Which bike to buy for a first bike?

[Sexy Lexy]

Hi my name is Alexa and Im interested in getting a motorbike.

My boyfriend has been teaching me how to ride and so far Ive just mucked around on a gl150 on a flat field and an old xl185 at the Ashley river. It was so much fun that I decided to go and find my own bike.

The two bikes im currently considering buying are the following.

Yamaha Zeal (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-222340693.htm)

and a

Kawasaki Ninja (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-222434569.htm)

What are the pros and cons of each bike and which would be best to learn to ride on the road on?

I want to do some open road riding and trips round the Port Hills etc.

Thankyou for your help.

[Spuds1234]

Help get her off the back of my bike and onto her own bike :scooter:

She's already got plenty of gear, Ive taken care of that. She will need to buy a helmet that fits though and perhaps a pair of boots if she wants to.

Aside from that shes already to buy a bike of her own :Punk:

[AllanB]

Alexa, my advice for any lady looking for a bike is get a Hayabusa - there is no way your butt will look large on that.

However between the two option you have posted I'd go the Kawasaki as I have little knowledge of the Zeal and the Kawa has a good record of reliability.

[DEATH_INC.]

Mmmm, hard call.
the zeal has no fairings but is a four, and is dearer, the gpx is cheaper, and a twin (easier to ride) but more plastic to break.
Just how much experience do you have? And how big are you (maybe that should be how tall :eek: ) and how far/long do you plan to ride it?

[Sexy Lexy]

Mmmm, hard call.
the zeal has no fairings but is a four, and is dearer, the gpx is cheaper, and a twin (easier to ride) but more plastic to break.
Just how much experience do you have? And how big are you (maybe that should be how tall :eek: ) and how far/long do you plan to ride it?

hey im about 5foot 1, im a shortass, i dont know how long i would have it, before changing it, but all i care about it is getting on one that i own, and having fun! ive got so excited about it that i have just decided i want one!... :woohoo:

[DEATH_INC.]

What about a RG/FXR 150? Good fun, light and easy to learn on, and relatively cheap to repair from any offs you may have.

[Spuds1234]

Im not to keen on her getting a 2 stroke because of the maintance costs. The FXR150 would be perfect but I thought parts were quite expensive because all the bucket racers were snapping them up.

That and Im not sure if she likes them.

Just asked her. She would ride a fxr150. How quickly do you reckon she would out grow it?

[CookMySock]

All the bikes listed here are completely different to look at, to listen to, and to ride. Really, the only way to tell is to spend some time in bike shops and sit on them and start them up, and see what appeals. Then ride a few of them (just in a carpark if you aren't confident on the road) and see how they feel.

Steve

[DEATH_INC.]

Fairly quickly. Depending on her size and how confident she is. I'd lean towards the rg myself, they are actually pretty low maintenance, not at all like a mx bike.

[DEATH_INC.]

All the bikes listed here are completely different to look at, to listen to, and to ride. Really, the only way to tell is to spend some time in bike shops and sit on them and start them up, and see what appeals. Then ride a few of them (just in a carpark if you aren't confident on the road) and see how they feel.

Steve
Yep, true. I'm just suggesting stuff that a really new, small built girl will be confident with, a GPX 250 is a big, heavy bike for someone that's only 5'1" and perhaps 50kg (ish?). There's nothing like a bike that's too much to put off a new rider....and you can always upgrade if she grows out of it.

[Pete.Viking]

I see the Yamaha Zeal you were looking at is about $4k, my choice for a learner bike for that kind of money would be something like this:

Kawasaki ZXR (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-223772095.htm)

If I had the cash I'd buy it, it seems to be in pretty top condition, they're fairly common for parts, it'll have a good re-sale value and they go hard coz in '89 they hadn't started messing around too much with restricting them, factory specs put them at 45hp but I'm a guy and all for the most bang for my buck, you may not be as interested in having something that goes quick. Apparently dry weight is 141kg, and seat height is 735mm so don't know how that'll go for size

[Sexy Lexy]

oh man, thanks guys! you all have great advice! i know i should start with something cheap and shit.. but i also want to be able to look at something and not get put off!.. i guess its a hard one since i don't really know much.. i just fell in love with a boy and his bike.... or maybe it was just the bike but i wont tell him that lol :banana:

[mynameis]

My boyfriend has been teaching me how to ride and so far Ive just mucked around



:lol:

Poor Boyfriend

:D

[Spuds1234]

i just fell in love with a boy and his bike.... or maybe it was just the bike but i wont tell him that lol :banana:

Must have been the bike. I definitely dont have a winning personality or a haircut to write home about.


