# how much weight can a modern 250cc motorcycle carry?



## raggie33 (Nov 19, 2005)

im thinking a geting a bike i cant afford nothing over a 250 im sure.the honda rebels look good for the price but can they carry a 150 lb rider and 50 lbs a stuff?also what kinda gas mialge would one get.i havent had a bike in years


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## marcspar (Nov 19, 2005)

Raggie - I can take my daughter (65 lbs) and myself (220 lbs) on my Honda scooter with a 50 cc engine, so you should be fine.

Granted, I slow down to about 15 mph on steep hills.....

Marc


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## Trashman (Nov 19, 2005)

A few year back I used to go dirt bike riding with a friend, using his bikes. I was around 200 lbs back then (220 now), and the bike I was riding was a 250cc. Let me tell you, that bike didn't even know I was on it! I'm pretty sure a 250cc motor would easily carry a 400 pound man, no problem. I'm not sure about the gas milage, but I'm sure it is going to be *excellent*. My guess would be 60 or 70 mpg. I'm sure you can find the exact numbers online somewhere.


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## raggie33 (Nov 19, 2005)

lol darn 50 cc must be a strong little motor.do ya think a honda rebel 250cc can crusie at least 75 mph?


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## raggie33 (Nov 19, 2005)

im going to ask my dad .he handles my money but i need trasptaion casue dr is so far away and so are stores.i see em new for 3100.im hoping to get one used with like 1000 miles on it for dirt cheap


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## cobb (Nov 19, 2005)

Check with your dmv, you may need a motorcycle license to drive one. Id love a bike myself being a tall large person, I hate it that most cars my knees hit the dash, head the celling and my elbow hits the driver.


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## geepondy (Nov 19, 2005)

I would think most definitely you would need a motorcycle license. Are there any states where you only need a regular driver's license to drive a motorcycle?


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## geepondy (Nov 19, 2005)

This is an interesting article comparing the lightweights.

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/peewees/

From what I have read about the Honda Rebel it is really geared towards shorter riders (less then 5'6") so if not better, there are certainly other alternatives.


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## zespectre (Nov 20, 2005)

Back in college a friend of mine had a 250cc single (kawasaki I think) and he gave me a ride into town for about a week when my car was in the shop. That bike had tons of torque. Even with two 190lb guys that bike would haul *** up and down the steep hills of Ithaca NY. (course we had to go easy on the brakes downhill. Whatever the model was it was known for slightly weak brakes).


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## raggie33 (Nov 20, 2005)

wow the rebel looks like my best bet i also looked at the one they had on that site with a 125 cc wierd the rebel 250 got beter milage .and they say the rebel 250 uses a strong motor


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## turbodog (Nov 20, 2005)

You might look at the honda reflex. It's a 250cc scooter. I test drove one a few weeks ago, and it had _no_ problem getting up to about 85 before it topped out. It's got a lockable truck under the seat, and no shifting (I am assuming you've never driven anything before with a foot shifter and hand clutch). Expect gas mileage to be about 55-75. You can grab one off ebay for about $2500-$3500.

Most motorcycle crashes happen because people can't see a motorcycle very well from a front view. A scooter will help with this some because of the wide front view they have.

Google the "hurt report" about motorcycle crashes. It's *the* source for MC crash data.


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## raggie33 (Nov 20, 2005)

turbodog said:


> You might look at the honda reflex. It's a 250cc scooter. I test drove one a few weeks ago, and it had _no_ problem getting up to about 85 before it topped out. It's got a lockable truck under the seat, and no shifting (I am assuming you've never driven anything before with a foot shifter and hand clutch). Expect gas mileage to be about 55-75. You can grab one off ebay for about $2500-$3500.
> 
> Most motorcycle crashes happen because people can't see a motorcycle very well from a front view. A scooter will help with this some because of the wide front view they have.
> 
> Google the "hurt report" about motorcycle crashes. It's *the* source for MC crash data.


that thing looks cool i do need a place to store stuff when i go grocery shoping,far as driven foot clutch before i used to own a old cb750 70 model.it was pretty easy but man that bike was a pece a garbage lol it was so old when i got it.im going to look up that scooter ya posted. i just looked at used bike prices here in ga.they almost cost used as much as they do new


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## Wolfen (Nov 20, 2005)

Check out the Honda Rebel unofficial website http://surfmaine.com/rebel/


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## turbodog (Nov 20, 2005)

raggie33 said:


> that thing looks cool i do need a place to store stuff when i go grocery shoping,far as driven foot clutch before i used to own a old cb750 70 model.it was pretty easy but man that bike was a pece a garbage lol it was so old when i got it.im going to look up that scooter ya posted. i just looked at used bike prices here in ga.they almost cost used as much as they do new



It drives really well. It's got a lockable storage under the seat AND a glove box (lockable) storage in the dash.

