Quarter Liter Sportbikes in 1980s and today: Raw vs. Sophistication

Would you say that the Sportbikes between 250cc to 400cc made today are the best of the best? Some would agree and some would not. It naturally depends on what you like, do you think they could be better? Of course, they can be. Development is an ongoing process and perfection is merely an illusion in time. While you might be thinking that a thing is perfect, someone else would already be working on it to make it better. So let me ask again, would you say that the 250cc to 400cc Sportbikes today are the best you have ever got?



The answer not just depends on what your preferences are, but also on where you have been…

If you have lived through the 1980s, you would agree that it was one of the best decades to live in, and to relive! For one, it was a great decade for international music. If you’re a fan, then Michael Jackson, Deff Leppard, U2, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Toto, Prince, The Cars, Whitesnake etc. all made a mark in history in those ten years. Memories they created that shall live forever. Then we had iconic movies like the Terminator, Top Gun and Back To The Future that changed movie making forever. And then there was a television series in which the protagonist rode a motorcycle fighting crime in style – Street Hawk.

But no matter how inviting this discussion is for someone like myself is, we are not here to talk about them. Today, we are here to talk about motorcycles and that time in the industry when things were less complicated and manufacturers developed certain marvels that created their own space in the history. Things that have never been bettered. In fact, we never got close to them again. While the 1000cc Superbikes of today are, possibly in all aspects, better than their predecessors, same may not be said about the 250cc/300cc Sportbikes currently in production.

Let’s take a look at one of the newest motorcycles in this category today, Yamaha YZF-R3. The motorcycle will make the debut in the Indian market on 11th August and we are waiting for it with baited breath. The motorcycle sports a 321cc parallel twin engine producing nearly 42PS of power @ 10750RPM and 29.6NM of torque @ 9000RPM. It has a conventional 41mm telescopic forks at the front and a mono-suspension at the rear. The engine is housed inside a tabular chassis and the motorcycle weighs 169kgs ready to ride. The riding position is a mix of sporty and upright stance. All these specifications and especially the engine architecture puts the R3 in to the direct competition with the Kawasaki Ninja 300 which, at 300cc, has a little power deficit against the Yamaha. Interestingly enough, both Yamaha and Kawasaki have the 250cc versions as well of same motorcycles that are sold specifically in the Indonesian market.

Now, let’s go back in time – to the 1980s. Even back then, Yamaha had a 250cc sportbike and it was specifically for their Japanese market, called the FZR250. Wait till you read the specifications – 250cc inline 4 cylinder engine, 16 valves, 4 stroke, and liquid cooled producing maximum power of 45bhp @ 14500 RPM. The frame was made of steel in a delta box design and the whole motorcycle weighed around 162kgs ready-to-ride. The top speed was around 190kph mark.

Today’s YZF-R3/R25 have virtually nothing in common with Yamaha’s own FZR 250 other than the engine capacity on paper. The FZR was fed by four carburetors for each cylinder and while it produced its maximum power at 14500RPM (which is already 3500RPM higher than R3’s), it could be revved upto 19000RPM. The sound at high revs could only be described as something out of this world. It would howl so beautifully that it makes the word sound positive. In comparison, the R3 comes across as a much more sedate motorcycle to ride and the same can be said for the exhaust note.

Like Yamaha, even Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki had similar motorcycles back in that time and all were equally insane and intense in their approach. They were an all-out 250cc Sportbikes with zero compromises and absolutely clear in their intent. If all these motorcycles were human beings, it would almost be like that the Quarter Liter motorcycles of the 1980s were genetically stronger, fierce fighters and today’s motorcycles in the same segment are born much docile that are decent fighters as well as equally good daily workhorses.

While the manufacturers have continuously improved their 1000cc Superbikes through advancement in technology and their efforts and learnings in MotoGP, the Quarter Liter segment didn’t see such a continuous evolution. All these inline 4 Sportbikes from the Japanese four were primarily made to be sold specifically in Japan and later some of them were made available in certain other markets as well. Yet, they were largely grey imports for any other market outside Japan.

When most of the production stopped by the end of 1990s, the Quarter Liter segment went largely unnoticed. 1000cc Superbikes and 600cc Supersports took the production space and attention of the world and rightfully so. Only Kawasaki kept the segment alive for the most part during that time with their parallel twin Ninja 250r. Environmental norms started to change as well forcing manufacturers to adopt a different outlook in producing motorcycles in general. Also, it can’t be negated that developing a 250cc inline 4 engine could almost be as expensive as developing a higher capacity engine of the same architecture. This could have further prompted various manufacturers to altogether concentrate on bigger motorcycles and restart the Quarter Liter segment with a fresh approach.

If we think of it, the 250/300cc sportbikes made today aren’t really an evolution of their counterparts from nearly three decades back. They are a reincarnation with quite a different soul. It depends on a person what form he prefers more. I’d say someone who has experienced these small Sportbikes from yesteryears would definitely have an undeniable inclination towards them. On their own though, the current Sportbikes in this segment are extremely good motorcycles. While some of us would prefer the no nonsense approach of the previous motorcycles, current generation motorcycles have a much wider reach in the market. Fast, sporty but still comfortable enough to ride all day long. The power delivery is linear and such that these make the best beginner Sportbikes to start on.

Still, we have manufacturers like KTM who are doing their bit to keep the adrenaline flowing nonstop with their RC series of motorcycles. The RC125, RC200 and RC390, while having single cylinder engines, have enough aggression to bring a wide grin on any enthusiasts face by virtue of performance alone.

Motorcycles like the KTM Duke 390, RC390, Kawasaki Ninja 300, Honda CBR300R and now Yamaha YZF-R3 have expanded the segment beyond the 250cc category. It would be alright to say that with these motorcycles manufacturers are trying to provide the highest performance from the motorcycles’ engines. There’s also a rumor floating around that Kawasaki is indeed working on an all-new inline 4 cylinder 250cc Sportbike. So, all is not lost for enthusiasts like myself who really wish they could own and ride a full-on mini Sporbike which is, in all sense, would be a proper younger sibling to the 1000cc Superbikes.

Till then, we wait impatiently for the latest entrant in the segment to enter our market, Yamaha YZF-R3.