Bikes under 25kw

delanest

I saw list some where before on one of the Irish bike sites where it lists all the bikes under 25kw that can be got.

Anybody know where this is ?

Anybody recommend anything, which is over 125 ?

a_ominous

FAQ :rolleyes:

T-Square

That list is four years out of date :rolleyes:

a_ominous

T-Square wrote:

That list is four years out of date :rolleyes:

Anything in particular that is wrong with the list?

T-Square

It's missing the factory restricted bikes,
so before you start rolling your eyes, I suggest you update it.

And by the way, MAG just lifted it from an English bike shop web site. Lazy.

jackal

Have a looksee here:

http://www.biker.ie/forum/index.php?showtopic=302&st=0&p=2484&#entry2484

=====================
Moving on from a 125.
=====================

If you want a 250 that is under the 33hp restriction, you are severely limited to a few bikes, none of which exploit the full 33hp.

Honda CB250 - Workhorse commuter, not very nice looking.

Hyosung comet GT-250. Nice looking V-Twin, good handling, etc. Build quality and residual value when you want to sell are a big issue. You can see them in Bike world.

Yamaha dragstar 250 - Cruiser, exact same dimensions and body as 125. not very powerful for a 250 (round 20 hp).

*(import) Honda Magna 250 - AVery stylish and quite rare import cruiser. Has solid billet wheel and looks v cool. Parts could be a problem.

*(import) Honda VTR 250 “Spada”. Nice looking V-twin, similar to a monster. Makes 32hp so if you are sticking to the restriction it’s the best bet.

Ducati Monster 400 Dark (33hp) €7,250. This is one very stylish and good-looking bike to consider. Very expensive though. 500 extra for red. Finance and reasonable insurance available from ducati.

===================================================================

Apparently a couple of large capacity bikes come in under the power/weight restriction because they are so heavy. I’m not sure about this, and it has always been a grey area, but the bikes mentioned are:

Honda Africa Twin 750 - A huge paris-dakar behemoth.
Honda Transalp 400- an old skool medium tourer with the Bros 400 engine.
Yamaha Dragstar 650. – nice cruiser, heavy and underpowered.
Honda VT750DC & C2 (Shadow) – nice looking cruiser.

===================================================================

Restricted bikes:

One thing that you need to be aware of is this. A bike can either be Factory restricted (a) or have a restrictor kit put in them (b).

You will only get an insurance discount with (a) type restricted bikes. Bikes restricted with (b) type will be charged insurance as a normal model would. This is because Factory restricted bikes are generally extremely difficult and expensive to de-restrict and sell well to learners, making it uneconomical and counterintuitive to de-restrict them.

Restrictor kits are generally installed, then a cert obtained, then removed! You are more than likely covered in an accident so long as you have a cert. Restrictor kits are a very rough fix and will generally make the bike run badly and not do it any favours. They cost approx 150+ to get fitted.

Factory restricted bikes will run beautifully but will just have an artificially low redline. The restricted bandit redlines at 8000rpm, where as the normal model will redline at 12,000. A Factory restricted bike will cost as much to buy as its non-restricted brethren.

Note: according to anecdotal evidence from a number of experienced bikers, nobody has ever been prosecuted or refused payment on a claim for riding a bike > 33hp on during the 2 year restriction period. The rule of thumb seems to be once you have the full A licence, you are grand.

Some common factory restricted bikes available here:

Suzuki Bandit 600. Naked middleweight, being updated this year with a 650.
Suzuki GS 500. Naked workhorse, old design, prone to rust.
Honda Hornet 600. Lovely bike to ride, low saddle and decent pillion seat. Not too heavy.
Honda CBR 600F. Sports bike with long distance comfort for rider and pillion.
Honda CB 500. Courier favourite.
Honda CB 600. Similar to the hornet, but milder, softer suspension and power.
Yamaha FZ600 Fazer.

Lately, flagship 600cc supersport machines such as the Kawasaki Zx6r and GSX-R 600 are available in factory restricted guise. Word on the street is that a standard CDI unit will release full power...

If you are not too worried about the 33HP restriction but want to get something that is close enough to get away with, if caught then read on. Basically if its a 250 or 400 twin the guards will assume its under the limit and not be interested in hounding you about it.

Anything with a * is an import - parts can be a little more difficult, but routine stuff is generally not a prob.

* Honda Cb250 Hornet - (40hp) great 2nd bike with the screaming cbr250 lump.

* Suzuki Bandit 250 - Apparently an absolute dog to get parts for and suffers from severe carb icing in winter. (38hp)

* Honda Jade - Same engine as the hornet/cbr250 in a more traditionally styled bike (not really a looker)

* Honda CBR250 - Reasonably comfortable Race Rep, same engine again as Hornet, very good bike, but expensive fairings get broken if dropped. Looks like a bigger bike and redlines at 18,000/20,000 rpm depending on the model. These bikes have aged well considering the design is > 10 years old, and engines are bullet proof if oil/filter is changed regularly.

