[Jeff in Kentucky]

A recent article comparing the new 2010 Honda 250 with the 2008 + Kawasaki 250:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/9/9134/Motorcycle-Article/Honda-CBR250R-vs-Kawasaki-Ninja-250R.aspx

[madjak30]

Here is a YouTube vid from Motorcycle.com…

My opinion…the Ninja is sportier and probably faster, but the Honda is easier to ride…and like they say in the video…why are there carbs on the Ninja when the Hyosung is fuel injected?

Later.

[Munch]

“why are there carbs on the Ninja when the Hyosung is fuel injected?”

For the same reason that most automobiles have been running the same engine blocks for 20 year stretches at a time. Its easier to improve small cheaper aspects then it is to re tool a whole system.

Hyosung has something to prove and needs to add every upgraded anything they can to throw in there…never mind quality should be their first priority…but hey if you add enough bling, no starts might not be a big issue.

Kawi is an established company and only needs to improve just enough on their entry levels to keep things interesting. My V900 and my V500 were and are FI. Though the 500 got squashed. They were aiming for a more popular cc size riding group with the bigger 2 so it made sense to upgrade the fuel system. Below that and your in a niche market for what is likely “Lil Runarounds” and not expected for a long haul needing good fuel management.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

No fuel injection for the 250 Kawasaki Ninja in the US, because they wanted to keep the price down, and because the exhaust rules are not as strict as in Europe that now has the fuel injected version. (My guess, and from my reading).

India also got fuel injection for the 2008 little Ninja, probably because it is considered a bigger, higher priced bike there, with a lot more people riding less expensive 50cc to 200cc bikes.

For racing, buy the Ninja. For everything else, I would buy the Honda with ABS brakes, although there might be some bugs during the first year of production.

[Munch]

Still not sold on ABS on a motorcycle….nor Goldwings introduction of airbags

[madjak30]

Otherwise, the Corvette would still have a 350 small block…with tuned port injection…not an LS 6.2L with direct injection…it’s called technology…

Or maybe you’re a Ford guy…5.0L small block vs 5.0L Coyote OHC…

I know, I’m stretching a little, but I think Kawasaki has dropped the ball a little since Honda and Hyosung are both the competition and both are fuel injected…and if they have it in other markets…the more they produce the same the cheaper it gets to produce it…it’s how mass production works.

Sometimes it feels like tech just because we can, but fuel injection for a newbie is a great feature…no worrying about the choke/enricher and farting around with idle screws…

Just my opinion of course…

Later.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

For an expert racer, antilock brakes are not needed. For the rest of us, they help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzmL6s4dK44

You can also find youtube videos about the Goldwing airbags, to help make a choice if you want to buy a Goldwing.

[TrialsRider]

I’ll take mine with Fuel Injection plz, hold the ABS and make it Red

[Jeff in Kentucky]

Try buying most newer cars without antilock brakes and airbags, and soon without electronic stability control.

[Rab]

I’ve had bikes with carbs and bikes with EFI and there isn’t much of a difference to my mind (bearing in mind that my motorcycle is primarily used for commuting).

Yes, my EFI equipped bike starts immediately and requires no futzing with a choke or “fuel enricher”, but how difficult is it to pull the choke out and then push it back in a bit later?

Once on the go, like most EFI equipped bikes, there are times when it adds an on/off character to the throttle, which causes an uncomfortable surging that is not present in bikes that have carbs.

I guess EFI bikes are a little more economical in terms of fuel consumption and are “greener” (if you care about such things), but I definitely wouldn’t let the fact that a bike has carbs be a deal breaker.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

A bike with carbs takes a while to warm up to run well from a stop, so it is best for a beginner to let the engine idle for several minutes before taking off, and most people do not want to wait that long, with the bike almost or actually stalling as a result, especially for someone learning how to use the throttle and the clutch at the same time. People sometimes forget to push the choke knob in all the way, dirtying the spark plugs and the exhaust. The newest fuel injection for bikes is more like the newest cars, much more smooth than it used to be.

Fuel injection makes the engine more powerful across the full rpm range, with better gas mileage and less pollution than the same engine with one or more carbs, and winter storage without adding a fuel stabilizer is less of a problem. Carbs often vibrate enough to slowly change the pilot mixture screw settings, and more than one carb needs synching between the carbs periodically to keep the engine running smooth and with the most power. I am buying a 2008 motorcycle with 4 carbs, a 2000 design and the last before that model switched to fuel injection, because I can get it for a lower price and I know how to work on carbs.

It is simpler to fix a carb problem or rejet for intake and exhaust changes, instead of being computer savvy enough and having the tools needed to fix and adjust electronic fuel injection. Carb work just takes a couple of screwdrivers, some liquid cleaner and a can of pressurized air to blow out dirt, maybe some thin plastic broom strands to push dirt out of narrow passages, and some oil filled clear plastic tubes for synching (and a dyno machine to tune it faster for racing, or the slower try it and change it and try it method).

How many new cars are now sold with carbs? I think the answer is zero. In maybe 5 years you probably will not be able to buy a street-legal bike from Japan or Europe that still has the old toilet-tank style carbs. Many people were surprised that the 2008 redesign of the 250 Ninja did not include fuel injection in the US- it was included for most of the rest of the world, where the exhaust standards are stricter or places like India where a 250 is a high-end luxury bike- most have between 50 and 150cc there.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

More 250 Honda and Kawasaki Review:

I have seen more reviews for these two bikes- they write that the Honda is best for 65 mph or less, and the Kawasaki is better for above 65 mph. It is the difference between having a single cylinder or two cylinders.

[adri]

But I don’t get this site or how it works? If anyone can help let me know.
I checked “My Account” and it looks like it’s Approved and uncategorized, and I can’t even find a link to the article. I spent a long time writting it to, what a pain in the ass! lol

If anyone can help, let me know.

I have some performance specs on these bikes (0-60 mph, 1/4 mile, braking speed, mpg, and more, for the CBR, Ninja, and GT, at http://ourlittleadventures.com/best-250cc-beginner-motorcycle-honda-cbr-250r-vs-kawasaki-ninja-250r-vs-hyosung-gt-250.html

[Jeff in Kentucky]

I had the same problem with Mozilla Firefox. I had to switch to Internet Explorer to get around the CAPTCHA problem.

I always write my longer articles in a text document saved to the desktop- right click at the desktop, then select new then text document, then write it, save it, and copy and paste it into a forum article, because of being burned in the past and losing many minutes of my time.

[Munch]

I am using Firefox…and still haven’t seen it…. never asks for the random generated code or anything…… what am I doing different…. .check that… dont wanna know… if it aint broke (yet) dont fix it.

[Author]

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