Hey guys, i finally got round to doing my test on my CBR last week and managed to get through with 3 minors 
on that note…well im bored of the CBR’s acceleration…its still fun to ride, however i want something that packs a slightly bigga punch! only real options in the 33hp category seem like the Ninja 250R or the Hyosung 250R which i heard was a bit unreliable.
is there much else to choose from?
thanks for any help!
The Honda CB400A (in US spec, all models) has 27 horsepower. Not all that useful, is it? Honda makes a scooter SH300 that may be under 33 HP, the 250 Rebel and Night Hawk, 3.5 gallons on tne Nighthawk and .8 reserve, but the rebel has some tiny (around 1.9 gallons plus .7 reserve) capacity peanut tank. These get around 80 mpg here (gallons are US Spec gallons, not the imperial unit).So you can go approx 260 miles on the main tank or around 150 miles and use the same engine.
But you get a lower seat with the “stylish cruiser”, Rebel.
Names may have been changed to confuse the innocent.Can’t find the specs on the scooter.
HI there mate, nice one on passing the A2! 
depends how long you want to keep the bike for, but if you want something bigger, most can be restricted to 33bhp, so you can easily upgrade when you get your full licence?
The Hyosungs are pretty good from most accounts, the new kwacker is a loverly one though.
Congratulations on passing your bike test.
A good option I think is an SV650, faired or unfaired. You can get them restricted, and they are vey good bikes to learn on. Then of course, when you have qualified to get it derestricted, it will have more poke, but not a massive amount more, and will be comfortable and familiar to learn on.
They sound fantastic with an exhaust on too!
Congratulations Mate!
congratulations mate.
Nothing wrong with the hyosung models, if you read the reviews they are all postive, your best bet is to buy something like a bandit,sv650 etc then fit a restrictor to it, that way when you have your full licence you can just take it out and you have a full powered machine, would save you time and money in the long run aswell
congrats on the pass
thanks a lot on the help guys! in a month or two…after exams and once i get some more money in my pocket im gona try test ride the hyosung and ninja for sure.
if either are affordable at the time and a good ride ill prob choose between them…and maybe get a 600+restriction next year once i get some more xperience!
for now i still want a small bike i can weave through london traffic as i mainly use it to get to uni…and tbh even the CBR does the job fine…i can keep pace with 600’s just cos filter speed and traffic lights means they rarely open up during commuting!
thanks once agen for all your helps! ill post again once i try out those 250’s
Congratulations. I had a Kawasaki ZXR 400 when Iwas limited to 33bhp, and then a Yamaha FZ6, then a Yamaha FZ6 S2. They were all great bikes.
congratulations on passing!
i cant decide on a bike to get after i pass my a2 either …even thought its a long way off as i havent passed my cbt yet
but the new ninja 250 is nice ,especially in green
i like the aprliia rs 250’s but thy re way over the 33 bhp i think
ossiwhu…ive thought about tha old 400’s…vfr’s, cbr’s and the like but im not too keen on them just because most of them are way over 10-15 years old! some new NC30 VFR400’s are really nice but quite hard to findd!
fishface…dw i was planning every bike i would get waay before i did my CBT too…but over time new things come and go! yeah new ninja is so cool…i looked and its about 3 grand which isnt too bad i think…esp for what you’re getting! the ol rs250’s were proper quick though…even the RS125 hits the 33hp limit…im just scared of repairs on those 2strokers [plus they sound a bit too scooter-y imo!]
are you gonna do your cbt/A2 soon?
yeah well ive already got 3 bikes …way too many lol
and i did do my cbt on monday , failed it though 
because i was in the wrong gears alot of the time and stalling it
rebooked it today though for sunday
so hopefully that will go better 
congrats dude! 3 minors…good result:Dsecond that! i love the sound of my SV, from what i hear they are fine when restricted, very good bike to learn on, not to heavy either, nice and slim as its a twin.400’s are a good bet but then they are old as said, you can find some good’uns tho;) just gotta search!2 stroke bikes make wicked track toys i think, but on the road in almost everyday use they can get expensive!, specially bikes like the RS/RGV etcthe new ninja is an awesome little bike, i like it, if i were you it would be one of them or the SV:)
Congratulations…Sadly I don’t even know what an A2 is.
