bandit/zeal/jade

　

giAnt tEst

　

250cc four strokes. What a waste of space, eh ? A pointless exercise in building stupid little bikes with no other purpose than satisfying strange Japanese licensing laws and peculiar fashion tendencies. Gutless, underpowered, ridiculous machines that have no place in the powerful world of Great British Motorcycling.

　

All of which may appear to be true until you could actually ride one. Throw your leg over a four cylinder 250, and throw away your misconceptions. I guarantee that half and hour later you’ll have a big grin on your gob and a whole new way of thinking in your head. ( I had a twenty mile ride on the CBR250 we tested a few issues ago and I was hooked ? so much so that I went out and bought my FZR 250 streetfighter ). But what is it about these little multi-cylinder jobbies that makes them so appealing? Well, they rewrite the book on 250s for a start. Most people can comprehend the drawing power of a good RGV or an NSR 250 stroker ? minimum weight, ultimate handling, groovy powerband ? but all those attractions apply equally to their four-stroke brethren. Yes, they might only make 45bhp, but then so does a good Triumph 750 Bonnie or Norton Commando ( and have you ever tried to stay with a well ridden ‘Mando on a good A road?) And they weight next to nothing in comparison. There7s a whole host of rationalisations you can make to explain their appeal, but in end it comes down to the one over-riding factor ? they are fun. Or, more to the point, they are Big Fun. On the way back from the photo-shoot, with Trev and Fergs doing the additional riding duties ( both of whom are used to much bigger bikes), it was point and squirt down the country lanes, nailing each other into the turns, screaming the tits off the little bikes, in one of the best cut’n thrust blasts of tomfoolery I’ve had in a long time. We never topped 90mph but it did not matter. We weren’t trying to control 100bhp monsters we weren’t worrying about highsides, we weren’t struggling with 200-plus kilos in the chicanes; we were flicking the bikes from side to side without even thinking about it, buzzing from the little motors singing away beneath us, and laughing like schoolkids at the Fun of it all. Proper.

　

But these are also Practical bikes. Bikes you can use for commuting, for day-to-day bimbling about, for weekend blasts, even for distance work. They’re easy to ride and easy to live with. And, like all motorcycles, each one has its individual character. Read on for a run down…

　

BANDIT 250 : If you thought the Bandit was already a pretty motorcycle, just look what the Japs have done to it now. A new-for-95 revamp ( identical on both the 250 and 400 versions 9 has taken the Bandit from attractive to eminently shaggable. It7s a fully street-fighterised version of the old Bandit complete with aggressive satin-black three-spokes and a serious dose of attitude. Look at the way the tank moulding flows back under the seat-expensive and complicated to mass-produce, but so effective. Or the way the seat unit is waisted under the pillion pad, flowing neatly up to that high-mounted, shark-like tail piece and super-smooth rear light lens. Or that sexily swoopy stainless four into one exhaust ( and did ever a bike cry out for a carbon can more than the Bandit ?). It’s all so right. Fit a set of Renthals and a bunch of stainless braided hoses and you’ve got a style statement the Hot-Rod GSXR1100 boys would die for.

　

So how does it go ? Well, I’d be lying to you if I told you it was fast. In outright turns, you’ll get left behind by anything from 400cc upwards. But that isn’t how it feels. I feels quick. It rattles you up to 70 or 80 No Time At All, the little motor spinning away like a sawing machine and the tacho needle zipping up to the 15,000 redline with surprising rapidity. This more than anything is the appeal of the 250s. It’s not the outright speed, it’s the sensation of speed and the satisfaction they give you. The bandit struggles to make 100mph, but in the Real World of Gastos and Mondeos, who really cares?

