(Asking) 150cc VS 250cc Power And Comfort Differences [Motorcycle]

[Ya_Mi]

Hi everyone, i am looking to buy a second hand motorcycle and i am having trouble to decide and i hope some of you guys/gals can help me with it.

I don't know jack about cars or motorbike, i don't know anything about it but i did my homework and i am pretty much understand when it comes to feature related to performance and comfort such as slipper clutch, abs and so on but i don't really know much when it comes to cylinder size and what it does to the bike aside from having more powa and lower gas mileage. And i have never ride a 250cc bike so there's that.

 

But here is the main problem, i can get a second hand 250cc bike from say 2016-2019 for the same price as a new 150cc bike from 2020-2021 and i was wondering whether the cylinder size really make much of a difference when it comes to performance and overall riding experience.

 

I live in Indonesia and i got a few 250cc second hand bike to choose but the most prominent is Kawasaki Ninja Fi.

And since we are talking about comfort, i am 168cm tall at 53kg. I was wondering if my height and body weight will play part on choosing the bike.

 

Thank you in advance

[xAcid9]

Which 150cc exactly? 

[Ya_Mi]

2 minutes ago, xAcid9 said:

Which 150cc exactly? 

Sorry, i meant to say in general

[atxcyclist]

My first bike was a 250cc, pretty common starting point here in the US. I had a Yamaha XV250 cruiser, it was a great bike and well made. 

 

A Ninja 250 that's fuel injected would be an excellent motorcycle, they are basically the standard at which all other smaller displacement motorcycles are judged. A Honda CBR250R would be comparable, not sure if they are widely available in Indonesia but it would be on the list if I were looking at 250cc motorcycles. 

[Ya_Mi]

18 minutes ago, atxcyclist said:

A Honda CBR250R

It is available, but it isn't as popular as Ninja Fi.

So uhmm...how does it compare to 150cc bike?

[atxcyclist]

4 minutes ago, Ya_Mi said:

It is available, but it isn't as popular as Ninja Fi.

So uhmm...how does it compare to 150cc bike?

150cc street motorcycles are uncommon here, but I do have a bit of experience with 125ccs. The training bike in my motorcycle licensing class was a 125cc bike, and I also have a Honda MSX125 as a weekend bike in addition to my larger-displacement daily motorcycle. There's going to be a somewhat significant difference between a 150 and 250, but how much that matters will depend on the roadways you have to ride on. If you never break 70km/h or it's very rare, something like a 150cc is probably OK. The road out of my neighborhood is 100km/h, and that was OK with a 250cc but I do have to wait for traffic to clear out on my MSX125. A Ninja 250 will do 100km/h no problem, so if you find yourself on longer trips or high-speed roadways I would very much go for the 250.

 

 

[Avocado Diaboli]

A bigger displacement just means that the engine is potentially more powerful. Depending on how the engine is built, that means that it'll accelerate faster and have a higher top speed. But without knowing what motorcycle you're looking at specifically, it's hard to tell. Two motorcycles with the same engine displacement can handle wildly differently. I usually ride a 900cc chopper. Its engine typically runs at a max of 4000 RPM (and that's getting uncomfortable, I never try to stay above 3500 RPM for too long). But if you look at a 900cc sports bike, it's engine can max out at more than twice that (meaning more than twice the horsepower), so obviously it will have a faster acceleration and a higher top speed. And obviously, the chopper is going to be way heavier than the sports bike and less aerodynamic, so that only further makes it slower by comparison.

 

As for comfort, you really need to sit down and test drive it for yourself, that's just not something someone can give general advice over. I'd generally advise that regardless of what size bike you're looking at. Don't focus too much on the individual numbers of the engine. Sit on it and ride it around for a bit, preferably in places where you intend to ride it most of the time. There's no point in getting your dream bike and then regretting it because it feels terrible to ride. I had to do a few modifications on my own bike to make it even remotely enjoyable (as in, the position of the foot rests caused me literal cramps in my legs in the standard configuration) and that's not something I wish on others, you should just hop on and be happy with it.

[Beerzerker]

I don't know your actual riding skill level or experience but I have to assume you can at least ride one.

