Good learner bikes.

[MorphingDragon]

Hi Guys :2thumbsup

Now I'm gonna pretend I know stuff so fell free to correct me.

I just did the practical certificate and gonna do the theory for my learners soon. But I usually go to my Uncle for this stuff but hes disappeared off the face of the earth.

What are some good learner bikes from within the $5k price range? I would like a sports style bike as I like the seating better. But the only one above 200cc that I know of is the Ninja and thats far too expensive, even second hand. I was thinking of the Scorpio Z as its $4k brand new and 225cc!

Please no random chinese bikes. :sweatdrop

[EJK]

Second hand with very low kms Scorpios are preety cheaper than $4500 brand new. You can go for that if you want. Save some cash and get a new phone/shirt/shoes/iPod etc.
But the problem is, Scorpio ain't very sporty. It looks great but it's not very fast (I owned one for a few months, it was my first bike). You will eventually get tired of it's power.

You may also consider:
Honda VTR250
Honda CBR250
or maybe a Hyosung GT250
or a Kawasaki GPX250 (not a bad bike)

P.S. Welcome to Kiwibiker :)

[McJim]

Wow - the choice.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-232787308.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-227485875.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-250470616.htm

Honda Naked: VTR250 CB250 Hornet 250, Spada 250
Honda Faired: CBR250 NSR250 (not reccommended for learners as it's a 2T)
Kawasaki Naked: Balius 250
Kawasaki Faired: ZXR250, GPX250
Suzuki Naked: Bandit 250
Suzuki Faired: GSX250 (twin cyl) GSXR250 (4 cyl) RG150 (faster than a lot of 250s coz it's a 2T)
Yamaha Naked: Scorpio 225, Zeal 250
Yamaha Faired: YZF250 TZR250 (I think)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head though....sorry it's so few

[MorphingDragon]

Second hand with very low kms Scorpios are preety cheaper than $4500 brand new. You can go for that if you want. Save some cash and get a new phone/shirt/shoes/iPod etc.
But the problem is, Scorpio ain't very sporty. It looks great but it's not very fast (I owned one for a few months, it was my first bike). You will eventually get tired of it's power.

You may also consider:
Honda VTR250
Honda CBR250
or maybe a Hyosung GT250
or a Kawasaki GPX250 (not a bad bike)

Your Avatar scares me. :crazy:

I though it wouldn't have a lot of power. I can source the scorpio for about $1.5k with maybe with a little fixing.

---

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...-250470616.htm

That ones older than Me!

[JimO]

Wow - the choice.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-232787308.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-227485875.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-250470616.htm

she knows what she's talking about

[EJK]

Your Avatar scares me. :crazy:

---

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...-250470616.htm

That ones older than Me!



<img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img>
<img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img>
<img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/@AV-wtf.gif"></img>


Wow you are quite young! :-)

[McJim]

she knows what she's talking about

Get a perm

[Hopeful Bastard]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=250502597
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=250186737
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-250436596.htm
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-248555477.htm


Just a couple i was looking at before i bought my bandit..

The guy i was talking too said that these were good choices for a learner too

[MorphingDragon]

Wow - the choice.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-232787308.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-227485875.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-250470616.htm

Honda Naked: VTR250 CB250 Hornet 250, Spada 250
Honda Faired: CBR250 NSR250 (not reccommended for learners as it's a 2T)
Kawasaki Naked: Balius 250
Kawasaki Faired: ZXR250, GPX250
Suzuki Naked: Bandit 250
Suzuki Faired: GSX250 (twin cyl) GSXR250 (4 cyl) RG150 (faster than a lot of 250s coz it's a 2T)
Yamaha Naked: Scorpio 225, Zeal 250
Yamaha Faired: YZF250 TZR250 (I think)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head though....sorry it's so few

Wow, thanks! I never expected to be bombarded with info! :2thumbsup Now its just up to what I like the look of best. (Oh and what I can get a hold of) :wacko:


Wow you are quite young! :-)

Its never too soon to ride. :whistle:

I did some off-road when I was like 13. I'm 17 now 8D. I should've gotten my bike sooner, the ACC levy sucks. It takes two people to crash! :girlfight: You and the other driver, or the civil engineer that put that pole there! :sweatdrop

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Does $200 seem too cheap for a full face helmet?

[monkeymcbean]

Out of you budget factor in some non complusory protective bike jacket pants gloves...:2thumbsup

[MorphingDragon]

Out of you budget factor in some non complusory protective bike jacket pants gloves...:2thumbsup

Stuff like that wasn't part of the bike budget. :whistle: More like the student essentials. ;)

[EJK]

My first helmet was $95. It's just abit heavier and uglier than Arai or Shoei :)
Well you should get some protective bike gears too, they don't just look cool but they can save you from crashes!

Just imagine your skin will be like a butter spreading on a hot toast when you go down at even around 50kph. :pinch:

[MorphingDragon]

My first helmet was $95. It's just abit heavier and uglier than Arai or Shoei :)
Well you should get some protective bike gears too, they don't just look cool but they can save you from crashes!

Just imagine your skin will be like a butter spreading on a hot toast when you go down at even around 50kph. :pinch:

Crashing and bailing on gravel brings back painful memories. I have a scar on my wrist form the burns of the exhaust.

I was looking at teknics steel mesh gloves. Would carbon fiber be worth the extra money?

