AMERICANS: Would you buy a 125cc motorcycle for the street?

[jkv357]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

Yep, and now we wait.

No more waiting.

Kawasaki's new small Ninja is a 400.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by jkv357

No more waiting.

Kawasaki's new small Ninja is a 400.

I was saying wait for MORE choices. The ninja 400 is the only new 400cc sport bike sold in the US right now. Anyways I already have a 400cc sport bike, and it’s got a V4 engine vs the parallel twin in the ninja.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by jkv357

Kawasaki just did- https://www.cycleworld.com/new-2018-...i-crown#page-2

For a sports bike, its still 200cc short.
I wished they had made it a naked bike.

Up to 300cc a single cylinder makes sense.
300-800cc a parallel twin makes sense
800-1200,triple makes sense
1000-1200+cc a 4cylinder makes sense

[JSH]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

For a sports bike, its still 200cc short.
I wished they had made it a naked bike.

Up to 300cc a single cylinder makes sense.
300-800cc a parallel twin makes sense
800-1200,triple makes sense
1000-1200+cc a 4cylinder makes sense

Kawasaki makes the naked Z300; no doubt it will get upgraded to 400cc in time. Hopefully a Versys 400 is on the way as well.

[ctmaybury@yahoo.com]

I agree with prodigit. A single cylinder makes the most sense for the small bores. A single cylinder 250 would be simpler lighter and cheaper. It would have a lot less internal friction for squeezing better performance and mileage out of it. Looks shouldn't be affected because the fairing covers the engine anyway.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

For a sports bike, its still 200cc short.
I wished they had made it a naked bike.

Up to 300cc a single cylinder makes sense.
300-800cc a parallel twin makes sense
800-1200,triple makes sense
1000-1200+cc a 4cylinder makes sense

The U.S. market is saturated with 600-1000cc+ sport bikes, there are a whole lot less choices when you drop below 600. I want a choice, unfortunately the rest of Americans choose for me.

I love tiny engines with lots of cylinders also, they are way more fun.

[ProDigit]

I wouldn't say....
I mean, if you see how many LBS and extra cylinder brings to a bike, it is much better spent on extra volume in the existing cylinders.

Lower cylinder count is a matter of better efficiency,not always better performance.
Why you like a 4 cylinder better than a two cylinder,is purely a matter of turning.
You can tune a 2 cylinder like Harleys, with all power down low in acceleration,
Like Honda, with all power around 6k rpm,
Or, like a racing bike,which is tuned to work best at the 8-12K rpm range.

The 25-50 extra lbs of a 4 cylinder, would be similar to adding 100-200 extra CC on a 2 cylinder. Performance of the 2 cylinder will be superior.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

The 25-50 extra lbs of a 4 cylinder, would be similar to adding 100-200 extra CC on a 2 cylinder. Performance of the 2 cylinder will be superior.

See for yourself.

New CBR 250RR: Parallel twin(with fuel injection!)
2017 Honda CBR250RR Review of Specs & Features + Pictures & Videos!

Old CBR 250RR: Inline four(with four carbs! )
Honda CBR250RR

Curb weight not listed there, but is 348 pounds. I weighed my CBR 250R at 346 pounds with a lighter muffler, and the CBR 250RR supposedly dropped weight, so those numbers make sense.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Nowadays my dad, who is an experienced motorcyclist, says anything greater than 250cc to be overkill for a normal usage.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I am intrigued by that Royal Enfield Himalayan for $4500. I also like the Yamaha TW200 for the same $4500. I know the TW200 holds it's value well and is really reliable and simple. The Himalayan seems to have a lot more for the price but is untested.

The Himalayan has been tested. It has been sold in the Indian market since 2016. It was so unreliable that Royal Enfield shut down the production line for a couple of months in 2017 to try to fix the issues. The model for sale in the USA is claimed to be new and improved but that is yet to be seen.