.25 Caliber Shootout
Three Japanese Fighters Whip Out Their Little Guns
New riders need to get a feel for it all: The wind, the road, the speed. But it's got to be fun, too, and while you're learning the intricacies of choosing a line through a decreasing radius turn, or just learning to stay the hell out of the way of the insipid nut who's changing lanes right into you, you still want a bike that reflects your personality, accommodates your riding habits and will help you become a skilled rider. Motorcycle Online decided to put three "beginner" bikes through their paces in an effort to find motorcycle-Nirvana for the novice.
Our test bikes were the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, the Yamaha Virago 250, and the Honda CB250 Nighthawk. We couldn't have found three bikes in the same displacement category that were less like each other. What they did have in common was our main testing criteria: Lightweight, small-displacement, cheap.
The Ninja is driven by a 248cc liquid-cooled parallel twin. The short 41.2mm stroke is reflected in the 14,000 rpm redline that is indicated on the only tach present among the three bikes. With dual-disc brakes, a compliant suspension, and a six-speed gearbox shifting through a reasonably good power curve, the smallest Ninja of the family just barely edged out the Virago in our test.
Which brought us to a surprising discovery: The Virago is a kick-butt little cruiser, designed and styled to fulfill its particular special mission. Sporting nice metallic paint, cool forward controls and wide handlebars, riding the Virago certainly didn't look any different from riding any other cruiser, except that it is a bit smaller (and therefore a fraction of the weight). For the rider, though, the real pleasure started at the right wrist with the best power delivery and most sensitive throttle control of the group, by far. The 249cc air-cooled V-twin packed about as much torque as possible into those two little lungs and twisting the grip resulted in a pleasantly smooth and insistent tug while floating along on the soft but capable suspension. Top that off with a low seat height and a long wheelbase for a fine expressway cruise and you've got a fine trainer that nearly ate the whole enchilada but for one detail that, alas, is fairly crucial to first-time riders: Price. Resting your behind on the Yamaha's comfy seat will suck a full $1,000 more out of your bank account than will the Ninja. And, though the Ninja had some very real problems (more on those in a moment), it would be hard to argue in a straight 1-2-3 comparo that the Virago was $1,000 finer, especially for a bike that is destined to be replaced when the rider is ready for bigger, badder, faster..jpg "The Nighthawk, leaning. Exhilarating, to say the least.")
But what about Contestant Number Three? Well, the 250 Nighthawk was definitely there, we rode it, and we, alas, did not see the light. The excellent 750 Nighthawk's little brother came off more like the stunted child than a chip off the ol' block, with a power delivery that one of our testers precisely described as "ridiculously low", even for a 250. A standard should be built with all-around competence in mind, but with cheesy 70's-styled controls and switches, a suspension that left us wondering whether this bike's designers had ever heard of or had just completely forgotten damping of any kind, and finally a front drum brake, we were left scratching our heads. Buying into this would only cost you $400 more than the Ninja. Hmm.
.jpg "An unlikely trio.")
The Ninja devoured the winding asphalt with aplomb. A light, sporty 250 should turn like a French curve, and so the Ninja did, with fine braking into the turns supplied by a twin-piston caliper gripping the rotor up front, and a single piston binder grabbing a disc at the rear. Stoppies are possible on this motorcycle. And just like a sportbike should be, the Ninja was the essence of flickable and, more importantly for a beginner, confidence inspiring, holding on to most lines asked then coming out of the corners into a surprisingly stable ride.
There were perhaps a few other surprises, not quite as welcome. Low to mid-rpm carburetion was glitchy at best and the bike was at times a little unsettled when driven deep into the corners. Where the Virago's perceived power delivery was in a nice smooth curve, the Ninja was marred with uneven and sluggish off-idle power until about 5,000 rpm where things started to smooth out a bit. Furthermore, drive lash on this bike was quite significant, and while it could be argued that it would encourage newbies to learn smooth throttle control, the overall effect was rather unpleasant, and a sudden throttle change in a turn (not unreasonable to expect for a new rider) could be an unsettling sensation indeed, despite the rather soft suspension set-up.
The Virago suffered no such nonsense, simply responding as expected to minute throttle adjustments, flicking nicely into the corners and offering a ride that, although soft, was pretty much exactly what you'd want from a cruiser. Ground clearance wasn't great and scraping pegs wasn't difficult, but then this is a cruiser and wasn't out of character.Our Nighthawk was, well, again, the least fun of the three.
With what seemed like zero front end dampening and springs at both ends that were much too soft, flying through the kinks in the road became more a matter of slowing the hell down and just cruising, nice and easy. Except that it isn't a cruiser and there is a zero cool factor. The Honda also suffered from a great gaping lag on the throttle coming off idle, and a very uneven idle at that. We just couldn't see this little standard beckoning to the beginner for that Sunday morning out on the road. It was no fun in the turns and offered none of the general do-it-all capability that a standard should. And where the Virago sported a single disc up front and the Ninja had discs front and back, the Honda had that darn front drum brake. Braking was okay on the Nighthawk, but given Honda's reputation for details, we would like to see them at least pretend they cared.
