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Hi bikers of WAB,
Been discussing this with biker friends for some time now, as well as on biker forums I post on.
This is what I currently ride ..... a pretty crazy 200 cc single. Tops out at 140 kmph.
This is what I eventually want to ride ...... a cult super sport beating 690 cc single, only its a minimum 2 years away for us here. Tops out at 195+ kmph, but gets there crazy quick, and is a wheelie monster. :)
But while what I ride is a great little hooligan bike, and fantastic to dice in the twisties, it shows its limitations on the straights. Especially as I ride in groups where there are a lot of bigger much faster bikes, and keeping up till we hit the twisty bits is a pain. Once there, of course, it more balls than bike!
Basically I'm a little bored and want a change. But I dont want to wait 2 years either. I want it now! So I want a stop gap bike till bike No. 1 gets launched here. Don't want to break the bank either, as I would anyways lose money when I sell my current bike as well as when I sell my stop gap bike 2 years from now.
So will be buying a used clean low miles bike.
Now these are the two contenders. Both of the above are singles. Both of the below are twins. Both of the above are nakeds. Both of the below are faired sports bikes/sports tourers.
A 250 cc twin ...... the undefeated best in segment entry level sport bike.
And its 650 cc bigger brother ...... the perfect all-rounder sports tourer.
The 250 I can get putting hardly any money over and above what I get for my present bike. But its been discontinued, replaced by a 300. parts are hence more difficult to get. There are new competitors about to be launched in the market (a 390 cc single from KTM and a 250cc twin from Yamaha), which will drive the Kawasaki's resale down even further. Tops out at 165 kmph, but dead below 6000 rpm.
The 650 on the other hand will require me to put in at least twice as much extra over what I get for my current bike. But its a bigger bike, lot more power, does an indicated 210 kmph stock, and has decent low end torque and a wicked mid range. Plus there are no other competitors in this bracket there currently nor expected in the next two years, not at least in the same price band. So the resale should not crash as bad as for the 250. This 650 has been replaced by a newer version, but a lot of the parts are common as well.
But if I buy the 650 now, sinking in a lot of extra cash, I will feel pretty miserable when the 690 comes out. Because most foreign comparos and tests say the 690, even though its a tad slower at the top end, is a lot more exciting than the slightly "boring" 650. Plus the 690 would be nearly 40-50 kilos lighter than the 650 (which I did find a bit heavy and bulky the couple of times I got to ride one).
What do you guys suggest? Any experiences on either of these machines? Or the one I'm looking forward to? All inputs and advice would be greatly welcome and appreciated please!
P.S. My riding is mainly rides on the weekends (max 300-400 km round trips), once a year proper multi day (8-10 days) tour into the mountains (winters), with a few smaller 2-5 day rides also thrown in (mainly during the monsoons and winters). Typically around 10-odd thousand kilometers a year.
Been discussing this with biker friends for some time now, as well as on biker forums I post on.
This is what I currently ride ..... a pretty crazy 200 cc single. Tops out at 140 kmph.
This is what I eventually want to ride ...... a cult super sport beating 690 cc single, only its a minimum 2 years away for us here. Tops out at 195+ kmph, but gets there crazy quick, and is a wheelie monster. :)
But while what I ride is a great little hooligan bike, and fantastic to dice in the twisties, it shows its limitations on the straights. Especially as I ride in groups where there are a lot of bigger much faster bikes, and keeping up till we hit the twisty bits is a pain. Once there, of course, it more balls than bike!
Basically I'm a little bored and want a change. But I dont want to wait 2 years either. I want it now! So I want a stop gap bike till bike No. 1 gets launched here. Don't want to break the bank either, as I would anyways lose money when I sell my current bike as well as when I sell my stop gap bike 2 years from now.
So will be buying a used clean low miles bike.
Now these are the two contenders. Both of the above are singles. Both of the below are twins. Both of the above are nakeds. Both of the below are faired sports bikes/sports tourers.
A 250 cc twin ...... the undefeated best in segment entry level sport bike.
And its 650 cc bigger brother ...... the perfect all-rounder sports tourer.
The 250 I can get putting hardly any money over and above what I get for my present bike. But its been discontinued, replaced by a 300. parts are hence more difficult to get. There are new competitors about to be launched in the market (a 390 cc single from KTM and a 250cc twin from Yamaha), which will drive the Kawasaki's resale down even further. Tops out at 165 kmph, but dead below 6000 rpm.
The 650 on the other hand will require me to put in at least twice as much extra over what I get for my current bike. But its a bigger bike, lot more power, does an indicated 210 kmph stock, and has decent low end torque and a wicked mid range. Plus there are no other competitors in this bracket there currently nor expected in the next two years, not at least in the same price band. So the resale should not crash as bad as for the 250. This 650 has been replaced by a newer version, but a lot of the parts are common as well.
But if I buy the 650 now, sinking in a lot of extra cash, I will feel pretty miserable when the 690 comes out. Because most foreign comparos and tests say the 690, even though its a tad slower at the top end, is a lot more exciting than the slightly "boring" 650. Plus the 690 would be nearly 40-50 kilos lighter than the 650 (which I did find a bit heavy and bulky the couple of times I got to ride one).
What do you guys suggest? Any experiences on either of these machines? Or the one I'm looking forward to? All inputs and advice would be greatly welcome and appreciated please!
P.S. My riding is mainly rides on the weekends (max 300-400 km round trips), once a year proper multi day (8-10 days) tour into the mountains (winters), with a few smaller 2-5 day rides also thrown in (mainly during the monsoons and winters). Typically around 10-odd thousand kilometers a year.
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