Small Bore Singles (450 and below) - collective review

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blauth

Race Dog
Joined
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AJS (all models)
To follow the theme of a collective review of a classification of motorcycle, this thread is dedicated to the small bore adventure orientated bikes. I think we should limit this thread to bikes that are road legal and used as adventure bikes else it's going to run away with every oke who's owned a dirt bike and everything from BigBoy to Vespa (seen some kick as adv Vespa's though    :imaposer:). There appears to be a trend moving in this direction. Lets say 450cc and less.

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with this classification of bike so I can't contribute much and there really doesn't seem to have been much on the market in RSA in this segment. If you put in your experiences below, I'll update the main post so we have a summary in one place.

Feel free to post personalized pics of the bikes in the review.

Format of review:

Make: Honda XR250L Tornado
New Price: not available new. Can pick them up between 20 and 30k second hand.
General Review:  see here: https://adventure-motorcycling.com/2015/03/25/honda-crf250l-vs-xr250-tornado/
Pros: Reliable. Arguably better adv bike than the CRF250L. Long fuel range on standard tank. Six speed gearbox.
Cons:
Weight dry: about 133kg
Fuel capacity/Range: 11.5l  @ 28km/l = over 300km
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front: 245mm upside downs, Rear: 242mm, rear pre-load adjustment only.



Make: Honda CRF250L
New Price: R70,000.00 (2017) but suggested reatil proce is 75k
General Review:
Pros: Reliable. Arguably better adv bike than the Rally. CBR300 engine is a direct swap. Six speed transmission.
Cons:
Weight dry: about 137kg
Fuel capacity/Range: 7.7l, 33.3km/l, 256km
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front upside downs: 220mm, Rear: 238mm, rear pre-load adjustment only.



Make: Honda CRF250L Rally
Price: R80,000.00 (2017) but suggested reatil proce is 85k
General Review:  I have ridden one around the Kyalami track which is not it's intended purpose but I quite enjoyed it.
Pros: Reliable. Great looks. Fairings and windshield make it nicer for longer stretches. CBR300 engine is a direct swap. Comes with ABS which is apparently very good and can switch off easily - stays off when restarted. Six speed transmission. Switchable ABS in RSA model.
Cons:  Rear suspension is undersprung for bugger riders.
Weight dry: 147kg
Fuel capacity/Range: 10.1l, 33.3km/l, 336km
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front upside downs: 250mm, Rear: 265mm, rear pre-load adjustment only.



Make: Kawasaki Versus 300
Price: R75,000.00 (2017)
General Review: 
Pros: Reliable with proven engine. Excellent power for it's engine capacity. Decent looks. Luggage rack as standard. Huge fuel range. Six speed transmission. It's a twin so it's smooth.
Cons:  Short suspension travel. A bit heavy but consider that it already has a rear rack, windshield and a twin engine so the weight is relative in my opinion. It's a twin so it lacks torque.
Weight dry: 158kg
Fuel capacity/Range: 17l, 450km+
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front: 130mm, Rear: 147mm, rear pre-load adjustment only.



Make: BMW 310 GS
Price: Estimated R68999.00 (2017)
General Review:  Not available yet but should be available towards the end of the year.
Pros: Six speed transmission. Excellent fuel economy, switchable ABS. Luggage rack std.
Cons:  Mag wheels.
Weight dry: about 152kg
Fuel capacity/Range: 10.7 litres, 30km/l, estimated range  321km.
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front: 177mm upside downs, Rear: 177mm, rear pre-load adjustment only.



Make: Yamaha TT-R250
Price: not available new.
General Review:  Refer to post # 10.  https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=211693.msg3861079#msg3861079
Pros: Reliable. Excellent suspension. Good ergonomics.  Kick and electric start.
Cons: 
Weight dry:  113kg
Fuel capacity/Range:  10.2 Litres. Range: unknown
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front: 280mm, Rear: 280mm, rear pre-load adjustment only.


Make: Yamaha XT250
Price:
General Review: 
Pros:
Cons:  Dodgy looking.
Weight dry:
Fuel capacity/Range:

Make: Yamaha TW200
Price: New R49000.00
General Review: 
Pros: Very capable despite it's low power.
Cons:  fat tyres are not good on off camber sections. Slow.
Weight dry:
Fuel capacity/Range:



Make: Kawasaki KLX250
Price: I'm not sure if they were ever officially brought into SA.
General Review: 
Pros:
Cons:
Weight dry:
Fuel capacity/Range:



Make: Kawasaki DRZ400 E / S
Price: Not available new.
General Review:  I haven't owned mine for very long and it's given me a lot of shit so far so I'm not all that positive right now but if I eventually get all the kak sorted, I think it will be a great bike.
Pros: If service properly, it can be very reliable. Lots of aftermarket stuff, sadly overseas. Fair amount of power on the E model. Suspension is not too bad, being fully adjustable and compared to other bikes listed above but high speed [compression damping is shit, making small sharp irregularities very harsh.
Cons:  Parts appear to be crazy expensive from Suzuki. Close ratio five speed gearbox.
Weight dry: 119kg
Fuel capacity/Range: Std 10L, my range is only about 160km but I'm told I should be getting over 200km. Aftermarket tanks are available.
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Front 290mm (compression and rebound adjustment), Rear 295mm (High/Low speed compression and rebound, pre-load),



Make: BMW G450X
Price: Not available new. Can pick them up between R30k and R40k second hand.
General Review:  see here: https://www.visordown.com/features/road-tests/first-rides/2009-bmw-g450x-first-ride-review .  Motor was subsequently used in CCM GP450, with good results (in LOW POWER mode) CCM has recently discontinued the CCM GP 450.
Pros: Reliable. Road-legal enduro bike that can be used for light adventure, with the addition of an additional fuel tank, 8000km service interval, when run in LOW POWER mode. Good dealer support. Parts generally available through BMW, and shares many common parts with Husky 449 (discontinued), and CCM GP 450 (recently discontinued). longer sprocket and chain life due to constant chain tension.
Cons: Needs valve checking every 10 hours when run in HIGH-POWER mode...  Counter Shaft sprocket is located on swingarm pivot, so more work to swap out front sprockets. Ideally needs a breather vent mod: Allows hot blow by gasses to circumvent the torque limiter and pass out the top of the valve cover. This not only aids in the life of the torque limiter, but also allows for the original manufacture recommended oil quantities to be utilized.
Weight dry: 111kg
Fuel capacity/Range: 8 Litres,
Suspension (Travel Front, Rear, Adjustability): Marzocchi 45mm diameter upside downs, Rear: direct-mounted Ohlins shock, fully adjustable.
 
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