what motorcycle best fits me?

[samygero]

Hello everybody. I don't know in what thread I should post this message but I figured this would be the most appropriate one.

So I want to buy a new motorcycle. The main reason for this is of course because I really like motorcycles and because I want to consume less fuel than a car. The most important thing for me is environement! I have asked theese questions to motorcycle forums but they do not answer the questions. like if they don't know...

I want a engine that consumes minimum fuel and that emits the least fine particles possible too. (In other words to have the best euro emission standarts possible).

I got my info on that and from what I understood the motocycle has to be 4-stroke, have an electronic injection system and a 3 way catalyst. Are theese technologies only available for very powerfull motorcycles?

My type of motocycle is "supermotard", "naked" and "dual sport". Just for you to understand I really love the kawasaki Z750 design and zero s (google it and you will find out that is is an ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE!!!!^^)

The type of use would be in the city. So I would want it to be light, agile, manoeuvrable and be able to accelerate in need. I don't think I will use it for long trips, but comfort could be a plus of course. I don't really like scooters

I would like the motorcycle to be at least 125cc.

I hope some one of you will be able to point out a motorcycle that fits me, my need and my ideology.

Thx alot!!
Samy

[cat0020]

How tall/heavy are you?

How much experience do you have for operating a two-wheeled vehicles including bicycles?

How much highway riding do you plan on doing with your moto purchase?

Too bad that you don't like scooters, as a seasoned cyclist/motorcyclist myself, I find most scooters more fuel efficient than motorcycles, regardless of fuel injection or carbed.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Agreed. It all starts with your physical size, then the type of riding you'll be doing and how much experience you have will come into play.

[Project84]

I think there are two problems in the discussion already.

#1 being that you're looking for a bike and it looks/sounds like you're not in the US so we won't know much about what's available to you. There is one guy who is in Europe who frequents this site and is a rider, he'd probably have the most useful info for you. His name is alvaro84.

#2 being the conventional approach to sizing a bike for a rider the above two posters are taking.

He already stated he's looking to ride mostly city and that he's accepting of a 125cc+ bike.

His size isn't a factor. I've seen 6'7" 300 lb guys on scooters and I've seen 5' 120 lb women on 1000cc sport bikes. He said he wants a light bike. He's got an idea of what he needs/wants.

His experience isn't a factor. You gotta start somewhere and a 125cc bike is about as safe as you can get as far as weight/speed/manuverability is concerned. If I'm not mistaken I think a lot of the European countries have cc limitations on riders who are just starting out.

[alvaro84]

Hm, the purpose has been answered though
Your size is still a factor though, IMHO - it's good to ride a comfortable bike

Anyway, if you like dual sports and would like to have clean bikes that don't confuse much you should take a look at those 250s that xcel reviewed (at cleanmpg.com)

Kawasaki KLX 250SF - http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28623

Yamaha WR250X - http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32355

Although his hypermiling skills are far above most of ours (so these 100+ mpgUS figures are really something), these 250s should give you good FE.
In the city 125s are also worth a look (sorry, I don't know them enough to recommend any specific), should they be scooters or normal bikes (4-strokes only, of course ).

Our bikes, or their close relatives may also fit the bill. Hyosung makes a naked version of their 250 (it's called GT250), and BMW even has a dual sport version of the F650 family, it's the F650GS (mine is a CS, the tarmac only version) - although I personally feel it overpowered for city use. The only reason for mentioning it that they are actually not worse at FE than a normal 250cc.
Newer Hyosung GT250s are fuel injected with catalysts, all the BMW F650GS' and CS' too.

Honda also has a nice 250 naked lately: the VTR250.
Hm, just popped in my mind: you can also have a look at their CBF125. It's a 125cc streetbike with manual transmission. (They also have good scooters, like the PCX125, but I'm not familiar with them because I like normal 'riding' position and manual transmissions better.)

(Mileage log data to the left - Teresa: BMW F650CS; Ciliegia: Hyosung GV250)

[Jay2TheRescue]

While it is possible for taller/heavier riders to ride small bikes, it certainly isn't comfortable for longer rides.

[Project84]

I'd agree as an average, but there are some cases where it's not a problem.

