Some people are going to hate me for saying this but in a lot of ways it's a forced love. I wouldn't necessarily call it only "popularity". You both should and have to start on a ~250cc road bike in Australia with your license, with LAMS it's a little different with power to weight ratios these days though.
This is my two bobs worth,When i was younger i was never aloud to have a bike then as life goes on (marrage,kids etc)we moved to the country n.s.w.had and still have bush bikes for all members of the family then i suddenly turn 50.Time to get my bike licence and a bike.Up here you sit and do the computer test at r.t.a-pass it and off you go.I hop on my postie bike and ride around town (population 2000)then i move onto a 250,still learning my limits as a rider and the bikes.I really enjoy my 250 cruizer on a sunny day then i will hop on the gsx for a bit if fun (two totally different bikes) I have been on 3 hour rides with the big boys and have no trouble keeping up-cheap rego,14 litres will get me to broken hill,light and easy to go into mildura (population 60000) I was looking at buying a 750 but the weight of the bike, therego more expensive and you still can only do 100ks so my 250 stays,its my first real bike and its been really good to me and forgiving...Ken
I agree with pretty much every thing you've all posted. Power to weight ratio under the Lams system and affordability. Nippy, quick enough and the handling will get your juices flowing!
Curious why you're into 250cc's...? Do you only ride 250's? Is it because they're easy to handle? Fun? Cheap? What is your attraction to the humble 250cc bike?
For me, its what most of us started out on as that what Aussie law mandated before LAMS came in, I have had bigger bikes and enjoy them too, but there is something about the humble 250, they range from 15 - 70 hp and there is such a wide choice, be it sports, cruiser or commuter. In the right hands, a 250 sports bike can embarrass the bigger bikes in the hills
for me it's because they're easy lightweight cheap fun, I do just 15km to go work, a bigger bike isn't just as practical 'cause I start at 1800u so there is a lot of traffic in the city I have to cross + i've had a few serious accidents in the past, my right leg has more metal inside than robocop so it's also the weight of the bike that is important.
Personally I like the whole package you get with the ol'250's. Enough power to have fun but not so much I'm going to go supersonic at the twist of the throttle, light weight and easy to handle, easy to work on, amazing sound from the 4cyl ones and some really top notch hardware and engineering quality (for the time). I sold my new 600cc super bike because (besides from the fact of imminent suicide) I honestly have more fun on my 250
The LAMS laws meant that when I got back into riding, the 250s offered the best bang for your buck and delivered a great level of fun considering the power to weight restrictions. They are quick enough, nimble and tip in well. Although I ride bigger bikes, still love my 250 and plan to use it as a commuter once it's back on the road!
I have stuck with 250s as my everyday bikes because I commute on them. While I can and do ride bigger bikes occasionally, the registration in ACT is cheaper for anything 300cc or under. The other attraction for me was growing up on the back of my mum's 250 3 decades ago!
Bikes in the 250/350 range just have the right balance of power/handling/weight/cost to own that makes them right for most single rider journeys where here the open road speed is limited to 100Km/h. When your doing 100, it feels like you are really 'riding fast'. I had an 1100cc bike that would do 100 in first gear, so out on the road it loafed along like a lounge chair and got boring to ride. Only when it got over 180 did it come 'alive'. The 250's are 'alive' from the start.
250 inline four's are just fantastic fun to ride, and you learn a fair bit by working on them in the way I do.
Cheap is the only reason for me, but I have found cheap is a bit proportional to location too. In WA 250's hold value reasonably well but since I lived in NSW and now VIC I find them for much less coin. I've ridden bigger bikes over the years and personally the 600-800cc range is my preference. Each to their own I guess. I have a 250 at the moment because it was cheap and I learned a lot tinkering... I'd love to upgrade but other priorities at the moment so I'll hold out for a little while.
250cc motorcycles are basically a fun bike to ride, they handle pretty well and they are pretty quick and sound good and are very light therefore giving many a lot of confidence whilst riding. They are also very cheap to run. Most people generally move onto bigger more powerful machines but usually have fond memories of there time on a 250 bike.
Good 250s are awesome fun. My TZR250 is less than 100kg and puts out 60 odd horsepower. My TDR250 is fantastic. Check out the Youtube to see what I mean. ps. have the sound on.
Why a 250? Because I see little point in having more bike than is necessary to get the job done. A 250 is big enough for the sort of 25 to 50 km trips that make up the bulk of my trips. Anything bigger would cost a lot more to buy, a lot more to register and would be almost impossible to manoeuvre where I need to park it under my back deck.