R - straight box style symetrical swing arm, with a vertical shock
RR - gull arm swing arm, asymetrical, with a more horizontal shock (about 30 degrees)

Fuel system
R - Pump fed, adjustable float heights, smaller jets.
RR - Gravity fed, fixed floats, larger jets.

Engine
There are few differences the engine, externally they are the same.
They make the same power at the same revs. The rev limiters are both set at 18 500rpm despite the RR's tacho reading a redline of 19000rpm.

Seating
R - More padded seat, more upright position
RR - Firmer seat, more sporty position

Physical appearance
R - Clip ons mounted on top of triple clamp, rear fairing meets under tank, (fake) ram air ports are horizontal next to headlights, single brake, lower rear end, exhaust mounted to the same bracket as pillion pegs, contoured spar frame, unsculpted top of tank and no sculpting on the rear fairing, the tail light section is considered better looking and less prone to cracking, the lights sit into the body work more.

RR - Clipons mounted under triple clamp, rear fairing sits behind tank, (fake) ram air is verticall under the head lights, twin front brakes, higher rear end, "bent" swing arm on the exhaust side, pillion pegs and exhaust bracket are seperate, stylized frame, sculpting on top front of fuel tank.

Price
The RR generally can fetch up to $1500 for the same condition bikes.

saw a honda that you'd be keen on after your p's

it was a blue white 400. v4, single swingarm and had upside down forks. must have been an import. i didn't have time to stop and get more details

im not into the whole single swing arm thing... for one thing i reckon it looks kinda silly, and from an engineering point of view its got to be much weaker... so even if it has some performance benefit, which i highly doubt, its still not worth it in my eyes.

SSSAs are sooooooooooo sexy. YUM!

thats a shame. i spoke to a guy on an older v4 400 today who was on his P's and he said that it was now street legal due to changes in the allowed power to weight rules. but don't quote him/me on it

single side swing arms were used on endurance race bikes since it allows quick and easy wheel changes. As for being weaker and lacking substantial benefit, I'm not sure since I am no engineer.

hey hey hey

another aussie! nice nice

as for the bike bro iv just bought a 250 in the last few weeks, its not a cbr but still a 250
iv got heeps to learn still but im really glad we have to start on the 250's here, its just better to learn on a slower bike so WHEN u fu@k up u dont fu$k up to badly.

I still need to master cornering and those slower skills, but i have tamed the power of the bike already, and i cant wait till i can get my hands on a 600, but saying that i wouldnt upgrade now even if i could, not till i have completley mastered the bike i ride now. Im pretty sure ull do the same with the cbr, and as Blayne said ull b craving more power once uv got the tast for it.

keep ur options open cause i reken ull change ur mind when u ride ur little honda a bit :)