Heya from Christchurch (Jiro)

[Jiro]

Hey guys, as you can probably tell, I'm new to the forum :)

Guess I should start off with an introduction. I'm from Christchurch, turning 26 this year, not a rider yet, but really wanting to be one :) As far as experience in riding goes, you may as well treat me as a complete newbie, I've borrowed a friend's scooter once in a while and rented one on my last trip to queenstown, but outside of my pocket bike, that's about as far as my experience on two wheels goes.

I'm really keen on learning how to (actually)ride, getting my license, and getting a nice bike for my own to ride. Any assistance would be very much appreciated.

I was reading around, and set my eyes on the Kawasaki ZXR 250C, but I'd really like your opinions on whether or not that'd be a good first bike for me.
Thanks in advance for any feedback :)

[jim.cox]

welcome to the madhouse :)

[Subike]

a learner ?
then look at a yamaha scorpio 225,
hardly a better bike around for learning on,
and it leands it self to being moe fun the more practced you become.
more than one experianced rider has enjoyed the ability of thes little bikes after years of riding big bikes.
and welcome to KB
look past the cheeky buggers there you will find
a gold mine of friends willing to help you
some may be those you will count as being friends for life.

[ESXB0Y]

Welcome to KB!

I don't have anywhere near the wealth of experience some of the guys have here on the forum, but I currently ride a *cough* Hyosung GT250R *cough*. They are very well suited as a daily rider for getting around town and splitting down the motorway, but lend themselves well to some stretching of the legs down a nice winding road. Only issue is the power delivery - they are quite torquey, being a V-Twin, and coupled with the displacement get a bit breathless further up the range. One of the main reasons I bought it was that it's in a 650cc frame, so is a bigger bike. Gets me used to the size of what I will be upgrading too, plus I don't look too daft on it. It's also rather cheap!

A friend of mine has the Kawasaki 250 and that is a sublime bike to ride - nice and easy around town, smooth acceleration and light, nimble handling. A fantastic bike to ride. Not a fan of the handlebars, personally, but makes it nice for the day to day trawl.

The older Honda 250cc's are a sexy looking bike, but I haven't ridden one of those. The Yamaha 125cc is a leftfield entry, but a lovely bike to ride nonetheless. A bit on the pricey side though!

Just my half cents worth!

[3lemental]

Firstly, welcome!

As far as a bike goes, if you're thinking of getting a sports 250 you'll find they're all reasonably similar and it'll be down to personal taste. There're folks here who are gonna be gunning for their favourite, but really any bike in this class is gonna be a real thrill for you!
Far as raw power goes, the (honda) CBR is probably gonna be top, but the (yamaha) FZR is probably fastest off the line. ZXR's are nice bikes too, i've ridden a few of the sports 250s, and really they all run quite similarly. If you have a bit more in the pocket and want new without paying horrendously, the Hyosung GT250/R won't set you back anywhere near as much as the rest will and rides similarly.

I think it comes down to personal preference, so maybe just hop trademe and see what shows up.

Welcome to the funhouse!!

[Jiro]

hey guys, thanks for all the replies and welcomes :)

i had a glance at the Hyosung GT250R as well, they look pretty darn sexy, but I think getting a brand new bike is a bit outta my budget, I was also looking for something reasonably grunty (I'm not talking Aprilia RS250 grunty, but something around the 40-45 hp mark), because i'm probably going to stick with it for a while, I don't QUITE have the budget required to buy more bikes :P So I was wanting something gentle enough for someone to learn on, yet will have the power in reserve to last me once i graduate from bike kindy :)

As far as I've seen, a ZXR 250C ~1991 is roughly around the 4K mark? correct me if i'm wrong, haven't seen any better.

Also, i was wondering if there is anyone in the Christchurch area willing to maybe tell me more about what's involved with being a biker, the costs involved, learning curve etc etc?

[whowhatwhere]

$4k is a sensible amount to spend on your first bike. Rather than restrict yourself to one bike, have a range of bikes that you'd be happy to have a go on. You'll have more options and be able to buy based on condition. Another reason is that it's very hard to predict what sort of bike you'll enjoy riding, so treat this first step as a bit of an experiment.

Welcome to the wonderful world of two wheels and have fun on the Port Hills!

[Jiro]

sounds like solid advice, so in your opinion, what would be a good selection of starter bikes for me that go for roughly around that price? It will almost definitely be a second hand job.

reasons I was looking at the ZXR 250C:
- I'm a sucker for a full fairing
- Supposedly easy bike to learn on (can't say it's true based on experience cause i have none :P)
- Has the grunt to last beyond my learning days/weeks/months

Things that would be handy for the bike selection that I didn't know the answer to:
- availability of spare parts for when (not if, when :D) i drop the bike, cause it's gonna happen lol or when stuff needs replacing
- availability of aftermarket parts (eventually I'd like to tinker a little with it before i can truly call it my own :))
- fuel efficiency
- reliability (wouldn't be good for my heart or my wallet if something broke every 10 kms i rode it)

[whowhatwhere]

Sorry I can't be of much help choosing a 250 as I don't really know that market. I'd do a search around KiwiBiker to find experiences of people that have owned any of the bikes you're looking at. A quick browse on TradeMe should give you an idea of what sort of spares are available. As 3lemental said above, I'm sure all of the 250cc sporties will give you a similar experience - given the ages of the bikes, doing little things like dropping in some new fork oil would give you more handling gains - anyway, that's a bit further down the line!