:lol:

Poor Boyfriend

:D

To be honest I think is worse for her. I dont drive a car so she ends up driving me everywhere if we go anywhere together and she hates it.

[Metalor]

To be honest I think is worse for her. I dont drive a car so she ends up driving me everywhere if we go anywhere together and she hates it.


Got it sussed mate!!


Personally, I would recommend buying something you can have fun on but it's too "new" looking, because chances are you'll drop it at some stage in the learning game... most people do.

Once you get a bit of confidence up then start looking at something a little nicer til you can get your full.

Either that or just go and get a Hornet :p


I took a zeal out for a ride, really liked it the first time I rode it... then rode a bandit, then rode a HORNET. Hornet wins by FAR. Took another Zeal out for a test ride last week and I didn't like the feel of it as much as the first time. I guess that was probably from riding the Hornet, who knows.

Better "in between" option would be a bandit. A few chicks seem to have these, they are excellent bikes to learn on and have a good seating position.

The V series bandits are 45HP (according to the internet!) but I have heard that no one knows how to work on them... but that was from a bike salesman who was trying to sell me a non- v series bandit.


Anyway, I suggest taking a bandit for a ride :)

Oh, and that Zeal is expensive!

[Metalor]

This one's a bit cheaper than the Zeal. I'm guessing the guy would take a bit less for it.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-222071770.htm


Here's another:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-223752688.htm

[SARGE]

Hi my name is Alexa and Im interested in getting a motorbike.

My boyfriend has been teaching me how to ride and so far Ive just mucked around on a gl150 on a flat field and an old xl185 at the Ashley river. It was so much fun that I decided to go and find my own bike.

The two bikes im currently considering buying are the following.

Yamaha Zeal (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-222340693.htm)

and a

Kawasaki Ninja (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-222434569.htm)

What are the pros and cons of each bike and which would be best to learn to ride on the road on?

I want to do some open road riding and trips round the Port Hills etc.

Thankyou for your help.

hey lex

if your time in the saddle is limited .. go for the Zeal.. its a little more forgiving than the Ninja and WHEN (not if) you stack it up its cheaper to repair due to lack of plastics


good reliability on those normally too

[one fast tl1ooo]

Kawazaki's are a good all round reliable bike. so long as you can reach the ground, it really doesn't matter, within a year you should have a full licence and you can up-grade to something else.....

Have a great time out there and stay upright

[The Pastor]

Zeal is a brilliant bike, rg150, cbr150, cbr250, gpx250, gn250,tu250, scorpio, are all brilliant bikes, get the one that you like the look of most.

[Shaun S]

My ex was just over 5 foot herself and it was a big learning curve to find her the right bike. Its not just how tall you are, but how long your legs are too.:blink: The Zeal is a great little bike, pretty low seat that is not too thick! The FXR someone suggested was too tall for her – so it's important to sit on the bike and make sure you are comfortable with the amount of footing you have on it. The bandit, the hornet etc, forget about them, they will be too tall for you unless you undertake to lower them. (I would not recommend this unless you have a good mechanic who knows what he is doing).

Good luck.
Have fun.
Be safe.

[Danae]

I've only recently bought a Suzuki FXR 150 and I'm loving it so far!

[PirateJafa]

Why the hell has nobody suggested the VTR250? By a wiiiide margin the best unfaired learner bike out there.

[Danae]

why the hell has nobody suggested the vtr250? By a wiiiide margin the best unfaired learner bike out there.

v-twin powaaaarrrr!!!

[Spuds1234]

Why the hell has nobody suggested the VTR250? By a wiiiide margin the best unfaired learner bike out there.

Cos they are so bloody expensive. I believe her upper budget is around 4k. 3k is a much better price for anything I think.



v-twin powaaaarrrr!!!

Hell yea. I love my raptor. Love winding on the power in any gear.

[PirateJafa]

There's a silver VTR on TM at the moment in that very price range.

[Cheshire Cat]

why are 250 ninjas so popular?

