250 & 400cc bikes, unatainable?

[l/l/rX]

oookay im getting ahead of myself here. dont even have bike license, (next summer ) anyways i've been reeeaaaalllly interested in bikes lately. hmm and i've been looking for some good begginer bikes to get to start riding with my dad.

anywho, i've been really interested in the 250cc and 400cc bikes. mostly yamaha's 1992ish Yamaha FZR 250 R , but also the new kawasaki 1997ish+ ZXR 400

my dad has told me the 250cc and 400cc bikes are HELLA hard to get a hold of. something like "J-Spec" bikes. only available in japan. soo my question to you guys is have any of you ever gotten a 250/400 bike shipped here? how hard was it, where did you buy from etc etc. and why the hell these bikes are so uncommon here in N.A. i thought there would be a big demand for these begginer bikes. anyways thanx for helping me out

edit: also that kawasaki 1997 would be great because it sits a hell lot lower than the 2000 r6. which would be perfect for my size AHA

[ryder_23]

Uhh. my buddy got a 250 pretty easy ways back, same yr ur looking for. I've seen alot in edmonton when i had the bike buy/sell whatever its called ways back.

[bikrbabe]

yeah, you can get the kawasaki ZZR250's

they're pretty good bikes, I rode on one back in April for a few hours and was quite impressed (considering it was only a 250... lol..)

but for a begginer bike, they're awesome! If you were looking to keep the bike for a while, I'd check out the ninja 500 that kawasaki makes... that will last you more than just one riding season. you might grow out of the 250 a little quickly. I know most of my friends that got one grew out of it pretty quick

[DSMer4Life]

The only reasoning I can fathom why these bikes did not end up in North American dealerships is that we have a taste for larger vehicles in general (i.e. V8s). So, +600cc bikes would probably be the most profitable to export here.

However, you can bring bikes over form Japan, just like cars. They must be 15 years old, so you'd be looking at 1988 and older bikes. I'm not sure of all the regulations and procedures necessary, but it can be done.

Another option, besides buying new, is to look for old smaller bikes. My neighbor sold me my 81 Kawasaki KZ 440LTD for cheap. It had roughly 20,000kms on it, newer tires and was in decent shape. It's still hard to find smaller ones, but there are plenty of older Japanese bikes to choose from. You just have to make sure all the basics are in good running order (engine, chain, brakes, etc). I know they don't look sporty, but my bike weighs about what a newer sport bike would weigh (407lbs wet), and even less when you talk about bigger sport bikes. So, you can learn all the basics on a bike you won't feel bad to lay down. Just another option for you to consider. I think they are actually going up in value these days too. I know I love my Kawy! Good luck hunting.

[l/l/rX]

welpz they did sell the yamaha 250's here. they sold SOME 250's here in N.A. just hard to find them here. this was back in the day though. the 1992's n such. but they stopped selling them here because the market for them sucked.

hey ryder_23 where did your buddy get his 250 from? somewhere in calgary like a shop? er was it a private sell?

[ryder_23]

I can find out if you'd like. I was a 250 ninja or something, just as a starter, he sold it privatly i can tell you that much. I do believe he just bought it from canada trader, etc... I'll get more details later

[legendboy]

Don't bother with either of thoes. You will regret it the second day after you start riding it!

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by legendboy
Don't bother with either of thoes. You will regret it the second day after you start riding it!

welpz by the time next year comes around i highly doubt i'll grow much compared to now. when i sit on my dads R6, both my feet arent on the ground. i still need to grow AT LEAST, hmm...2-4" for both feet to be planted on the ground AHAHA fuuuudgers. the kawasaki ZXR sits 60mm lower than the r6. 6cm isnt a whole lot, but hey every cm helps. soo what im saying im looking for something that'll "fit" me. heh. damn azn shortness LOL.

[Ducati]

The Yamaha FZR400 was sold here through the late eighties and early nineties. If you can find a decent one, snap it up. Great bike - performane on par with a Ducati 748. I know this from personal experience.

Honda sold a sporting standard 400cc four in the early nineties called a CB1. Other than a reputation for not having a particularily comfortable seat, it is supposedly a great bike. Order a new seat by Corbin or Mustang.