I've sat on my tiny little Ninja 250 for 5+ hours in a day and felt some knee pain later but while riding it wasn't a problem. I'm 6'1" 200 lbs.

[samygero]

Hi there again,

Thx for the quick replies. I currently live in Belgium. that may answer questions about available models. I weight 83 kilos for 1.82 meters.

So, first a small intro of something I have read. There was an article (maybe at cleanmpg) that said that even thought most of new four stroke motorcycles are more fuel efficient, they emmit 15 times more fine particles (CO2 and NOx), because they do not have EFI and 3 way catalysts. I don't really know what a 3 way catalyst is though.

So I have checked the models alvaro has pointed out and indeed they look awesome.

So, from what I see the Kawasaki has impressive mpg capacity, but has no EFI and no catalyst. It has 6 gears so I could adapt the rpms really nice in urban traffic (right?). The price is maybe a bit expensive.

the Yamaha has also good mpg capacity with EFI, but without catalyst. It has 5 gears so it will probably adapt a bit less in urban trafic (more fuel consumption right?). The price isn't low either.

The hyosung GT250 looks really awesome too. checked on wikipedia and has aroun 83 mpg for the 250R (so I guess a bit less for the naked version), with EFI and with catalyst. 5 gears too. the price quite low comparing to other motorcycles. Honnestly I have NEVER heard about this brand... is it trustworthy? robust? How can I know if after sale service is good in belgium? How about spare parts?

As for the Honda VTR250 I didn't find it in the official Honda internet site...

Where can I find how many gramms of CO2 and NOx theese motorcycles emmit?

My parents own a VW polo 1.2 that respect the euro 5 emission regulations (the most strict currently in Europe). So I want to make sure that buying a motorcycle won't increase my environemental footprint instead of diminishing it, because as said before usually motorcycles consume less (250cc) but emit more fine particles that are extremely bad for environment.

Thx alots guys!

[cat0020]

This may seem "American", but if "diminishing carbon footprint" is your priority, ride a bicycle. I've lived in Gent for a few months, getting around on a bicycle was great.

If you want a motorized two-wheel vehicle, I know 4-stroke scooters can more fuel efficient, more aerodynamic, more underseat storage and likely to have less emissions than motorcycles. Even when carbed, well tuned carubration can have better emission result than fuel injection engine, it's not automatic that FI is more efficient or pollute less.

Supermotard bikes are fun, very maneuverable but not aerodynamic, riding position is upright with not much legroom,
Riding long distance can be rather uncomfortable for a tall person on a supermotard. Single cylinder engine configuration of a supermotard are more prone to generate vibration, especially sustained at higher rpm range during highway travels.

I think Honda stopped making VTR250 for a while.. not likely to find one that has FI.

[alvaro84]

A new VTR250 is available in Hungary, and it has FI. I'm pretty angry with honda.hu that they don't mention the emission standards but I think they're not allowed to sell anything that does not meet Euro3.

About Hyosung: a Korean brand, they don't sell too many motorcycles here, but their 250cc V2 engine looks as trustworthy as any major brand. I was afraid to buy one too, so I had an extensive search 2 years ago, before buying Ciliegia. She's been running problem-free since then (she's 5 yo now, and has 20,000kms in her odometer) - we had to replace the chain set, front brake pads and the battery. Actually I had to spend much more on Teresa (she needed new drive belt, tires, water pump, rear wheel bearing and clutch plates, plus the whole front wheel will have to be replaced because it's so soft that it can't stand our well-grown potholes).

Originally Posted by cat0020

Riding long distance can be rather uncomfortable for a tall person on a supermotard. Single cylinder engine configuration of a supermotard are more prone to generate vibration, especially sustained at higher rpm range during highway travels.

Yup, Teresa has some supermotard genes too The riding position and the single cylinder are all the same (so are the dual sport relatives, the GS and the Dakar)
My knees can get tired quite often but otherwise, these F650s are quite comfortable - I use her as a rural commuter and distance tourer.

I must add that when I stay in town I also use a bycicle (or walk). Sz?kesfeh?rv?r has 100k inhabitants and it's hard to find any distance inside that's more than 10km, my routes are even shorter so I don't feel justified to start an ICE for them