Topic: Motorcycles...questions (Read 4835 times)

Jorsher · « **on:** April 18, 2012, 02:45:23 AM »

I've been averaging 3000-3500 miles a month on the S2000. At 27mpg, and premium gas over $4.00 a gallon, I've spent over $500/mo in GAS the past few months.

I figure I can buy a bike, and something with better mileage will actually save me money.

I've been strongly considering a Honda cbr250r. Before I hear any rants about how slow they are and how boring it'd be to drive around, let me reiterate I'm getting something for the mileage. The 250r is rated at 77mpg, which is fucking fantastic. Assuming weather would permit me to ride it at least half the time, I'd save $200+ a month in gas, which would cover the cost of the bike and leave me some extra. However, I'm concerned about how well it'd work since a lot of my driving is at 70-75mph and they apparently top out in the mid 80s.

I've also looked at a cbr600rr, but they're only rated at 40mpg. Between the decreased gas mileage and increased insurance, I think it'd negate the whole reason for getting a bike...

Any suggestions?

tekno · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2012, 08:33:04 AM »

I prefer the ninja 250 but they both will do around 95 or so as far as mph and may not be fast but very very few people can even ride a 600 to its full potential much less a 250. I've been looking for a ninja 250 only bad/good thing thing is they hold their value forever and unless your talking a really old one aren't gonna get one for much below what a new one would cost.

PhilStubbs · « **Reply #2 on:** April 18, 2012, 09:48:41 AM »

A ninja 250 will do 110mph on a good day, usually 100mph. I had one for about a year. Gas milage was good and I only paid $1300 for it, needing nothing mechanically or cosmetically. The cbr250r is a little quicker down low, but the ninja will beat it top end. The honda will do 95-100mph and cruise at 75-80mph all day and not care one bit. I don't see 77mpg, but I work with a guy with a brand new cbr250, I'll ask him what his mpg is like, his ride to work is similar to yours.

dvst8r · « **Reply #3 on:** April 18, 2012, 10:23:19 AM »

That 77mpg is probably rated at like 50-55mph. At 75-80mph it will be significantly less. Probably in the low 50's.

With that being said, my buddies girlfriend has one, and I took it for a quick boot. Other then being a bit uncomfortable for my 6'3" frame (I find even 1000cc sport bikes cramped though), it easily took me to ~90mph (didn't push it to it's limit) and I am 230lbs ready to ride.

Jorsher I know you are the living version of skelator, and if you are short enough to drive an s2000 everyday you would have no issues with it.

I like the cbr250r over the ninja250r just for the fact that the cbr is fuel injected. There are fuel injection kits for the ninja, but these bikes are only $4000 off the show room floor, for that kind of money, it is not worth the hassle.

JaredKaragen · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2012, 11:04:57 AM »

If you don't plan on being able to do wheelies and tek crap; get a rear sprocket minus 2 teeth and front plus one. Your freeway top end will be fixed.... If plus one won't fit on front, go +4 on the back.

PhilStubbs · « **Reply #5 on:** April 18, 2012, 11:21:50 AM »

Just asked. At 65-75mph he averages 65mpg.

rawr · « **Reply #6 on:** April 18, 2012, 11:50:54 AM »

Cr230m is rated at 84mpgs but you wont get the speed like a ninja 250

Jorsher · « **Reply #7 on:** April 18, 2012, 08:33:55 PM »

I bit the bullet and bought one today. Local stealership told me it'd be $5700 out the door. No, I'm not joking

Of course, I contacted other dealerships within 150 miles and found one offering it for $4300 out the door... Yes, I'll drive 3 hours to save $1400. The purchase is final, but I won't pick it up until next week.

Bought a black 2012 CBR250R:

As with every purchase, I did my research.

I looked at the Ninjas, but as someone mentioned they aren't fuel-injected. I am too lazy to fuck with carbs, and I'd prefer the consistency and ease of starting the FI CBR250R. On top of that, the Ninja does not get quite the mileage that the CBR gets, and being that I've been spending $450-500+ a month on premium gas for the S2000, mileage is my primary concern. I will actually spend less money each month paying for the bike + insurance + fuel than if I kept driving the S2000, and there's the added benefit of not dumping thousands of miles on the S2000 each month.

