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Cakky
30th October 2003, 18:42
Hey guys, Im 17 and hopefully after the holidays ( which I'll be working bloody hard! :argh: ) Im looking at buying a motorbike, but not quite sure on what would be a good bike to start on.

My price range will be around $800-$1300 which I think I can most likely pick up something decent second hand ( of course under 250 ) . Learning to ride shouldn't be a problem, my dad rode motorbikes all through his life but now drag races a volvo of all things... lol.

What would you guys suggest would be a good bike to start on for this price range. I was thinking of
Suzuki GN250 or
Suzuki RGV150 ( probably out of my price range ).
Anything else you could suggest?

Sorry if this topic has already been done! :Oops:

Thanks,
Matt ( cakky )

Jackrat
30th October 2003, 19:17
Mat,welcome to the real world.
The GN is a good bike for your needs,I don,t know much about the current line up of small bikes but I think if you buy a comuter type instead of a sports type you will get better resale.
I have used Suzuki AC100s for work transport a few times,cheap to buy super reliable and eazy to sell on.
Good luck,

MikeL
30th October 2003, 20:27
Make Andrew an offer for his RGV150. He's been trying to sell it for quite a while now, and he must be getting pretty desperate. :Oops: Sorry Andrew, j/k.
Seriously, the RGV150 is a pretty capable bike for its size - Andrew has done the Coromandel loop on his at quite a respectable pace. Easy to ride, cheap to run and lots of fun. I had one when I first got back on a bike after many years out of the saddle. Not sure if you could pick one up for the sort of money you're talking about, though (unless you're very lucky, or the seller is really desperate...)
Hey Andrew...:p

Motoracer
30th October 2003, 20:29
The GN125 served me very well. Great all rounder...well not no more but heaps of fun when you are in the learner stages. When my bro was giving me my very first lesson (him on the back seat), I gave it some gass and drop the clutch (accidently) and up came the front wheel and down went my bro...:Oops:

What a way to start eh...lol, but it was all good fun. Stay safe out there dude and have fun with what ever bike your gonna choose. I'd recomend:

Suzuki GN 125
Suzuki GN 250
Suzuki GSX 250
Yamaha SR 250
Yamaha SRX 250
Honda VT 250
Honda CB 250
Honda CD 250

Or if you are lucky you might find a crash damaged (cosmetically) sports 250 like. Suzuki GSXR-250 or Yamaha FZR-250 or Kawasaki ZXR 250.

130wide
30th October 2003, 20:35
Have a think about a road regoed dirt bike, DR200 XT250 type, these should be in your price range.
My brother and I started off on these types while at school and you get a good feel for both road and dirt riding.

k14
30th October 2003, 20:37
Yeah, ive had the vt since the start of the year and that is my first bike.

It is a really awesome bike for learning on. Heaps of power, easy to ride and really forgiving. Virtually no maintenance, as opposed to the RGV, probably not the best first bike as it's a 2 stroke.

Im goin to upgrade to a cbr250rr soon and will be selling mine. Riding back home to new plymouth in 2 weeks. Should be fun :D

Motoracer
30th October 2003, 20:42
Hmmm.... not that I have checked the market for them recently but when I wanted a road regod dirt bike badly (dreams of makeing a super moto), nothing was available below 2000. This was couple of years back.

I dunno whats the case now. Might pay to check I guess. Dirt bikes are probably twice the fun. Places you can explore just gets multiplied. And there isn't an easier/better way to learn wheelies:niceone:

Marmoot
30th October 2003, 21:20
CBR250 is not too bad.
I've seen some people do CBR250 from feck-all riding skill (e.g. can't even change gears) to master of the hills on that bike.

But, for a note, you'll have to exercise extreme self-control, otherwise you'll die young. That small bike is VERY potent despite its easiness to ride.

Then again, of course it's not as easy as the GN or CBs.

Andrew
30th October 2003, 21:25
Hey dude, I would let my RGV 150 go for $1300. Its done 25000km's. Has a brand new rear pirelli tyre. Has a WOF until Oct 2004 and REGO until the New Year. Its in top conditon both cosmetically and mechancially.

An issue is that I'm in Auckland and ur in Wellington. Now delivery could happen 1 of 2 ways:

1)You arrage transport from Auckland to Wellington

2)I would ride it down to Wellington as long as you folks could put me up for a night and pay for my flight back to Auckland. I just had a quick check for flight prices and it seems to be around $75 for early booking.

