Righty, at last I have actually got things sorted and should be getting my restricted bike licence in a couple of weeks (I?m only 20 so stuck with it)

Anyway, the question is what bike do I get? When restricted to 250cc I?m not sure what?s out there and what?s worth looking at? One of the ideas mentioned to me was getting a bigger bike (such as the SV650) and get it restricted.

Anyone got any recommendations? Prob have a budget of around Ã,£2K but of course would rather spend less / include gear such as helmet and clothing in there.

Thanks
Dooms / Leon

Kawasaki Ninja 250. Despite the funky plastic cladding, its  a brilliant ride. Sit up and beg  ergonomics and will easily do a ton if youre not scared to rev.

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1145

Prefere the naked bikes without all the plastic but it still doesnt look bad

I like naked as well, but performance speaks for itself, the Ninja 250 just walks all over the competition. Im capable of riding 1000cc+ bikes with confidence, but Id ride the little Ninja proudly. Its not aspiring to be a big bike, its goal is to be a bleeping brilliant 250, and it pulls it off.

After I was done with my ped I got a Suzuki GN250, was nice but very slow, was just a transition bike.



What I would recommend (what I had) is a restricted Suzuki Banditt 400. Its fast (0-60) the 33bhp restriction doesnt affect the acceleration much upto 60, but after that your at a bit of a loss.




I went from that to having it unrestricted to having a 600 Banditt. Its a great stepping stone/learning curve.

400cc Banditts were never released in the uk officially but there are a few imports around. Restriction is ~ Ã,£120 and the insurance companys arent to keen on it but your on a proper bike with proper handling and brakes.

Max, are you sure the Ninja is 33bhp? The law over here is officially that the bike has to be 33bhp (first 2 years), it just so happens that that is mostly 250cc bikes.

I believe the Ninja is well under 33bhp, around 30 or so, but its insane redline makes up for it. Think the bikes about to explode at 10K? Youve got 4K till redline!

Sounds the same as the Bandit 400 (when unrestricted) 10-14k is red line, needed to be kept > 6k all the time if you want to ride it fast.

When it was restricted anything < 10k did nothing.

Quote from: maximusotterI believe the Ninja is well under 33bhp, around 30 or so, but its insane redline makes up for it. Think the bikes about to explode at 10K? Youve got 4K till redline!

Kawasakis paperwork says 33 but you are more likely to get something under 28.

33 would be fine, I seem to recall it being something like 33.3bhp.

BTW, the restrictor kit for faster bikes are literally washers that restrict fuel flow. The Ã,£120 is really just for the certificate to prove its restricted ... but if your got a friendly local bike shop ;-)

Quote from: sexytwBTW, the restrictor kit for faster bikes are literally washers that restrict fuel flow. The Ã,£120 is really just for the certificate to prove its restricted ... but if your got a friendly local bike shop ;-)

blimey, that cant be good

If you have a restricted fuel flow, your going to be running lean on full-throttle, as the throttle body still lets in the full amount of air, but theres no extra fuelling...    and thus giving the internals a good caning, and reducing the already short/disposable life time of a bike engine.

thats a bit pap, but I suppose it stops joe average fixing his bike if it were, say the throttle that was being stopped from turning the full way, or whatever.

Its true, the bike seemed happy, but im sure it wasnt good for it.

Luckily my Dad owns my local bike shop so I only had it restricted while I was getting used to the bike.

so only real recommendation is the Ninja 250 apart from a 600 Bandit, however isnt the Bandit 4 stroke (bad for restricting) while the SV650 is a V engine wich you can get away with since even tho its restricted it still keeps its power at low revs?

end of the day im going on what ive picked up so definatly correct if wrong! cheers1

Kawasaki GPZ500s for a faired bike or the naked Kawasaki ER5

Same bike underneith, excellent learner bikes and easy to restrict/de-restrict.

Youll find a lot of learner schools use these bikes too.  Easy to ride plenty of power that doesnt come on quick enough to scare you.

Quote from: soopahflyKawasaki GPZ500s for a faired bike or the naked Kawasaki ER5

Same bike underneith, excellent learner bikes and easy to restrict/de-restrict.

Youll find a lot of learner schools use these bikes too.  Easy to ride plenty of power that doesnt come on quick enough to scare you.

Quote(Image removed from quote.)
   
ER-5
Describe an ideal entry level motorcycle and youve described the Kawasaki ER-5.

Designed for European riders, the ER-5 wraps a responsive 8-valve, 498cc twin cylinder water-cooled engine in a tubular chassis for surefooted handling and dependable performance.

Thats a V-Twin engined bike too.

I did my test on an ER5, im pretty sure they are < 33bhp as standard.

I found it really underpowered, we were told we had to give it everything when we went onto the dual carridgeways otherwise we would be failed for going to slow.

But as said above they are ideal if your not overly comfortable on a bike.