The brakes are balancing so it is easier to control during panic braking.

If gas goes back up to $3 I will buy one, but right now gas is down to $1.90 or so.


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## Trashman (Nov 20, 2005)

Wow! $1.90! That's great! The cheapest I've seen it here in Los Angeles County is $2.35. You're giving me hope that it might still go lower.


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## geepondy (Nov 20, 2005)

Do you need a motorcycle license to drive a scooter?


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## zespectre (Nov 20, 2005)

geepondy said:


> Do you need a motorcycle license to drive a scooter?


 
I can't answer that for everyplace, but in Washington DC, Maryland, and VA the answer is YES.

There used to be an exception for anything under 80 something CC's (they were considered "mopeds") but that went away a couple of years ago. As I understand it MD and non-city VA aren't too strict about it. DC is lazy about enforcing it but if you get caught the fines will rack up FAST.


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## turbodog (Nov 20, 2005)

geepondy said:


> Do you need a motorcycle license to drive a scooter?



Different states have different laws, but USUALLY:

1. scooters with 49cc engines or less require just a regular drivers license. these units typically top out at 35-45 mph on flat roads

2. scooters over this (called maxi-scooters) required a separate motorcycle license or motorcycle endorsement on your normal license.

The honda reflex will hit 75-85 with no problem, and will outrun most any vehicle off the line as well. It's a 250cc model. Scooters have smaller tires. Smaller tires = less rotational mass. Less rotational mass = quick acceleration.

Honda also makes a 650cc scooter as well. I would be scared of it.

When I test drove a reflex it was not what I was expecting. At 85 it was less like a "wow this is fun" experience, and more like a "arghh, I'm gonna die, this is freakin fast" experience. But I think 85 on ANY 2 wheeled vehicle would be scary.

Don't get me wrong; I love speed. I have driven all sorts of sports cars to speeds in excess of 130 and 140 mph, but 2 wheels is a lot different than 4.


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## jtr1962 (Nov 20, 2005)

turbodog said:


> At 85 it was less like a "wow this is fun" experience, and more like a "arghh, I'm gonna die, this is freakin fast" experience. But I think 85 on ANY 2 wheeled vehicle would be scary.


Never mind 85, at 65 once on my Raleigh I was as white as a sheet. I might as well have been in the engineer's cab of a TGV running at 200 mph the way it felt. On two wheels with no body shell around you, it _easily_ feels like 3 times the same speed in a car or a train. I've ridden with my brother at 120+ on Interstates and it didn't feel all that rushed, yet even the rare times I get my bike over 50 I'm thinking "Is this really such a good idea?". And of course that old adage comes to mind in these situations: "It isn't the speed that kills you but the sudden stop at the end."


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## offroadcmpr (Nov 20, 2005)

One of the first times I rode a motorcycle I was at my friends house. I hopped on his 90cc dirt bike and thought I knew how to use it. Shifted into 1st and I was off down the street. It was all going fine until I wanted to change into 2nd gear. I changed up a gear with my foot, except I did not turn down the throttle! I was still at full throttle. I ended up doing a wheelie suddenly and I could not stop it. (Considering that I am over 200 pounds on a little 90cc bike is prett amazing)

needless to say, I did learn my lesson from that.

I agree that it seams soo much faster when you are on a bike. Even going ~40 on my mountain bike on a street seems too fast to me. But in a car that is nothing.


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## Trashman (Nov 20, 2005)

When I was 18 I used to ride my brothers 1978 Suzuki GS750 around, and I once got it up to 90 MPH. That was pretty scary. I don't know about the super bikes everybody is riding nowadays, though, they look like they'd feel pretty smooth at 90. A few months ago, on of those shows that have all the crazy videos (it might have been Max-X, or World's Craziest Videos), they showed a young guy who got caught by the cops for doing 210 MPH on his super bike on a rural public highway! I feel a little scared just thinking about that! 

As for speed on my mountain bike, I've topped out at 42 mph. That was pedaling hard down a very long steep hill. It actually felt very stable. The only scary thing about it was that "what if" thought.

I believe the rules regarding scooters and licenses posted by Turbodog apply here in California.


