What was your next bike after a 250? Thoughts/regrets?

koma

koma

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Hey all, I'm thinking of moving to something a bit bigger and wanted to ask what you guys did for your second bike (assuming your first was a 250).

What did you buy? Was it the right choice? Too much power/too little?

I'm thinking of maybe a CB500X, or a street naked (~650CC?). Not really sure what I like yet though, I've only ridden this 250. Any stories would be great thanks.
 
ZX-6R was my upgrade. Was the right choice back then. Owned and ridden some more fun bikes since then. Financially it was a terrible choice, but it's what I wanted at the time.

The CB500X isn't a big jump up in power. A 650 twin will be more fun.

Go demo any potential bikes you're looking at. Tons of demo rides throughout the year. Try some stuff that you aren't looking at as well because some of the most uncommon bikes can be the most fun.

Also take into account insurance, fuel, and tire costs. 600SS bikes can be tough on the wallet comparative to other bikes.
 
For me the 650R was the next bike for me. Mainly do commuting so it was a good choice, tons usable power on the street and you can treat it like a 250 (ride the stink out of it). Its got enough to keep you excited, I can't see myself needing any more power, its the ideal sporty commuter. Decent looks, power and fuel economy, not to mention not much more on insurance than the 250 was.

er6N, Z1000, Monster?,FZ-9 lots of good bikes. All happen to have demo days coming up, coincidence?


Abuse demo days, get on as many bikes as you can, find what you like. I am still going to demo days because I haven't experienced them all,
 
Here's what I learned..it's not all about engine size, it's what you do with it that counts. Do you just enjoy riding on the street or would you like the option of gravel road (or more) riding? Are you OK with a leaned over the tank riding position? Do you need to stretch your legs out on long rides? Do you ever ride long distances?

These are the kinds of questions I asked myself that eventually led to a bike that has an upright riding position, and that is capable of mild gravel road travel too. Once you decide on the type of bike then look at available engine sizes and go from there. Newman is right though, you'll see a bigger difference in performance with a 600+ cc engine from what you already have assuming you've spent some time on your 250.

For me I went from EX500 (good beginner bike) to Kawasaki Z750S (great semi-naked bike with sporty characteristics) to Triumph Tiger 1050 (upright 80:20 road:gravel adventure bike). My only regret...I wish I had three bikes...a dirt bike, a sport or sport tourer and an adventure bike. With only one bike I'm very, very happy with the Tiger though.
 
I would look at something around 650 cc or so. Should keep insurance fairly reasonable and not be too crazy of a jump. The CB 500 series from Honda is pretty sweet but you should try one out to see if it would be enough to keep you happy for a couple of seasons.

The Ninja 650, CBR 650 (newish Honda), Suzuki 650 Gladius, Ducati Monster 696 etc...
 
I went from a CBR250ra thru 3 bikes before finding the one i love. I first went to a 2013 Ninja 650. Fun bike with enough power for me. Due to health reasons i wanted a more upright ergo bike.
While the sitting position was ok, it still had a sportbike-like knee bend. The 2 combined made it uncomfortable. The big mistake i made was thinking the Versys would fix it. Ergo wise it was good but
just could not get used to the tallness/top heavyness of the bike. A minor annoyance on both bikes was they cooked my right foot. Even on cool days my foot would get hot from the engine heat.

i finally settled on the best bike (for me) A 2014 Honda NC750S. Great ergo. smooth bike (like a magic carpet) Great mpg. Love the "frunk" (21L storage area where gas tank would be)
low centre of gravity and balance. Naked bike so easy service. Even valve checks easy (because of the forward slant of the cylinders)

so if you thinking about the 500x. Have a look at the NC750 (both X and S models)
 
Skyway6 said:
I went from a CBR250ra thru 3 bikes before finding the one i love. I first went to a 2013 Ninja 650. Fun bike with enough power for me. Due to health reasons i wanted a more upright ergo bike.
While the sitting position was ok, it still had a sportbike-like knee bend. The 2 combined made it uncomfortable. The big mistake i made was thinking the Versys would fix it. Ergo wise it was good but
just could not get used to the tallness/top heavyness of the bike. A minor annoyance on both bikes was they cooked my right foot. Even on cool days my foot would get hot from the engine heat.

i finally settled on the best bike (for me) A 2014 Honda NC750S. Great ergo. smooth bike (like a magic carpet) Great mpg. Love the "frunk" (21L storage area where gas tank would be)
low centre of gravity and balance. Naked bike so easy service. Even valve checks easy (because of the forward slant of the cylinders)

so if you thinking about the 500x. Have a look at the NC750 (both X and S models)
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Cool... A NC750 owner. :)

Did you test ride one of the previous NC700 bikes to compare? Reviewers seem to notice the additional power and torque of the 750.