Also, at least according to reviewers, the Ninja isn't as nice for driving around town. Unfortunately, most of my commute is in a city, driving in and out through Arsenal gates that employ a large percentage of the area. A lot of slow speeds and stop-and-go traffic. The CBR has better low-end torque than the Ninja. Everyone seems to agree the Ninja is faster, but I don't mind being a little slower for a lot less hassle.

All-in-all, the CBR is a little slower, but gets significantly better gas mileage, is fuel-injected, is better for commuting, is more modern, and I would assume has better reliability as well.

I've already read about the sprocket changes, and ordered a 15T for the front. I may get a different rear sprocket, after I compare drivability/MPGs between the 14T and 15T sprocket. I'll also need to figure out how to fix the speedo as cheap as possible. I'm assuming I can use one of these programmable boards to correct it for far cheaper than the $85+ off-the-shelf solutions.

With my commute, which is about half 45-55mph, and half 65-75mph, I think I'll be able to get 70mpg... Even if I only ride it half the time, which I think is being conservative, I'll still break even. It's like getting a free bike.

Teg2boo · « **Reply #8 on:** April 18, 2012, 08:57:57 PM »

You're still lucky. Here the gas is 5.60$/gal (1.50$/L)

I'm about to buy a fucking scooter.

random-strike · « **Reply #9 on:** April 18, 2012, 10:11:50 PM »

i saw one of them at the stealership near me, they look really cool. i still don't think i'd be able to force myself to buy one even if i wanted a gas sipper. 40mpg is good enough for me haha

Jorsher · « **Reply #10 on:** April 19, 2012, 12:48:03 AM »

Quote from: random-strike on April 18, 2012, 10:11:50 PM

i saw one of them at the stealership near me, they look really cool. i still don't think i'd be able to force myself to buy one even if i wanted a gas sipper. 40mpg is good enough for me haha

Oh yeah. I looked at some CBR600RRs and there were some in the same price range, but factoring in the cost of maintenance such as tires, the additional cost of insurance, and the lower mileage than this bike... It'd be wiser to drive the CRX.

When I have a house built and move to my final destination I'll invest in a bike that is a little more fun. By then I'll have a reasonable amount of experience. Until then, I need to make 36,000+ miles of driving a year as economical as possible...

PhilStubbs · « **Reply #11 on:** April 19, 2012, 08:52:47 AM »

The ninja 250 I had was as reliable as a fuel injected bike. Never had a single issue with it, but I would still get the cbr over the ninja if I was in the market for a 250.

random-strike · « **Reply #12 on:** April 19, 2012, 01:11:50 PM »

the cbr looks A LOT cooler than the ninja, a lot of people wouldn't even know it was a 250 just by quickly looking at it

blade8r · « **Reply #13 on:** April 19, 2012, 01:38:44 PM »

well it is a good looking bike. although, you will get bored of the 250 after awhile. to be fair it'll be a short while before that happens. that's what i felt after i completely got used to the power of my 600 cbr.

but for your needs and such it'll be a great bike to putt putt around in.

accordepicenter · « **Reply #14 on:** April 19, 2012, 01:59:02 PM »

Nice choice. I like both the ninja and the cbr but I never had problems with the ninja being carbed. I know it's def better to have efi but the carbed setups weren't all that bad. The Hondas quality is a bit better though but like you said its a trade off. I absolutely love my 600RR but the gas mileage is not that great, I probably average high 30s maybe 40mpg on a good day, it depends how hard on the throttle I am. I've had a ninja 250 to 110mph but after 95 or 100 it takes a longing time to accelerate...

HiProfile · « **Reply #15 on:** April 19, 2012, 10:07:05 PM »

I'd have just got a different job and/or place to stay. But I'm single and have a crappy job too.