Admittedly there isn’t a lot below 5,000 in the higher gears; at 8 grand it starts to flow, but you need to keep it above 10,000 for real progress. That’s not as bizarre as it sounds, since you’ve still got 5,000 more revs to play with, and the motor thrives on it. At 10 grand you’re cruising at a legal 70 without feeling busy, buzzy or strained, and you can hold a good 85 or 90 all day on the motorway no problem. At low revs in higher gears, throttle response is a little turdy, no doubt as the usual consequence of slow slide lift on stock ( and tiny ) CV carbs. It’s not a big problem, and could easily be sorted out on a Dyno but since they so much more enjoyment to be had keeping on the boil, why bother ?

　

The transmission is pretty faultless too, shifting being the usual silky Suzuki affair, although with so little flywheel effect you need to balance the revs on downshifts to avoid any snatchiness. The ultra light clutch also needs a little respect until you get used to it. It's ’ one finger operation ( you can pull it in with just your little finger ! ), and it’s actually too light, causing a few embarrassing stalls at traffic lights before I got the hang of it.

　

Lightness of touch is perhaps the hallmark of the 250 Bandit. It doesn’t feel small or cramped, but it does feel almost weightless. It’s so well balanced you can throw it around without even thinking about it. The handling is perfect. Let me say that again ? the handling is Perfect. Good is too inadequate a word for it. With sturdy conventional forks up front, a substantial alloy swingarm at the other end, and a stiff tubular steel semi-trellis frame in-between, all balanced on big fat super-sticky Bridgestone radials it’s possibly no more than you’d expect, but Suzuki have got it j-u-s-t right. It’s a taut package, bordering on the harsh, and with tough springing and so little weight the bike can bounce its rider around a little on the rough stuff ( although with only 1800 kilometers on the clock there’s probably more compliance to be had when the newness wears in ), while the firm seat doesn’t help much either. But since there’s no provision to adjust anything other than rear pre-load, you have to decide you like it and live with it. Which in reality is No Big Deal because it mean the Bandit tracks as true as a Scud missile, steers as neutral as a Swiss clock ( ? ), and is more flickable than your best nose crow from a well - greased fingernail…

Other than a certain amount of bouncing, the riding position is pretty good, the seat is nice and low, and the bike doesn’t feel cramped, although realistically it’s probably better suited to those below 5’8" than above it. Around town it’s a doddle, carving through traffic like it wasn’t there, and on the open road it’s a joy. Nail it through the curve, hard on the brakes and down two or three gears for the bends, pitch it in, haul it out, keep the motor swinging at around 12 grand in 4th or 5th …You just know the bike is never going to let you down or do anything untoward, and you can just flick it about without a care in the world. Top Fun.

　

ZEAL 250 : Show any none-grey-aware biker a Buyer’s Guide, and, with the possible exception of the Xanthus, the Zeal is the one they’re most likely to comment on. A brave styling attempt by Yamaha, The Zeal was simply too far ahead of its time. But look at Yamaha’s current range ? the Thunderace and particularly the new TDM everyone’s raving about. Spot the styling ancestry ? You can trace the latest zoomorphic influences right back to the Zeal, and the bike actually looks far better in the flesh than can be translated into two dimensions on paper. Like Suzuki’s Katana before it, it’s taken several years for public tastes to finally start to catch up with the Zeal. In reality it’s now quite a pretty motorcycle, and with a massive dose of exclusivity to boot.

　

All the 250 motors are pretty much of a muchness and the Zeal’s FZR250- based lump is no exception. Without the EXUP which gives the FZR its advantage, the Zeal performs on a par with the Bandit. It may not be as quite as free revving, but there isn’t much in it, and it is a tad more responsive at the bottom end, but again not by much. Performance wise, what the Bandit will do

So will the Zeal. The Zeal feels more compact, although not enough to be cramped, due the greater pullback on the bars and a seat which only give you one place to park your bum ( on the Bandit you can slide backwards and forwards a few inches before buttocks hit bumstop or bollocks hit tank…). The Zeal is also comfier, courtesy of plusher springing but the price is paid quite heavily in terms of handling. The front end’s okay, but the twin shocks at the rear are not only too soft, they’re appallingly underdamped, and when pushed hard the Zeal pogos alarmingly in every direction except the one you want to go in. It appears to be limited to a simple shock problem, the rest of the bike is fine, so if you’re looking for a Zeal, get a test ride first or make allowances for a pair of after-market shockers in the deal.

