What’s up guys. Basically I know next to nothing about bikes, need some type of transportation, but I hate scooters so I’m looking into sports bikes. I need to get something that is less than 250c.c.(don’t have a motorcycle license yet) and my budget is under 100k. My friend keeps recommending me to get a NSR. I’ve also been looking at quannon and FZRs. What do you guys think about something like these?
sport bikes under 250cc are basically the FZR, NSR, Quannon 150 (80$k), CBR 150 (120$k), and Ninja 250 (250$k)
the prices i put there are for those new bikes, FZRs and NSRs are bought used for around 20-40k
Of course I stand for NSRs, as they are awesome 2 stroke machines. FZRs are slow heavy 4 strokes…
If you dont know what a 2 stroke is first do some homework and look into the whole 2 stroke vs 4 debate.
heavy bikes under 200 or 150k either have problems, or arent legal (no plate)
You could just about get a legal 250 Hornet for around $100k. For a reliable sporty daily driver that you might take to the track once or twice it is the best white plate bike you will find readily available in Taiwan. Given that you don’t know much about bikes and seem to want a sporty transportation tool rather than hardcore track bike then an NSR is not very suitable.
IMHO the CPI fun would not last very long for someone looking at sportsbikes. The CPI is aimed at the enduro crowd and would compare more to something like the DRZ400 (which is also pretty gutless). A late model Hornet would be more reliable, more practical and more fun with twice the horsepower and 25% more torque.
If I wanted to spend $100k on something to last me a good few years as a daily driver and occasional track bike it would absolutely be the Honda. It is so far removed from the single cylinder CPI in terms of acceleration, speed, comfort, sophistication and style that I don’t even know where to start. Also the future resale value of a Hornet bought used is going to be much closer to the price you paid for it.
hornet for sure.
Runs like clockwork, sounds like a F1 car and revs like one too!.
I had a 600 version for a while back in the uk and it was a wonderful bike to own.
I would say the CB400 vtec but then taiwan has silly laws about cc’s and the 400s arent worth it.
Thank you guys for all your responses! 2nd-hand Honda Hornets seems to be few and far between. I’ve only seen a handful for sale online and they’re either out of my price range or illegally imported i think… i’ll stay on the lookout to see if i can find a good deal to snatch up, doesn’t seem very likely though… =(
Also I’m still very much interested in getting a NSR to play with. I don’t mind having to spend time learing/tinkering with it, as that’s what I was doing back in the states with my supra… was a freaggin money pit though. I’m just not sure if I will have much time if at all to do this since i will be starting my 3rd year in med school soon, so free time will be hard to come by…
Is owning a NSR kind of like buying a rx-7 in the car world? i.e. expensive parts/unreliable/hard to find knowledgeable mechanics but fun as hell to drive? XD
Yes, a bit like that. They are hard find, hard as hell to find in good shape. It’s hard to find a mechanic who knows how to fix them properly. Parts aren’t really expensive but they are getting very rare, so you have to be creative in sourcing them… like willing to source from Thailand etc. where they still made them until recently. It’s a commitment, but they are about as much fun as you will have on a legal white-plate bike.
Do you know bikes? I mean, REALLY know bikes? Are you happy to have your bike off the road for weeks at a time waiting for it to be fixed? Are you content having to put it into the shop every few hundered km? Are you prepared to have only one person in your entire city district that actually knows how to wrench an NSR? Then buy an old NSR and have a blast – while its running.
If you’re a normal person, avoid them like the plague. They are BIKERS bikes, not daily runarounds.
Get a used Hornet 250. Or a CPI. I’m still having fun with my CPI, despite a few teething problems. The CPI can move its arse around town pretty good, while the Honda doesn’t. But there again, the Honda has some ponies to spare once you get out of the city and can get the revs up. It won’t catch me in town unless its driven like a screaming banshee – not recommended in the city – but it’ll leave me in the dust on the open road.
I couldn’t find an un-trashed 250 Hornet for love nor money when I was looking for a new ride – sure, you’ll find them for sale for NT$110 – NT$150 – but boy! I looked at several in that range and they had ALL been ridden WAY too hard and put away wet. Not worth the money, IMO.
Yeah, pretty much what he said. I had one for many years. It spent a good quarter of it’s life with me in pieces, and that was with 2 or 3 spares bikes to cannibalize, and I used to wrench two-stroke race bikes as a teenager, and I had my own workshop. When you are the mercy of your one guy who can work on it for you, that 25% downtime would seem like a dream come true.
I love two-strokes and if a new one were available I’d be on it like a bum on a ham sandwich. As it is, there aren’t any new ones and if you’re only going to have the one bike, I’d steer you toward the Hornet.
Of course, you could always get some cheapo scooter for commuting and an NSR project bike for s&g, and spend about the same amount of money.
[quote]If you’re a normal person, avoid them like the plague. They are BIKERS bikes, not daily runarounds.
Get a used Hornet 250. Or a CPI. I’m still having fun with my CPI, despite a few teething problems. The CPI can move its arse around town pretty good, while the Honda doesn’t. But there again, the Honda has some ponies to spare once you get out of the city and can get the revs up. It won’t catch me in town unless its driven like a screaming banshee – not recommended in the city – but it’ll leave me in the dust on the open road.
