Suzuki TU250

[FastDoc]

Not a Chinabike but the same (or similar) engine to the newer 250cc Q's. The Suzuki has EFI however.

Spotted in the hospital parking lot today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/maule/winter%202011/3-5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/maule/winter%202011/2-9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/maule/winter%202011/4-3.jpg

[FastDoc]

This one has 103 miles on the odometer.

[Weldangrind]

Dig that vintage vibe! I hadn't seen of of those yet.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the sighting, Doc! That's a nice looking, little motorcycle. :D The TU250 has a good reputation. Suzuki needs to put that fuel injected engine in a dual sport motorcycle! ;)

Spud :)

[FastDoc]

First one I've seen too. Handsome bugger in person. Sorta looks like a Japanese BSA Thumper if that doesn't sound too silly. :wink: It sits a little bigger and more substantial than it looks in pictures.

It's problem is it's price. :(

About the same as a Ninja 250 or CBR250, both of which will eat the TU's lunch all day every day. :cry:

It might make a good D/S engine but I'm sure it would be a good notch and a half lower performance than the CRF/KLX/WR's due to it's air cooling and lower compression.

[Weldangrind]

It wouldn't be about speed for me. I'd take the riding position of that TU over a Ninja any day. I appreciate your interpretation of the design, Doc; I feel the same way.

[FastDoc]

I've owned a new Ninja a couple of years ago. You might be surprised how comfortable and (semi) upright it is.

Just for fun go give one a test sit when you pass a Kawasaki dealer.

[SpudRider]

Here's an excellent website showing the riding ergonomics for just about any motorcycle you can think of, other than Chinese bikes. ;)

http://cycle-ergo.com/

I much prefer the upright riding position of a dual sport bike, or a "standard" bike, such as the Kawasaki Versys. :)

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/Tu250.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/xr650l.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/versys.jpg

However, the Ninja 250r and CBR250R aren't too bad in this regard. ;)

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/cbr250r.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/ninja250r.jpg

The performance sport bikes are the worst offenders regarding a comfortable riding position! 8O I frequently ride all day, and I would consider riding one of these bikes tantamount to torture! :(

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/yzf600r.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/spudrider/MiscellaneousPhotos/gsx-r1000.jpg

Spud :)

[FastDoc]

Pics didn't work, Spud. :cry:

One thing to consider is the dynamic nature of the seating position. The forward cant becomes more comfortable at speed because of wind holding you back. This lessens stress on the wrists and aids comfort. The upright position of a D/S, while great at speeds of less than lets say 50, is a liability at 70 for this reason. The pilot becomes a human spinnaker. The same thing applies, and more so, to feet forward cruisers.

As sportbikes go I'm just saying the little Ninja is very mild. Almost like a standard.

[katoranger]

I found the ninja 250 to be pretty comfortable too. Only rode it 200 ft, but it was a comfortable ride. :lol:

[FastDoc]

I don't remember how many miles I rode mine that summer but it had to be at least 5,000. My GF rode it 350 miles in the mountains one day and she loved it.

If a person is shorter it would have been even nicer. I'm 6 foot, so was (is) she.

[SpudRider]

Pics didn't work, Spud. :cry: ...
That's too bad! :( The pictures are working great for me. :roll: I'll see if I can fix the problem. ;)

Spud :)

[SpudRider]

Pics didn't work, Spud. :cry:

One thing to consider is the dynamic nature of the seating position. The forward cant becomes more comfortable at speed because of wind holding you back. This lessens stress on the wrists and aids comfort. The upright position of a D/S, while great at speeds of less than lets say 50, is a liability at 70 for this reason. The pilot becomes a human spinnaker. The same thing applies, and more so, to feet forward cruisers.

As sportbikes go I'm just saying the little Ninja is very mild. Almost like a standard.
I fixed the photographs; you should be able to view them now. ;)

I agree with everything you said, but if a bike offers adequate wind protection, I still prefer the upright riding position. The Verysys and CBR250R are good examples of bikes with upright seating positions which don't punish the rider at freeway speeds. :)

Spud :)

[FastDoc]

Agreed.

