New Newbie (kelvinator9)

[kevinator9]

Hi Guys,

New member and new rider (don't think I can even say that yet...)

My story if you are at all interested. If not, skip to the last paragraph. I can rattle on sometimes...

I enjoy most aspects of the automotive world and really like exposing myself to it all (anything with an engine!).
I have owned an old 1985 BMW 318i that I really enjoyed to drive and maintain. It also had looks that could kill! Unfortunately the maintenance side of it started to get very expensive. $500 every WOF and that was doing it all myself. So I have sold the old girl and she will be with her new owner in just over a week.

Now I have always wanted to get my motorcycle license and when I got back from holiday a few weeks ago I booked in for some lessons to begin the requirements of the basic skills test. I should have the certificate this weekend or the next so fingers crossed.
Once this stage is complete and I have my 6L license I will be in search of a bike. Now I have lurked here for a while and done a bit of research, ending up with two options.

The Suzuki GN125 or the Yamaha Scorpio.

The GN125 I can afford to buy brand new from a dealership and have heard it is one of the most staple bikes to learn to ride on.
The Scorpio I cannot afford to buy brand new but the Honda dealership just up the road has a used one in good condition with low kms on the clock. I have heard this has better handling characteristics than a GN125 (obviously along with more grunt being 225cc) albeit cheap and nasty tyres.

My use for the bike will be daily to uni and back with a large flight bag on the rear (I study Aviation at Massey and there is always more paperwork than flying...). I also have the thought occurring in my mind of occasionally riding to Wellington and even possibly Tauranga but that is much further down the road. I don't think I would be comfortable tackling that until I have gained more experience.

Question is should I try and secure a decent second hand Scorpio and will it be able to comfortably make it the long trek north or will a GN125 be able to do the job. I do not want to scream around the roads initially but as long as I am not being overtaken by every man in his camper van I would be happy. Even still, is this an idea I should be forgetting about until I have my full license and can get a larger tourer to do it.

So anyway to those of you who read the above and those who didn't and skipped it all I say a hello to you all and happy riding!

Andrew

[Wingnut]

Good for you mate.

Welcome and stay safe on ya new ride mate whatever you may choose. Personally, I'd be weary of having only 125cc pushing ya round

[BigAl]

Hi there Andrew,

I certainly wouldn't buy a brand new bike while I was learning as you will drop it at least once, all part of the learning process.:Oops:

I would also buy at least a 250 if you intend to use it on the open road.

Check out tidy late model 250s or lams approved 400s you'll take longer to out grow them.

[unstuck]

Hi Guys, I can rattle on sometimes...

You will fit right in here then. Welcome.:Punk:

[hayd3n]

You will fit right in here then. Welcome.:Punk:


and really like exposing myself
yep:blink:

[oneofsix]

Welcome. I have done some riding in the Plamerston North area and have known a young lad to have taken a FXR 150 from palmy to Auck a couple of times. I rode the same bike to Welly, riding along the Opiki straight just a klick or 10 over the 100 on the speedo (so about the limit then) and then you hit a gust of wind head on and are down to 80k instantly with no warming to the following traffic. For running around town and the commute to Massey the 125 would be large enough and might even be better shaped for the bag, think about a pack rack to tie it to.

[DMNTD]

FFS don't buy a GN125...nuff said

[Wingnut]

FFS don't buy a GN125...nuff said
:yes::laugh:

Indeed!

[kevinator9]

So a GN125 is not a good option? Can you offer insight into why not or why something else is better?
If the GN125 is not a good option that leaves the GN250 or the Scorpio. The GN250 would suit my baggage requirements better than the Scorpio but if the GN125 isn't a good option why would the GN250 be (pretty much the same bike) unless it is just the fact of doubling the engine capacity?

Sorry just trying to understand the reasons for either of the two being better or not etc

[BigAl]

Go for a ride on them both on the open road and you'll see why.

[unstuck]

GN 125,s are severly asmatic, and the GN 250 only has a broncial infection.:yes:

[kevinator9]

Ok thanks for the heads up guys.
The GN125 was my preferred option due to being brand new (warranty and yearly wof etc) but I will begin looking at second hand 250cc bikes.
Just to clarify I have never ridden a motorbike except for my 2 lessons and the basic skills test so I am very inexperienced. This is why I feel uncomfortable buying bigger than a 250cc even if it is LAMS and IF I do decide to tackle a long open road trip it won't be until after my restricted.

