Bike choice advice please!!

[leather and lace]

Hi there,
im a wannabe biker - did my handling course (not so easy as the bikes were too heavy for me to ride). Now im on the hunt for a first bike thats light enough for a 55kg girl!!?? Have ridden samo's gn250 fine, but can anyone think of anything better for me??
Ta

[Scouse]

Yep a Suzuki FXR150

[2much]

Hi there,
im a wannabe biker - did my handling course (not so easy as the bikes were too heavy for me to ride). Now im on the hunt for a first bike thats light enough for a 55kg girl!!?? Have ridden samo's gn250 fine, but can anyone think of anything better for me??
Ta

Buy my GSX250

[pixc]

no buy mine, i even have matching helmet :)

[Steam]

Well I may as well join in!...

"No, buy my GN, it is cooler than a GSX, see my sig below for proof. I have a matching leather belgian army motorcyle jacket too."

[pixc]

Yep a Suzuki FXR150

Thats a good choice. My first was fxr. Nice and light and very comfy

[Scorpygirl]

I am sure Crashe will be posting soon about the virtues of the Yamaha Virago 250. Lovely bike, not too heavy, that is very forgiving for a learner and lots of fun - both around town and out in the country. :scooter:

[kiwifruit]

Hi there,
im a wannabe biker - did my handling course (not so easy as the bikes were too heavy for me to ride). Now im on the hunt for a first bike thats light enough for a 55kg girl!!?? Have ridden samo's gn250 fine, but can anyone think of anything better for me??
Ta

what style of bike do you like?
all of the above bikes would be great for a first bike.
my pick would be the fxr, very light and neutral handling

[2much]

no buy mine, i even have matching helmet :)

piss off, i saw her first! :lol:


Well I may as well join in!...

"No, buy my GN, it is cooler than a GSX, see my sig below for proof."

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA great tui ad!

fuck that, i'd rather ride a bicycle than a GN


Thats a good choice. My first was fxr. Nice and light and very comfy

until 2 weeks later when you realised your lawnmower had more horsepower.

[Steam]

fuck that, i'd rather ride a bicycle than a GN
:crybaby:
10 Char....

[Boob Johnson]

fuck that, i'd rather ride a bicycle than a GNlol, couldn't agree more :Punk:


Seriously though, the SR is a much better bike mechanically than the GN (hence why I bought one). Not as many around for sale but worth the wait I reckon.


All the best with it & welcome to KN forum :scooter:

[kave]

The SRX is great. Extremely light.

[changing_man]

I learned to ride on a GN250. I did about 9,000kms in 9 months.

After the first 3 weeks I started to get frustrated by the lack of power.

After 9 months, whenever I could, with my opinion of safety, I was putting my feet on the *rear* pillion pegs and my chin on the handlebars, with my left hand on the tank to try and squeeze every extra ounce of speed out of it through better aerodynamics.

I also took to hanging right off the sides of it round corners - slowing down was not preferable because it took so long to speed up again.

I wouldn't recommend the GN to anyone who has any ambitions of travelling quickly.

That said, all of the above practices (maintaining uncomfortable positions for long periods of time, really focusing on apex speed, moving my weight around on the bike for every bend) were really good for when I finally was able to get my hands on something a little sportier :yes:

Edit: I should also stress all of this meant I looked totally ridiculous riding the thing. Cool it certainly aint!

[McJim]

I'm selling a 2003 VTR250 shortly bike only weighs about 140kg. If you can't afford mine then I know D50 is selling his 1998 one for a bit less.

We're both in Howick so you could ask one of us for a test ride - weighs less than a ginny but oodles more useable power.....and ...er kudos too....:rofl:

[LardEmbargo]

I'm selling a 2003 VTR250 shortly bike only weighs about 140kg.

yeah but are you tall? vtrs aren't too heavy - but the biggest deciding thing for me was the combination of standover height and seat comfort. I'm only a shortarse and reaching the ground easily was a big deal for my first bike - my g/f took it out for a test ride too and felt the same (she's like 5'5" or so). I don't think the GN's actually much higher if at all but the sort of square seat on it meant neither of us felt comfy in a sort of not as stable kind of way. Which was bad. But if you're taller then maybe that'll be ok. And if you're lots taller then maybe you'd be squished up on a vtr.

You wanna try sitting on some, in a shop or find a local KBer or 2 you can harass til they let you have a go :) Make sure you find something you think will fit you and you can feel reasonably confident on - riding around's supposed to be fun so you want to be comfortable.

Good luck with choosing anyway :)

[crashe]

I am sure Crashe will be posting soon about the virtues of the Yamaha Virago 250. Lovely bike, not too heavy, that is very forgiving for a learner and lots of fun - both around town and out in the country. :scooter:

Awww cheers scorpygirl..............


250 VIRAGO :love: is the only bike worth buying......... IMHO

Easy to ride....... for city riding and also fantastic for country riding as well.