If you’re mostly using the bike for shorter journeys don’t go for a stroker as they need to be run well (40 mile plus trips) and take a fare bit of fiddling around with to keep fully sweet. I would love an RS250 but have more important things to worry about.
400’s are a good bet but most are still up in the 56bhp mark and remember the zx400 was the only official 400 imported into this country. Parts were scarce when I had my little baby blade so new bits for now older bikes are probably more scarce.
Don’t worry about age though, as long as the bike has been serviced regularly it’ll be fine. Look for original foot pegs and bar ends as these are the first things changed when the bike is dropped.
Have you thought about a single, maybe an xr400/250 or a dz400, I’m not sure what the power output is but can’t be too high, but what a giggle they can be, bags of excelleration, stick your foot out motard style and slide the back out…lovely. Easy wheelies too but (watch ya licence though with them). If you are adament towards sports bikes then the Yamaha SZR660 is a treat.
Like I said though age is blown out of proportion, there are some gems around if you look, I haven’t bought a bike younger than 10 years old for 6 years and have know regrets.
Big bike + restrictor maybe the way, but I hope I may have given you a bit of food for thought.
congrats mate, never told me you were doing ur a2 lol. Havnt heard from you for a while lol. You know you want to get a sv650 tho
ah gd luck for the cbt fishface
i wanna stick with 4 strokes for sure…at the moment i think a nice 250 would do the job for a year after which i can move onto something like a restricted SV [ratty and kenada got some nice examples of these!]
with a 400 its just parts and service and general condition i would be a bit unsure about…there are nice bikes out there but there are also many that have a taken a beating over the years and as the no of owners increase, the less you know about the history of the bike
kenada…i been here and there with uni lately…but give me a months time and it’ll be pure rideouts lol we shud hit up ace etc!
and i just been chekin out the new 2008 KTM Duke III 690…it seeems like a proper great bike…hmm can they be restricted? i love the styling…supermoto’s seem rele practical but some are let down as they arent as road-oriented, but the duke has the looks, speed and agility that i like a hell of a lot!
how would something like the duke fair up against a SV650/600 supersports? i know in a straight line its not as quick but in day to day use? i doubt id ever ride a bike to the 150 odd some 600’s can do ne way…the 125mph of the duke seems more than enough!
just a word of warning fish face
400’s are good for starters although even some are over 33bhp (my 400 bandit is apperently 54bhp) which is greater than most 500cc nowadays. and getting parts are a nightmare, my ‘old lady’ has been off the road for 6 months due to tracking down parts. but if you can get a good one they are top notch and narrower than most 600’s so better to commute on.
best of luck on the rests and getting on 2 wheels (or even 1!)
Congrats on the pass mate.! Passed last week myself and am in the same predicament.
But I’d already decided I was going to trade the CBR in for either the Ninja 250r or the sv650s as a graduation present lol
The Ninja is obviously the newer bike but for the £3K, it will be possible to get a good sv+years insurance.
nice one mate…feels great getting it done!
hmm yeah i never thought of it that way…you can get nice SV’s for about 2 grand and spend the rest on insurance which then seems better than the ninja.
only down-side however is that Sv’s to me seem quite big, heavy and harder to manouvre bikes compared to the baby ninja…plus ur not gonna get the same mileage, prob more expensive insurance and more tax [it does add up im guessing!]
this doesnt help decisdin between the two! lol
if you get an SV you soon get used to it being a bit bigger than CBR, they are still slim compared to most inline4 600’s. i used to commute on a 125 scoot, i soon found the SV to be easy to handle. i now commute on it everyday, without problems, it wil go through most gaps! i still like a scoot for town wrk tho, or if i had enough money a supermoto!
it depends what you like the look of…and what you want for performance! if you were to get a ninja in 2 years you may want to trade up, better to get an SV restrict it, and get used to it, come 2 years you still may want to trade up but i doubt it, cos once the restrictors come off its a difrent animal!!
if you have garage insurance will be ok, expensive yes but not ridiculous.
KTM Dukes are nice but a pain on long a-roads or motorways, as are any supermoto style bike. servicing has t be strict and can be expensive i beleive.