Would be an interesting future bike for me. Will see if I can try one out at a demo day.

My only criticism of the bike is that I think Honda should have put hydraulic self adjusting valves in it. Not a deal breaker or anything but considering that they were going after new/newer/returning riders as part of the target market it would have been a good idea to keep maintenance as minimal as possible.
 
I'm waiting on Honda to get the CBR650F here myself....99% sure that's the bike I'm going with to replace my current CBR250RA. I do want to test ride one first though...
 
OP I went from a Ninja 250r to a Ninja 650r recently. For me it was a good next step. I was first looking into a 600 super sport. But reality hit me and I didnt think it was something I was ready for or needed. The 650r was a great upgrade for me. Excellent managable power increase. More power where its needed. Great for commuting, highway , and twistie weekend runs. Insurance wasnt that much more. Maintainence jusy as easy.

It took me a couple of weeks to get used to the increase in power and torque. I found the bike actually better for me needs. Less shifting required. More than enough power in every gear. Easy to merge , pass , accelerate on the highway and city.
The 250r was an easier bike to handle. The 650r was alot heavier and takes more effort to manouver. The 650 offers alot better wind protection. You dont get blown all over the place at the higher highway speeds compared to a smaller bike like the 250. Surprisingly I found the 650r easier to ride than the 250. On the 250 I would have to rev up to 7000 rpm to get a decent take off from a light and then there wasnt anything left. Now I have no issue. On the 250 I would have to plan my passes ahead of time on the highway. Both bikes are just as comfortable for me. I got sport bars installed on my bike so the seating position is the same. The transition for me was easy. Im now considering upgrading to something like a Triumph Street Triple R.

good luck
 
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Never had a 250. Started motorcycle life on a 500 for a year and ended up getting a 750 sport touring. Only reason to upgrade was about $2000/year less in insurance. The 85 VF500 was considered a sports bike and the 750 which had close to 25hp more was sports touring. Went from a 84 750 which had about 75hp to a 93 with 95hp. Surprising my 93 VFR750F is cheaper by $500/year to insure over the old 84 I had.
 
^^ same as the post above me. Interceptor 500 for 2 months. Hated it and bought my first zx7r. Night and day different and I'm still here to tell about it. No matter what you choose go and check out literally every bike that catches your fancy. Everything. You'll just know what to choose eventually. That said if you're looking for a longer term upgrade I'd consider bigger than the 500.
 
Thanks for everyone replying, I will be in the same boat next year hopefully or maybe later on this year in a month or so. Turning 25 and getting fairly bored of the 250 and looking for a 650... I thought the kawi or the honda 650 would be it, but looking at someone suggesting the nc700 or nc750 maybe that catches my eye a little more... Looking forward to more replies.
 
I actually regretted going from my 400 to a 600. I preferred the lighter weight and handling of the smaller bike. Plus, I was getting into too many court days with the gents from 52 division. My 750 was miles better on the highway, but the reality now is I prefer a car for highway.

These days, I'm thinking of going back to a 300 because I had so much unexpected fun on one at the demo days. Plus, I have a thing about the Ontario insurance scam, we pay the highest rates in North America, while having the least rights as accident victims.
 
I turned 25 this year. I had a kawasaki ZZR250 for 5 years and decided it was time to upgrade. Bought a 2005 Kawasaki ZX6RR and love it. I am already used to the bike and actually wanting more power now if I could afford the insurance I would have bought the Hayabusa instead but that will be in another 5 years when the insurance gets cut in half for turning 30. Only regrets are the seating position as my legs and back get really sore after about an hour of riding and the gas mileage as I used to get 350-400kms a tank on the 250 and now I'm filling up at 200kms.
 
FD Biker said:
I turned 25 this year. I had a kawasaki ZZR250 for 5 years and decided it was time to upgrade. Bought a 2005 Kawasaki ZX6RR and love it. I am already used to the bike and actually wanting more power now if I could afford the insurance I would have bought the Hayabusa instead but that will be in another 5 years when the insurance gets cut in half for turning 30. Only regrets are the seating position as my legs and back get really sore after about an hour of riding and the gas mileage as I used to get 350-400kms a tank on the 250 and now I'm filling up at 200kms.
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Insurance does not get cut in half at age 30... trust me on this.
It is much cheaper than when I was 22 but I find age 25 is the number for any SS, and driving record holds more weight than age at that point. If you know where I can pay half price for my car or motorcycle insurance please point me in that direction.
 
I have the cb500x and love it! The riding position is comfortable and it has plenty of power. I sat on quite a few bikes before I made my decision, but didn't demo any. Hindsight, I would ride a bunch first, but I am very happy with my decision. The 500x does everything I need for some fun rides and is super comfortable for commuting! Just my 2 cents


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