Any advantage wearing boots?
http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1077&cat=Road+%3A+Gloves+%3A+Teknic+

I was looking at the Nitro 750 for the helmet.
http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=811&cat=Road+%3A+Helmet+%3A+Nitro

[EJK]

Not a bad helmet, looks cool :)

Re: Advantage on wearing boots.

There was an article about (forgot the stats) some % of motorcycle accidents in England ended up ankle being amputated. The percentage was preety high!

[monkeymcbean]

Crashing and bailing on gravel brings back painful memories. I have a scar on my wrist form the burns of the exhaust.

I was looking at teknics steel mesh gloves. Would carbon fiber be worth the extra money?

Any advantage wearing boots?
http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1077&cat=Road+%3A+Gloves+%3A+Teknic+

I was looking at the Nitro 750 for the helmet.
http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=811&cat=Road+%3A+Helmet+%3A+Nitro

Yes, I remember comming off a bike in Thailand, riding pillion my husband at the helm, slipped out on some standing oil, this is a few years ago now and the fashion at the time was muslum pants, hippy period!
Anyway we were wearing those type of pants on the bike that day :eek5: I think we leviatated ...as only hippies could do... and came to rest at the edge of the road, probably a 50c size piece of road rash between us :whistle: Lucky thats all.

Your choice of gear or those items you like look great, my first helmet was cheaper than the Nitro but was rather heavy and at the time did not know any better. I have a mid priced Shoei which is nice and light, little better on the neck muscles.
Nice gloves, good to have a wrist strap to hold them in place, firm.

[Laxi]

Not a bad helmet, looks cool :)

Re: Advantage on wearing boots.

There was an article about (forgot the stats) some % of motorcycle accidents in England ended up ankle being amputated. The percentage was preety high!
hands and feet are the most common injury to a rider even in a minor off, so yeah gloves, and boots minimum, this is the damage to a mates helmet at under 50kph
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/picture.php?albumid=1596&pictureid=33402

[MorphingDragon]

hands and feet are the most common injury to a rider even in a minor off, so yeah gloves, and boots minimum, this is the damage to a mates helmet at under 50kph
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/picture.php?albumid=1596&pictureid=33402

Ahh, tarmac roads.

[Laxi]

Ahh, tarmac roads.

another hint that I found out too late:argh: delete the BB code when you quote or the mods will give you an infringement

[TygerTung]

Best would be a CG125, they are real cheap, they crash well, which is quite a consideration as most learner riders will drop their bike at least once, and since it doesn't have too much power it will teach you better riding skills as you must compensate for lack of power with good riding.

Is easier to handle as it is very light (96kg) and is much better though the twisty stuff and around town through traffic etc.

[marine0089]

You can pick up a second hand ninja for <5k.

I got my GPX for 4k. Left me with 1k for gear (which didn't last nearly long enough :crybaby:)

[Rayray401]

mm..go for the CBR if you want sport, you should be able to get a second hand one under 5k easy. and def go for gloves and boots, first time i came off, i lost one sneaker, and two really badly spranged and bruised ankles (lucky nothing was broken)

[sil3nt]

If i had $5k to spend on a sports bike i would buy a yamaha FZR 250 like this one http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=251297908

Every man and his dog has the CBR and ZXR and i reckon the FZR looks much better!

[retro asian]

Get a VL250, it's way cooler looking than any of the above bikes :bleh:

My VL250 was parked next to Gubb's Street Triple, and a member of the public said my bike looks much faster than the Triumph :blink:


I just happen to be selling one for around $5000 too :innocent:
It's only a year old, has about a year's dealer warranty left on it.
(click on link in my signature for more details)

[centaurus]

If it's just for commuting, get an xr250 - bullet proof, light bike, cheap to buy, run and repair if you drop (no fairings). However, if you're doing motorways, I would recommend a kawasaki gpx250. It's pretty much the same bike as the ninja250, just that in 2008 they redesigned the fairings and did minor tweaks and called it a ninja.

A little more than a year ago I bought a 2007 kawasaki gpx250 with very low ks (and it was still in warranty) and I have never regreted my decision. As a beginner bike it was brilliant.

Pros:
- you can still find rather new bikes out there (read: low ks, good condition)
- forgiving to ride, not too gutless but not too much torque to get you into trouble as a beginner and good handling
- good motorway speed (can do constant 140kph easily and it could climb higher is you want to)
- good reliability.
- being second hand you can find them at decent prices

Cons:
- has fairings (i.e. more expensive to fix if you drop it)
- if you are tall (1.8m or more) it can become unconfortable when touring (but then again almost all 250s would have this problem)
- It's not as pretty as some other 250s out there.

[marine0089]

It's not as pretty as some other 250s out there.

LIES! Mines the pruuttiest bike around.

...ok so maybe it's been dropped once which scrapped the fairings and exhaust on the rhs which has also caused it to go a bit rusty but hey, it's all in the eyes of the beholder isn't it? :sweatdrop

But honestly, the GPX is a solid learner bike. The wind does have a tendency to throw you around a bit (especially the Wellington winds!) but you'll get that with most of the light 250s. Ya learn to just go with it and is often makes the ride more fun.

[Leseid]

Dad and I went halves in a CBR 125 R for $4000 only had 400 km on it. We've put 8000 km on it now 5 months onwards. It has such a small amount of power you don't even bother trying to pass cars at the higher speeds. So I've learn't now to back of and just enjoy riding, which I think now will my biggest safety feature. It's been quite enjoyable owning a bike from near new and doing all the servicing for it. As a leaner I really think the best way to learn is just to put in the kilometers and have fun exploring eyes up.

Also ride in full gear just encase.