Roadstergal
Sergeant Jackrum
They would have called it the Rπ, but that would just be irrational.
Although - who doesn't like pie?
Although - who doesn't like pie?
-
There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.
Yamaha YZF-250R4
- Thread starter switchlanez
- Start date
Comparing the little Yamaha Motard to a Ninja 250, is an apples-n-oranges thing, with the 250cc's of displacement being the only shared attribute.
- Priced (retail) $2,000+ more
- Fuel range 60% less (only about 90 miles between stops)
- Top speed about 20 MPH less
- Less HP
- No wind/bug protection
Cool little bike
, but a VERY specialized, very expensive (for what you get), limited-use model.Still waiting for the phantom Yamaha "R4" that the Photoshop gang had folks falling sucker to, and falsely salivating about a couple years back ...... to magically appear.
Especially in the current economic/motorcycle manufacturer's climate, when it comes to devoting resources to designing ground-up, new marketshare bikes.
I'm of the old Missouri state motto mindset of "Show Me". I'll believe any new 250cc sportbike offering, from any of the other manufacturers, will actual exist and come here to the USA, once I see it in the raw.
Not holding my breath, while I'm currently out riding and enjoying raking up the second round of the already completed 100,000 miles on my current Ninja 250.
Thanks Kawasaki! 
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
- Location
- Charming
- Moto(s)
- bitchin trike with oxygen
- Name
- Piney
- BARF perks
- AMA #: 2815981
I will reward you with bacon next time we go camping
Yep .....damn!! the little kwaker that could!!
Attachments
The Yamaha should come in a street trim for the same price as the ninja. In exchange they could put on crap suspension, a crappy chassis, a carbureted engine...everything the ninja comes with. Except I'm not sure if Yamaha has the engineering technique to build a noddle frame or to mix a horrible shade of green paint. 
The Yamaha should come in a street trim for the same price as the ninja. In exchange they could put on crap suspension, a crappy chassis, a carbureted engine...everything the ninja comes with. Except I'm not sure if Yamaha has the engineering technique to build a noddle frame or to mix a horrible shade of green paint.
Good comeback Var. Gotta admit there is some truth to the humor in your post, as there's defintely trade-offs that have to be decided upon when it comes to hitting a target "retail price point" for the sale of any new bike design. The Ninja 250 definitely has some low profile hardware items, as a result of needing to make it's price point.
Unfortunately you can't take a bike with all the cool high-tech (and associated high $$) parts everyone seems to crave in the chassis, suspension, brakes, wheels, electronics, fuel system, etc .... of $10,000 600cc sportbike, and just shrink the size of the pistons by 60% (to make it 250cc displacement), and expect to be able to offer it for sale at 1/2 the price.
The cost to manufacture of a fully-kitted (with all the high-end items mentioned above) 250cc sportbike, would only be a tiny bit less (10%?) than the 600-1000cc machines in their lineup.
An $8,000+ Yama-Hond-Suz-Aki 250cc sportbike so-equipped, would quickly become a hanger queen sitting around dealer floors collecting dust, as few buyers would buy such a bike, with a 600cc machine being only a few $K more.
Honda learned this lesson the hard way, back in 1989/1990, when 400cc "CB-1's" and 650cc "Hawks" ended up having to be discounted down by over 30%, after sitting around on the showroom floors for a year or more unsold.
The regular flow of internet banter about folks sitting with cash in hand to hand over for a fully tricked-out performance parts/design small displacement (250-400cc) sportbike, is driven only by the lack of recognizing what the true price point would have to be. A sub-$5,000 small displacement (250-400cc) sportbike, with all the tricked out chassis/parts that many seem to feel should be included, only exists in a dream world.
As for the references to flexy chassis, carbs, etc of the Ninja 250, actually the current "2nd-Gen" bike really doesn't represent those serious shortcomings of the 18 year prior machines. The chassis/frame is quite solid (no "flexy"), the brakes quite strong, the carburetion does the job just fine, and the cornering clearances ranking right up to a "sportbike" level.
Even the suspension, though old-school (damper-rod) technology, and limited to a single adjustment (rear shock preload), is much firmer and improved over the old-gen bike. Quite decent in getting the job done to meet most target owner's needs. For the price-point of the bike (at least "retail"), the parts actually work quite well.
Glad to demonstrate the current-gen bike's behavior (shortcomings, or lack-thereof) out on a ride, if anyone's curious to observe the current Ninja 250's performance characteristics in motion.
Climber
Well-known member
From what little I could find on this 'bike', it would be a single-cylinder bike.
