Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Flywheels MC wrote:Used CBR250 - $7,990 + Stamp duty
Used ZX2R - About the same
Both bikes at least 15 years old and getting older. Imports. Hard to find parts. Not enough road or police sympathy to get anywhere near their redline or performance quarter potential.

New Ninja 250 - $7,439 on road. More drive off the mark and fatter midrange than any 4 cylinder, 4 stroke250. 2 year warranty and 12 months rego.
When you come to sell it, it's only a few years old not 17+.

If anybody out there is still considering which is a better option, I can put you on to a Zong Shen distributor so he can sell you 'The best bikes ever built'

what are those zong shen bikes like ? i was having a look at them trying to suss them out, are they actually any good ? or does the quality match the price ?

Saki wrote:

Flywheels MC wrote:Used CBR250 - $7,990 + Stamp duty
Used ZX2R - About the same
Both bikes at least 15 years old and getting older. Imports. Hard to find parts. Not enough road or police sympathy to get anywhere near their redline or performance quarter potential.

New Ninja 250 - $7,439 on road. More drive off the mark and fatter midrange than any 4 cylinder, 4 stroke250. 2 year warranty and 12 months rego.
When you come to sell it, it's only a few years old not 17+.

If anybody out there is still considering which is a better option, I can put you on to a Zong Shen distributor so he can sell you 'The best bikes ever built'

what are those zong shen bikes like ? i was having a look at them trying to suss them out, are they actually any good ? or does the quality match the price ?

As they say: 'You get what you pay for'. They are a cheaply mass produced bike that reaches the dizzying heights of 'Average' in all areas of manufacture, build quality and reliability. There is no indication of what their longevity will be or how the resale value will stand up but I could make a pretty accurate guess I think!
If anybody has some first-hand experience with one then I would like to hear more about it also

Flywheels MC wrote:

Saki wrote:

Flywheels MC wrote:Used CBR250 - $7,990 + Stamp duty
Used ZX2R - About the same
Both bikes at least 15 years old and getting older. Imports. Hard to find parts. Not enough road or police sympathy to get anywhere near their redline or performance quarter potential.

New Ninja 250 - $7,439 on road. More drive off the mark and fatter midrange than any 4 cylinder, 4 stroke250. 2 year warranty and 12 months rego.
When you come to sell it, it's only a few years old not 17+.

If anybody out there is still considering which is a better option, I can put you on to a Zong Shen distributor so he can sell you 'The best bikes ever built'

what are those zong shen bikes like ? i was having a look at them trying to suss them out, are they actually any good ? or does the quality match the price ?

As they say: 'You get what you pay for'. They are a cheaply mass produced bike that reaches the dizzying heights of 'Average' in all areas of manufacture, build quality and reliability. There is no indication of what their longevity will be or how the resale value will stand up but I could make a pretty accurate guess I think!
If anybody has some first-hand experience with one then I would like to hear more about it also

I understand you have a vested interest Nick, however, I can remember people just like you saying the same things about Hyosung a few years back. Have you looked at the rego figures for 2007???? I do not believe Zhong shen will go away, best you get used to it!!!

but they are still bottom of the barrel IMHO

As they say: 'You get what you pay for'. They are a cheaply mass produced bike that reaches the dizzying heights of 'Average' in all areas of manufacture, build quality and reliability. There is no indication of what their longevity will be or how the resale value will stand up but I could make a pretty accurate guess I think!
If anybody has some first-hand experience with one then I would like to hear more about it also[/quote]

I understand you have a vested interest Nick, however, I can remember people just like you saying the same things about Hyosung a few years back. Have you looked at the rego figures for 2007???? I do not believe Zhong shen will go away, best you get used to it!!! [/quote]


I don't have any delusions that they will go away. The fact that Hyosung are still around just proves that people will buy anything if they think they are saving money! Look at the resale value on a Hyosung and then tell me that the percentage drop is the same as on any Japanese model

welcome mate..

why are u listening to 7 mates who are L platers on cbr250's?? like theyd kno shit.. probably think they do.. but probably kno nothing..

zx2r & cbr look kool and all.. but ur gunna spend a bucketload on a bike, insurance and upkeep (bikes arent cheap mate).. so why not buy sumthin a bit cheaper, cheaper to keep on the road, and less to damage if u drop it??

also bikes like a gs500 are learner legal if uve got LAMS.. and they will hose a 250... i kno the ER5 i rode would of (if u can find one of them they are a corker of a bike)

ur choice mate.. but get what u want, or wot makes sense..

hey guys.. thanks for the welcome!

i'm still leaning towards the zx2.
i guess i just have to deal with the low supply of parts when it comes, if the time comes.

i've always wanted a Ninja. and green is my favourite colour.

i guess i'm gonna try to get what i want.

thanks for your opinions though..

I remember asking this question.

I got a ZX2.

I dropped it 5 times over the past couple of years; the last drop was into a car with an impact speed of 120km/h.

It was expensive to repair most times - but would I trade that experience for riding around on a CB250? FARK THAT!

My ol' silver bullet used to hose my mate's 5.7L GTO up to about 90 (then he decidedly wiped me). Also caned my mate's boosted R33 up to 100. Either way, it's a 250 and they're all the same, but if you're tall like me (6'3"), you'll want the bike with the bigger frame that doesn't look like a toy: get the ZX2.

Otherwise, a lot of learners on the Hyosung GT650R are saying good things... ER6 also has more go than the ZX2 (according to the seat-of-the-pants-ometer) so that might be something to consider.

Still, if you are careful, you'll be fine. I'd probably recommend overall to get a CB250 and just learn about riding first - I got reasonably fast on the ZX2 at one stage but then I put it down the road and it does put a dent in your confidence the first time you let it go. If I had a CB250, I wouldn't have cared due to the lack of fairings, but I did and I ended up paying a lot. I loved every second, but get the CB or something shitty, save money on running costs and then upgrade when you get your open license.

As has been suggested, you probably don't think it's a great idea investing in training courses because you just want to get out and ride, but I urge you to do this. This is a much better investment because it will be the difference between you staying upright and you sliding down the road. You'll never consider it a waste of money when you've done it.

Every one is complaining about the spares but isn't the ZR250 (Balius) basically a naked version of the ZX2??
I know the Balius was an inline 4 cylinder that red lined at about 19000 rpm. I was always under the impression that they were basically the same bike. Can any one confirm this? If I am correct then the parts may not be as hard to find.

ZXR750 wrote:Every one is complaining about the spares but isn't the ZR250 (Balius) basically a naked version of the ZX2??
I know the Balius was an inline 4 cylinder that red lined at about 19000 rpm. I was always under the impression that they were basically the same bike. Can any one confirm this? If I am correct then the parts may not be as hard to find.

yep its the same engine, just a whole lot better looking IMHO

Phil wrote:

ZXR750 wrote:Every one is complaining about the spares but isn't the ZR250 (Balius) basically a naked version of the ZX2??
I know the Balius was an inline 4 cylinder that red lined at about 19000 rpm. I was always under the impression that they were basically the same bike. Can any one confirm this? If I am correct then the parts may not be as hard to find.

yep its the same engine, just a whole lot better looking IMHO

nudie bike!!!!!

woah! 2 and a half years ago, was stuck in this dilemma. i did end up getting the CBR250RR, and now it's up for sale. have learnt so much since this intro. OLD PAC.. PUTTY.. next up superbike school and track days. cheers! safe riding.