Lastly, if you do decide to buy the bike then it would have to be no later than 15th Dec, as i could easily sell it in Auckland within that time. See what ya think and your old man thinks.
Cheers
Andrew

Kwaka-Kid
30th October 2003, 21:33
soo many models borught into it now.

the ones i wil lswear by are Suzuki GN250, old, cheap as fuck, MILLIONS OF BITS AROUND... but if thats what you want... but with a bit better styling (or lots better if you ask me) and slitghly better performance.. get a Honda CB250RS... make sure its the RS and not the T as they are the twin (can tell by headers being like 12inchs apart not 6 odd) but the CB250 did me great! old, cheap, if stuff bombs out, there are so many spares, hell if you binned it and talked to me nicely im sure i have a tank somwhere, about 6 CB250 rims (one with a slick i think) about 20 carb's that will line up (put anything on them, heh i remember my XL125 with GN250 carby) exhausts (got some trampolene frame pipe?) shit man, the list goes on and on, and lots of people have this sorta junk just locked up in the far back garage etc, real common crap, but crap that will get you to work and back aswell as learn to ride with some pace in weekends (but everything changes when u get off the crossply ChengShins).    whatever you do just get out there, dont be put off by anything, and enjoy life on 2 wheels.

jrandom
31st October 2003, 09:20
Cakky, you've done your research well, good man.

I'm in agreement with KK about the GN250 there. Lovely little bike, goes forever, nice soft-tuned single pot engine, you probably won't crash on it, and you'll enjoy it. They had one up at Cyclespot, about 30000 kms, for $1500 recently. I took it for a thrash, just because. It was a hoot. You should be able to find one in your price range without too much trouble. Dunno if you'd find a CB250RS in that range though.

However the RGV150 is a quick little bike if you don't mind 2-smokes and you'll be able to get into the whole sportriding thing. You'll likely bin it in a fast corner within six months :D but Andrew's price is damn good so if you like the idea and don't mind the teenie-weenie bike thing you should buy it. Although if you've only just got your learner license a ride from Wellington to Auckland on a 150 would be an interesting experience, to say the least! You might do better to find a mate who'll ride it up for you.

You're not going to get one of the quick four-stroke sports 250s (CBR, ZXR, etc) for that kind of money so just forget about it.

And remember to invest in some decent protective gear - there's a few threads on here about good places to find secondhand leathers and all that IIRC. You don't need a brand-new Spidi touring suit but you *will* want something that'll keep your skin on when you chuck the bike down the road. HJC helmets are damn good for the price, if you can't afford Shoei or Arai, try HJC on before you go with any of the other 'budget' brands, and DON'T BUY A SECONDHAND LID!

Thus endeth the wisdom of jrandom :p

Cakky
31st October 2003, 10:29
Hey guys,

Andrew, that sounds like an awesome offer, but theres not much chance of me getting that kind of money before that date as I have a job that spans over the school holidays and I wont start working until my exams etc are over. Transport wouldnt be a problem as my dads company has overnight swaps every day of the week from Wellington to Auckland.

From what I've heard, once I've got the money I think Ill start looking for a Suzuki GN250. For the fact that they're relatively cheap and if I buy one I'll have some money left over to buy jacket, helmet etc. One of my mates has one and he said its a great bike to ride and nice and easy to learn on.

I was thinking about buying a cheap car but I've decided to go two wheels instead for the pure thrill :rockon: ( also because your mates wont start bugging you for rides and you can always get one chick on the back! :D ) .

Thanks for your help guys!
Matt

Motoracer
31st October 2003, 11:15
Originally posted by Cakky
(also because your mates wont start bugging you for rides and you can always get one chick on the back! :D ) .


Car full of chicks is fun as well :D

Yarg
31st October 2003, 11:20
I would suggest you borrow the money and grab the RGV that Andrew is selling. I leant my 17yr son the money to get his RGV and he has not looked back. Much more bang for ya buck.