I do highly recommend the VIRAGO :love: for any learner who likes cruiser style bikes.

Ideal for the rider that is vertically challenged...
Oh and they run and run........

[Mrs Busa Pete]

I got something here for you to ride.

[pixc]

Until 2 weeks later when you realised your lawnmower had more horsepower.

Damn you. My mower is the gruntiest briggs and straton you can get...You leave it out of it!!!

Altho, I have to admit, it was less then 2 weeks. But Bella isnt much better either when it comes to gruntness.

[Paul in NZ]

There are no 'better' bikes - just bikes. Ride what you can afford and be happy with it, when you feel like a change - change it.

[McJim]

Hi there,
im a wannabe biker - did my handling course (not so easy as the bikes were too heavy for me to ride). Now im on the hunt for a first bike thats light enough for a 55kg girl!!?? Have ridden samo's gn250 fine, but can anyone think of anything better for me??
Ta

What's your budget?

[yungatart]

Kawasaki EL is a great learner bike.
It's not heavy at about 140 kgs, I can get both feet on the ground with my knees bent (I'm 5'4). It has more power than a GN 250 and is waaay more stylish, very comfortable and easy to ride! Not too many of them around, but if you can find one, they are a terrific little bike.
BTW, I have sat on McJims bike, its not heavy, nor very tall.. I could touch the ground with no problems.

[leather and lace]

Took a look and all the ones you lot said looked great. Wanna spend round $4000 tops for the first bike (although no doubt, being a girl and all, ill give it a few scratches so not looking for a top nick one), which i guess will drop the prices down.

Loved the look of the virago! (thanks scorpygirl and crashe) So if anyone knows someone near my area (Howick) selling one i would be keen to take a look - plus gimme feedback for that idea too please!

McJim - are the bikes you and your mate are selling around the price i just said??

Lard Embargo - My height is 167cm, no idea in feet and inches. So im guessing McJims will be right? Might ask to go have a look at his at least. Ta..


Oh and by the way - IN YOUR DREAMS BUSA PETE!

[leather and lace]

Love the look of that Kawasaki EL! what prices they go for??

[McJim]

Hi there,

I think Dynamytus50 has sold his bike - which was around the $4,000 mark..unfortunately mine is a 2003 (5 years younger than his) and is therefore around $6,500 - $7,000 at dealers and I'll be putting it on trademe with a $5,500 reserve after it has seen a couple of riders through their tests.

That said you are still welcome to come round and try the bike in case you want to wait for another $4,000 one to come up for sale. You could also sit on an RG150 (my wife's bike - even lighter and a lot faster then the VTR!)

At this stage you'll be deciding whether to take the cruiser route (Virago, Magna, EL) ot the sports bike route (VTR250, RG150, ZXR250 etc.) after I did my basic handling I was certain that I wanted a Honda Magna (Cruiser) then I went to the bike shop to buy one - just before parting with myt ready cash I sat on it and though "Dear Lord NO!" I couldn't deal with how low it was how uncomfortable the handlebars were and I certainly couldn't reconcile myself to having my feet out in front of me. I therefore went for comfort instead of looks - hence the VTR250 was the right choice for me.

So let your backside decide - not your eyes - people look cool on any motorbike!

[vamr]

Am 54kg and the kr150 has been fairly good as a first bike in my experience. However the need for more power and something larger (it is a bit small to comfortably sit on without supporting your weight with your arms) is slowly taking it's toll.

[2much]

Took a look and all the ones you lot said looked great. Wanna spend round $4000 tops for the first bike (although no doubt, being a girl and all, ill give it a few scratches so not looking for a top nick one), which i guess will drop the prices down.

Loved the look of the virago! (thanks scorpygirl and crashe) So if anyone knows someone near my area (Howick) selling one i would be keen to take a look - plus gimme feedback for that idea too please!

McJim - are the bikes you and your mate are selling around the price i just said??

Lard Embargo - My height is 167cm, no idea in feet and inches. So im guessing McJims will be right? Might ask to go have a look at his at least. Ta..


Oh and by the way - IN YOUR DREAMS BUSA PETE!

You can have this sexy beast for around that price...

[LardEmbargo]

Lard Embargo - My height is 167cm, no idea in feet and inches. So im guessing McJims will be right? Might ask to go have a look at his at least. Ta..

no worries. 167cm looks like about 5'5" or possibly 5'6" in old money (i.e. before anyone invented proper measurements). So you're about the same height as me, and I'm pretty comfy on mine. A VTR such as Esteemed Mr McJim's will probably be just fine for you too. Or at least definitely worth a sit on to try out if you get the chance. But then so are the other ones mentioned already, bikes are cool in general.

If nothing else it'll help you to get yourself a bit more sorted on where you stand (or sit!) on the sports/sports-tourer/cruiser issue anyway :)