Sumoto 250RR

[Zilli]

Dealerships such as Sumoto buy run down bikes or possibly even wrecked bikes from overseas and bring them in, as has been described earlier in this thread. They then spend a bit of money with a quick coat of paint, or the Tyga kit, and sell them for stupid amounts of money, all to bring in first riders who are usually the younger blokes in, because they look great!

Whats under the fairings, who knows, how straight is the chassis? who knows...

Man my advice to oyu is if you are willing to spend more to have security, go and look at the new Honda CBR125's or the Kwaka Ninja 250's... they would be going for that figure ballpark second hand... they look reat, are a newer machine, and will maintain their resale now much much better than te CBR's.

Manufacturers are selling new bikes to suit this market, the CBR will be a thing of the past in 5 years...

[Wez_R]

if i could go back and choose my bike again i would most probably pick a ninja 250

[egotzm]

If you can afford to buy new id highly reccomend it but dont spend crazy money as there is every chance you'll crash it and it'll be heartbraking if you drop a huge sum of money. Ninja 250 is a good bet, reliable name and a comfortable seating position for a road bike mean you'll have fun but wont get tired out like you do on the supersports. I know on my R6 for instance my back starts aching after an hour or so due to that position.

Hyosung is good if you're a taller person as they are a full size bike with a 250 engine in them and the 2010 has just got EFI wheras the earlier bikes were carby also they've been around for a while so any of the little niggles will have been ironed out by now.

I find the 125s just lacking too much in power and also the very thin tyres dont really inspire confidence but each to their own. Maybe have a look at something like the cb250r or whatever it is Honda just released for a combination of the bigger 250 engine and a bigger bike but i havnt ridden one so you might have to find that out for yourself.

If you feel confident enough to jump up to a 400 the cb400 is a brilliant bike. Not the classic supersport look but i guarentee you wont get tired and sore once your arms have got used to being used so much more then with a car. Nice upright seating position, powerful but predictable and faultless handling that you wont get sick of. It might not make you want to get the knee out like a sports bike will but you shouldnt be doing that as a learner anyway. I did an intermediate course on one and honestly if i wasnt so set on an R6 id have snapped one up in an instant.

Ride a few bikes and see what suits you. Guarentee you'll love riding a whole lot more if you're on a bike that fits you then if you buy because you like the look.


edit: Staying on topic, dont bother with Sumoto as said, they charge far too much for what you can get much cheaper elsewhere. I sold my 250rr about 3 years ago for $4800 just as the laws changed to allow learners to ride up to some 600s here in VIC. Look for, with any bike, proof of regular servicing and look at things like handlebar ends and pegs for signs of damage which may indicated its been dropped. All the best searching!

[>Ice<]

Thanx for all the help guys, i'v decided to have a friend look for a bike with me. He knows alot more than i will ever know so i think its a better bet. **** sumoto

[egotzm]

Yeah great move if you have someone you can take along who knows a bit about bikes, take the stress off you a lot. Let us know how you go mate.

[dciisir]

Hey mate, there is Honda CBR 250RR forums in Australia. I forgot the URL but google it. There are articles and post about Sumoto there. The whole community there is against them as Sumoto are shifty people. I have read that they actually sell LEMONS there. I have read tons of stories about people buying bikes from them and they just fall apart.

They have also monopolised the Tyga Kits. Apparently the only way to buy the kit now is through Sumoto. Have a read through that forum and maybe post in there as well. The guys there are really helpful. There is even an IRC channel for them.

[Twincam16]

I will reccomend an RVF400 to anyone who is looking for a sports bike as a learner. They are Honda solid, quick, better value than any CBR250 and when you need to step up to your larger capacity bikes, you arent making as large a jump in power.

Search for a bike on gumtree and ebay - some bargains around at the moment

[dciisir]

RVF400 is a bit more pricey though and less of them around but I like the bike. It rear wheels look great on one side.

[itsdenny]

I would only be on it for a year till I get off the LAM

provisionals are still restricted from what i was told

[TALEB TYRES]

I just sold my cbr250rr on saturday, definately dont go sumoto or any dealer for that matter bikesales has plenty to haggle with.

Also get one quick before it heats up and prices rise as every Tom, Dick and Habib is gonna be looking for a 250 for summer!

[rodericb]

My god those 250 prices are nearly as crazy as house prices. A lot of those CBR250's, ZX250's and FZR250's are twenty years old - older than the people buying them! Honda, Kawasaki etc stopped producing those things over ten years ago and those 250's which are being imported now would have sat in warehouses for years and years. It's good that they're fundamentally well built - they cost nearly as much as the larger (600/750/900cc) bikes to manufacture and costs were saved in the suspension and brakes. But if they've sat around for years and years seals can dry out and perish over time, oil can sludge up, incorrect radiator coolant can corrode the water galleries so it can be a bit of a risk buying those old 250's. As they would have been traded in, were worth next to nothing (japanese roadworthy laws and the three year old rule) and more a thing to be recycled into beer cans and park benches rather than resold and ridden again not much care would have been taken to prepare them for storage.

If I suddenly found myself 18 years old again I'd get a one year old Ninja 250. They're cheapish to buy, more modern looking, you can get some bits to jazz them up a bit and they can corner fairly well. Save the big bucks for the next bike!

[jords]

Buy an aussie delivered tri colour....