First Thread, GN250?

[Twig]

Hi there, first thread so here goes!

I've just past my learners and am starting to look around for my first bike! I've had the Suzuki GN250 recommended to me by a friend. He said they are one of the best bikes to learn on, as they are really easy to ride and don't cost that much. Is this the case or is it just down to personal opinion?

Any advice would be a great help!

[surfchick]

drive a mix of types of bike before you buy (a road bike, a cruiser style etc)- instead of buying first like me and wondering about it later- definitely check what people say in this forum- i think Gn's seem to be a sound 1st bike (a safe bet), but you might be able to score one that's more fun and a bit speedier...

[Joni]

Hi Newbie!!
Welcome to KB... :niceone:

I suppose it is up to persoanl taste, however I have never really heard anything bad about the GN... they are very popular bikes... Storm has a pretty new one, why dont you PM him if you have any questions, I am sure he will be more than willing to answer them.

Be safe out there :ride:

[woody68]

This one comes up alot.
Best thing to do is go through the Motorcycle Trader and pick say 10 or more bikes you like the looks of then go to your local dealers and ride them all. :ride:
Make it a good ride on them not just around the block.
If they complain about the lenght of your ride take your money some where else,you need a good 20,30 minites on each bike to give you a bit of a feeling of the bike. :D
You want to get a bike that will see you through the licence process ,you dont want to have to get a second 250 because you wiil grow out of them as you get more expirecened.
most people go to a 400 or 600 as soon as they can. :niceone:

You may be able to get one of the KBers to have a look at the bike you think is the one you want the most. :mobile:

Theres a lot of guys and gals on here that would like to help if they can, we've been down this road and know the pitfulls. :Punk:

[Twig]

Thanks for the advice!
Is buying a bike off a shop a safer bet than a privite sale?

[Sutage]

Most shops will give you a warranty, Red Baron gives 3mths/3000ks on learners.

Also a shop wont sell you a piece of shit because they have a reputation to maintain, if word gets around you got a lemon, they aint gonna sell too many more bikes, where as private sale if it shits out they aint gonna care i dont think.

Im looking for my first bike and definately gonna buy from a shop, even though it costs more i think its worth it until i know what to look for when looking privately.

Oh also a shop will give you discount on gear if you buy the bike from them.

[Storm]

As Joni said, feel free to ask about mine. Personally I would go with a shop, as that way generally you get a warranty and they give it a once over for you.
Now finding a good bike shop, thats the hard bit

[Jeremy]

If you buy from the shop then you can get a brand new one for $3000 which comes with a one year warrenty. You don't tend to get a warrenty on bikes you buy off other people. And remember that it pays to get a good relationship with a shop anyway as your going to have to buy gear, and eventually your bike is going to break down and you'll have to get it back to the mechanic.

[woody68]

Buying from a shop may not cost more at the end of the day.
By the time you get gear and stuff .
Dealers tend to look after customers if they think you will be back for your next bikes.

[tuscan]

Everyone seems to recommend gn250s to learn on...

I got a FXR150 which ost about the same and it has been great over the 9 months or so I have had it. Cheap as to run, easy to maintain, reliable and a lot of fun for the daily commute :ride:

Guess it depends on what type of bike you are looking at but at least with the fxr you can take it up to 12000 rpm and pretend you're actually riding something with a bit of go. :D ...even if it really is a 150 with a top speed of bout 140kmh. :Punk:

I hopped on one straight from doing my basic handling course and found it easy as to ride.

Whatever you get, enjoy it!

[sels1]

Welcome to the site Newbie.
Yeah, GN fairly safe option but as suggested, try a range of bikes to see what "fits" you best. If you are so inclined, a street-legal trailbike is a good thing to learn on, as you can take it off road and play/experiment/increase your skills on the soft stuff.

[Twig]

Thank you all for your input!
It seems that the general consensus is to buy off a bike shop. I defiantly like the idea of a warranty, even if it is just for 3 months. Then if anything were to go wrong you have some sort of come back.

Other than the riding I did at the “basic handling skills course”, I've not ridden a motorbike on the road. Is a bike shop going to let someone in my position take a bike on a test ride? What's the easiest way to solve this problem?

[surfchick]

i felt the same way- was to shy to drive a bike off the showroom floor in case i fell off- or worse. so- throw your leg over some and see if all the bike is comfy and the goodies feel in the right place (as well as stylie) get a buddy or someone from here to test drive the one's you really fancy. or go pillion w. the shop guy- if the 250 can lug you and him it'll prob be sweet. I did it this way as i was too impatient to find a buddy to help me- i noticed the gear box was clunky on the test ride as a pillion- the sales dude said it was 'cause his feet were too big for the pedals and he was sort of slamming it into gear without his foot on the foot peg- but when i rode it myself the gears WERE clunky!!

[tuscan]

Mate, I was the same the first time I took a bike for a test ride...

Its pretty hard to get any experience before you've actually got a bike obviously. I don't know what dealers are like but I was lucky enough to be buying from a guy off this site and he was all good about me takin it for a spin. :ride:

Cheers Frosty! :niceone:

[Twig]

Yeah, the last thing I wan't to do is take a bike for a test ride then due to my lack of experience stack it! Wouldn't that be an interesting one to try and explain!

[pommie girl]

Hi there. Well, for what my opinion is worth ... I bought the GN250 as my first bike and thought it was superb for what I needed i.e. cheap, brand new, warranty, reliability and when I dropped it (as you're going to do), it didn't show any damage whatsoever. I upgraded to a GSX250 after about 8 months (well, I think it's an upgrade) and that's a whole different kettle of fish. The GSX rides so much better, I believe, than the GN but when I had an accident the fairing cracked and that's costing me about $180 to replace.

Definitely do try out some bikes - like surfchick said, sit on them, see how they feel, but the proof of the pudding's in the eating, so they say, and you probably won't know what really suits you until you find out what you don't like! Best bet, don't spend too much on your first bike ... save that for when you know precisely what you want.

[Storm]

Yeah, the last thing I wan't to do is take a bike for a test ride then due to my lack of experience stack it! Wouldn't that be an interesting one to try and explain!
Dont worry, I once took a test bike out and had a con rod blow out the front of the engine while I was on it and had to explain that one to the dealer :D

[Twig]

Dont worry, I once took a test bike out and had a con rod blow out the front of the engine while I was on it and had to explain that one to the dealer :D


And did he by it?

That makes me feel a little bit better about taking a bike for a spin!

[SuperDave]

Hey mate and welcome to the site.
Would recommend the FXR, I've had it for 8 months or so and havn't had any problems. Was easy to learn on and has a nice even powerspread. Powerwise it's very good for its engine size and type and can easily make 120kph.

[Storm]

And did he by it?

That makes me feel a little bit better about taking a bike for a spin!

Yeah he was more worried that I was alright, which impressed me greatly( and I already knew he was a top bloke anyway), and that the bike had tried to throw me(which it had had a fair old go atdoing ! )
Phil Turnbull's in Palmy folks, where you can break a bike and not pay a cent or even buy another bike.-how many can say that?

[magnum]

hi and welcome.a gn would be a good first bike,albeit not very sporty :ride:

[Beemer]

Many people told me I should have bought a GN250 - AFTER I had bought an RG150! Too late then, but they are good bikes for learning on, very forgiving - whereas the RG was a bit of a handful for someone with NO experience! But having said that, I wasn't bored with it once I had my full licence and I actually ended up keeping it for three years from new. If the FXR had been around when I bought my bike, I probably would have gone for one of them - a bit more stylish than a GN, nice and light, and they are electric start aren't they? I know of quite a few people with full licences who choose to ride them so they must be okay.

Everyone told me I would want to upgrade as soon as I got my full licence but I was happy to continue riding the RG for another two years - it went well, I could keep up with most people I rode with, and I didn't have the money to upgrade anyway! I think it takes a while to figure out exactly what you want later - it's only when you have the experience you can appreciate the difference between different makes, models and styles of bike. You may fall in love with a cruiser, you may want a naked bike, a sports bike, a Harley even! Learner bikes will always be in demand, so don't worry about wasting your money on a bike you won't want to keep forever.

[ricksta]

go to red baron... they have a big range of 250cc bikes. Some bikes come with a learner package: free $300 worth of ANY gear u want and free service after 3 months or 3000Kms (i think) and all the bikes are serviced before they get into the showroom...

make sure the bike is comfy for u...get the feel of the bike... have both ur legs up on the pegs dont worry the stand is strong enough to hold u... if it doesnt feel good dont get it.. simple after all ur paying for it.

:laugh: red baron didnt let me have a test drive i told them i just got my learners... but i'm happy with my bike :)

oh by the way... welcome to KB :niceone:

[FEINT]

Most of the stuff has been covered pretty much.

There are many great bikes floating around with great owners. Some of them just outgrow them, you can get them for a more reasonable amount of money (in comparison to the dealers). Even though the dealers give you 3 months warranty, a bike that is 10 years old +, well if it goes wrong, it will go wrong after the 3 months. Do get them checked out before purchasing. You will probably move up from a 250 once you have learnt how to ride.

You need good gear! Shop around for the cheapest / best value for money places. I personally like Cycletreads.

I am sure there are some nice bikers on KB that would be more than willing to check out a bike for you. Personally I can't help you as I am not that good at looking at bikes. But I can try. If u need, send me a PM.

[Twig]

Thanks to all who have posted! I've just purchased a Honda CD250U. Mint, never been dropped, and runs/rides really smoothly. The only thing wrong, if you can call it wrong is a small rip in the seat (really easy to fix)!

FEINT: Where in Auckland is Cyclethreads?

Thanks again for everyone's useful feedback!

[Gremlin]

Here's Cycletreads

[Twig]

Thanks Gremlin, I'll check it out!

[FEINT]

Look for Mike (he's from KB).... the guys there are pretty friendly and will look after you.

72 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna

http://www.cycletreads.co.nz/

[Storm]

Thanks to all who have posted! I've just purchased a Honda CD250U. Mint, never been dropped, and runs/rides really smoothly. The only thing wrong, if you can call it wrong is a small rip in the seat (really easy to fix)!

FEINT: Where in Auckland is Cyclethreads?

Thanks again for everyone's useful feedback!

Dont be shy with pictures. :)