[nobee]

After Kawasaki’s success with the Ninja 250R why wouldn’t other manufacturers come out with 250s in the U.S.? This ninja has really open eyes of a lot of people. So many people praised this little bike. The competition could really help the market, especially for poor college students like me who can’t afford to pay $5000 for a 250.

The YZF-R250 is coming out in the U.K. Why not bring it to the U.S.? Suzuki is also working on a GSX-R125 to compete with the CBR125 and the YZF-R125 and others that are available in Europe. They could also easily make a 250 and bring it to the U.S. I guess I was just born in the wrong country for motorcycles.

Picture of the GSX-R125:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/205946/images/1%20Suzuki%20GSXR125.jpg

Picture of YZF-R250:
http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w327/gerrardlord/298.jpg

[Munch]

Possible some of it could have something to do with the emissions. Same reason why alot of vehicles are available overseas and not here in the US. Chrysler barely squeaked by with some of their vehicles and some BMW’s actually had to apply for a waiver to be acceptable via EPA. From my understand California and parts of Colorado no longer allow 2stroke engines because of their air quality laws. Maybe someone could do a check ?

[Budd]

We don’t have a tiered licensing system. So instead of producing lower CCed bikes they just ramp up the advertising on their 600s and call them beginner friendly. Cheaper really and almost ensures OEM part sales due to wrecks.

“I am the best there is at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine

[Andrew]

The Ninja is a 4 stroke twin I don’t know about the others though. So EPA shouldn’t be the problem. IMHO it reflects the market place. I don’t think many people in my MSF class even considered a 250cc as a first bike apart from me. There was a lot of discussion from the class and teachers about the 500-750cc cruiser bikes.

Now I would have thought with the sales of the Ninja that the other companies would have noticed and figured they should try to compete for those dollars. Maybe there needs to be a push from dealers to get Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha to import the small cc sportbike models they sell overseas.

[Andrew]

The ad’s work you know. I don’t know how many comments I got at work about how small a 250cc bike was, or how it wouldn’t go highway speeds or how since the manufacturer website had a girl riding one it must be a girl bike. Usually from guys who didn’t ride or who had family members who ride big bikes.

Budd also has a point about the tiered license system. I wonder how many sub 250cc bikes are available overseas because of the license requirements and not because the manufacturer wants to make them or the dealers want to sell them.

[Rab]

In some European and also Antipodean (I think) countries, they have a tiered licensing system. You have to start on a 125, then progress to a 250 or something like that. This is what fuels the sales of smaller bikes there.

Another factor is that in Europe, there is often a lot more traffic and congestion, so smaller bikes are more practical.

Another factor is the “bigger is better” attitude here in the U.S.A.

A great many Americans are pre-occupied with “image” and are suckers for doing what the media tells them they should do and buy what the media tells them they should buy; that’s why there are so many huge motorcycles (bigger bikes = more profits for the manufacturers).

[nobee]

If I remember reading right the reason that the European ninjas had EFI is because their Enviromental standards are higher there then they are here that is why ours has carbs to lower the cost. So I don’t think EPA is the reason. Plus I don’t think it would be that hard to eliminate emissions and keep power.

Also, Kawasaki’s top selling bike has been the Ninja 250 even when it had the outdated style. I would think that other manufacturers would see this and maybe try and produce something and make some money off this market. This would also keep motorcyclists alive to buy another bigger bike later.

Canada is selling the CBR125 and it is doing really well there. I wouldn’t be surprised if a YZF-R125 shows up in Canada too.

I don’t really understand the whole bigger is better thing anyway. Going 180mph doesn’t seem to practical to me. Yeah bigger bikes have better styling but the new Ninja 250 looks pretty darn good and a lot of people mistake it for a bigger bike.

I really think that the U.S. should adopt something like the tiered licensing. It makes a lot of sense. Doesn’t it?

[BoOZe P-ti Motard]

the gsxr125 looks wayyy better than the cbr and yzf… i bet the yzf 250 will be I-4…

BoOZe
Solomolo Rider

[Author]

Posts