There is a little gray market shop in Vancouver called Atlas Motorcycles, that always has a good selection of small gray market imports, in both 2 and 4 stroke.
If I could lay my hands on a gray market CBR400RR, I would seriously look vary hard at my finances to buy it.

Finally, if you want a lightweight fun bike, and have an appreciation for two strokes, check out the fairly available Yamaha TZ250, regardless of what Legendboy says. I have ridden one and found it quite entertaining. Okay, the Kaw Ninja 250 may be a bit aniemic for anything more serious than riding to work in heavy traffic, but it is still a good reliable bike that you might want to at least take for a test ride.

[angierideswitme]

just get moped!!!

[method]

seriously, I ride a scooter. a fucking scooter.

there's always gonna be something faster than you, dont feel the need to somehow buy the fastest bike out there.

[Ducati]

I forgot the 1988 to mid nineties Suzuki Bandit 400. I saw one today and realized my error of omission. Beautiful red with a red frame.

Has anyone ever owned one of these little 400cc bikes?

[m10-power]

Yamaha FZR 400 if your after that sportbike look
Suzuki Bandit 400 is an awesome little bike but has no fairings
Suzuki GS500 is a great little bike to learn, much shorter then a R6.
I wouldnt recommend a 250cc four stroke, quite dull...
The others you wont find, which is a shame because they would be great starter bikes. Too bad everyone has to have a 1000cc bike...

As for the TZ250? not street legal and definately not a 'beginners bike", perhaps the TZR250 which was available in Canada in the '80s.

RZ350's would be good too.

Hey Ducati, I can't seem to get Atlas's website to come up are they still in business?

www.greybike.com was the link I found, but its dead...

[Ducati]

I drove by there the other day and noticed a Yamaha dealership or something. I couldn't stop and gawk for too long lest I be beset by squeegie kids and drunks.

I bought an FZR400 gray market bike from them in 2000, for $3200. They had an incredible selection of small sportbikes. I will miss that place.

There are two more places to try; Modern Mororcycles, on Commercial Drive often has Gray Market bikes. There is also a place in Squamish that handles these sub-500 cc bikes, but I know nothing about them.

[m10-power]

What year was your FZR? I have an '88 that I would use to register my newer FZR400RR SP

[Ducati]

1985!
It was a Japan Only colour, too. Do you recall that light blue that the 1988 or 1989 RZ350 came in? (apparently the best RZ, I am told) It made the bike stand out in light blue with dark blue accents and yellow striping.

I prefer the white red and black livery, but the 2tone blue was unique.

That is the bike I smashed up in the last ever instance of drinking and riding that I will ever do. I am lucky not to have been popped for DUI. I sold its corpse to a friend who now races it.

I miss that great little bike. It was capable of suprising my brother-in-law on his 748, right up to mega-criminal speeds, when he would gradually pass me when the FZR400 topped out at just over 200.

[m10-power]

Ah you had a FZ400R, bit different. I have always liked the 400cc sportbikes, my FZR400 is amazing although broken at the moment. I was thinking of building it up, FZR600 crank, rods and cylinders. Change to a 17" rear wheel as 18" tires are hard to find in anything modern.

[bluespyder]

It is very possible to get a J-spec over, but it requires a bit of trick and luck.

There are only two sizes you should look into, 250 and 400. As far as 250 is concern, get the 2-strokes, they are so much fun. I got my NSR 250 over at Altas Motorcycle in Vancouver (they might have changed the name). If you can find a TZR 250, that's great too.

But you are like me, who is sick of kick starting your bike in the morning, try to get your hand on the Honda VFR 400 line-up or RVF 400 (here's a picture of my RVF). With a redline of 14,000, and great handling, you should be able to keep up with the 600cc class in the canyon (oh yea, the bike looks great too).

Legally, you can import a motorcycle into Canada as long as the bike is 15 years or older. BTW, try not to get a 250cc 4-stroke, you will outgrow the bike within a week.

[bluespyder]

RVF400

[method]

what's the feasability of getting parts for j-spec bikes over here?

I sure do like the 250 2-strokes, and even the 4 stroke 400s seem pretty cool.