* Suzuki GSX-R 250, Kawazaki ZXR-250 almost identical to CBR250 performance, style, riding position. ZXR is the fastest four stroke 250, but the difference is small.

* Honda BROS 400 - Built like a brick ****house and very cheap to buy and run, but beware old and courier models. (Approx 45hp)

Supersport 400s:

**** CBR400/VFR400/ZXR400/RVF400 Are generally considered the pick of the 400SS bunch. Prices and insurance quotes vary wildly, and they are much more common in the UK or the North, so buy there if possible and save yourself a fortune. See www.400greybike.co.uk for more info on these pocket rockets. "Which 400 is best" is an endless debate and is very subjective. All are good for about 55-65 HP and 130mph. The fun on these bikes is the handling and their price/insurance cost.

Alternatively:

Suzuki SV 650S - Lovely bike, quite powerful though @ 60+ Hp. Really nice sounding V-Twin that lots of people choose to ignore the restriction on! Wheelies galore if you want them. Clipon handlebars and a racey riding position on the S (semi faired model). The unfaired has normal bars and a more relaxed position but looks naff. Build quality is still behind Honda + Yamaha, and Suzuki’s in general tend to rot if not looked after in winter especially. Electrical problems caused by front mudguard spraying water onto cylinder during heavy rain - cured with a fenda extenda.

Note: The above observations regarding enforcement of the 33hp limit, are not gospel. If the guards were suddenly directed to enforce it strictly, then this guide is not worth the virtual paper its written on.

jackal

[The restricted bandit redlines at 8000rpm, where as the normal model will redline at 12,000. ]

Apparently this is wrong, the bandit does pull all the way to the redline, so it must just have restrictors in the carbs. I know newer fuel injected Suzuki bikes acheive the restriction by the cdi, which can be very easily swapped for a full power one :0

madrab

afaik the bandit 600 just has the restricted carbs which hypothetically could be exchanged for original carbs...:)

Eye

Jackal.... just a quick point about your comments on the dragstar 650

"Yamaha Dragstar 650. – nice cruiser, heavy and underpowered"

yeah it is a little heavy but it is certainly not under powered. have you ever driven one? I've had mine for the last 4-5 years now and i have to say i've been more than impressed with it's power. Sure it's no bandit, but it's not trying to be, it's a cruiser after all not a sports bike. It's acceleration though is v good indeed. Have yet to be beaten from the lights by any boy racers, closest guy that came to matching me was in a Mini Cooper S with it's super charger, he stayed close until i hit third gear then i lost him

Alround the XVS 650 Dragstar is a brilliant and reliable machine, quiet rare too, onle ever seen one other around the sound east, always seen tons of the 125 a few 250's and plenty of the 1100's but never see the 650's.
Only did my driving test earlier this year so gonna hang onto this bike for another 2 years or so until the restriction on my licences is up and then i'll be upgrading to something like the 1100 dragstar or maybe the 1600 wildstar, or if i have the money the 1900 midnight star

jackal

Eye wrote:

Jackal.... just a quick point about your comments on the dragstar 650

"Yamaha Dragstar 650. – nice cruiser, heavy and underpowered"

yeah it is a little heavy but it is certainly not under powered. have you ever driven one? I've had mine for the last 4-5 years now and i have to say i've been more than impressed with it's power. Sure it's no bandit, but it's not trying to be, it's a cruiser after all not a sports bike. It's acceleration though is v good indeed. Have yet to be beaten from the lights by any boy racers, closest guy that came to matching me was in a Mini Cooper S with it's super charger, he stayed close until i hit third gear then i lost him

Alround the XVS 650 Dragstar is a brilliant and reliable machine, quiet rare too, onle ever seen one other around the sound east, always seen tons of the 125 a few 250's and plenty of the 1100's but never see the 650's.
Only did my driving test earlier this year so gonna hang onto this bike for another 2 years or so until the restriction on my licences is up and then i'll be upgrading to something like the 1100 dragstar or maybe the 1600 wildstar, or if i have the money the 1900 midnight star

Well, I wasnt having a go at the DS 650 personally. Its a lovely looking bike, and is indeed rare enough and stylish enough to be a bit different. However, my point is that cruisers in general are heavy and underpowered. They are lovely for what they are, and have lots of useable power and torque. As can be seen from your comments of never being beaten off the lights... by a car ...in comparison to any other non cruiser bike a dragstar 650 is underpowered and overweight with a claimed 40 hp carrying 220kg dry weight.

For example, the Hornet 250 - a streetbike also makes a claimed 40hp from its 4 cylinder 250cc engine, and only has a dry weight of 149kg to haul around. It has a much better power to weight ratio.

