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N3wbbik3r
24th August 2004, 20:20
Hi, Im finally looking at getting a bike licence. I have some experience with dirt bikes. Ive had a DR250, a KX 250 and a modified KDX 220. I did a reasonalbe amount of trail riding etc. But I have had very little experience on the road. First question is what is the Basic handling skills test? , do I need a bike to do the test? Do I need to practise before I do the test? (Or is it a basic setup just to make sure your capable of riding and know the basics?) My next question where do I sit the Basic handling skillls test, (Im in Auckland) The final question is what bike do I get? This one really has me stumped. I wish to spend 3-4k. The bike is to be used purely for pleasure, I intend to trade up at a later date (when Im well and trully comfortable) to a 400 - 600 cc bike. (hmmmmmmmm R6) :yeah: But do I get a nice 250 that will be enjoyable for a reasonable amount of time, or buy a cheapy smaller bike and move on as quick as possible. Im leaning more towards a nice 250 as I am in no rush, and keen to build up skills and convidence before moving on. (Not keen on strapping myself on demon machine and scarying the crap out of myself.) My preference is for a naked 250, along the lines of a Suze Bandit or Honda VTR, or a Hornet or Balius. Or is it worth looking at a Yammy FZR or CBR. Im concerned the cbr or Fzr may be more thrashed and possibly not the most ideal bike for learning the art of road riding. I dont wish to go down the track of a Gn250 etc as I feel in 3 months time I will want to move on. Any suggestions would be great. The age group Im in is 30ish, so Im not some young 16 yr old nutter who wants to go balls out all the time. :ride:

Two Smoker
24th August 2004, 20:29
VTR sounds bloody good to me :niceone: not extremely powerful (28hp at the rear wheel i think???) but quick enough to have fun on, plus the good old bin wont do as much damage :niceone:

Ring pass rite or AMCC to do the riding course and they usually supply a bike.After riding heaps of dirt i dont think you will need to practice, and you will most likely get some practice on the test day. The basic handling course just involves weaving between cones, braking in a corner, emergency stop and head checks...

Hope that helps :niceone:

And welcome to the site :niceone:

Firefight
24th August 2004, 20:54
Gidday mate, can I call you N3 for short?,

Welcome to the site, I am sure you will have plenty of wisdom directed to you, so I'll leave it too those who know best, hope you enjoy KB, great people(well most of them)

F/F :wacko:

FROSTY
24th August 2004, 21:22
welcolm dude. If you can ride a trailie you willhave no problems passing the basic skills and handling test.
Any of the bikes you suggested would be good value and nice to ride.
I must say if you buy a balius -good bike but the front end needs stiffening up -not a major

Mr Skid
24th August 2004, 21:32
My preference is for a naked 250, along the lines of a Suze Bandit or Honda VTR, or a Hornet or Balius. Or is it worth looking at a Yammy FZR or CBR. Im concerned the cbr or Fzr may be more thrashed and possibly not the most ideal bike for learning the art of road riding.

If you want to feel like your riding a F1 car crossed with an angry lawnmower I can recommend a CBR250. powerband is between 14k-18k rpm, so yes, they do get the shite thrashed out of them. However I'm commuting to uni on one, and they aren't all that bad really..

With your age and experience have you looked into the CBTA courses?

They get you from learners>restricted>full quick smart if you can show you know what your doing on a bike.

You can also apply for an exemption to ride a bigger cc bike for the course, so you could get a larger cc bike (doesn't have to be a GSXR750 or anything) and thus skip the overpriced 250cc market completely..

Blakamin
24th August 2004, 21:44
Cant beat a yamaha Zeal....fzx250... same engine as the fzr250r but naked... 40hp handle well and very forgiving. but the best bit is you can fit a fzr400 in it when you've finished (anyone got an engine???)

Welcome aboard, and best of luck on the new wheels!

dangerous
24th August 2004, 21:50
Hi there welcome aboard, What on earth is a Balius? I'd say that the VTR is a goer, but then I would as Im just not sure bout the 4cyl's and all that plastic crap on em, can cost too much to repair if ya not cearfull.

