Hi, Just wondering out of interest whether people are old school or new school for their 250s. I have ridden a LOT of different bikes, but I always come back to the 250 - mostly because of how much fun they are and when I first started riding. I am not that familiar with the newer 250s and and astounded at some of the HP these 1/4 liters are pulling. Much more than when I first stared riding in the early 80s, which is why I class myself 'Old School'. I like the 2-stroke road rockets of yore - unrefined machines with plenty of seat of the pants riding which you rode with one ear firmly tuned to the engine for any sign of impending disaster (happened twice) and little regard for personal safety that accompanies youth - RD250 / RD250LCs, Suzuki T250 Hustlers (could be picked up for peanuts), Suzuki GT250X7s, Kawasaki KH250s etc. etc. By the time the Honda VT250 came out I had my sights on a new Honda FT500, but instead moved up to a '77 Z650 I bought in Karratha after a marathon Mad Max watching session (and then had to ride all the way back to Port Hedland at 5.00 pm ~ another story). The 250s did not finish with these bikes and I missed out on the RG250s, KRs and RZs. I remain amazed at what potent little bikes they all were. One new bike I did want was a new for '80 CB250RS as it got such rave reviews at the time and has proven itself a bullet-proof and reliable little bike, even 30 years later. Going fast on a big bike is not hard. Going fast on a little bike takes nerve, hence the 250 thrill. I belong with the old school because that is where I came from. Which are you? Ian B.
Definatly 'old school' (first bike in 1974). My kids often accuse me of living in the '70s. Riding by the seat of your pants is the only way I believe to really know what your bike is doing. The 'moderns' are very good at what they were designed for, but they tend to insulate the rider from what is happening between your legs.
I guess I sit in the middle of old and new, I am well and truly smitten with bikes manufactured in the late 80's \ early 90's. This was indeed a purple patch of design and function where you saw the industry evolve with trick parts like powervales in 2 strokes and in-line 4 cylinder engines that will rev to 18000-20000rpm such as the ZXR250, GSXR250, CBR250 and FZR250. What frusrates me the most is we will never see that level of design and ingenuity again. The big 4 jap manufacturers were all playing a game of one upmanship to see how far they could develop these bikes, changes to power output laws and tightening of emissions laws lead to their downfall. My Dream Garage would have the following : CBR250RR MC22 GSXR250 GJ73a FZR250 3ln3 ZXR250C GJ73A RG250 Mark III KR1S NSR250 MC21 NSR250MC28 TZR250 3XV RGV250 VJ22 Aprilia RS250 Mk 1 Aprilia RS250 Mk2 Ducati 999 because they are sexy as... Looking at the new crop of 250's, I fail to get excited , where as the list above represents the true boy racers, the new ones are likened to commuters at best, for example the new CBR250, its a single cylinder bike. It has about 30 hp on tap, its reliable, it does everything right except excite me. New school.. not really, old school I guess you could say that
I stand corrected... and a TDR250 wouldn't mind a go on yours And also your R1z... I keep looking, just none ever come up
I may be only young (28). But I have ridden a few bikes in the time that I have been riding and I still prefer the 250's to the biker bikes. Like it was stated before it's easy to go fast in a straight line on a big bike. But get it on a windy mountain road and the power goes to waste. My first bike was a MC22 and I loved it. Now wishing I never sold it. Then there is the noise of the geared cams it's amazing. I am yet to ride my ZXR properly so I can not pass judgment on a bike I haven't ridden. The old school bikes were built in japan. These new ones are being built in places like India. I personally don't see them as a Japanese bike. Does anyone know if these new bikes even touch Japanese soil before being shipped here? You can see the quality change drastically between the old bikes to the new ones. Like kiffsta said they are commuter bikes designed for low speed city ridding like they do in places like India. And the seating position is just terrible. I love the more aggressive riding position of the older bikes. They set you up for a bigger bike. Nothing worse then going from the tourer to a sports bike and wrists and back ache after 5 minutes of riding. The new cbr 250's are a xr250 engine in a faired frame. I can't speak for anyone else. But If I wanted a dirt bike I would have brought one. Rant over. Kiffsta that garage would be the finest garage to own.
I'm certainly not in for the new. And just what I'm referring to is having the tach & instruments low on the tank, the tacky fairing and 'guards' that slander and muffle all mechanics and that also conceal the frame's engineering etc. I've worked with some machines in my time, and a bike, like all vehicles, is just simply another machine to have to constantly monitor every-which-way.
With my love of two strokes, for me the old school bikes are best. 250cc is my favourite size. The only new bike I am likely to add to the garage is an electric like the Zero S. My favourite bike would be my very modified 1988 TDR250 road racer. For sporty road use I have the 1990 R1-Z. I have had older roadies like my first road bike, a new RD400E, and many RDLC 250 and 350s. But to be honest these days I much prefer late 80s to early 90s road bikes. For touring and general around town use I am perfectly happy with my 1992 RD350R. It would be just as good as a 250 if I am not taking passengers. So I may fit a 250cc top end for less rego. The heavily modified 1987 TZR250 2XT road race bike is amazing. And the further I develop it the better it gets. Show me a modern road bike with around 65hp that weighs less than 100kg! I could fit light weight lights and road gear back on if I wanted to register it when I am older. The 1981 RDLC 250 I keep for nostalgic reasons and I am still at the pointy end of the field when I race it. It would be hard to sell it as since January 1981 I have had at least one RDLC and normally two or three. It's bigger brother RDLC 350 was sold to a friend last year and the RDLC 370 to a friend just this Wednesday. That just leaves the dirt bikes and the beast. The 1979 TZ350F is a nasty bit of work. Nothing sophisticated about it. It does it's job so well due to having the right numbers for the physics to work. Less than 100kg and 75 to 80 hp. A modern ignition gives the early 70s piston port design a broad power spread. Light weight wheels and upgraded suspension lets it circulate very fast on it's skinny 18" wheels. But further work is needed to get it reliable as they just want to trash themselves all the time due to inadequate rubber mounting of the engine and no cush drive. It is a love hate relationship. Favourite dirt bike is my 1979 IT175F Vinduro. Very low tech and short travel suspension but everyone who rides it loves it. The 1984 IT200 may be excellent and have a front disk and long travel suspension but everyone still wants to ride the 175F. I am sure that a modern two stroke dirt bike would be faster but that would not make it more fun. That is what it is really all about with all these older bikes. We still love them because they are so much fun.