[Sexy Lexy]

There's a silver VTR on TM at the moment in that very price range.

yea but is it in christchurch/canterbury?? since this is going to be my first bike, i would like to be able to sit on it and test it out to see if i like it?

[mister.koz]

why are 250 ninjas so popular?

Cause they push out allot of fast for not much cc's and they smile as they scream like an F1 car at 19,000 rpm :yes:



I started on a GN250 that cost me $1500 and was 90% dead ($600 to buy,$900 to resurect) then 4 months later went to the zxr250a and onwards.

Best advice is get something cheap and scrapable (i never binned any of my 250s but i was fortunate) and easy to control at low speeds so you can get used to the clutch, throttle and balance arguments (not zxr). I wouldn't spend much at all on a first time bike because you will outgrow it very quickly.

If you buy a cheap 250 and loose 1/2 on the resale you have gained wheels and knowledge and lost bugger all.

Your opinion of style, performance, handling etc etc will more than likely change as you go along, i always wanted a yama-harley like my dad (virago 1100) and now i am on a zx10r dad hates mine, i hate his..

Have fun learning! and try and learn about the mechanical side of things as you go, it helped me allot to know how the internals of the bike worked and know that if there was a problem i would be sweet.

PS, if you are looking for a bike to keep for a while, my vote is on the vtr 250 - they have a good riding position, they are nimble in the steering, they have smooth power and brakes, they have enough nuts to get you places in ok times and not so much that you are terrified all day. Honda's are also cheap to look after and fix.

[Sexy Lexy]

yea most people are saying start with something cheap and shitty, dont matter what happens to them... so just looking at ones that are just road worthy, that way it wont matter if i knock it around abit... really need to stop getting ahead of myself with flashy pretty bikes, but its hard when ya wanna be seen on a flash bike, rather than a shit box bike lol.

[mister.koz]

yea most people are saying start with something cheap and shitty, dont matter what happens to them... so just looking at ones that are just road worthy, that way it wont matter if i knock it around abit... really need to stop getting ahead of myself with flashy pretty bikes, but its hard when ya wanna be seen on a flash bike, rather than a shit box bike lol.

Yeah fair call, but its only a temporary thing :) i would worry more about paying heaps of cash for something that wont last long than binning it :)

[PirateJafa]

yea most people are saying start with something cheap and shitty, dont matter what happens to them... so just looking at ones that are just road worthy, that way it wont matter if i knock it around abit... really need to stop getting ahead of myself with flashy pretty bikes, but its hard when ya wanna be seen on a flash bike, rather than a shit box bike lol.

Don't be silly - you don't *have* to drop your bike while learning. And the good thing about naked bikes is that they can often take a lot of drops with very little damage!

If a bike you're interested in isn't in your area, just drop into a dealer that's selling the same thing, and have a sit/testride. I don't recall them changing the design much so should be about the same - then just get a KBer in the area to check it out condition-wise. :)

[Shaun S]

Why the hell has nobody suggested the VTR250? By a wiiiide margin the best unfaired learner bike out there.Because she is just over 5 foot tall mate, think!

[PirateJafa]

Doesn't matter until you stop.

[Shaun S]

Doesn't matter until you stop.For a learner? Right!

Yes it's damn good looking, in fact one of the best6 250's out there, but not for a vertically challenged learner. Trust me I have been through this with me ex.

Go for the Zeal.

[Danae]

Doesn't matter until you stop.

Well then, don't ever stop! :rockon:

[rachprice]

If your legs are long the height should be less of an issue

I reckon the RG150...they are awesome little bikes that you wont grow out of as quickly as some others, but then I have a not so secret obsession with 2 strokes haha. They arent actually that hard to maintain, not nearly as bad as the 250 strokes

[Dave-]

ALEXA ON A MOTORBIKE! AWESOME!

GET A ZXR250C!!!!

ok maybe not, but I wouldn't recommend an fxr150, you'll get bored of it quick, I'd say honda hornet but they seem quite expensive, so the yamaha zeal seems pretty good.

[Spuds1234]

Im trying to push her towards a zeal (if she can strech the budget or get one cheap). Otherwise I reckon a GN or FXR would be good.

I think it would be awhile before she out grew it. And besides if she got a FXR when she did out grow it, I could buy a "used" bike for bugger all and turn it into a bucket.

[Spuds1234]

Sorry the GN I think she would out grow quickly and I would rather see her on a FXR.

[Sexy Lexy]

ALEXA ON A MOTORBIKE! AWESOME!.

yea bro. you can thank Alex for that lol

[Sexy Lexy]

ALEXA ON A MOTORBIKE! AWESOME!

always knew he was good for something lol :buggerd:

haha he knows i only kid :innocent:

[Gareth123]

What about a virago?

[Dave-]

What about a virago?

what about getting your missus on 2 wheels?

[Indiana_Jones]

How tall is the young lady?

If she's on the short side she'll have a bit of trouble keeping the bike up while stationary.

Just a thought

-Indy

[sil3nt]

Get the GPX!!!

Cheap as chips
Comfortable
Easy to learn on
Fast enough for learner
Very easy to maintain yourself


Seriously go the old school ninja you won't regret it :yes:

[NDORFN]

Get the GPX!!!

Cheap as chips
Comfortable
Easy to learn on
Fast enough for learner
Very easy to maintain yourself


Seriously go the old school ninja you won't regret it :yes:

And if you can ride one you can ride anything!

[Spuds1234]

Went and saw this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=224636594) bike today and really liked it. Its done just shy of 10000kms but it hasnt had a service and has an intermitent problem of a dying engine when its cold (it stalls without choke if you wind on the power to fast).

It has been dropped on the right side, the left side is good. The bike will need a service.

What is a good price for it? The guy wants 2.5, is it worth this?

[Indiana_Jones]

Went and saw this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=224636594) bike today and really liked it. Its done just shy of 10000kms but it hasnt had a service and has an intermitent problem of a dying engine when its cold (it stalls without choke if you wind on the power to fast).

It has been dropped on the right side, the left side is good. The bike will need a service.

What is a good price for it? The guy wants 2.5, is it worth this?

I would pay $2500 for one that has a working engine, a bit of cosmetic damage is expected though

-Indy

[Dave-]

Went and saw this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=224636594) bike today and really liked it. Its done just shy of 10000kms but it hasnt had a service and has an intermitent problem of a dying engine when its cold (it stalls without choke if you wind on the power to fast).

It has been dropped on the right side, the left side is good. The bike will need a service.

What is a good price for it? The guy wants 2.5, is it worth this?

my fxr was doing that the other night, nothing a bit of ether didn't fix!

we put it down to the dirty spark plug and the -1 air temperature

although my fxr doesn't resemble an fxr much anymore :D

[mister.koz]

Went and saw this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=224636594) bike today and really liked it. Its done just shy of 10000kms but it hasnt had a service and has an intermitent problem of a dying engine when its cold (it stalls without choke if you wind on the power to fast).

It has been dropped on the right side, the left side is good. The bike will need a service.

What is a good price for it? The guy wants 2.5, is it worth this?

Thats kinda typical of the smaller cc bikes when its cold, you should always warm the bike up quite a bit before riding off, its better for the engine and it responds and performs more consistently.

My 10 surges and lurches if its not been warmed up first :pinch: only takes a few minutes - enough time for a ciggy :)

Looks like a good bike, do you have any mechanic/rider friends who could take it for a bash and give you the yay or nay mechanically?

[Sexy Lexy]

i think ill get it, just not sure if it was worth $2500, or maybe i could get it for a little less? but im pretty keen on it.

[Sexy Lexy]

Just got off the phone with the guy. Got the bike for 2200. Pay for it and pick it up on Wednesday night. Might have to take it into the maintance evening to show it off though. Will be a late night I suspect.

Cant wait:2thumbsup

[Bow-Down]

09 Kawasaki Ninja 250r is perfect

[Jonno.]

Good choice. Good bike with a good resell. I the whole 'grow out' thing doesn't happen that fast, FXRs can cruise at 120 easily and lane splitting is a joke. The only things are stock tires are shit and speedo reads 5-10k fast.

[Sexy Lexy]

I JUST GOT MY FXR150!! YAY!! now i have to get my licence and ill be terrorising the chch streets soon enough!!:scooter:

[FROSTY]

Hey folks--give the carb a huck out ,replace the plug and make sure its got a decent front tyre--otherwise have fun

[Spuds1234]

Carbs, plug, and oil + filter definitely need doing. Otherwise the rubber is really good. I think I could have easily done a stoppie on the way home had I wanted to.