Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

1st question. where can i get my hands on one and how much will it set me back?

2nd question. how do i get to race it?

There's a guy who races a 125cc GP bike at Mallala, cost him about $15k

He runs 1:15's and the (really) quick racers will do 1:09-1:12's

I can only imagine a 250 would cost more, and I've got no idea on how you'd go about racing it sorry.

Vinnie the answer to your questions :-

1. Be in the right place at the right time

2. Be a lot better than you are now at staying on anything smaller than the 9

Rossi wrote: 2. Be a lot better than you are now at staying on anything smaller than the 9

i'm never gonna live that down am i.

There is a 250 Gp riders forum somewhere on the web Vince. Or try the Preston MCC forum they will know someone with one for sale. Hartwell MCC would be another good place to try, and often two wheels and AMCN have second hand GP bikes for sale occasionally. Just be prepared for the maintanance issues associated with highly strung two stroke motors also. A 250 Gp bike is tuned on the knife edge, and components are not designed for longevity. If you use a barometer and jet conservatively it will last a little longer before a blow up or rebuild, but it is still going to wear out quickly. They are getting near 100hp out of the late model stuff when it's put together right. So they are a little prone to letting go.

Thankfully when they do need top end stuff it is easy to do, but a bottom end really is best left to the two stroke gurus.

They are also a very difficult bike to fit on unless you are small. I am only 5'11" and I cannot do more than two laps before cramps set in, even on ones with extended seats. So if you are a big guy, ride one first before you buy........

prestonmcc.com.au

diesel wrote:1st question. where can i get my hands on one and how much will it set me back?

2nd question. how do i get to race it?

i used to race a 250GP a couple of years ago, so here's what i think will help.
1. try AMCN classifieds, local race meetings, http://www.rbimports.com.au/ (speak to Geoff Pearson) in Sydney, Southern Cross Motorsport, Melb (speak to Yuki if he is still there), http://www.gpriders.org

2. to race you can only enter state/club level meets, and you will be entered in Formula 1 (750cc-1000cc multi's & 250GP)

should be able to pick a honda up for $3500-5000 without kit (JHA,HRC) parts. you will need a barometer (+/- 1 1/2% will need jetting changed), a detonation counter - $1000 (to check how often you get detonation instead of ignition)
'93-'99 honda rs250 bikes have nearly all interchangeable bits.

be advised: top end rebuilds every 500 kms ($500 per cylinder)
crankshaft replaced every 1500-2000 kms ($2000 plus labour)
fuel is AVGAS (about $2 per litre) or ELF fuel (about $7-8 per litre) but you need kit heads/barrels for ELF fuel. you can buy an ELF fuel octane additive for AVGAS however.

honda crankshafts are not rebuildable, but yamaha is... so maybe if the budget is tight, try for a TZ250.

i can give you a phone no. and name for a guy (GP guru) who lives in Albury if you're interested.

hope that helps...

3rd question.

how much will I need to lop off my arms and legs to fit on one

could also try formula extreme clasifieds for a rs250 have seen a few in there, I think they may be ok aso longas you keep the maitenance up to them.

My mechanic had one for a while like a few years but has moved onto better things.

keep in mind you are only going to ride it at the track but i remeber them saying top end rebuild every 5 trackdays.

FARK!!!!!!!!!

Well there goes that plan.

firstly, i had no idea they were so damn expensive to run.
might have to hit up the NAB for some sponsorship.

second, at 6'3" do you think i might have troubles fitting on one?
tho strika, my legs are a tad fresher than yours

cambo,
had a look at the gp org.

a 125 would probably be a better place to start.
saw a 93 rs125 for $3200.

now if i rebuilt every 3 race meets and there were 12 meets for example.
i'd need 2-3 grand for basic maintenance. 2 grand for tyres.

another 3 or three in the kity for other consumables.

it's doable if i can get some sponsorsihp for say 5 grand, it'd get me going i guess........

hey Diesel..

6 foot 3??????? on a 125GP? well, you wouldn't have to do much to get yr knee on the ground
i wouldn't suggest it. you need to be under 5'10" and 75kg to have any real chance of doing anything worthwhile. you would just be alike a parachute attached to the bike, to be honest.

you could get by on a 250, if you can afford it. but you may be better off going for a 400 if you want to do some fun racing with a limited budget. top speed on them (which i raced for 3 years) is about 230kph for quick guys, 210-220kph for most of us. thats at both the island and E.Creek

you will fit on the bike better, they do not BITE you at the drop of a hat, are very forgiving, cheap to run, cheap to fix, cheap to buy, i sound like a f*#kin bird "cheap,cheap".....


400 racing is really quite big even tho its state level. there is a tri-state series between NSW, VIC, QLD check out: http://www.400racing.com/
they are a really great group of guys, who are tight knit and welcoming and supportive.

just a thought for you....

thanks for that,
but if i'm gonna go for a 400,
would i be better just going for a 600 in post classic?

i've just been getting the urge to go racing. from what i understand the 400s (rvf, zxr and the like) can be about the same price as an oldish 600?

since i stopped playing basketball, i'm missing out on my dose of competition, ride days are fun. but i wanna win or lose if u get my meaning.

400 costs $3500-5500 to buy, but they truly are more "fun" to ride than a post classic 600 IMHO. you have the edge on bigger bikes in corners (where the fun is)
its cheaper because you wont go thru tyres as much. expect to go thru a set every weekend you race on a 600, you can get 2-3 meets out of tyres on a 400. even the top guys could get 2 meets out of them.
dont go thru as much fuel as well.

the most fun ive ever had on a bike is a 400, and ive ridden 250GP, 400's 600's & 900's.
my wallet liked em better too, which means my missus liked it better too

400 costs $3500-5500 to buy, but they truly are more "fun" to ride than a post classic 600 IMHO. you have the edge on bigger bikes in corners (where the fun is)
its cheaper because you wont go thru tyres as much. expect to go thru a set every weekend you race on a 600, you can get 2-3 meets out of tyres on a 400. even the top guys could get 2 meets out of them.
dont go thru as much fuel as well.

the most fun ive ever had on a bike is a 400, and ive ridden 250GP, 400's 600's & 900's.
my wallet liked em better too, which means my missus liked it better too

cool,

another question,
given that i'm fairly well mechanically minded,
is it worth buying a cheap one in comparatively bad condition and putting a bit of work in? or buy ine for $5,500 that's basically ready to go?