Personally, I'm a believer that your first bike should be a naked, less to break if you drop it and everything is easier to get at maintenance wise while you're learning. I think any four stroke 250 will be reasonably efficient. You can save a lot of money by maintaining the bike yourself - is that what you intend to do? Haynes manuals are great if you can get one for the bike you're after.

[one fast tl1ooo]

Welcome to kb

[The Everlasting]

Welcome!

Take your time finding a new bike,I know sometimes excitement can take over and you just wanna buy the first one you look at..:p

[Princesszxr]

Heya, welcome to KB! You'll find everyone here is really helpful when you need it (and when you dont lol)

[Bikernereid]

Welcome to KB. As a learner rider myself and the 'very proud' owner of a GN250 I would suggest that you try as many as you can before you buy. Yes the bike may look nice and go like sh*t of a shovel but does it feel comfortable to ride and does it feel right to sit on in general. Think about seating position, leg length (if you have shorter legs do your feet touch the ground and do you care if they don't?) etc before parting with your hard earned cash.

[owner]

Great advise try as many as you can and make sure the one you choose is the one you want
and not the one everyone else wants

[The Pink Panther]

welcome too kb . the excitment of the first bike.

[Spanner Man]

Hi and welcome,

Firstly i would agree with most of the points made already. Especially the one about something unfaired (as little bodywork as possible). As a new rider you will have a few moments maybe big or small but all these will leve there impression on your bike. Eventually ou will want to sell it to upgrade or change for whatever reason and the less damage to have to fix means the greater the resale value. Just something to think about.

The way i classify the 250 markett is (ignreing the 2 smokes for the moment) into single cylinder, twins and inline 4's. Generally speaking the inline 4's would be the quickest and give the most power however it might be arguable that they might be slighlty more difficult to ride depending on your preffered riding style. 4's tend to be revvy little buggers and you need to ride them like a 2 stroke to get the best out of them. The single cyinders tend to be much more suited to town riding with more of the power down low and run out of breath up the top of the rev range and dont have the power of the 4's . They however are very easy to ride and a great bike to learn on if you lack a little confidence at the beginning. The twin configuration would provide the middle ground being midway beteween the previous 2.

This is just a generalisation based on how typical engine configurations work there are always exceptions. All the bikes out there are pretty good it's just getting the right one for what you want to use it for. Commiting, Going for a weekend burn or crusing. Each model will sit slightley more one way than the others.

When you deside what you would like and find one that you would like to have a look at i would be more than happy to check it over with you before you purchase and give you my oppinion in regards to what it might need in the future in terms of maintenance.

Whenever i buy a new vehicle i always allow some $$$ so i can service it straight away. Gives you a good chance to have a good go through the bike and you know that you are starting from a point where by you know that the basics have been checked/ done. Oil, filter, plugs, airfilter, brakes, chain etc. i would recommend you make some allowance for this as it has always stood me in good stead. Even if you dont do everythign at the time at least you know what is going to need doing in the short tem and you can budget for it. Nearly every 2nd hand bike will benefit from something or will need something in the near future.

One piece of advise i will give you is that Kawasaki's of the 90's era tend to have the valve clearances go out more than another brand. If these dont get adjusted it can cause all sorts of problems Just my experience and something to consider/ check when looking at what you want to buy.

Happy hunting and welcome to the motorcycling community!

[Capinure]

Fine choice with the ZXR250C , i had one for just over a year. I had a Gn250 and a GSXR250 before that also.
Have to say, the ZXR was way more fun then that other two.

[badman]

Hey i think the zxr250 is a great bike. My 2nd bike was one and it served me well. Smooth, lite and it loved corners. It would be my pick over my first bike that was a gsx250. That being a good bike also.

[Flip]

Welcome.

There are a few regular Christchurch things organised on KB.

The first is probably the Wednesday maintenance evenings held at Gloucester St Motors at 6pm. In summer there is the Wednesday night cruise and in winter the Saturday (not the WNC) if the weather is fine.

Pop along to the Wednesday maintenance evenings as there will be all sorts of bikes from biggums to littleums and all sorts of riders with all sorts of experiences. You don't have to come on a bike to this. If they are going for a spin don't be afraid to ask if one of the bigger bikes has space for a pillion, this happens quite often. If you are on your learners there is always some body who will tag along at your speed until you get your restricted and learn a few more road skills. The Wednesday and Saturday are a cruise and are suitable for learners.

Flip the plonker on the Gold Harley