On the plus side the bike is pretty well finished, the stainless four into two is cool, and you even get a little stash box at the front of the tank to, well, keep your stash in. You also get a green light when you hit sixth gear which says ‘Overdrive’, and in truth the Zeal isn’t much faster in top than it is in 5th, so maybe Yamaha were deflecting criticism in advance. Like the Bandit, the Zeal is at it’s best singing along the A-roads with plenty of revs in hand, but equally like the Bandit it’s a very capable all rounder. The little FZR motors are generally as bullet proof as their bigger stable companions ? it’s a well tried and tested lump ? and if you’re looking for an individual package with styling that doesn’t hide its light under a bushel, in a nice easy-to-manage format, the Zeal will do you nicely.

　

JADE : The Jade might look like the conservative relation to the other two, but it’s CBR250 lump is easily the quickest of the three. All the motors beg to be thrashed, the Jade just begs louder. There’s little difference in comparative bottom ends, but from the mid-range on the Jade had the legs on the other two, right through to it’s red line, some thousand revs higher at 16 grand. It’s a

lovely, sweet, willing, rev-happy motor, a responsive little cutie of an engine with an addictive edge. On the thrash back from the photo shoot I happened to be riding the Jade, and hammering after Trev ( who’s a racer of some renown ) on the Bandit. Nailing the little Honda hard it kept going flat until I realized I was buried deep in the red zone and hitting the limiter at 17,000 !

With that many revs on hand you can also hit nearly 50mph in first gear. Smart. Despite not losing out at the bottom end, the Jade has a more distinct power-band and you can feel a very nice satisfying kick at 10,000 ? very un-Honda-like. Like the Zeal it feels more compact than the Bandit and it’s probably the best compromise between comfort and rideability of the three. It also handles damn near as well as the Bandit, although not quite so confidence inspiring, and it needs heavier oil in the front forks, which as it came were underdamped, but that’s nothing a fiver and an hour wouldn’t sort. All three bikes were running single discs up front, but you’d never tell to ride them. The great advantage of having so little weight to retard means all three braking systems have ample power all round, with plenty of feel and feedback, and that easy-of-use consistent with the collective character of these little bikes.

What really lets the Jade down though is it’s mundane appearance. Compared to the adventurous Zeal or the supremely sexy Bandit, the Jade is a bland non starter. This comes under the juristriction of The Great Shame, since it’s as sweet to ride as the Bandit and noticeably faster. A paint job and a nose cone fairing on the lines of the CB1100F would help considerably, but ultimately if you are a style junkie the Jade is just too dated in comparison. But not everyone is sad enough to put style at the top of their hitlist, and if you’re more concerned about performance and practicality ? not to mention cost ? the word is there’ll be something of a Jade invasion due soon. Check one out.

　

VERDICT : Only a fool would write off the 250 four cylinder greys as not worth considering. The Japanese have a long history of mini-multis-way back in the late Sixties Mike ‘The Bike’ Hailwood was caning Honda’s incredible six cylinder 250 racer around the TT circuit, which through it’s open megas produced the legendary howl still talked about today. These days 250 fours are refined, practical, and very, very enjoyable motorcycles. They are excellent commuters, superb Sunday toys, and yet are civilised enough to provide useful transport or weekend pleasure trips. For sure you have to thrash them to get the best out of them, but they’re not gutless wonders, and isn’t that really the joy of riding in the first place ( MZ riders need not reply ). There’s immense satisfaction from getting the best out of a 250 four, and the grin factor hits a healthy 10 when you do. Just as the grey 400s have taken over from the 750s and 1000s as The Most Fun On A Motorcycle, despite initial derision, it also pays not to dismiss the modern 250 fours too lightly. In these days of increasing insurance and running costs, for many people 250s really are a move in the right direction.

　

ODGIE

Courtesy of Grey Bike Magazine