Overtakes on a 250 (or 125, for that matter)

[250R-ICE]

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I think I understand what you are asking. Recently I went on a group ride with riders who were on bikes like the SV650 and Ninja 650R. We were riding on a two lane country road posted speed limit was 80 km/hr. We caught up to a large gravel truck and the group decided it was time to pass this truck. Of course we all waited for a safe place to pass (broken yellow line, clear of any traffic in the oncomming direction, lots of straight line visibilty etc). I watched as everyone took their turn to safely pass the truck. When it was my turn I noticed it took me alot longer to pass then the bikes ahead of me. What I noticed most was the distance that I needed top pass was at least 1 1/2 times longer.

I did drop down a gear and start my acceleration prior to moving into the oncomming lane but I definately didn't have the quick response or increasing rate of acceleration as the bikes ahead of me. I had my throttle twisted to it's limit and I only gradually accelerated in speed compared to the other bikes.

You start to learn the limitations of the bike, the distance required to pass at certain speeds etc. Unfortunately the smaller CC bikes don't have that extra power to get you out of a difficult situation so you have to plan ahead or just decide when it's safe to pass. I now have a fairly good understanding of my bikes limits and don't try to keep up with other riders unless it's safe to do so.

 

[Dresden]

Here's a helpful tip.

Redline it as much as you can, find the closest dealer and trade it in for a 600 +

Problem solved.

 

[Smutty]

175 eh? Down a hill with the wind at your back?

I can't speak on behalf of the CBR 250. But I don't seem to have any problems on my 09 Ninja 250R. The Ninja tops out at around 175 km/h and I don't have any problems overtaking at highway speeds. If I need to overtake in a short distance, I just drop it down one gear usually to 5th and twist the throttle to it's limit. I find I can accelerate just as fast as my car at those speeds. So in general I would say I definately do not have the quick response of a more powerfull bike, but it does accelerate the same as my 200 hp car.


I just plan my moves ahead of time and find I'm ok with overtaking.

 

[Brian P]

If the vehicle you are proposing to take is going fast enough so that it would take excessive time and distance to overtake it ... then simply DON'T overtake it. Chances are, that vehicle is going fast enough that trying to overtake it would put you into HTA 172 territory anyway. If you are riding with a group and the others are on faster bikes and are doing things that they shouldn't be doing ... then you are better off not riding with them anyway.

On the 401, it should not be much of an issue, because there is no oncoming traffic. It (almost) doesn't matter how long it takes to pass - just try to minimize the time in blind spots and directly beside other cars. Even on my cbr125, this is not really a problem; if the wind is not blowing in a direction that is in my favor then I follow whatever the slow lane is doing.

On secondary roads, just plan ahead. I can pass slow traffic on my 125, it just takes longer.

You need to be in a gear that puts the engine RPM near where it makes maximum power. Your cbr250 is tuned for mid-range rather than top-end power; I believe max power is at only 8500 rpm on that bike, so be in whatever gear puts you near 8500 rpm. Tucking in your elbows and knees and lying flat on the tank will help to eke out that last little bit of speed when needed.

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