Hi! From my post history you may gather that I'm tossing up between a Suzuki Across and a ('96) CBR250RR. I really like the higher redline, lightness, better parts availability, and raciness of the MC22, and hope to eventually take it to a track if I get it. I'm leaning towards it at the moment, but having sat on it the other day, it felt like a small bike (although not inherently uncomfortable). I'm 6 foot (183cm) with an 87cm inseam. I've been on cycle-ergo and will take the bike for a test ride soon, but how do you other tall-ish riders fare with it? I hope to be able to use the bike as a commuter and maybe for light tours (100-150km, 2 hours tops) in the future (with a topbox added). Will I be too uncomfortable? Would it be viable if I took it to a custom shop to lower the pegs/raise the seat a little? Cheers
Welcome Broom Broom. Stand back...there are a bunch of MC22 and Across fans on this site, so expect plenty of feedback!
I've only ever ridden one MC22 which was a bit of a shitbox, and was only on it for a quick ride around the block... I'm 176cm tall and I found my knees hit the fairings. On my ZXR it's the same, but only because I try to sit upright. If you get into the race crouch I have no issues, but its not always comfortable. On the FZR's my left knee hits the fuel tap. I can't say for the GSXR250 or Across because I've never been on either. That said you can always change the seat, raise pegs, etc to get comfortable & make the bike fit you. It's a cheap exercise. Sounds like you want the MC22. My advice is to test ride any examples you are thinking about buying to check for problems. Where abouts are you? In Sydney, there's this bloke called Simon who runs learner collections in Drummoyne, he works on CBR250RR's and always has a few for sale. If you want dealer warranty (however short). https://www.facebook.com/learnercollection/
I'm a short-arse MC22 owner and I often think it's a bike made for people with stumpy legs. At one point I was considering selling it to a mate who is 6 foot 2 (and not thin) and, I have to say, he did look a bit like a bear on a bicycle. He certainly found it uncomfortable enough that he refused it. YMMV
firstly welcome mate... secondly, you wont need to do anything to the seat or pegs, I am 6 foot 1 and am fine.. but like ANY sports bike your legs and hands will feel it until you get used to the riding position.. I love my mc22 and thanks to @kiffsta I have it.. I have riden it for 18 hours straight and yes that was killer, but I regularly do 300km rides and yes your but ill get sore after riding that long so I suggest some extra padding on the seat... apart from that they are lovely bikes, I will never sell mine.
The suzuki across is cool due to the helmet box, but it only has 2 carbies. It's kind of gutless. Parts are a bit of a bitch too, one of my mates had one. It is reasonably easy to work on, although the MC22 is easier. ZXR250 has a slightly higher seat and the overall ergonomics make the bike feel slightly larger than the MC22. It's more of a pain in the arse to work on than the MC22, especially synching the carbies. Has better brakes and suspension IMO, especially the front end which is very nice. But it isn't terribly comfortable, even less so than the MC22. The seat and rear suspension are hard and the bar position is very race-ish. It has an excellent gearbox, the positive neutral finder on the hondas are a joke; I've had 3 hondas and they're all the same, sloppy shift feel and won't go into neutral easily. The ZXR250 shifts like a dream and the gearbox whines really, really loudly. It SOUNDS great. The ZXR doesn't really help you as far as parts availability, though. I assume that you're looking for a learner bike? In which case, have you considered an older GPX250? Much better ergo for a small bike/ taller rider, and parts are super easy to get and cheap because Kawasaki has been making the same bike for literally years. The older ones have more power than the newer ones, I understand. It's piss easy to work on (with the exception of removing the airbox).
I'm 189cm and around 85kgs, and I fit pretty comfortable in the mc22 considering these bikes where made for the Japanese market. I ride to uni every week for a cpuple of days from gympie to south brisbane (roughly 200km there, 80-100km in bris then back the 200km home) and I find it pretty good. Sometimes legs and that get sore but nothing a stretch of the leg can't fix. Even though I haven't ridden or seen an across, the mc22 is a fantastic bike, I wouldn't have an issue riding it for years to come. Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
