[VWikram]

Originally Posted by yatin

@VWikram I had a similar experience, but found a resolution quickly.

What seemed to be the problem was that, I was trying to plant my feet on the footrests the same way as before. But the foot pegs on the Yamaha are positioned a little back from the seating position, compared to the LML.

So, apart from leaning forward slightly, I started sitting a little further forward; this gives a more angled-back leg posture & my feet rest naturally on the foot pegs. It makes the handlebar a little more easy to use too. I have been as comfortable as before with this change of posture.

Maybe the other thing you could try is to change to a normal posture at traffic lights; you know, let go of the handlebar, plant your feet flat on the road. This could relieve some of the strain.

Thanks for that tip Yatin, but I'm afraid I've tried them all. Just trying to ride my CBR as much as possible hoping to get over it soon, doesn't look like I've made any progress though.

[VWikram]

An update - have finally let go of my CBR250R. There were more than a couple of factors which led me to this.
1. The riding posture - enough has been discussed about it here. It doesn't really mean that the inputs given by my fellow bhpians were not factored. I had some great insights by starting this thread here and would still be useful for me, as ever in my upcoming riding days. A big thanks to all of you out there who contributed.
2. Maneuverability in dense traffic - Most of my riding is through dense traffic areas and CBR being an excellent tourer, was not upto the mark for me when it came to slow moving traffic. I was aware of this fact when I bought the bike but sadly was never able to go out touring on it.
3. Weighty issues - though it wasn't really a heavy bike, the fact that there are lighter smaller and more powerful bikes puttering around, made me think about the weight more and more and the desire of having a lighter and more powerful bike, read the Duke 390, also contributed heavily in taking this decision.
4. Tyres/Brakes - These issues could've been sorted out with a tyre swap, but in standard version (non-abs), the brakes have been a bit poor in performance, and the lack of ABS, coupled with those horrible contigos made it look scary at high speeds.

Things about my CBR, I'll miss.

1. Looks - Personally I always loved its VFRish looks. I always admired its looks and still do.
2. Low cost of ownership - compared to other bigger cc bikes, the maintenance costs of a CBR250R is still quite low.
3. Zero-niggles ownership, supreme quality - In my 3 years of owning this bike, it never ever gave up on me, always started with a single push of the button, inspite of starting it after weeks together some times. Not a single bulb changed, nor the fairing was ever removed nor any bolt tightened nor loosened, nor faced any vibrations whatsoever.

Disclaimer - All this said, are based purely on my personal experience and should not be taken as a universal thing, I'm sure you get the hang of what I'm trying to say, CBR is still a beautiful bike and lucky are the ones who are in love with it.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by VWikram

2. Maneuverability in dense traffic - Most of my riding is through dense traffic areas and CBR being an excellent tourer, was not upto the mark for me when it came to slow moving traffic. I was aware of this fact when I bought the bike but sadly was never able to go out touring on it.
3. Weighty issues - though it wasn't really a heavy bike, the fact that there are lighter smaller and more powerful bikes puttering around, made me think about the weight more and more and the desire of having a lighter and more powerful bike, read the Duke 390, also contributed heavily in taking this decision.

Did I read that right? You are planning to replace the CBR with the Duke 390, majority of your usage is in dense city traffic and you sold the CBR for back problems? IMO it's not the correct decision.

Here's why.
1. The Duke 390 is a pain to ride in traffic. It has a super heavy clutch in comparison with the super light clutch of the CBR. It will pain fingers and it hates low speeds. Gear ratios are not meant for city riding.
2. The Duke 390 definitely has a stiffer suspension and a rougher ride than the CBR.
3. If you loved the CBR for it's vibe-free ride, you might not like the KTM as there are evident vibrations.

PS: These are not negatives of the 390, but some aspects that might prove to be negatives in your context. These are based on my experiences as a Duke 390 owner.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by VWikram

An update - have finally let go of my CBR250R.

That would have been a very tough decision to make, especially when you so much liked the positives of the bike. But unfortunately, the equation between you two did not click. As per Added_Flavor's advice, do test ride the Duke (or whatever bike you chose) extensively for your riding conditions & comfort before plonking the big ones.

In fact, I was wondering that why not start a separate thread for choosing a bike that suits your needs. I am sure that the bikers on the forum can share a lot of information which will be relevant to you and to a lot of other people too.

Best of luck for your search.

Regards,
Saket

[Ajaybiz]

Even I had issues with all my bikes specially after crossing the 40+ years of golden league and in 2013 I started selling my bikes one by one, as by that time I found that what I am looking for and which bike suits me the best, it can be ridden all day long at three digit speed, can carry 4 luggage bags along with all basic daily needs, it can do bit of off road, very comfortable ride even with pillion rider.
League apart and it's known as adventure bike, dominated by European manufacturers, BMW is inventor and masters of these bikes, Jap players are also there but who wants the 2nd best?
I am yet to pick one but yes given you the hint, please go ahead and test ride one, I am sure you'll never look back at any other type of bikes.

[VWikram]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Did I read that right? You are planning to replace the CBR with the Duke 390, majority of your usage is in dense city traffic and you sold the CBR for back problems? IMO it's not the correct decision.

I haven't zeroed in on the Duke yet, but that seemed to be the logical choice for me, given the fact that its super flickable, has an upright riding posture, is light weight. Though I did hear about its heavy clutch and harsh ride, I'm yet to test ride one. Would definitely need more inputs from existing Duke owners as to how would it fare for a person like me who'd only ride in city traffic with negligible touring options.

Originally Posted by saket77

That would have been a very tough decision to make, especially when you so much liked the positives of the bike. But unfortunately, the equation between you two did not click. As per Added_Flavor's advice, do test ride the Duke (or whatever bike you chose) extensively for your riding conditions & comfort before plonking the big ones.

In fact, I was wondering that why not start a separate thread for choosing a bike that suits your needs. I am sure that the bikers on the forum can share a lot of information which will be relevant to you and to a lot of other people too.

Best of luck for your search.

Regards,
Saket

Thanks a lot Saket. I guess there are enough threads on 'what bike' already, so will try and see if I can hijack one

[VWikram]

An update - Have finally let go of my beloved CBR to a gentleman, who was kind enough to pay me the right price for it, he was extremely satisfied with his purchase and was worth every penny according to him, and me ofcourse .
My initial thought process was to go ahead and buy a used Duke 200, but lack of decent examples and also a little inflow of vitamin M helped me purchase a new Duke . Have been extremely comfortable with the riding position, haven't really been on longer rides on it yet but I'm sure it will not be a concern. Even my dad was at ease when he rode the Duke and agreed to the riding posture being more comfortable than the ceeber. It is basically due to the straight posture that you can maintain riding these, would really help if bikes come with an 'adjustable kit' which could help people, who over the course of time develop back issues and this kit would help them straighten their posture on their beloved rides and they can continue riding them.