Best commuting 250?

[brianemone]

My wife and i are looking at buying out of town so i will be facing a 40min one way commute to work.

im kind of glad though as it gives our little boy and future kids some room to play and make a mess.

the best part of the whole move is that i get to buy a motorbike again, something i have missed now that i am a "grown up" (used to have a motorbike when i was 17)

i still only have a learners license so as far as i remember 250 is my max cc rating (will get restricted/full in due course) does anyone have any reccomendations as to a reliable/economical/comfortable 250cc would be??

my max spend would be about 5k

thanks all

[MidnightMike]

Everyone suggests the goddam GN250's.
But its up to you.
Look around ,sit on some and take some for a ride.
Thats the best way to go. :spudwave:

BTW welcome to KB

[Firefight]

[QUOTE=brianemone does anyone have any reccomendations as to a reliable/economical/comfortable 250cc would be??

my max spend would be about 5k

thanks all[/QUOTE]

how about one of these
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=22328

F/F

[skelstar]

If youve had a learners for bloody ages, then if yer smart you are only 3 months away from a full. Better bikes for money there.

1. Do your restricted test. Ya gonna have to anyway as you are only allowed to do 70km/h
2. Do defensive driving course and have your restricted licence halved to 3 months.

[crashe]

Ok guys and gals who are timing me on this post...
I have been out today.. so I have only JUST spotted this thread.





I highly recommend the VIRAGO 250cc cruiser..
Its a great commuter and also great out in the country roads too...


Next in line is the GN250...

The VIRAGO 250 cruiser I believe has more power than the GN250...

But if you are short in statue then the VIRAGO 250 cruiser is the bike for you.


The GN250 is quite a bit taller than the VIRAGO 250 cruiser.


So there ya have... my recommendation...

[ManDownUnder]

Welcome to the site - and good post.

Any 250 is going to be economical on the fuel. I'd suggest you work out what styling you like, want you want to do with it (on road only, or maybe some off road too?) and take it from there.

www.trademe.co.nz (http://www.trademe.co.nz) is good for this stuff.

GN250 is a popular step into motorcycling, reliable and cheap little bikes - you'd probably get a new one well inside your budget (dunno though).

Test ride a few see what works and what doesn't.

Good luck and enjoy!
MDU

[ManDownUnder]

...if you are short in statue...

If you're in a short statue you have problems...

[brianemone]

hi guys.
thanks for the replies.

here is something i was looking at on trademe http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=44483536

seems like a very good price, but since i've been out of bikes for a while i wanted to get some opinions.

thanks for the offer firefight but its a bit girly for my tastes,

and im not in a short statue ( im about 6'3")

[ManDownUnder]

and im not in a short statue ( im about 6'3")

A your height you'll want a taller bike - so something like you're looking at or a trail bike perhaps?

That's not a bad bike but the mileage on it is highish for a 250 (little motors have to go round more times etc).

[Karma]

at your size I wouldn't recommend a GN250, they're a bit small

and if you've ridden before then you're not a complete newbie.

CBR or ZXR I'd go for.

[crashe]

Ok at 6 foot 3 inches tall....

Then forget the GN250 and also the VIRAGO 250cc cruiser...

You will be miles to tall for either of those bikes...

The guys can now recommend taller 250cc's to you...

[Cookie]

If you can't look at it personally before placing a bid, I would ask for some good quality closeups of the dropped side with the "...couple of cosmetic scratches on the paintwork..".

I don't know anything about that particular bike but I like mine as a commuter(of course) :yeah:

Best wishes

[brianemone]

If you can't look at it personally before placing a bid, I would ask for some good quality closeups of the dropped side with the "...couple of cosmetic scratches on the paintwork..".

I don't know anything about that particular bike but I like mine as a commuter(of course) :yeah:

Best wishes


yeah i wont be bidding on anything i havent seen fully, and hopefully test ridden.

i would prefer something a bit bigger than 250 but because i havent ridden for so long and still have my learners (this will change once i get back on a bike) i will have to stick with a 250 for a little while untill im confident again

[MacD]

How about a Honda VTR250 like this one:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=22713

They seem to be a good bike, and they can be punted along quite well. More comfortable than an IL4 250RRRRRR thing for somebody 6'3" I would expect.

[marty]

i'm 6'2, and rode a VTR with a pillion - went awesome, easily open road, sounds great, v-twin torque & sound

[Holy Roller]

I'm 6'3" and started on a GSX and XR trailie. The more upright stance I found better for my back. It won't take you long to get back in to the swing of things and grinding those pegs a bit.:wari:

[brianemone]

the vtr's look quite nice, they seem similair to the suzuki bandits

which comes out on top out of the two??? i've read coments that the bandits are a bit sluggish

[marty]

just an air cooled buzzy 4 vs liquid cooled lumpy v-twin i guess - the bandits are pretty reliable though. have you looked at a Zeal? a few on here - have great write ups.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Parts-accessories/Frames-bodywork/auction-44862307.htm
http://www.motorcycletrader.co.nz/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=1404256&TabID=3553&Alias=motorcycletradernz

[hXc]

VT250 Spada are good bikes

[Keystone19]

Not that I'm biased at all...:whistle:

but the VTR250 is really nice for commuting and is also a lot of fun in the twisties. The Vtwin is luverly...