I think you would soon get sick of a GN.

my .02 worth.:niceone:

Car Dodger
31st October 2003, 12:22
Hi I may be off topic by now, but I had a Honda GL100 to learn on and it was awsome, tought me how to manage the road with ample power, plus very easy to work on and learn the basics of bike repair. Had a GN 250 & VT 250 also. found the GL reliable but very bouncy on cornering. The VT was great for long distance.
Also had a GSXR 250 awsome power, nice handling but fairly high maintance. You can get some very powerful 250's these days.

wkid_one
31st October 2003, 12:29
I agree with Yarg - the GN is a nice bike to ride, but hardly inspiring

wkid_one
31st October 2003, 12:41
Blow the budget and go RS250

Motoracer
31st October 2003, 12:54
Originally posted by Car Dodger
Also had a GSXR 250 awsome power, nice handling but fairly high maintance.

You can say that again! That cunt of a bike (GSXR-250) sucked about 1500 dollars out of my poket in the 6months of being under my possestion. No matter what I did, it always ran on 3 cylinders after a few days of comming out of the workshop! Me ringing the nuts of it at 20,000 RPM prolly had something to do with it. :o

MrMelon
31st October 2003, 13:02
I did a 1 day license handling skills course on a gn250, and was wanting more power by the end of the day :(

But it depends what you want.. if you've got some restraint i'd go for one of the sportier 250's (zxr250/cbr250/fzr250), and take it easy for a month or so while you get the hang of it, but then you'll have a bike that will be quick enough for you to keep for the duration of your restricted licence, and you shouldn't get bored with it like I'd say you would with something like a gn250.

I just got a tzr250 as a first bike a couple of months ago, and it's still quick and fun enough to keep me happy for a long time yet, but it wasn't difficult to learn on at all either. Just gotta remember not to get yourself into situations that you're not ready to handle.

One of the guys from work was selling his zxr250 for $1k a while ago, and i've seen some other ones that look a bit rough, but are mechanically fine going for around $1k too.

Car Dodger
31st October 2003, 13:14
My favourite learner bike was the VT or VTR 250 I cant remember which it was anymore, but it had the red seat with black fearings.
sorry long time ago now. She was easy to work on, hard working, quick, relaxed when you wanted to cruze and sharpe looking. Of all the bikes I have owned I had the least hassels with this one, I think it was a mid 80s model. Not those silly looking pink or blue ones you see around these days, not that they would be much different just in look.
Maybe someone out there can remember the bike ( I was doing alot of drugs those days) still am.:rockon:

marty
31st October 2003, 13:18
yeah wkid - how come the RS didn't make the list of learner bikes??? it rides like a scooter around town ( a pretty fast scooter admittedley), looks cool, and pretty much keeps up with everything anywhere else. the perfect bike i reckon!

k14
31st October 2003, 16:19
This what u mean dodger? Highly recommended!!

Had no problems since i've had it and i've done about 5k-6k kms on it.

fritter
31st October 2003, 16:28
I agree with Yarg and Wkid.

My first bike was a ninja 250. Thought it was great bike for a couple of months - but wasn't too happy with the lack of power once I learnt to ride.

Since then I have known a few people who bought TZR's, RGV's etc as their first bikes - they have all been more than happy. Of course they are all fairly performance minded people, rather than commuters... so if you prefer to sit upright and cruise, then obviously a race oriented bike isn't for you.

It's just a case of learning how much power you can use and where. As long as you are sensible you won't have a problem.

As far as lastability goes, I don't know many people who don't still enjoy a blat on a 250 two stroke :niceone:

k14
31st October 2003, 16:34
Those were my sentiments excatly, untill my mates nsr siezed goin 120kph round a corner.

High side over the fence into the paddock on the side of the road. Not a good site.

I would have to be bribed with a fair amount of money to ride a 2 stroke even once let along buy one as a commuter.

Car Dodger
31st October 2003, 17:34
Originally posted by k14
This what u mean dodger? Highly recommended!!

Had no problems since i've had it and i've done about 5k-6k kms on it.

Thats the one, wow good to see it again, but I think mine was a a model before it.:eek:

k14
31st October 2003, 19:08
A bit more like this?

Redstar
31st October 2003, 20:53
RGV250 has got to be the first bike of the ne millienium I so wish they had them when I was a lad! if you keep it polished it will last you but be aware that the fairing is worth more than the Bike!

riffer
31st October 2003, 21:31
There's an RZ250 for sale on Trademe:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Road-bikes/0001-0026-1255-1285-/auction-6748427.htm

He says he wants 1495 ono. Might be worth looking at...