The reason the dragstar is mentioned is due to its low power to wieght ratio allowing a person on a restricted licence to drive a large cc bike.

The Dragstar offers adequate performance, but its a simple, classic design that hasnt changed for years and is biased tword lazy power, low maintenance, and looking good. A modern 650 v-twin, the suzuki sv650 makes 71hp and weigths 164kg dry and would indeed make the dragstar feel underpowered and overweight.

BRUNO.22

Eye Have You Tried Getting A Quote For An 1100 Dragstar..as Far As Im Aware They Dont Need To Be Restricted Either...a Friend Of Mine Had A Shadow Classic 1100 And He Didnt Have To Restrict His Due To The Power To Weight Ratio..

jackal

BRUNO.22 wrote:

Eye Have You Tried Getting A Quote For An 1100 Dragstar..as Far As Im Aware They Dont Need To Be Restricted Either...a Friend Of Mine Had A Shadow Classic 1100 And He Didnt Have To Restrict His Due To The Power To Weight Ratio..

Bruno, take care in this area, as the insurance companies are not required to enforce restrictions. They really dont care, its up to you to have the bike restricted to match the requirements of your licence. However, if your mate had a crash, they could well refuse to pay out as he is technically not licenced to ride the bike he was riding. I have personally never heard of anyone actually getting into trouble over restrictions, but maybe they have. An insurance company might well quote a large cc bike like this because cruisers are not considered a dangerous type of motorcycle.

japanpaul

I'm driving a Suzuki GSX 250 FX. http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/suzuki_gsx_250_fx_2005.php
I'm only after reading now that it's over the power limit restricition Insurance is pretty expensive though but great bike to drive. I got insured and passed my test on it and had no problems in relation to the power(kw) of the bike.

jackal

Generally it goes like this in ireland:

If you are on a provisional A:
Guards, etc will turn a blind eye to a 250cc 4 Cylinder, or a 400cc Twin Cylinder.

If you have a full licence:
They really dont care about restrictions.

paul_876

A bandit gsf250 is an option for those of you who care about this silly law.I have one i`ve been meaning to put in the buy and sell if anyones interested.Its going in next issue hopefully.Its `96 black with good tyres.Its the 1st of the gj77a frames which means its 5 kg lighter and has variable valve timing (same as honda`s v-tec) which means it goes like a 2 stroke power valve at 10,000 revs and up.It will be advertised at 2000 euro.

Oryx

In my exp. the guards simply do not know what bikes need restricting, nor do the Motor Tax Office (who provide the licences). A definitive list of bikes does not exist, believe me, Ive checked:rolleyes: Across the trade the interpretation is that you need a restriction of 33bhp OR a pw ratio of <0.16. Which is why people restrict Hayabusas.. But as the law has never been tested in the state, noone is even sure whether weight refers to dry, kerb, or with rider.

Rule of thumb seems to be if you are on a big bike/speeding/or generally acting like a boy racer you will get pulled in and asked about your licence/ restriction. Insurace firms dont give a monkeys:D

murphaph

Yeah I reckon the same. I'd say if you are under a restricted licence and you are on something like an F650 the guards would never cop it and that but what if you cause an accident? I reckon the old loss adjuster would be interested in such details if it meant worming out of paying your comprehensive part of the policy (they'd probably have to pay 3rd party liabilities). The other issue is that should you want to take your bike to a country with proper road traffic law enforcement (UK!) you could well be stopped and asked about it by a knowledgable copper.

galwaytt

Honda CB500
Kawasaki ER-5
Theres one of each for sale in a shop in Galway. I think both qualify.

I suppose the Suzuki GS500 would, therefore, too.

I've a full licence for nearly 20 yrs, but my Aprilia Atlantic 500 qualifies, if you like big scooters - and so does the Piaggio X9 500. I use my AA500 more often than my 'real bike' ,as it's so good.

My wife has a DR200 Suzuki, which qualifies as well, and it's a very, very good bike.

Oh, and a H-D Softail qualifies too, under the power/weight ratio rule........I know a guy who did his test on one........

puniq1979

any idea where I can get that Honda VTR 250??? looking everywhere and no joy :-(

Pigeon Reaper

cityspares had one a while ago. Pretty rare Jap bike and a pain to get parts for.

sronoc

Check this Ducati Monster 400 out. It is onthe limit for learner legal bikes. Cheap insurance!!!

http://www.biker.ie/forum/showthread.php?p=703385

sronoc

or even this link:

ducati monster 400 for sale

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=59753&cat=47

peasant

sronoc ...once is enough

Also, please stop pimping your bike ..how about some other contributions for a change?

sronoc

peasant wrote: »

sronoc ...once is enough

Also, please stop pimping your bike ..how about some other contributions for a change?

first link doesn't work, if you can remove it, please do, thanks.