Recommendations on brand-new commuter bike - maybe a GN250???

[bros400]

Hey i have a friend who is looking at buying a brand new bike for comunting 10ks (open road) each way a day.. he has a full bike licence, and is thinking of buying a brand new GN250...

What do you lady's and gent's recomend?? is there any other cheep brand new bikes he should look at?? i thought there was a yamaha that people were talking about on here the other day...

He doesnt want a racey seated bike like a goose 350.. he perfer more of a sit up bike.. also would be intrested in some form of a motard i think.. (he used to have a dirt bike)

Thanks for the adviec guys @@ :cool:

[Keystone19]

10km?

Advise him to save his money and buy a pushbike.

[paturoa]

Tell m to go around the bike shops and
- test ride lots
- DONT buy the first bike he likes
- make a list, cos he will forget the details

[steved]

I think Yamaha have/had released a similar product to the GN. Have a look on their website. I can't remember the name sorry.

www.yamaha.co.nz

Or Hyosung have a variety of models around $6k, and Kawasaki has the mighty GPX250R available again in NZ for $7k.

http://motorcycletrader.co.nz/

Or he could get a scooter.

[Hitcher]

I'd recommend a spelling and punctuation course. And a lot of test riding.

[bros400]

Its quite hilly, and its open road so not very safe

( in reply to the pushbikeing coment.)

the gn is ~ 3500 aparinlty so is quite an appeling price.

[Hitcher]

Gahhh! Thud.

[bobsmith]

10km?

Advise him to save his money and buy a pushbike.

Uhhh... don't you mean, advise him to save up money until he can afford a push bike??? the last one I was drooling over cost $8000.... that was a fairly basic one at that... now if he wants to get serious and get carbon frame...............

[Keystone19]

Actually, I've changed my mind. MrSkid destroyed his carbon fibre framed pushbike the other day along with his leg. Go with the GN or the Yamaha, much safer. Mind you, I have an excellent SV650S for sale that is ideal for commuting...

[xwhatsit]

Get that new Yamaha Scorpio 225 thing! It looks v. nice, and not so... toy-like as the GN250 (no offence, numerous GN owners! My GF says they look cute ^_^). Of course, it's a brand new product so you don't know how the quality is... but Yamaha is normally pretty solid, isn't it? I know they make great pianos that can withstand years of tertiary student abuse lol.

Hey, 10km on a pushbike! No wai. That's 20km a day. If I tried to do that I'd end up spending more on physiotherapy bills than I'd spend on a brand-new bike! ^_^

[insane1]

how much does he want to spend ?.

[TLDV8]

Depends what the plan is besides commuting.
If it is just commuting then i would buy an older twin like a CB250/400 (read reasonable cost) or something similiar ...12 miles there and back will hardly warm the oil.

[sAsLEX]

A 400 or a 600/500 parrallel twin style commuter based bike would be better than the crusier type, plus a bit more grunt and would be cheaper if going 2nd hand.

[sunhuntin]

ive got a ginny...love it! be warned though, a number of us have had the same problems with them...mines an 05. so far ive needed headlight, tail light [x2] chain came loose twice..the second time it came while i was cornering...luckily slow speed, so nothin happened.

i recommend them, but then ive never ridden anything else!

[GR81]

Tell m to go around the bike shops and
- test ride lots
- DONT buy the first bike he likes
- make a list, cos he will forget the details

mmm everything i didnt do! hahaha

[BNZ]

Gahhh! Thud.

watz rong?

[Swoop]

10km on a pushbike! No wai. That's 20km a day. If I tried to do that I'd end up spending more on physiotherapy bills than I'd spend on a brand-new bike! ^_^

Also think of the lycra crime that would be committed...:spanking:

Gahhh! Thud.
Right, I've got the smelling salts...
Off to revive Mr Hitcher...

[MikeyG]

I've got a GN. Sits nicely at 90-95 but feels like it's struggling at 100km/h. Headlights are shit if you are riding home in the dark. Good bike to start with but gets boring fast. I'd reccomend a 250 twin at least

[Ixion]

Gotta say the Yamnaha Scorpio. Only a couple of hundred more than the GN , and a much nicer bike.

[dhunt]

Hey i have a friend who is looking at buying a brand new bike for comunting 10ks (open road) each way a day.. he has a full bike licence, and is thinking of buying a brand new GN250...

What do you lady's and gent's recomend?? is there any other cheep brand new bikes he should look at?? i thought there was a yamaha that people were talking about on here the other day...

He doesnt want a racey seated bike like a goose 350.. he perfer more of a sit up bike.. also would be intrested in some form of a motard i think.. (he used to have a dirt bike)

Thanks for the adviec guys @@ :cool:
Daniel is he definitely after a brand new bike? For that sort of money he would get a nice second hand bike which will handle better, have enough grunt to pass people (And stick at 100km when it's windy) and probably more confortable and just as reliable probably as a new gn.