2strokeYardSale
Moab on my mind
Ha, not sure which bike you are talking about. They have the same power (~26 DJHP) and same top speed (~100 mph). Yam is around 100-120 mi between gas stops. BTW, I've owned a previous-gen Kaw and now own a Yam. My point wasn't so much to bash the Kaw but to point out to the people lamenting the lack of a high-tech 250 that one does exist in the U.S. market but it's ignored because it's not wrapped in sportbike clothing.
Yam is waiting to release the R4 a few weeks after they introduce the new RD350LC.
The speedo on the WRX-250 (as most Japanese bikes) is likely quite "optimistic" in terms of actual top speed vs. indicated. Cycle World reported the actual top speed of this bike, in stock form, to be around 85MPH. I suspect that's pretty close to true, with wind resistance vs. HP.
Fuel range (mileage) is, as always, hugely impacted by the level of "spirit" that a bike is ridden. In the case of the WRX-250, the fuel tank appears to only hold 2.0 gallons (as per Yamaha's website specs), versus the Ninja 250's 4.5 gallon tank.
There's the range between one extreme of maintaining a set highway speed, in a tuck, with minimal level of throttle, where perhaps high 50'ish MPG may be possible, and the other being riding the WRX-250 the way it was intended as a backroad goat trail carver with lots of shifting and throttle .... where 45 MPG would be more likely.
At a 45 MPG level of riding, seeking out a gas station beginning around 75-80 miles would be a good idea. On a Ninja 250. ridden at the same intensity, the gas station search can be delayed until close to 200 miles!
As I said, not knocking the WRX-250, as it's a totally cool bike!
I'd love to have and ride one, if I could have an extra bike for just the kind of specialized use where it would fit. But with the limitations of use, and cost of a new one (over $6K), the Ninja 250 is what's in the garage now.
Last edited:
Roadstergal
Sergeant Jackrum
I agree with you wholeheartedly.
But I was willing to shell out for a bike with quality underpinnings that was 'only' a twofiddy (and would have kept it if the economy had treated us better).What I find amusing is that in general, people seem willing to shell out more for looks than for components. If Kawasaki had kept the old-school fairing/tank/etc. and upgraded the suspension/brakes/engine instead, they couldn't have sold the bike for anywhere near the $5K+ OTD people were shelling out for the New Twofiddy. I know you ride hard and with great skill, but most of the folk out there who paid over MSRP for the New Twofiddy did so because it looked cool. As I said above - Kawasaki knows how to do business.
Gary I was only making my standard anti Kawi rant. I think the KLR650 and the Ninja250 are 2 bikes Kawasaki could have improved for hardly any more money. I guess they did ok with the ninja for how much they're charging but I wouldn't settle for it just for the low price. It's more frustrating cause they are so close to a good package
It's all cool Var, just different perspectives for different folks.
Good is a relative measuring stick, just like fast, in the world of motorcycling.
What level of actual on-road performance, and equipment provided for achieving that performance, does a bike have to have to meet the criteria for earning a rating of a good package? I guess it's for each to decide.
From what I've personally seen from the saddle, the package provided in the 2nd-Gen Ninja 250 definitely merits a good rating ...... when using a $4K list price, factored in with realistic product costs, as the measuring stick.
Grease_Monkey
Sloshie Joshie
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2007
- Location
- San Jose
- Moto(s)
- 1996 Ninja 250, 2004 Ninja ZX6RR, 2009 Ninja 250
- Name
- Joshua
- BARF perks
- AMA #: 2820196
If any of the other bike manufactures try to get into the "2fity" market it will inevitably precipitate lower prices on the kawi and any other 250s in production. I think it would be good for the motorcycle community, but not for padding the pockets of the executives.
From what I've personally seen from the saddle, the package provided in the 2nd-Gen Ninja 250 definitely merits a good rating ...... when using a $4K list price, factored in with realistic product costs, as the measuring stick.
Well that's where i don't agree with you. It's a good deal, not a good bike. I guess it's not a bad bike either. Mehh? Glad you like 'em.
Last edited:
Stormdragon
Still Good Lookin'
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
- Location
- Cool, (yes, really!) CA
- Moto(s)
- XT600, ZX636, KR250, RS90
- Name
- El Diablo
Attachments
angelsndevils
gas burning o-zone killer
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
- Location
- Ukiah, CA
- Moto(s)
- '00 XR650r (plated), '05 KTM 300 exc(sold), '14 hypermotard SP, 06 ttr 125LE
- Name
- Forrest
What happened?? The yellow one in the first post looks all fat and bad ass. The blue one above looks all skinny and weak like a cbr250 knock-off.