I need advice and thoughts

[bikercaddy]

Im new to the road bike scene and need some advice on bikes. Ive grown up riding suzuki drz200 farm bike and a honda xr100 when i was a young tacker. I have alot of experience on these bikes and how they operate. My mate has got a 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 250r and he has got me hooked on the idea of a road bike. However my price range certainly doesnt cover a brand new bike. Im Looking to spend near $4000. Im very interested in the Suzuki GSX250 and obviously the Kawasaki Ninja. I like ths sports bike look with all the flairings. Im not interested in the bike going super fast.

Essentially Im after a cheap, quality, economical and trustworthy bike that looks good.

What is your advice and thoughts?

[Akzle]

advice and thoughts:

get a bike and ride it.

any bike > no bike > honda

:D

[0li123]

Iv got a 92 CBR250RR, may not be as reliable as the newer bikes but its a hell of a lot of fun when it revs all the way out to 19000 rpm :2thumbsup and you could definitely pick up a tidy example thats within your price range

[GrayWolf]

Im new to the road bike scene and need some advice on bikes. Ive grown up riding suzuki drz200 farm bike and a honda xr100 when i was a young tacker. I have alot of experience on these bikes and how they operate. My mate has got a 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 250r and he has got me hooked on the idea of a road bike. However my price range certainly doesnt cover a brand new bike. Im Looking to spend near $4000. Im very interested in the Suzuki GSX250 and obviously the Kawasaki Ninja. I like ths sports bike look with all the flairings. Im not interested in the bike going super fast.

Essentially Im after a cheap, quality, economical and trustworthy bike that looks good.

What is your advice and thoughts?

You'll get so many differing opinions, most will relate to age/experience and a combination of both. You obviously know basic control etc, so really you shouldnt have too much worry re possibly dropping anything you buy... there is always a chance when learning basic's.
The Ninja is a good machine, however the GPX250 or even a ZZR250 are almost identical in the engines.
With LAM's there is a lot of bikes up to 660cc you can now look at,, example and a few of us 'old fuckers who know nothing' would rate as one of the best learner bikes? Suzuki GS500 its as fast as the sprot 250's WITHOUT the 20,000rpm redline they often have. There's the DR650 or XT660 all these really are better than any of the 250's. The sprot 250's may be as fast, but usually with double the rev's and to be blunt most are 15-20yrs old, and have been owned by 'errrrrr' several enthusiastic low mechanical skill or money for high price maintenance riders?? Need more be said??

[mossy1200]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-529491659.htm

[caspernz]

You'll get so many differing opinions, most will relate to age/experience and a combination of both. You obviously know basic control etc, so really you shouldnt have too much worry re possibly dropping anything you buy... there is always a chance when learning basic's.
The Ninja is a good machine, however the GPX250 or even a ZZR250 are almost identical in the engines.
With LAM's there is a lot of bikes up to 660cc you can now look at,, example and a few of us 'old fuckers who know nothing' would rate as one of the best learner bikes? Suzuki GS500 its as fast as the sprot 250's WITHOUT the 20,000rpm redline they often have. There's the DR650 or XT660 all these really are better than any of the 250's. The sprot 250's may be as fast, but usually with double the rev's and to be blunt most are 15-20yrs old, and have been owned by 'errrrrr' several enthusiastic low mechanical skill or money for high price maintenance riders?? Need more be said??

Wise words :2thumbsup

[ducatilover]

GS500 is a very sensible choice, my picks are the ZZR400, GS500 and the GPX/Z500. All excellent bikes for small money

However, the 250R Ninja seems popular, purely because it looks modern, if that floats your boat, buy it, they're still good first road bikes.
The GSX250 is a good bike, but, the Ninja is a better bike all round.

[007XX]

What Graywolf said...

But also, a couple of questions I feel you may need to think of prior to making a choice:

how tall /heavy are you? As stated by Graywolf, LAMS changes make a whole new range of learner bikes available.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/getting/motorcycles/approved-motorcycles.html

Is this a bike you are likely to keep past your learner licence / restricted? ( think resell value for upgrading when the time comes)

What will be the main purpose of your bike? (Commuting, cruising long distance, etc)


Then I guess is the fun part: test ride as many as possible til something feels right.

Good luck and enjoy!

[bikercaddy]

Thanks thats a good start i guess. I do need something reliable as im looking to travel 500km per week. Im 6ft and floating on 100kgs. Another friend is keen on a Hyosung GT250R for reasonable prices. Do you think i should consider a bigger bike as in 500cc? And yeah, getting out there and test riding a few is the only way to really know.

[ducatilover]

With your build the Suzuki GS500, Kawasaki ZZR400 and EX500/GPX/GPZ would be top of my list. More torque than the 250s, more than enough top end poke and roomier

Go to the NZTA site and take a stroll through the list of LAMS approved bikes, then try find some that you like.