At the very least get him to ride one first. I think he be disapointed in a gn after a couple months on it. (I presume this is rob you are talking about?) It also depends if he would want it solely for commuting or for having fun in the weekends as well?

[Insanity_rules]

That scorpio looks like a bit of fun. Are they going to bring them in?

[laf laf]

Suzuki rg150, thank me later.

[Insanity_rules]

FXR 150's are a shit load of fun too. And pretty solidly built.

[diggydog]

It depends on how much you want to spend, myself i like a bike with a bit of weight, especially when it is blowing like a bastard like it is at the moment.

[BNZ]

FXR 150's are a shit load of fun too

are you on crack? :Pokey:

[Insanity_rules]

are you on crack? :Pokey:

Have you owned one?

[NighthawkNZ]

The GN is a good learning bike, and a good small commuting bike for round town and short distances etc as stated, but if he is also going to use it on the weekends and longer trips, go play he will find it will lagg and will probably want something else... maybe a scratchy :lol:

[bros400]

Daniel is he definitely after a brand new bike? For that sort of money he would get a nice second hand bike which will handle better, have enough grunt to pass people (And stick at 100km when it's windy) and probably more confortable and just as reliable probably as a new gn.

At the very least get him to ride one first. I think he be disapointed in a gn after a couple months on it. (I presume this is rob you are talking about?) It also depends if he would want it solely for commuting or for having fun in the weekends as well?


Hey Davey, yea its Rob im talking about. yea ive told him i would buy second hand and he get much better price peformance for buying out side the under 250 markit as you dont have people paying the under 250 price premeam..

he's quite keen on not going big he thinks a 250's just right!.. he used to rind a 125 dirt bike around and reconed it went just great!! (long time ago now tho..!!!) I wonder if he would be best to look at a motard kinda setup... hm..

get a 350 motard

[dhunt]

Hey Davey, yea its Rob im talking about. yea ive told him i would buy second hand and he get much better price peformance for buying out side the under 250 markit as you dont have people paying the under 250 price premeam..

he's quite keen on not going big he thinks a 250's just right!.. he used to rind a 125 dirt bike around and reconed it went just great!! (long time ago now tho..!!!) I wonder if he would be best to look at a motard kinda setup... hm..

get a 350 motard
Tell him to stop studying and go test ride a few bikes. Including things greater than 250cc and then make up his own mind.

Also I used to ride 125 dirt bikes around before I got into road bikes (And had no problem going to bigger/heavier road bikes) and a 125 on the road is pretty much reved all the way out at 100km/h for the 4 strokes. If it's a 2smoker then that wouldn't be a too bad an option and would certainly be more fun to ride (PowerBand) :2thumbsup .

[Fub@r]

If its really hilly and open roads as you say I would pass on the GN. They are lacking on the hills and being the open road you are putting yourself in harms way.

Can get some pretty cheap 250 VTR's, they have way more grunt for the hills, plus you can actually overtake with them and can get to 150kph.

Also look at some second hand 600's as you can pick up bigger bikes for similar prices to the 250's which sell at a premium.

Also GN's are now made in China and the chrome is really poor. I washed mine for the first time and all the chrome came off around the rear tailight!

[RantyDave]

Gotta say the Yamnaha Scorpio. Only a couple of hundred more than the GN
Really? How much are they? Where can one be prodded and bought? I have two mates looking to pick up a 250 in the next couple of weeks...

Dave

[Ixion]

$3700 an summat + ORC . yamaha Waikato are pushing on here, though I imagine that the Wellywood Yammy dealers will be getting them also. I gather they're a "full blown" addition to the yammy range not just a one off import.

EDIT. But i don't see them on the Yamaha NZ web site so maybe that's wrong.

Call your local yamaha dealer.

[marty]

blackwoods in cambridge have a couple. i had a look at them - look pretty smart with nice zorst and finish looks much better than a gn - they can evn leave them out in the rain!

if anyone's looking, they also have an XJR1300 naked with 75kms on the clock for $9990

[slowpoke]

Its quite hilly, and its open road so not very safe

( in reply to the pushbikeing coment.)

the gn is ~ 3500 aparinlty so is quite an appeling price.

If he/she has an open license and finds a GN appealing ON ANY LEVEL then there is NO HOPE! Run! Distance yourself! It's not too late.........

[avgas]

1/2 a lada

[moko]

Dont you get these in N.Z? They`re quite neat but over-priced,nearly the same as a GS500,how about one of those?

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Honda/2004/CBF%20250/

[Ixion]

Nope, not sold in NZ.

[RantyDave]

$3700 an summat + ORC .
Gotcha - http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=37074

And that compares to a GN being $3300+ORC? If they can get them in the shops the GN's will be history.

Dave