The choice for us was clearly between the Ninja and the Virago, and we did come to a split. We were all impressed by the Virago's refinement, not only in the quality of the feel but also in the appearance and quality of the fit and finish. It not only accepted its cruiser role, but it fulfilled it very nicely, with no apologies for displacement. Unfortunately, it also did so with no apologies for price, and this is where the Ninja made up for its shortcomings. The cheapest of the three, the Ninja offered true sportbike capability and styling along with a good fit and finish, lots of little features like bungee hooks, centerstand, a tachometer, front and rear disc brakes and an all-around fun time. Of course, given the disparity of styling a choice between the two might come down to simple riding preference, sport or cruising, and either choice would give a novice a good platform to grow on and, most importantly, avoid that aforementioned nut inviting himself into your lane.
Page 2Impressions:
1. Billy Bartels, Associate Editor
It's easy to become jaded when every bike you ride is practically brand new and usually purpose-built for the ride you have in mind. It's hard to remember what a bike needed to be when your choice was not which bike to ride, but whether to ride the bike or not. Each one of these bikes was designed with a specific task in mind, but they all need to be a daily ride too, and (according to the parameters of this test) a mount to learn on.
That said, I pick the Virago, despite the price, as the best beginner bike here; followed by the Ninja. The Virago will teach a beginner how to ride a cruiser better than the Ninja will teach sportbike riding. It's a well put together motorcycle, and shouldn't be ignored.
2. Mark Hammond, Managing Editor
In my mind the Ninja was the clear winner. The Virago was cool; I enjoyed it much more than I believed I would. However, I would have picked the Ninja over the Virago even if the prices were the same. The reason: I would not outgrow this motorcycle as fast as the others. Tach, centerstand, front and rear disc brakes, full fairing, 100+ mph top speeds, and good handing make the Ninja a bike you may never want to trade in when you decide to go bigger, badder, faster. I'd keep it as a rainy day commuter. As for the Virago, well, there's something about a 250cc cruiser that just doesn't give me the right vibes. And the Nighthawk? A competent Motorcycle Safety Foundation course trainer but not much more.3. Greg McClure, Assistant Editor
If you have an unreasonably titanic stack of papers, $3,400 that you have no idea how to spend, and no ordinary paperweight will do, buy the Nighthawk. It's light enough to move easily but heavy enough to hold down almost any pile of correspondence, documents, etc.
If you want a motorcycle, however, then it comes down to the Virago or the Ninja. And the Virago is definitely an enticing buy. For a 250, the power rolled off my wrist as smooth as the tanned skin on the naked back of my lithe girlfriend that one time when we... well, I digress. Suffice to say that with the linear torque curve, the fine fit and finish, and its real dedication to its cruiser role, I wouldn't be ashamed to own it. Until some half-helmeted heavyweight pulled up next to me at a stoplight aboard a Fat Boy. A 250 cruiser? Yipes. Give me the Ninja, thank you. It's got problems, but for a $1,000 less than the Virago I choose to call its shortcomings "character". I had just as much fun astride the Ninja, its got real sportbike features and as long as you don't fool yourself into believing that it can keep up with, well, any other sportbike made, you'll have a great time learning on it. Kawasaki Ninja 250R Billy Bartels pretending that he is a 250 GP contender. The Ninja likes to do this. Not bad, for a little bike.
1997 Ninja 250R
Manufacturer: Kawasaki Model: 1997 Ninja 250R Price: $2,999.00 Engine: dohc, 8-valve, inline-Twin Bore and Stroke: 62.0mm x 41.2mm Displacement: 248cc Carburetion: (2) 30mm Keihin Transmission: 6 speed Wheelbase: 55.1 in Seat Height: 29.3 in Fuel Capacity: 4.8 gal Claimed Dry Weight: 304 lbs
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.jpg "Get used to this view of those riders who hone their skills on a quality bike like this.") |
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Yamaha Virago 250
Manufacturer: Yamaha Model: 1997 Virago 250 Price: $3,999.00 Engine: sohc, 2-valve, V-twin Bore and Stroke: 49mm x 66mm Displacement: 249cc Carburetion: (2) 26mm Mikuni Transmission: 5 speed Wheelbase: 58.7 in Seat Height: 27 in Fuel Capacity: 2.5 gal Claimed Dry Weight: 301 lbs
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Specifications
Manufacturer: Honda Model: 1997 Honda CB250 Nighthawk Price: $3,399.00 Engine: sohc, 2-valve, vertical twin Bore and Stroke: 53mm x 53mm Displacement: 234cc Carburetion: 26mm Keihin Transmission: 5 speed Wheelbase: 55.3 in Seat Height: 29.3 in Fuel Capacity: 4.3 gal Claimed Dry Weight: 286 lbs
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