I couldn’t find an un-trashed 250 Hornet for love nor money when I was looking for a new ride – sure, you’ll find them for sale for NT$110 – NT$150 – but boy! I looked at several in that range and they had ALL been ridden WAY too hard and put away wet. Not worth the money, IMO.[/quote]
I would still rather have the Hornet, sorry sandy Japanese bikes can deal with the punishment, I treat my Ninja like shit* and as long as she gets her oil changes she never complained once.
*unless I sell it in the future, in which case I have cared for it lovingly like my own daughter.
I SO wanted a Hornet for under 150k. Wasn’t happening. One of those things where you REALLY WANT to believe the seller, but … but … fuck, dude! You’ve fucking TRASHED this thing! Listen, I’ll give you 70K and you’re getting a fucking BARGAIN! Of course they won’t go for that when there’s a cityload of suckers waiting to plunk down their cash, but that’s how I felt about used Hornet shopping.
Getting an NSR as a daily driver is definately asking for trouble and headache, but if you’re something like me then its worth the price. Speaking of which, if you put down a good amount of cash, 50k or so for an NSR you can get one thats worlds apart from the stock piece of crap thats on its last leg, and you’ll have something that can dominate the mountain roads like no joke. Having something like that to cruise to work on and ride through the city is more hassle than it’s worth however. As said, best thing to do if you’d like to have an NSR is to pick up a cheap POS scooter as a backup ride.
This topic has been discussed a bit in this thread as well. viewtopic.php?f=75&t=75872
After you’ve thought it over if you’re serious about getting an NSR definately send me PM about it. I can help you out quite a lot.
Reading the above, HONDA cbr 150 FOR 120k NEW looks a pretty good solution, but then I can scare myself pretty good with 133cc. Even 50 cc’ll do it sometimes.
THINK I saw a window-full of 250cc Ninja’s in the Tainan Kawasaki dealership. Didn’t know they did one, but assuming I didn’t miss-read it, whats wrong with that?
Edit: Sorry, I see its listed above, and maybe 250K is whats wrong with that.
[quote=“Ducked”]
THINK I saw a window-full of 250cc Ninja’s in the Tainan Kawasaki dealership. Didn’t know they did one, but assuming I didn’t miss-read it, whats wrong with that?
Edit: Sorry, I see its listed above, and maybe 250K is whats wrong with that.[/quote]
Which is why those bikes are snoozing behind glass instead of out there beating down the blacktop… way overpriced!
But then he probably isn’t. The “2 stroke or not 2 stroke, that is the question” discussion has so far concentrated on reliability and convenience.
It would help if we knew what “I know next to nothing about bikes” meant. He could be quite a skilled rider but a technical knuckle dragger. That seems to be quite common.
However, if he’s a beginner rider, then I’d suggest a performance 2 stroke, even if 100% reliable, is a bad choice to learn on. Redwaggon recently described the optimum riding style as binary, (full or no throttle). That sounds likely to get a begginer in trouble.
You’ve also got the constant, nagging worry that the damn thing is going to seize at speed and kill you, MUCH less likely with a four stroke. A skilled rider could perhaps read some warning signs of that, and may have the reactions to cope if it does happen. If I have a bad seize at speed I’m going to have a bad crash very shortly afterwards.
If this guy is a begginer rider I’d say he should get one of the common, lightish, cheapish 125-150 cc 4 strokes to learn on (Wolf, KTR, Hartford, maybe SR if he’s tall), like I should have. Maybe avoid cyclic gearboxes, not sure which have them, (Wolf?). Of course avoid “cruisers” like the Zing, which are stupidly heavy with bad handling and inefficient suspension. Then if he’s keen he can sell it (relatively easily and probably at a fairly small loss) and either go 2-stroke or bigger 4 stroke.
I don’t know about any others, but my CPI 250 is DOHC. It goes like stink in the first two gears.
I use it for riding to school and back and an hour or two at weekends. When I get some more money I’m going to get some leathers and try riding on a track. I can’t be arsed to run it for ten minutes to let it warm up before I ride it anywhere.
I was in the same position, decision wise. I’ve had a DT125 and a ZX6R before. I looked at everything that everyone else here looked at and came down to a choice between a new POS Hartford or Sym, a new CPI, or an old Hornet 250 or CB400. In an ideal world, I’d have a ZX6R again because I like sports bikes.
It’s horses for courses if you ask me. I’m sure a CB400 or Hornet 250 will pull a lot harder than a CPI but they are not very extreme motorcycles in my opinion. I want something that I can play the fool on and for me that means sports bike or motard, not heavy street bike. My CPI is under 200kg with a full tank of petrol AND ME on it ready to ride. I’m learning how to clutch wheelie it and it can do meagre stoppies even with the standard 2 pot caliper at the front. After I spend ten grand on a bigger disc and a brembo four pot I’m going to be killing it. The riding position, wide bars and low power encourage you to boss it everywhere. I’m not scared of it like I was with my ZX6 for the first year of having it.
Also I like that it’s made in Taiwan, getting more popular and therefore there are an increasing number of pimp parts available for it which you aren’t going to get for a Jap bike like the CB400.
Basically I bought it because it’s new, cheap, made in Taiwan, hell funny for messing about on and highly pimpable.
So far it’s done 2500km with three oil changes and I hold it wide open in every gear all the time. The only things wrong with it so far are personal stuff like the brake pedal is too high and the gears are too far apart. I’ve seen 160 on the clock but I’d rather it was geared for 120max, with 1st gear the same as it is now.
FZRs are slow heavy 4 strokes…
Japanese bikes can deal with the punishment, I treat my Ninja like shit* and as long as she gets her oil changes she never complained once.