[nakedsv]

+1 on not buying new. I thought the same thing buying my first bike, the problem with brand new is they loose value quickly, and insurance companies write them off very easily. My only advice on buying a bike is dont underestimate how quickly you will out grow a small bike. Ps I nearly failed my full test on a borrowed gn 125 because with a head wind and my 90kg I couldn't get up to 100k on the open road.

[DMNTD]

Ok thanks for the heads up guys.
The GN125 was my preferred option due to being brand new (warranty and yearly wof etc) but I will begin looking at second hand 250cc bikes.
Just to clarify I have never ridden a motorbike except for my 2 lessons and the basic skills test so I am very inexperienced. This is why I feel uncomfortable buying bigger than a 250cc even if it is LAMS and IF I do decide to tackle a long open road trip it won't be until after my restricted.

IMO the Yamaha Scorpio fits the bill bang on. I'd consider them a 'throw away" bike in the sense that you can buy one around $1,500, will always get your money back on them and there isn't much to go wrong on them.
They are very easy to learn to ride on, commute on etc too which sounds like what you are after.
Some (not all) of the older 250cc bikes have had their arses raped and simply just aren't worth the money being asked for them however they generally are a bit better on the open roads.

[Meanie]

Hi Andrew, have you looked at the 250 or new 300cc Kawasaki, nice easy to ride learner bikes. Moni (My wife) brought one when they first came out and did 10,000ks on it in twelve months. She went every where on it, even went up and did the coromandel loop, didnt have any trouble keeping up with the rest of us on a long ride. AFC here in town has both bikes there, think they might have a second hand 250 from memory.
When you are doing your flight training, youll more than likely bump into Alister (86GSXR on here) he is a flight instructer for Massey, he would be a good one to talk to about which bike might suit you best, lots of experience, even has a Kwaka in his shed

Welcome to KB

[kevinator9]

Ah yes I know of Alister. He was my flatmates instructor.
I did have a look at the Kawasaki and it looks very nice but it unfortunately way out of my price range... even used.

Good news is that I got the basic skills certificate today so I am stoked. Will book the licence application/test for this week to get the paper to make me legal!

[Grashopper]

First thing first, welcome to the forum :)

As someone who has a GN250 I would not recommend anything with less power than that. The GN250 is a good beginners bike and has been ok so far for longer rides, too. It does the speed limit on open roads, it just takes a bit of time to get there. The biggest disadvantage I see is that it is so light that a gust of wind can shove you around quite a bit which can be a bit scary for a beginner. But I don't know how much different that is on other bikes.

I only rode one other bike so far and that was a Honda cbf125. I really liked that bike. I thought it felt a bit more stable than the GN, but it was my only third lesson and a couple of months ago, so now I'm not sure about that anymore.

Only advantage the GN250 had on the cbf is that the GN tells you which gear you're in, which is really useful for a beginner.

I would recommend to at least sit on a few different bikes and if you take the cash maybe you can even take some for a testride.

[Shortie]

I've owned both the gn250 and the Scorpio, my opinion is the yamaha handles better and has more power for highway speeds. Also the new gn250 I had started rusting straight away, so be wary of the late model ones.

[Dangsta]

Welcome to KB. I had a Hyosung GV250 as a first bike. Comuted on it and rode it from Wanganui to Palmy on the reg. Did a Tauranga trip on it too. Couldn't fault it as a first bike. Cheap, reliable, handled well, held highway speeds and was a lot nicer to look at than a gn. I'd definitely advise taking one for a test ride if you get the chance. Good luck.

[kevinator9]

Hi Guys,

Thanks a bunch for the many opinions. I have started to realise the GN's are not a great option.

The Yamaha Scorpio still seems like a solid contender. I will be looking out for one of these.

What are the km values on motorbikes like? It seems to me that 0-10000km is somewhat 'like new'. 10000-30000km is mid range and 30000km+ is high and will soon be in need of maintenance. Is that accurate? I know things like service history etc will override and there are many other factors that play a part but this does help give a little perspective on what bikes to be looking at.

I have seen a number of Honda CBF125/250. Are these any good? The 250's are all a bit out of my price range but look to be solid options. How does the 125 fare? Same story as a GN125 (ridiculously underpowered)?

Basically I will have $2800 from the sale of my car. $500 of this is aside for gear and I may be able to scrounge up a couple hundred dollars from a little extra work. I feel that with my limited budget, most of my options are not great...

[kevinator9]

Well ended up getting a 2009 Scorpio 8400kms on the clock. Should be a good start to working my way through the licensing!

[unstuck]

Well ended up getting a 2009 Scorpio 8400kms on the clock. Should be a good start to working my way through the licensing!

Congratulations. Good luck, and safe riding. :Punk::Punk: