Quote:
Originally Posted by Boom King
Yamaha may very well have plans drawn up for a 250cc sport but if it is indeed an inline 4 with upgrades like dual front disc brakes, I'm sure it'd cost a pretty penny if it were to come to fruition. Not saying that it wouldn't be one sweet bike though  . |
I agree, not likely. An over-the-top 4 cylinder 250 is probably going to remain a part of history (CBR250RR for example). The major manufacturers know that a 250 that costs as much as a 600 just isn't going to have enough sales volume to make it a viable product.
But.... There's plenty of room for Yamaha to do something interesting with a 250 twin. I'd love to see some new technology applied to a parallel twin 250, like laying the cylinders back a bit as is being done with the motocross engines. Put the FI intake on the front and the exhaust on the back of the cylinder head then push the engine way forward in the frame and then further centralize the mass of the bike by doing an underbody exhaust. This would give it great handling characteristics.
The rest of the bike's specs can be just like the current EX-250 to keep costs in line.
This approach would be in keeping with the formula that has made the EX-250 such a great seller for Kawasaki: put a very good engine in a middle of the road frame and surround it with middle of the road parts. This combination equals affordable & satisfying.
It's a "win" on just about any level because: A. a lot of people can afford it, B. a lot of people will be perfectly satisfied with it "as-is" off the showroom floor, and C. because it would already have a very good engine the "modify and upgrade" crowd could happily concentrate on things like tires, suspension and cosmetic farkles.