With that said IF a person was riding a high performance bike in the manner it was intended the forward lean is necessary to properly weight the front wheel and balance the bike for acceleration and cornering.

I miss my high performance bikes.

Ninja 1100.
RZ350.
VFR800.
GS1100
Ninja250 (=/- 'High Performance' :roll: )

There were others I'm sure but not remembering

[FastDoc]

Cool and helpful website BTW.

Does it factor in rider's height?

[Weldangrind]

The performance sport bikes are the worst offenders regarding a comfortable riding position! 8O I frequently ride all day, and I would consider riding one of these bikes tantamount to torture! :(

I completely agree. The little bit of sport bike riding I've done has been hard on my wrists during braking. My back complains after the ride as well.

[Weldangrind]

Cool and helpful website BTW.

Does it factor in rider's height?

Yes, it does. I chose Son of Weldangrind's KLR250 project, and the default was an 83 degree knee angle at 6'0 with a 32" inseam. By changing the inseam to 34", the knee angle changed to 78 degrees.

Helpful site, indeed.

[SpudRider]

If you visit the site, you will discover Weldangrind is correct. ;) The default values are 6'0" height, and 32" inseam. However, you can change both these values to reflect your personal measurements. :)

Many older motorcycles are also listed at that website. If you experiment, you will discover the first generation, Ninja 250R had a more upright riding posture than the current, second generation, Ninja 250R. ;)

Spud :)

[SpudRider]

Agreed.

With that said IF a person was riding a high performance bike in the manner it was intended the forward lean is necessary to properly weight the front wheel and balance the bike for acceleration and cornering...
In other words, the high performance bikes are designed for speeding, i.e. exceeding the speed limit. ;)

I prefer to ride within the speed limit, and have a lot of fun doing so. Therefore, I prefer the upright riding posture. :) I'm sure my back and wrists also prefer to remain upright. ;)

Spud :)

[SpudRider]

Upon further reflection, I now realize the power of the sport bikes might cause the front wheel to rise and adversely affect handling, even while riding within the speed limits. ;) However, I've been described as a "smooth and gentle rider," so I don't feel the need for such raw power. I would rather own a bike which allows me to ride safely in the more comfortable, upright riding position. :) Nevertheless, I do understand why others might prefer the exhilarating, raw power of many sport bikes, and would be willing to ride in the forward leaning position. ;)

Spud :)

[Weldangrind]

I'm with you, Spud. I'd much rather just enjoy the bike and scenery on an upright bike than speed on a sport bike. I drive Mrs. Weldangrind nuts because I always follow the speed limit. :lol:

[FastDoc]

I like both ways to ride. Indeed I like ALL ways to ride.

I see at least one more very high performance bike in my future before I get too old.

With that said Andy's R1 that I rode last year was terribly uncomfortable. Almost difficult to ride and see it was so severe. That bike was further modified with rearsets and even lower bars for the track, making it all but unstreetable.

I like the more modest position of a Ninja or a CBR.

[SpudRider]

I understand fully why someone enjoys the exhilaration of riding a high performance motorcycle. :) However, I would also prefer the less aggressive riding position of either the CBR250R, or the Ninja 250R. ;)

Spud :)

[FastDoc]

I like classic convertible Caddys.

I like Corvettes.

I like Spitfires.

All different.

All good for me. :P

[FastDoc]

This would suit me:

http://kpr.craigslist.org/mcy/2996103511.html

And look how cheap!

That's what I was talking about. This ZX14 is LESS than a decent used 450 class dirtbike!

[Philamiens]

I love this tux bike and I will look after one to replace the vraptor when out of order.

Very robust every day's bike ;)

[2LZ]

That's a cool looking Suzuki and indeed, the 'throwback' styling reminds me of a lot of my bikes when I was younger. (Honda CB style and Brit)
I do like the split seat also. Looks FAR more comfortable than the solid plank seats that bikes of that style used to have.