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Devon TRF Group Open Forum -> General Discussion Board -> Now on the hunt for a new bike.
Post Info TOPIC: Now on the hunt for a new bike.
UrbanJohn


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Now on the hunt for a new bike.
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After yesterday's debacle, involving a long ride and the AA, having ruined my weekend, I've decided that I no longer want to be paying money to continually fix the Urban. Don't get me wrong like, it's been a right lark owning it and it's been great for a run around the town, getting to and from work and the odd laning but I really need something more substantial......and reliable.

Now, I did consider a sportsbike like the Honda VFR400 and I made some enquiries into a couple for sale but I'd like to stick with an enduro for road and lane riding (I do quite like it). So, in terms of potential bikes, I've looked at the Suzuki DRZ400 which I really like, the Yamaha XT660 but not the Tenere, the X model and the Honda enduro one that a few of you guys have (the name escapes me). It's not a conclusive list, it's just an idea of the kind of bike I'd like.

From September, I'd be commuting to and from College 4 days a week with an approximate distance of 26 miles all round. I need something that'll do that easily and with some comfort as most of it will be on the A38. My budget is £1500 not including insurance as the money from the Urban and wages from work will pay for that.

So ladles and gentlespoons, my questions to you are these;

1. What do you ride?
2. What would your rating out of 10 be for it?
3. What would you recommend to me?

Thanks biggrin

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devondan


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The DRZ is good all rounder, But then so is the TTR and prob many others! my suggestion would be blag as may rides at Haccerdown as possible!

Dan

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RichT4


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How long do you have to ride with limited power?

I think even the DRZ 's' will need a restrictor to make it under the 33hp limit (if that's what you need). If so it's not worth it as it'd add extra cost to get a dealer to install the restrictor.
(again I'm not sure how you go about getting a restrictor fitted to a used bike).

If that is the case then I'd seriously consider a smaller engined bike.
WR250 or CRF250 would be ideal for the lanes but as you also want to commute I'd also consider a TTR250, XR250.

Maybe an XR400 as that just might be under 33hp limit (you'd need to check that as I suspect it'd be very close). In fact the XR400 would be a grate choice as it puts a load of power lower down in the rev range so you can enjoy the larger engine feel without topping the max power limit.

With a budget of £1500 and a limit on max power I think your options are very reduced.

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devondan


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I didnt know he needed it to be restricted, but hey Rich we nearly agree again!

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Torr


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nice little ccm230 on tvtr site

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RichT4


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devondan wrote:

I didnt know he needed it to be restricted, but hey Rich we nearly agree again!


Yep, well likewise I don#t actually know John needs a restricted bike but it is the norm unless you do the direct access test.

Actually my information may be well out of date as I have no idea how silly the bike test has now got. Limited power, or maybe it's power/weight - dunnoconfuse

 



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UrbanJohn


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Ahh yes, sorry chaps, I neglected to add that I have an A2 category licence; this means that I'm restricted to 33bhp for the next two years. I'll edit that in.

I've found a WR400 not too far for me for £1000 B.I.N on Ebay. It looks sound and not too shabby; odd scratches and wear and tear as it is a greenlaner.

-- Edited by UrbanJohn on Saturday 24th of July 2010 05:58:48 PM

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Harty


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TTR250 without doubt. If you pm TTR he has a corker nearly ready for sale. 

What you also need to think of are the problems you'll come across regarding maintenance and repairs. TTR IS full of knowledge, plus he has more TTR parts in his workshop that a Yammy dealer, also buying a bike from him is great, as he'll sort any problems out that you might have with the bike for a period of time after buying it off him.

Forgot to mention that they are leccy start, plus they have 6 gears, so today I could go down the motorway for 20 miles at 75 mph, then use it straight on the lanes.


-- Edited by Harty on Saturday 24th of July 2010 05:51:48 PM

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Feathers


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Whilst i wont knock my XR400, i personally would not jump at that option due to the road work your going to be doing, especially as its going to be on the A38.

Ive ridden mine to work a few times and thats only over a 6 mile distance and to be honest it bores that living sxxx out of me, get it on the lanes and yeah its just whats neede, but road work is limited.

Not sure on the WR, but i do like the look of them, have you thought about the CRF250, few of the lads here have them. Like Devon dan says, blag some ridessmile

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xtriple


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For the money John you're gonna struggel to get something big. I personally wouldn't touch a WR 400 for a commute type riding basis, and also they are well over 33 bhp.

CRF/WR 250 are too buzzy on the road, but a DRZ is bang on the limit (in "S" form) and would be a good bike as they are really good on the road, I had one and while I didn't rate it much for the lanes it was great on road.

TT-R 250 are brilliant bikes and will do anything and everything you want, if Brian Sussex has one for sale in your price range I'd go for that as it'll be well sorted and ready to use.


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Steve H


Devon's Best

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Go for the TTR John, you won't regret it AND you get to join the fastet growing, sanest (LOL) non buttock numbed pillars of the green lane fraternity known to Devon TRF.

http://devongtrf.activeboard.com/index.spark?aBID=124986&p=3&topicID=37242756

If you don't get sorted before, you can have a go on mine at Whiteway or Haccadown.

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delvey91


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dr 350?