Cakky
1st November 2003, 10:20
Hmmmm so much to choose from :D

I think in the end, its more than likely going to come down to what my budget can afford :(

Hopefully though I might be able to make that a bit more by conning more work out of my boss over the holidays and also my mate said he'd likely have some catering work at functions at night times coming up towards christmas time.

So till then, I better get me head buried and start doing some research!

Thanks once again for the help and Im sure it will aid me towards finding the bike that suits me :)

Marmoot
1st November 2003, 10:25
Also, if you are a testosterone-ladden 17 year-old, it is not a good idea to buy cbr/zxr.

Plus, I don't recommend Bandit250 at all. I've seen too many crashes involving rookie on bandit250, including 1 fatality. I suspect the brake on that bike is not up to it. I might be wrong, though.

fritter
1st November 2003, 11:38
I reckon the best thing you can do is test ride as many as possible (the shops are pretty happy for you to take a few test rides normally) - whether you intend to buy them or not, you'll at least get a better idea of what each kind of bike acts like, what you find most comfortable etc etc.

wkid_one
1st November 2003, 15:07
Originally posted by Marmoot
Also, if you are a testosterone-ladden 17 year-old, it is not a good idea to buy cbr/zxr.

Plus, I don't recommend Bandit250 at all. I've seen too many crashes involving rookie on bandit250, including 1 fatality. I suspect the brake on that bike is not up to it. I might be wrong, though.

I learned to ride on a Bandit 250 - with the 'VTEC' equivilent - went like a robbers dog - great little bike to learn on.  It is a big 250, no fairing (for the odd off), revy, and low maintenance....

Car Dodger
3rd November 2003, 09:02
Originally posted by k14
A bit more like this?

Exactly LIKE THAT!! Choice one dude Im using it as wallpaper, reminds me of the good Ol dayz.:2thumbsup

aff-man
3rd November 2003, 12:12
Man k14 that is my exact learners bike except mine was the special edition one. Great learners bike and really really forgiving if you screw up. The only problem i had was when the crank went and i got the word that those older bikes engines are a bit suspect. But it was great to learn on now i have the zxr250 and After thinking back i would have got myself into soooooooo much trouble if i had started on this bike. Fully recomend the v-twin 250's nice putt around ability and great power through and out of corners. :2thumbsup

k14
3rd November 2003, 17:18
Yeah, i agree, the VT's are awesome bikes. Mine has done 87000kms but had a full rebuild at 65000kms, so there isnt anything wrong with it.

Had it since february, but am upgrading to a MC22 CBR250RR in december, cant wait.

Driving up home to New Plymouth from Christchurch next week, so i hope the VT holds out the distance. Havent taken it more than 50km out of the city yet. Should be fun.

curious george
3rd November 2003, 19:08
If your budget is that tight, the RG may not be a good idea.
Hell of a lot less efficient than GN250, and need oil too.
Then, if you can buy one at that price, what is the barrel/piston like? might be quite expensive.
Go GN, save up for the bike you really want.
In the meantime, thrash the nuts off it and have fun! When you do have enough to buy a decent bike, you've got a nail to ride in the rain and to work. And nobody will pinch it. Insurance cheaper too...:2thumbsup

aff-man
4th November 2003, 09:16
K14 the vt holds up pretty good on the long km side. Went on many a 200 to 300 km ride on it and it was going hard all the way. Maybe a newer vtr would be a good idea for a new bike. Havn't ridden one but have heard many good things.:2thumbsup

Coldkiwi
4th November 2003, 17:32
Originally posted by aff-man
But it was great to learn on now i have the zxr250 and After thinking back i would have got myself into soooooooo much trouble if i had started on this bike.

*thinks back* yeah... thats right....and now that Aff-mans got the ZXR, he's trouble free! eh aff man :D

(sorry dude, couldn't resist.. of course, my records dubious too which I'll admit!)

 

aff-man
4th November 2003, 22:11
Okay okay i may and i say may have dropped bike a few times but who has written on off???????????????? heheheh couldn't resist. And that is another thing a noticed about the vt's good solid bike that will jump back on it's feet without to much trouble :Oops: :Oops:

k14
5th November 2003, 08:22
Yeah, after yesterday, the total drop count has increased to 4 :angry2:

Just getting them all out of the way before i get my cbr.

But i havent done any damage at all on the fairings when i have dropped it. Just some scratches to the levers and the wong mirrors.

This is a good thing, cause i can guarantee that you will drop your first bike atleast once (or 4 like me :) )