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## zespectre (Nov 20, 2005)

In the summer time the "bomber pilots" around here like to take their "superbikes" out on the capitol beltway at night (1-2AM) and see how fast they can run the entire loop. We get some every year. One guy wound up in the potomac river, they estimated he was doing 200-210 when he hit the expansion joints for the woodrow wilson drawbridge. At that speed the 1/2 inch rise was apparently enough to throw him up into the air and when he came down he lost it and rammed the outside railing. The wreck threw the guy something like 35 feet over (and of course 40 something feet down to the water). The didn't find the body until the next day.

My point... you do NOT need to go that fast on a bike. a 200-250cc bike is a great started set of wheels!


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## raggie33 (Nov 24, 2005)

well i talked to dad today.whats weird is before i even broght up a bike he was asking me how to keep a bike from being stolen.thats wierd lol.o btw how do i keeep a bike from being stolen?so i can tell him. well he didnt say yes but he didnt say no.and he handles all my money .also will i prefare a ninja its 200 cheaper and a way more advanced motor.i drove a ninja 250 before i think it was fast for a 250 but i forget


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## BentHeadTX (Nov 25, 2005)

Raggie,
Since you obviously know how to ride a motorycle, the Ninja 250 would be the perfect bike for you. They first started making them in 1983 and are a well proven design and will stomp the Rebel easily and even costs less! It has been awhile but the Ninja 250 has a top speed of well over 100MPH so if traveling two -up on it at 75MPH would not strain the Kawasaki. 
The fastest I have ever ridden on my fully suspended recumbent bicycle was 53 MPH... earily stable as the I sliced through the air. Nothing like the "I'm gonna die" feeling when going 45+ on my old Raleigh back in the day. The Old Raleigh still has the highest top speed I have ever gone on a bicycle... 67 MPH (verified by a Trans Am following me) Ahhhh, to be 16 and invincible again.


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## raggie33 (Nov 25, 2005)

hhhmn decisions decsions the rebel would be easy to repair .being air cooled no raddy in the way .but im a guy who likes to drive fast


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## edison (Nov 25, 2005)

I realize that my opinion may be very unpopular considering the tone of the replies that I've read in your thread.

However, I can't recommend that you buy anything with less than 400ccs of engine for a road bike, especially since you already have motorcyle experience. Regardless of the vintage, you'll be disappointed with anything less, eventually.

Save yourself some time and money. Buy a fast bike and learn how to ride it well instead of having to upgrade later on.


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## snakebite (Nov 25, 2005)

edison said:


> I realize that my opinion may be very unpopular considering the tone of the replies that I've read in your thread.
> 
> However, I can't recommend that you buy anything with less than 400ccs of engine for a road bike, especially since you already have motorcyle experience. Regardless of the vintage, you'll be disappointed with anything less, eventually.
> 
> Save yourself some time and money. Buy a fast bike and learn how to ride it well instead of having to upgrade later on.


amen!
i have been riding since my early teens and everything from a whizzer to a 1500 wing.
once you get used to the stability and performance of a large road bike everything else feels awkward and shaky.
there are plenty of good deals out there for old school road bikes now that winter is here.i just helped a neighbor bring home a 300.00 920cc yamaha virago that just needed a carb cleanout and a battery.i already have ridden it around.guy thought he might have gotten ripped of as in thats what all sellers say.now he is looking for a few more.
if you can do repairs you might get a similar deal if you look.
there are many brand/model specific forums to get help too.
like this 
i have about a dozen bikes myself.


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## jtr1962 (Nov 25, 2005)

BentHeadTX said:


> The Old Raleigh still has the highest top speed I have ever gone on a bicycle... 67 MPH (verified by a Trans Am following me).


And here I thought I was the only one nuts enough to try that on a Raleigh. :huh: Looks like you broke my personal best by a good 2 mph, although I might still have the record for the most over the speed limit (65 mph in a 30 mph zone). :lolsign: BTW, I was in my mid 20s when I tried that although still feeling quite invincible. I wouldn't hesitate to even now to try and break 75 on a nice recumbent with an aero shield, but I'd be reluctant to push my Raleigh much over 45 these days since it probably has metal fatigue from all these years of riding on potholed NYC streets.


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## raggie33 (Nov 27, 2005)

i probaly wont even be able to afford a 250.but im hopeing.i got some insurance quotes today


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## snakebite (Nov 27, 2005)

raggie33 said:


> i probaly wont even be able to afford a 250.but im hopeing.i got some insurance quotes today


i am going to pick up a 250.00 kz1000 today.they are out there if you look.
btw check out dairyland insurance.they seem to specialize in bikes.


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## raggie33 (Nov 27, 2005)

snakebite said:


> i am going to pick up a 250.00 kz1000 today.they are out there if you look.
> btw check out dairyland insurance.they seem to specialize in bikes.


i dont think ya will find em in ga are season is 365


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