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Lost


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seems what ever you end up with is going to be compramized you could go down the two sets of wheels rout as off road tyres arnt going to fair to well with comuting over time can get expensive / gearing a second rear wheel with higher gearing could be a consideration ? with a road based tyre fitted ? meny on the forum will pramote the benifits of the electric start stalled up some lane so TTR. DRZ----- and if the budget would allow drz with a set of sm wheels
P.S as a silly alternative ive seen a honda Transalp clean slippery sam and pigery in Rocombe ???

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brownie


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like feathers says an xr400 on the road is not a viable option in my opinion,although it is under the 33bhp u need,  it is crying out for another gear when u get over 40mph,
u need a bike with a 6th gear so a ttr would sound like the way to go.

re; the restrictor kits,
if u get a bike u are planning to keep for a while it would be worth getting one fitted but you have to get it fitted by a motorcyle mechanic and then get a certificate to say it has been fitted professionally, a lot of people then take it out but u would be making your insurance invalid in the event of an accident, plus u would be breaking the lawdisbelief



word of advice, if u buy a bike that has had a restrictor kit fitted and has a certificate that means nothing, u have to have it checked and have the certificate in your name!

wow, i got a bit serious then, whats going onconfuse


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UrbanJohn


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Thanks your responses everyone; they're all really, really helpful!!

What's the power output of the TTR250? A couple of review sites say it hasn't got any more than 19bhp which isn't much more than what my 125 produces. It's not a problem but I would have thought it would have a bit more.

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Harty


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Brake Horse Power 28 BHP @ 8500rpm
Engine type 249cc, 4-stroke single, DOHC air-cooled 
Starter Electric start and optional kickstarter 
Power 30PS/8500RPM 
Torque 2.8Kg/7000RPM 
Seat Height 875mm 
Length 2195mm 
Width 835mm 
Height 1255mm 
Wheelbase 1410mm 
Clearance 300mm 
Dry Weight 120 kg 
Economy 47km/litre at 60 kmph 
Petrol tank capacity 16 litre 
Tyre - Front 3.00 - 21 51P 
Tyre - Rear 4.60 - 18 63P 
Brakes Hydraulic single disc front and rear 
Chain DK428VS3 134 
Battery GT7B 12V 7AH 
Sparking plug CR8E, U24ESR-N 
Sparking plug - alternative CR9E, U27ESR-N

Bore x stroke 73.0 x 59.6 
Compression 8.5:1 
Engine oil 1.0 litre 
Fork oil 625cc per leg 
Carb bore 30mm 
Carb float level 7.5 ~ 9.5 
Main jet 145 
Pilot jet 50 
Needle clip Position 3 
Idle RPM 1300 4 ~ 6% CO2 
Valve clearance - In 0.09 ~ 0.17mm 
Valve clearance - Ex 0.19 ~ 0.27mm

-- Edited by Harty on Sunday 25th of July 2010 09:38:15 AM

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UrbanJohn


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Ahh, that sounds more like it. Cheers Harty.

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Pearcy


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Just my two penny's worth,

The TTR 250 is plenty powerfull enough on the lanes.
On Tarmac it has 6 gears - MASSIVE benefit for your type of use.

Comfortable, cheap to insure, easy to get advice and parts.


Hard to fault it. smile.gif

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RichT4


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UrbanJohn wrote:
What's the power output of the TTR250? A couple of review sites say it hasn't got any more than 19bhp which isn't much more than what my 125 produces. It's not a problem but I would have thought it would have a bit more.
You've got to be carefull when reading up on power figures. Some are different depending on which dyno machine brand is used, some give rear wheel power figure only while others take the rear wheel figure and calculate the power at the engine.

A 125 will only be 19hp at the engine when un-corked, the TTR would be 19 at the wheel, maybe a little more.

To the best of my knowledge the DRZ400S is around 33hp at the rear wheel which would make it above the legal limit and would need a restrictor.
The DR350 would also be fine choice and would probably have a little more power than a TTR250.
Ask Steve PT about them as he has bothbiggrinwink

 



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devondan


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Yup and in two years you can ship the DRZ engine to the States and it will come back with 60hp at the wheel!

Dan

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kevdoyle


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TTR250  me thinks, my crf250x is awesome on lanes, but awful on long roads, definately not recommended 4 A38 , SCREAM!

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UrbanJohn


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Right then, it seems that the TTR250 is extremely well thought of. Given that Ebay is an auction site, searches on it come up with TTRs selling for around the £1K mark. Is that the kind of price I'd be looking at? Autotrader have ones over £2K?!

In terms of setup, I would like to invest in a set of road-biased and trail-biased tyres to cover both bases. Now I won't be able to afford top of the range tyres but I'd obviously want good enough ones that'll be worth their money, so which manufacturer and which model of tyre would be the ones to "steer" towards? (pun partially intended)

Also, what would the sprocket and gearing set up be like? Could one of you explain it to me
(or all of you if you fancy a bit of competition)? Am I right in suggesting that a bigger sprocket on the rear equals a lower top speed? How would I, if I do, change the gearing?

Do bear with me, still learning and whatnot. I do appreciate all the help!

-- Edited by UrbanJohn on Sunday 25th of July 2010 05:29:41 PM

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Harty


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If you are serious then speak to TTR on this site about buying a TTR, he will sell you a corker, plus with the added bonus of aftercare once bought.

He runs this site http://www.ttr250.com/ and also runs the worldwide Yahoo forum that has a 2500 members.

Tyres wise I only use MT43's and Mitas CO's rear and Michelin AC10's on the front, but others will vary depending of the ground you ride on.

13/48 sprocket set up I use for road work and trailing.


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