A 250 would be much better overall than a 150 for several reasons but one of the biggest is just having to deal with traffic, both in terms of keeping up and scooting if you must.

It will also allow for more weight and still run at the speed it needs to such as if having to lug yourself, books and so on around town.
Larger framed bikes also tend to ride a little better too, if the frame is the same size as a 150 it's really bonus so no detriment there in either case.

The terrain where you are can make a difference too, if it's kinda flat all around you won't notice alot of difference but if you have hills and such the 250 will shine in comparison.
The above about taking longer trips applies too, the difference between them is obvious and the 250 will handle it better, plus not be under as much strain just doing it, that making it also last longer instead of crapping out in a few years. 

Years ago I used to ride a Yamaha 400cc everyday and it was a good bike. 
Good on gas, nimble and rode well too but there were times it just wasn't enough, esp if I had to get on the Interstate which I avoided as much as possible with it, for it to run at those speeds placed it under a strain and I could tell it.
Now that I have a 750cc I can say the difference in power, ride, ability to "Go" if I have to (Scoot into traffic) the strain it's under (Non-existant), ability to handle extra weight in the saddle bags..... It's a completely different experience.

You don't have an Interstate to worry about so that's in your favor.

I first learned how to ride a street bike with a 350cc so a 250 shoudn't be too much for you if you understand the rudimentary basics of it.

Although a 150 may be better on gas the benefits of the 250 in comparision makes it a no-brainer, at least it does to me and also believe it when I say there is nothing like buyers remorse because once you buy, it's yours.

Best suggestion anyone can make is get your butt on both to compare and see the difference between them for yourself.

[Blue4130]

5 hours ago, Avocado Diaboli said:

Its engine typically runs at a max of 4000 RPM (and that's getting uncomfortable, I never try to stay above 3500 RPM for too long). But if you look at a 900cc sports bike, it's engine can max out at more than twice that (meaning more than twice the horsepower),

This is so inaccurate that it hurts. Twice the RPM doesn't equate to twice the HP.

[Avocado Diaboli]

1 minute ago, Blue4130 said:

This is so inaccurate that it hurts. Twice the RPM doesn't equate to twice the HP.

Horsepower is torque * RPM, so at equal torque, twice the RPM is twice the horsepower. And since I compared a sports bike to a chopper, which usually has way lower torque than a sports bike at any given displacement size, my comment remains accurate, a sports bike that reaches twice the RPM will have more than twice the horsepower. 

 

Also, for future reference "Nu-uh, you're wrong" is a terrible way of contributing to a discussion, when you could also just take a few seconds and actually provide information. 

[Blue4130]

5 minutes ago, Avocado Diaboli said:

Horsepower is torque * RPM, so at equal torque, twice the RPM is twice the horsepower. And since I compared a sports bike to a chopper, which usually has way lower torque than a sports bike at any given displacement size, my comment remains accurate, a sports bike that reaches twice the RPM will have more than twice the horsepower. 

 

Also, for future reference "Nu-uh, you're wrong" is a terrible way of contributing to a discussion, when you could also just take a few seconds and actually provide information. 

You are comparing two vastly different engine technologies. The sport bike is likely fuel injected with 4 cylinders. The chopper likely 2 with a carb. It's not apples to apples. What you say is valid on paper but falls apart in the real world. 

[Avocado Diaboli]

Just now, Blue4130 said:

You are comparing two vastly different engine technologies. The sport bike is likely fuel injected with 4 cylinders. The chopper likely 2 with a carb. It's not apples to apples. What you say is valid on paper but falls apart in the real world. 

And yet, somehow, the reported horsepower of all the 900cc models I looked up to compare to my bike based on their torque and peak efficiency RPM seem to line up with those calculations perfectly. If what I say is valid on paper, it's valid everywhere, otherwise it wouldn't be valid. 

[Ya_Mi]

@Avocado Diaboli

@Blue4130 @Beerzerker

 

Thanks for the response and i am terrible sorry that i am late as i just moved to a new place.

And it looks like there's no easy way to choose other than that i have to try it which is not a big deal since i got few friends who own both 250 and 150cc bike.

 

Thanks again everyone.