Help buying a first bike - something a little classic (or classic looking)

[sdsgibb]

Looking to head back home to New Zealand next month and am really interested in getting on a bike. Been looking around at bikes - really love classic shapes and curves.

Love the old BSA, enfields and triumphs - but I think it would be hard to find something older that is reliable enough for every day use (maybe I am wrong - please let me know if I am and suggestions welcome!) and within the 250 learners limit

Been looking at more recent bikes like the Yamaha SRV250, Honda GB250 or the Kawasaki Estrella (I like the cafe racers and the classically influenced - again open to suggestions) really like these bikes but I only have around 3000 (would like to spend less - but that does not seem realistic) to spend and seems like these go for more. What are these bikes like? Is there much difference? If I spent say 3-3.5K on one is it likely to have something wrong with it?

Will be riding it most days, and I am terrible at fixing stuff so need something that will be reliable

I think I should also say I have not really ridden... like at all. I live in the jungle in west africa and have ridden a Chinese 125 piece of $#@* a couple of times being taught by a guy would you can barely understand as he speaks pigeon english... I hear the test isnt to hard for your learners, just get on and ride around some cones, stop in the right place etc. Is this true? (i.e. if I get a bike and ride it around for a day I should be alright, right?)

Cheers
Sam

[Paul in NZ]

Any of the bikes you menioned will be suitable. Forget about british sub 250 bikes untill you do get good at fixing things because they are good at breaking things......

getting you license is a bit more complicated than that but there are lots of training options. All of them worthwhile because we don't want to have to fix you do we?

Where are you going to settle?

[Drew]

Suzuki GSF250 bandit, with the 'cafe racer' type fairing. They look old school, but they go and stop new school.

$3000 wont get you a mint one though unfortunately.

The SRV250 looks quite cool I think, and they go pretty well, but I reckon the 3k thing might hinder you there too.

[sdsgibb]

Thanks for the replies - settling in Wellington for a year at least.

Yes I would be keen to spend a little on some training. Think it would be worthwhile, really dont need to break myself any more than I already have in my 25 short years!

Does anyone know where you can buy fairing for the srv250? Keen on getting fairing to cover the passenger seat like the follow photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ben_on_two_wheels/3474846031/in/photostream

cheers
Sam

[mORPH]

for your price range you could pick up a Suzuki Volty (TU250).

[dblancer]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/cruiser/auction-433311921.htm

How about a Honda Rebel?

Classic looking beasty

I dont really do old looking bikes but this one looks nice!

[GSF]

Don't know if you've already bought yourself a bike, but consider the first gen 250 Bandits. I picked up a tidy black one, 1992 model for $3,500.

The other bikes recommended (Volty, SRV250, Rebel) are all decent bikes but they are pretty lacking in power. Air-cooled 250cc twins are fine around town but the liquid-cooled straight four 250 is way more fun and considerably more powerful. From test riding the SRV I remember it being light and nimble but pretty gutless and unsteady at high speeds.

(I am biased here because I love RPMs. The more RPMs the better.)

I've dressed my Bandit up a bit with a generic fairing from eBay and a fibreglass seat cowl, even threw a lick of white paint across the lettering on my BT45s for that old school racer look. I now get old geezers looking at it in the parking lot and reminiscing about caffed Triumphs and Beezers. Good fun. The fairing is a piece of piss to do, a little cutting with a coping saw, some wet & dry to smooth the cuts and three pieces of bent aluminium flat bar and it's mounted.

260579

[DMCD]

Would defiantly recommend the Suzuki Bandit, had one as my first learner bike, looks awesome, good performance in comparison to other 250s, reliable - never had an issue with it.

[GrayWolf]

I had a Tiger cub sports (200cc) and a James Captain (200cc Villiers 2T)
they were my only learner legal brit bikes, oh I am english btw. I also had 2 original Bonnie's.... to be striaght no they aint as reliable, will blow up if thrashed. If you want a brit 250, the Estrella is a bloody good 'copy' or by a GN250 and dress it up to suit. Both of them will give comparable performance if not slightly better than the old C15's etc. Starfire etc 250's were quicker but more 'fragile'.
I read a lot of good things on the bandit, hornet, jade (early version of the hornet??) but they are 4 pots and servicing IS going to be expensive, which you need to consider when buying and who from.. students etc generally dont have the dosh! and if you can afford the maintenance costs yourself. Twins are a tad slower but cheaper to service and often easier to work on yourself.

You'll find the basic needs to be done correctly, so many trainers simply do a 1 day course with test to get you through....