I just got back from a 1900km trip on my CRF250M - this bike doesn't have the comfort a CBR offers, like a fairing for less wind drag, a forward seating position which is better for long distance and of course the seat, the seat on the CRF is made for distances of maybe 30 km. But enjoyed myself!
I ran the bike close to top speed, about 90% open throttle, and the speedo showed between 125 and 135km/h; that's pretty good for a CRF which isn't geared for speed plus I'm sitting upright like a sail in the wind. I realized that the fuel mileage was surprisingly poor at this speed, above 4L/100km! Also I had to concentrate a lot, traffic here in Thailand is way slower than elsewhere and several times I came close to a collision with some local yokels who turned right in front of me or pulled out into the road, assuming I'm going 70km/h like most bikes around here.
So I slowed down, went a tank filling (around 180 km) between 110 and 120 and felt way more relaxed and safe. Fuel consumption improved immensely to about 3,6L/100km.
I had the bike for two months and rode it only on weekends, took it on short trips or just rode around. It had 1900km on the clock when I started the trip; now I rode the same amount in one week! Getting on the bike every day and riding it at higher speeds really gave me another feeling for it. I got more used to it, I could handle it better, take it closer to the limit, lean more into turns and so on. I really learned to enjoy the bike and appreciated what it can do.
A CBR is of course better for trips, but there were several situations, like when I hit a real big pothole at 100+ km/h, when I thought: a CBR would have bottomed out and maybe I would have lost control, but the suspension of the 43mm forks saved my bacon! Also leaning into turns at higher speeds I encountered surface problems and I was very glad to have the wide handle bar to keep the front end from flopping around, it would have been much harder to maintain control on a CBR with clip-ons.
On the last day I did 640 km in eight hours and even on a CRF with an upright seating position that was not a problem but I wouldn't do more than that, then it becomes tiring - I'm in my fifties and I'm used to my afternoon nap!
I ran the bike close to top speed, about 90% open throttle, and the speedo showed between 125 and 135km/h; that's pretty good for a CRF which isn't geared for speed plus I'm sitting upright like a sail in the wind. I realized that the fuel mileage was surprisingly poor at this speed, above 4L/100km! Also I had to concentrate a lot, traffic here in Thailand is way slower than elsewhere and several times I came close to a collision with some local yokels who turned right in front of me or pulled out into the road, assuming I'm going 70km/h like most bikes around here.
So I slowed down, went a tank filling (around 180 km) between 110 and 120 and felt way more relaxed and safe. Fuel consumption improved immensely to about 3,6L/100km.
I had the bike for two months and rode it only on weekends, took it on short trips or just rode around. It had 1900km on the clock when I started the trip; now I rode the same amount in one week! Getting on the bike every day and riding it at higher speeds really gave me another feeling for it. I got more used to it, I could handle it better, take it closer to the limit, lean more into turns and so on. I really learned to enjoy the bike and appreciated what it can do.
A CBR is of course better for trips, but there were several situations, like when I hit a real big pothole at 100+ km/h, when I thought: a CBR would have bottomed out and maybe I would have lost control, but the suspension of the 43mm forks saved my bacon! Also leaning into turns at higher speeds I encountered surface problems and I was very glad to have the wide handle bar to keep the front end from flopping around, it would have been much harder to maintain control on a CBR with clip-ons.
On the last day I did 640 km in eight hours and even on a CRF with an upright seating position that was not a problem but I wouldn't do more than that, then it becomes tiring - I'm in my fifties and I'm used to my afternoon nap!
