Overtakes on a 250 (or 125, for that matter)

[Lonewolf]

I'm riding a CBR 250R as my first bike. Great overall bike, I'm learning quickly. Only problem is it tops out around 130-140 (at least for a 190lb guy like me) and takes some time in top gear with the throttle wide open to get there anyway. Definitely not a bike where a simple twist of the wrist will have you passing safely at highway speeds.

So - looking for any tips from experienced riders on strategies for safely overtaking at highway speed. I've heard people suggest gearing down, but sometimes I'm in top gear and already near redline so a gear down just makes the engine scream at the top of its lungs.

Thoughts?

[Cha0s00100]

Slip the clutch a little to get that little bit of extra power when u need it. I dont know how the cbr is but I never had this issue on my ninja 250 . . .

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[250R-ICE]

I can't speak on behalf of the CBR 250. But I don't seem to have any problems on my 09 Ninja 250R. The Ninja tops out at around 175 km/h and I don't have any problems overtaking at highway speeds. If I need to overtake in a short distance, I just drop it down one gear usually to 5th and twist the throttle to it's limit. I find I can accelerate just as fast as my car at those speeds. So in general I would say I definately do not have the quick response of a more powerfull bike, but it does accelerate the same as my 200 hp car.


I just plan my moves ahead of time and find I'm ok with overtaking.

[TheDirty]

Tuck and draft.

[Jonnie]

I just plan my moves ahead of time and find I'm ok with overtaking.

+1Plan ahead of time. You should never be in a situation where 130/140 is needed to pass someone, unless it's an emergency. You can always just let the car pass and duck behind him. If you do WANT to flirt with HTA, get a 600 instead. At least it'll give you more power to run from the authorities, lol.

[250R-ICE]

Tuck and draft.

Yes that's a good point. I also find when I tuck that there is alot less wind resistance and seems to help the acceleration a liitle.

[rg0r]

Nos

[bww77]

Can't say I've ever had that problem as my SS hauls ***** when I let her loose! But yes, tucking does help from getting hammered by the wind.

[EC2010]

I ride a ninja 250 and I have no issues overtaking on the highway. Like 250R-ICE said, plan your moves ahead of time and it's smooth sailing. I also find full tucks help.

[Lightcycle]

Slip the clutch a little to get that little bit of extra power when u need it.

Slip the clutch to get more power. That's a neat trick.

[Kawasakininja's]

How do you slip it right to get more power?!

[Pedagogue]

I know this not a comparison of Ninja 250 vs CBR 250. However, this is one reason why overall the Ninja 250 is better. It's a faster bike with more juice. The recommendations here are valid and helpful. However, Ninja 250r owners don't really have this problem.

[HorizonXP]

How do you slip it right to get more power?!

You don't. Ignore this.

OP, looks like you're just going to have to deal with it. On the Ninja 250R, it's pretty straightforward to pass vehicles on the 401. I'm 210lbs without gear, and without tucking, I can cruise in 6th gear at 140 km/h indicated (which is more like 130 km/h GPS). If traffic is moving well, I'm cruising at this speed and I won't pass anyone. Let's be honest, you really shouldn't be passing someone who is already doing 130-140. If you hit 150, you're in HTA172 territory.

What that means is that I usually pass cars that are doing below 120 km/h. I never gear down. My 250 has enough grunt in 6th gear to pull me up to 140 km/h again and allow me to pass. It doesn't make sense to be passing vehicles any faster than that.

[NealT]

+1 ... and if passing in the 80 kmh - 120 kmh range the time spent passing should be as short as possible so planning your pass and then tucking to maximize acceleration will limit your exposure while you are passing. Since your 250 is already near top end by 130ish then acceleration is a top priority, even more so if you are on a two lane highway.

[steve220s]

The cbr is geared shorter than the ninja, and has less top end power as well. Like others have said, if you want to pass at highway speeds, lay your chest on your tank to minimize wind drag and plan your passes so they are done safely.

[UJelly]

Stick on the slow lane and use middle lane to pass...and yeah semi-trucks are your friend Go behind tuck and draft

[whatever71]

i got a fzr250, the fastest that i ever went on the bike was 160km/h, and this was when the bike rev'd at 13000, and the power peaks for fzr250 at 16000 (it could have gone much faster), i find it very hard to believe that your cbr250r doesn't take you faster than 140km/h.... how fast was the engine reving when your speed topped out?

if that's pre-1991 cbr, then your bike has 45hp, which is more than a ninja.. even if its a 1991+ cbr250 the bike should still be able to go faster than a ninja 250... the guy above mentioned his ninja tops at 175...

[awdsome]

I don't have a problem with my Hyosung gt250r either. I don't see how it would be a problem with the CBR...

[250R-ICE]

I think the OP has the newer CBR 250R and not the older CBR 250RR which have alot more power than todays 250cc bikes.

[Lonewolf]

Thanks for all the replies.

I should clarify -- I'm not cruising at 130-140 and then trying to overtake anybody, I am mostly just looking for some general advice for safe overtakes on a bike where you can't always just twist the throttle and zip by like you can on a larger displacement bike. This applies to both everyday riding and emergency situations.

I'm riding a 2011 CBR 250R and not the older RR model. I went with it for features like fuel injection and ABS that it has over the Kawi, but I'm pretty sure it's been well-established that the twin-cylinder Ninja 250 has a higher top end than the single-cylinder CBR, so I can imagine as some of you have stated that this is less of an issue for the Ninja.

This is all helpful advice, thank you.