Badcat
24th August 2004, 21:53
Hi, Im finally looking at getting a bike licence. I have some experience with dirt bikes. Ive had a DR250, a KX 250 and a modified KDX 220. I did a reasonalbe amount of trail riding etc. But I have had very little experience on the road. First question is what is the Basic handling skills test? , do I need a bike to do the test? Do I need to practise before I do the test? (Or is it a basic setup just to make sure your capable of riding and know the basics?) My next question where do I sit the Basic handling skillls test, (Im in Auckland) The final question is what bike do I get? This one really has me stumped. I wish to spend 3-4k. The bike is to be used purely for pleasure, I intend to trade up at a later date (when Im well and trully comfortable) to a 400 - 600 cc bike. (hmmmmmmmm R6) :yeah: But do I get a nice 250 that will be enjoyable for a reasonable amount of time, or buy a cheapy smaller bike and move on as quick as possible. Im leaning more towards a nice 250 as I am in no rush, and keen to build up skills and convidence before moving on. (Not keen on strapping myself on demon machine and scarying the crap out of myself.) My preference is for a naked 250, along the lines of a Suze Bandit or Honda VTR, or a Hornet or Balius. Or is it worth looking at a Yammy FZR or CBR. Im concerned the cbr or Fzr may be more thrashed and possibly not the most ideal bike for learning the art of road riding. I dont wish to go down the track of a Gn250 etc as I feel in 3 months time I will want to move on. Any suggestions would be great. The age group Im in is 30ish, so Im not some young 16 yr old nutter who wants to go balls out all the time. :ride:

welcome!!
that VTR is a honey if you can't see yourself on the mighty vanvan.

k

Ms Piggy
24th August 2004, 22:49
Hi, Im finally looking at getting a bike licence. I have some experience with dirt bikes. Ive had a DR250, a KX 250 and a modified KDX 220. I did a reasonalbe amount of trail riding etc. But I have had very little experience on the road. First question is what is the Basic handling skills test? do I need a bike to do the test? Do I need to practise before I do the test? (Or is it a basic setup just to make sure your capable of riding and know the basics?)
Firstly - welcome along, there are some great people on this site, so you've come to the right place to ask questions :niceone:

Secondly - if you have riding experience you'll be fine on your Basic Handling Skills test. I had very little riding time ie. maybe 5hrs, when I sat mine and I still passed! I think the others have answered most of your questions.

Good luck! :)

Mr Skid
24th August 2004, 23:23
Secondly - if you have riding experience you'll be fine on your Basic Handling Skills test. I had very little riding time ie. maybe 5hrs, when I sat mine and I still passed!

I'd never sat on a motorbike before and managed to pop a *very* small and unintentional wheelie on the gn125 I sat the test on yet still they gave me my licence :wacko:

As long as you don't fall off (too many times) you'll be right!

LB
25th August 2004, 06:56
.
.Hi N3wbbkik3r - welcome to KBer! It's a great site with some great people.

I think the others have probably answered your questions.
.
.

Devil
25th August 2004, 09:31
Hey dude, Balius rider here. If you want the noise of the ZXR/CBR250 but in a naked bike, go the balius :) Has the ZXR engine (19k rpm), cams are slightly different, tuned for more midrange. Still 40hp apparently.

As frosty said (funnily enough after riding mine :p) the front is a little soft but am going to have a go at putting heavier fork oil in this weekend!

F5 Dave
26th August 2004, 12:20
Gidday, always good to see some fresh blood. The VTR spardas are great little bikes, I’ve had a couple of friends love them & was quite impressed when I rode them. If you’ve been trail riding enough then the basic skills test will be easy.

However don’t let that lull you into overconfidence. The transition to road does have some differences, the most notable being the cars that pretend not to see you. Try & garner as much info from training on making yourself noticed. Decent gear is a must early on more than later.

The other subtle differences are the emphasis on the road is to the front brake. Practise in a carpark & above all keep your eyes on the horizon. Most people look down when braking. One of the big lessons hopefully you have learned on the trail is look where you want to go. This is compounded at with road speeds being higher & more open space rather than on a trail.

Even after a couple of decades on the road I still need to make sure I’m looking far enough ahead around a corner. If you stop your gaze part way around a corner you will start staring at a lamppost or something & you go where you look. In a potential accident situation look for the escape route, not at what you don’t want to hit.

PS guys, 40hp? Optimistic dyno I’d say (or manufactuer's claim haha). Those Kawis often come with barely the right amount of oil so a change will be a good one. Stiffer springs better still. This can be done for free. Let us know if your interested & I’ll post the link (did it on my RZ, KDX a few others)

Devil
26th August 2004, 13:38
PS guys, 40hp? Optimistic dyno I’d say (or manufactuer's claim haha). Those Kawis often come with barely the right amount of oil so a change will be a good one. Stiffer springs better still. This can be done for free. Let us know if your interested & I’ll post the link (did it on my RZ, KDX a few others)
@ engine. Havent seen anything that mentions otherwise.

vifferman
26th August 2004, 14:05
Practise in a carpark & above all keep your eyes on the horizon. Most people look down when braking. One of the big lessons hopefully you have learned on the trail is look where you want to go. This is compounded at with road speeds being higher & more open space rather than on a trail.Yeah, what he said. You need to look at the 'vanishing point', i.e.', look as far ahead as you can, right throught the corner, and "lead with your chin", while only briefly scanning the road's surfae for obstacles. There should be fewer holes, bumps, tree roots, fallen riders, possums, etc. than on a trail. :msn-wink:

And treat all other road users as homicidal maniacs, as that's what they are, more or less (deliberate or unintentional).

I dont wish to go down the track of a Gn250 etc as I feel in 3 months time I will want to move on.In that case, spend as little as you can, as the 250 market tends to be very expensive for what you get (or so I've heard). I was going to suggest "Don't rule out a trailbike, seeing you're used to them", but that would mean more of a transition to a road bike if/when you step up to a 600 or whatever.

カワサキキド
28th August 2004, 01:15
With your age and experience have you looked into the CBTA courses?

They get you from learners>restricted>full quick smart if you can show you know what your doing on a bike.

You can also apply for an exemption to ride a bigger cc bike for the course, so you could get a larger cc bike (doesn't have to be a GSXR750 or anything) and thus skip the overpriced 250cc market completely..

Go straight for a 400 or 600, the 250 4's valves and cylinders are so small they wear out really fast. Unless you can find something with low k's. You will be able to get something newer and better for you money not shopping on the inflated 250 market.

DEATH_INC.
28th August 2004, 07:07
After the trailies you've owned,you'll find all the 250's boring unless you get a two smoke,like the RGV,RS (aprilia) ect.If you're brave and can risk the fines(about $300 i think),get a 400 at least,otherwise go for the most powerful 250 you can find(cbr250rr?).
The biggest transition problem I had was not going flat out everywhere,and trying to behave(still working on both....),and most importantly,cage drivers are IDIOTS,and will take every oppurtunity to kill/injure/damage you that they can,with no regard to the road rules.

N3wbbik3r
28th August 2004, 09:13
I agree I will proberly find the power lacking in comparism, BUT Im looking at more from a point of view of learning to ride correcly for the road, braking etc. The power side will come later for me as long as its adequate I will be happy. I dont expect them to accelerate as fast as any of the two strokers I have owned previously, (Infact I hope they dont) as that would be dangerous for me on the road. I had two throttle setting on dirt, Idle and WOT. I see the road as a VERY VERY different game to play, it is a game I wish to learn and play well. (and SAFE)
I contemplated the 2 stroke idea but thought I better not. So Im realy looking for a nice 250 with smooth power development good handling and good brakes. That will allow me develop as a rider before I move up to a bigger, faster more extreme bike. I am in no rush to buy and will take my time to find what I want. I want something that will; go round the corners nicely, and then as I become more confident has the ability to be pushed quicker and quicker round the corners allowing me to evolve into a better rider. Basicaly a bike that has a lot more ability than I need to begin with an as I become more confident and experienced I can explore what he it can do.