Jorsher · « **Reply #16 on:** April 20, 2012, 01:24:48 AM »

Quote from: HiProfile on April 19, 2012, 10:07:05 PM

I'd have just got a different job and/or place to stay. But I'm single and have a crappy job too.

The job is only 1000 miles of my monthly commute. Weekend jaunts out of state is 1200 of it. Misc is the rest.

When I build a house and find a career in the other state, I'll stay there and get a 600.

rawr · « **Reply #17 on:** April 20, 2012, 10:45:07 AM »

I'm jelly

Jorsher · « **Reply #18 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:35:17 AM »

FUCK YOU

Haven't been commuting with it yet. I need tag, insurance, and license before I'll even be allowed to take it to work.

Have put a few hundred miles on it around town though, and averaged 74.8 mpg. I beat on it as much as you can beat on a 250cc bike.

Has enough low-end power to be pleasant as a commuter. Has enough overall to be "comfortable" going 70-80mph. Being the lightweight I am, it has enough power even at 80mph that I wouldn't hesitate to pass traffic if for some reason I needed to go faster, and as long as I'm not on a 2-lane two-way road. Handling is superb, and although I'm sure I haven't pushed it to it's limits on that front, I've had it to the "oh fuck I hope I don't lose traction" point. The girlfriend wanted to ride it, and I didn't want to get her hopes up so told her I was unsure if it'd be "good" for two people... Since it has two seats, gave her 140lb self a ride anyway and it was surprisingly decent... Of course I could notice a small difference in acceleration, but it's still good enough that I wouldn't feel "slow" compared to the average vehicle/driver. Handling-wise...it really didn't have a big effect, even without making suspension adjustments. I'm very pleased.

No, it won't aggrandize your lacking penis, but I think I'll have it for a decade or two as a commuter. It's nimble enough to be fun, torquey enough for city traffic, looks nice, and is fucking cheap. Worth the $4100? Yes.

PhilStubbs · « **Reply #19 on:** May 15, 2012, 09:33:02 AM »

I didn't think you would be dissapointed. I really enjoyed my ninja 250. I used to ride with 600cc guys and on twisty 2 lane roads I could hang with them. Anytime there was a straight they would pull away, but I always caught back up in the corners.

7808 · « **Reply #20 on:** May 30, 2012, 03:34:17 AM »

my f4i isnt much slower or heavier then a rr and im pretty sure i get like 60mpg, there also pretty much indestructable, and slightly easier to put alot of miles on then a rr or r6 or gixxer (gixxers have a better seat stock though) i think the riding postion is a little less head down ass up

7808 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 30, 2012, 03:36:38 AM »

also i wouldnt bother with a cr230m its hondas shameful excuse for a affordable motard, its air cooled and the suspension looks like its just supersized crf50 suspension. also it has like 1 hp

Jorsher · « **Reply #22 on:** June 08, 2012, 01:30:42 AM »

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/jorsher

I've averaged 70.8mpg with it. Best was 81mpg, but that was around town which is mostly 50-60mph. My weekend trips to MS kind of kill the mileage. 80mph on I-565 (8000ish RPM), 70-75mph on Hwy 72, and 60mph on Natchez Trace...then less than 10 miles of 50mph. 50-55mph is where you'll hit the 80s.

For comparison, I've averaged 27.1mpg on the S2000, which is not bad at all considering it's rated at 25mpg for highway, and I drive a mixed amount. I don't baby it or try to get good mileage at all, it's just regular driving with the occasional abuse.

Either way, the bike has cost me $0.047 per mile, while the car has cost $0.138 per mile. Because I drove the bike when weather permitted last month, which was only driven frequently for a couple weeks, my gas costs went down almost $200.

schim187 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 13, 2012, 12:23:39 AM »

I cruise around in Montana anywhere from driving in town to doin a buck on the highway...4.8 gal tank and i average 220 a mile...wow that just surprised me, ya, getting over 40mpg

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Author Topic: Motorcycles...questions (Read 4835 times)