Pretty hard to find a VTR250 for under $5000 though so that 1998 one is a good buy - they have a pretty good resale value too.

I rode the Bandit250 as well and didn't like it as much. A bit sluggish.

[Mental Trousers]

You'd find the Hyosung GT250 comfortable as they're a full size bike running a 250cc air cooled twin. I think Skelstar has one. He's gonna be upgrading soon :niceone:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/archive/index.php/t-18204.html
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/hyosung_gt_250_2005.php

[luke-g]

Absolutely a Hyosung Comet GT250, i've had one for about five months now and I honestly can't sing its praises enough. The riding position is sweet, it's great for us tall people (6'3 myself), and it's pretty peppy for a 250. The huge gas tank is also a big plus (17L, ~350km).

As for commuting, I definitely know it's comfy for longer rides cause I finished an Auckland-Chch tour in December which worked out at around 2500km.

The only problem you might have is finding one for $5gs or below, my current one cost that much but they're $6 new and since they've only been out since '03, finding an cheaper one could be a challenge.

[FROSTY]

vt250 spada--same as a VTR250 but with a few more ponies and heaps cheaper -bloody good alround bike

[speights_bud]

At the moment i am riding a gpx 250 for about 30 mins to get to town through varying conditions, straights, twisties, 100, 70 and 50 k zones. It seems to do the job pretty well and dad can still ride it [6ft2 & 110kg] so it shouldnt be too bad with sizing. [MSTRS even pillioned Froggy around on it once:laugh: ]

Mines the 87 and still seems to do the commuting trick pretty well and they are not so heavy on the $$ side of things. About 2.5K seems pretty average.

Well good luck for the bike hunt. As someone suggested it ont be long until you get your full licence so maybe hold off until then before picking up something smaller like a gsx-r 400.

[Maha]

Absolutely a Hyosung Comet GT250, i've had one for about five months now and I honestly can't sing its praises enough. The riding position is sweet, it's great for us tall people (6'3 myself), and it's pretty peppy for a 250. The huge gas tank is also a big plus (17L, ~350km).

As for commuting, I definitely know it's comfy for longer rides cause I finished an Auckland-Chch tour in December which worked out at around 2500km.

The only problem you might have is finding one for $5gs or below, my current one cost that much but they're $6 new and since they've only been out since '03, finding an cheaper one could be a challenge.
I agree with ya , perhaps brianemone can pick one up off 'twistadias' for $5000. He wants to sell his via a thread on here for $5500 ono.

[brianemone]

yip looks like a good deal, i need something pretty much as soon as we move out of town (which if all goes well will be the beginning of march)

after looking around on trade me and on here im sure i wont have a problem picking up a suitible bike, hopefully one that can keep me entertained for a little while after i get my full license as well

[El Dopa]

vt250 spada

...If you can find one. they don't semm to come up for sale all that often.

What's the power like on the Hyosung 250? I had a look at the faired sports version today at Mt Eden, and was quite impressed stylewise. I'd pay an extra 1K to get a bike with a warrenty and no inherited problems from the preious owner, IF it has the goods.

[skelstar]

I bought mine for that very reason. I was initially going to just commute, but one ride with VTWIN and I havent missed a weekend going off into the Wairarapa (it seems). I couldnt be bothered with buying a bike I didnt understand and having potential 'problems' with it. Warranties are good.

The power is ok. Compared to other 250's I have ridden with, I would say its similar to a VTR250 (limbimtimwin? rua?), but a lower top speed than...say a ZZR250, or ZXR250. I think most due to gearing and redline its top speed seems to be about 140 mumble.

Having ridden a coupe of different bikes (see signature) Im coming to grips with what the bike is not good at. I am however getting back on my bike afterwards and welcoming what IS good about it.

That help? Happy to answer questions.

[El Dopa]

The power is ok. Compared to other 250's I have ridden with, I would say its similar to a VTR250 (limbimtimwin? rua?), but a lower top speed than...say a ZZR250, or ZXR250. I think most due to gearing and redline its top speed seems to be about 140 mumble.

Looks like the nekkid version of the hyosung has a couple less horses than the VTZ.

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/compare/5061/2614/

I'm not that keen on the look of the naked Hyosung, but the faired version actually looked pretty mint. Does anyone know if the faired version has more power?

The guy in the shop also mentioned aftermarket parts - carbs and exhaust - for the Hyosung, so presumably extra power can be brought, for a price.

I'm certainly going to do a bit more research on them. A brand new bike for the same price/cheaper than some of the better second hand ones is worth investigating.

[skelstar]

Im sure the faired version has exactly the same motor, but just with the 650R fairings. 27.5HP

The bike aint a performance bike, but its BLOODY easy to learn on. I dont have to rev the shit out of the bike to get it up a steep driveway like a couple of mates have to on their inline 4's.

[MoFunthanmost]

I know a ZZR250 that'll be up for sale soon.

:wait: