188cm tall and in need of 250cc bike. Any Ideas?

[Chief]

Hi

I am thinking of getting a bike. Never riden anything before so I am starting from scratch. I have a driving license so I know the rules of the road, but the rest is all new to me. I have reseached the cost of licenses and lessons up to the restricted license. But I need your knowledge to help me with some more info:

What bike will be big enough for me?

The cost of said bike? (cheaper the better, I'm bound to drop it ;0)

Rough cost of insurance? (28 year old male newbie living in Auckland)

Cost of helmets and enough stuff to get me started?

Plus anything else I might need to know to get me started...

Any help greatly appreciated.

[Kwaka14]

Get something like a VTR or a Bandit 250 (naked to don't scar badly at low speeds), budget to get a resonable bike if you want it to be relatively trouble free(ish) maybe 4kish and for the most basic of basic gear - cheap jacket, helmet,gloves,trousers around maybe $700.00.

[Chief]

sorry I'm a bit lame at this who makes the VTR and Bandit bikes? I'll have a look on autotrader

[Kwaka14]

VTR is a Honda and Bandit is Suzuki, another one that's not too bad is a Hornet, the main thing is when you're larger than the average bear is to adjust things to suit your size, suspension settings, lever angles, foot control angles that sort of thing, nothing stock is a perfect fit on a 250cc Japanese bike if you're over 6" or heavier than 100kg.

[Chief]

nice one. Thanks for your help mate

[quallman1234]

Welcome to kb :).

Just watch out for the chinese brands!, Go for a geniue well known Brand like.

Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki and so on.
The naked bikes are great, fast enough and handle well enough. But you wont dent your wallet if you drop it.
You could always consider a dual purpose 250. That might suit you better.
Main thing is get your learners and test ride (be careful) a whole bunch of bikes.
Trademe's a whole lot cheaper than things like autotrader but you dont know whats wrong with the bike if anything.

Good luck!
:rockon: Your love it.

[fireliv]

HI Welcome aboard!!

My partners first bike was a Suzuki FXR150, nice little machine.... but grew out of it quickly, so when I decided to learn to ride, I got a bandit 250 and love it. COs $4000. My partner rides it now and then (He has his full, rides a Kawazaki ZX6R) and reckons on some roads its way more fun than his own. Small enough to corner well, but enough in it to not lag to far behind when riding with the big boys. Like was mentioned earlier, a naked bike so nothing is really going to break if dropped.

Good luck, lots of fun, just be safe.

[Squiggles]

yer, as the others have said, naked bikes would be best, the faired 250's will be rather uncomfortable to someone 6ft+

Insurance... err, well when i was 16, on my learners, and riding a rgv250 i paid $40 a month for full cover...

Gear, dont go for cheapy trademe stuff. I recommend Motomail (outlet) as i've had a fair few bargains from there. But if you buy the bike from a dealer you could probably get just as good of a deal from them at the same time.

Budget a couple of hundred for a helmet, cordura gear @ motomail for hanne set me back only $280 for a jacket and pants (dririder & rjays) Boots...who knows, i just have leather boots from the shoe place :yes:

[Mr. Peanut]

Hyosung GT250, perfect bike for you. They are really good.

[Steam]

The best bike for a tall learner is something like a Suzuki DR250, a Honda XR250, or a Yamaha XT250. No contest. If size is important, those are your best bets. Heaps of fun too because you can take them off-road as well as commuting. My next bike is going to be a dual-purpose, I am sick of being stuck on the road.


Gear, dont go for cheapy trademe stuff. I recommend Motomail

I totally disagree, Trademe stuff is the best for a learner who doesn't quite know what's the best, exactly what will suit him. He can get nice new gear when he's ready get the perfect stuff.
Trademe's so so cheap, and if you try before you buy you know exactly what you're getting.

[BigRed2007]

suzuki Gz 250 mate:P

I am about ur height and its awesome.

[DUCATI*HARD]

honda hornet mate!!!

[CM2005]

I've got a ZXR250 for sale, i'm 6ft, it fits. Otherwise definitely got for a dual purpose trail/road bike.

[discotex]

I'm just under 6' and the CBR250rr (Honda) and ZXR250 (Kawasaki) are on the borderline of comfort. I love my ZXR250 but I couldn't suggest one to someone any taller. Any of the bikes with a more upright seating position would be heaps better.

For total newb I'd say go with a VTR250. They're comfy and easy to ride around town thanks to the low-down torque. They'll do 100km/h+ on the motorway no worries too. The Hyosung GT250 Comet sounds ok too but I've never seen one.

If you want more power go for the CBR250 Hornet or the GSF250 Bandit as they're inline 4's with more top-end.

Insurance should be around $400 or less if you're lucky.


Helmets are a personal call. I consider anything that meets the standards will protect you ok. Anything more expensive is about comfort, weight, noise, venting and pretty colours. If you're lucky enough to find a $300 helmet that fits well you could get away with that but budget on around $500 and you should be able to get something decent. I'm pretty happy with my HJC CL-SP.

$500 for helmet + $200 for a jacket + $100 for gloves and you have the basics as long as you have a good pair of sturdy boots. From there you want to look at getting some bike boots starting around $200 and either kevlar lined jeans or bike pants.

[R1madness]

Year 2000 Kawasaki Veliminator. Biggest 250 on the market. they are not the cheapest 250 on the market but they are coolest (if you like the dragbike look) $6750. Email me for photos

[N_C]

Only 188cm? I'm over 2m :bleh: and I ride a Hyosung GT250R with the bottom half of the fairing removed. I don't have any photos of it but it looks just like the Hyosung GT650S Tourer seen here http://www.hyosung.com.au/Products/GT650S-Tourer.html

Personally I found the sports bikes to be more comfortable than any cruiser or dual purpose bike. But take any bike you fancy for a test ride before you buy and SHOP AROUND.

Get quotes from insurance companies.

If you have a problem with the length of pants (especially when you are on the motorbike), then I recommend Dragin Jeans. They do a tall mens range but I had to get myself a custom pair (Silverbacks) plus I wear motocross knee & shin guards for impact protection. They're the best fitting pair of jeans I've ever had :yes:

Also, sit on the bike you plan to get while wearing all the gear you intend to get. EG: While your standing, the jacket fits you well but once you're on the bike you may find the jacket no longer fits.

Welcome to KB :)

[Brett]

I am 6ft 3inch + and just under 100kg and I rode a ZXR 250 (Top of the line 4 cyclinder machine that handles brilliantly) and I was A) Fast (not a priority when buying your 250cc bike however), B) Comfortable. I highly recommend them.

[Cache Wraith]

Although some people don't like them and the quality is not quite up to Japanese and European standard, size wise the Hyosung GT250R & Comet are full size bikes with a 250cc motor. I'm 6'4" and it's about the only 250 that doesn't make me look silly when I sit on it. Sure, if looks aren't that important then some of the other previously mentioned machines will do the biz.

[Phurrball]

Just popped my Bandit on Trademe a few minutes ago - it would suit a larger rider as it's pretty big for a 250.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=118375522&ed=true

See my KB bike-trader listing too.

Ross.

[sedge]

Another vote for the ZXR250A from me, I'm 6'2" and it was the only 'sporty' 250 that fit, the cbr250rr was laugh out loud small on me.

I loved that ZXR, I was sure it had a powerband kick at around 15krpm :)

Kept it for a while after I got a ZXR750 and rode it again after a couple of months... Ha ha... It was like riding a ten speed pushbike.

Sedge.

[klingon]

For the gear issue, I second the idea that you try the gear on then sit on a bike with it on. Suddenly the bottoms of the trousers are half way up your shins and the sleeves of the jacket are leaving drafts around your wrists!

Get properly fitting gear even if you're intending to upgrade soon. All the armour needs to be comfortable and sit in the right places on your knees, elbows and shoulders. If it's not comfortable you'll be tempted to leave it off... which rather defeats the purpose.

Also I can recommend an extremely good personal shopper based on the north shore who will take you around to all the shops and show you what properly-fitting gear looks and feels like. Then you can take a look on trademe etc once you know what to look for. He's got a bit of a sore shoulder at the moment so he might not be up to shopping right now... but he might also be desperate to get out of the house! PM me for his details ;)

And good luck with your new adventure-hobby-obsession :)

[The Lone Rider]

Personally I found the sports bikes to be more comfortable than any cruiser or dual purpose bike. But take any bike you fancy for a test ride before you buy and SHOP AROUND.



Do a 8 hour ride and see how you feel :P

[McDuck]

I am 193cm tall (maby more but not much) and i have one of these http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-117756767.htm?p=10
Would cost about 600-800 to get it back on the road depending on what needs doing to it. Fantastic bikes and able to handle a big rider. It is only 6cm shorter (length ways) than the 1100cc and 4cm shorter (hight) than the 1100.
So that is my pick.

[disenfranchised]

Just popped my Bandit on Trademe a few minutes ago - it would suit a larger rider as it's pretty big for a 250.

A friend of mine had a '93 bandit. I'm 6'3" and when I sat on it it felt tiny.
Saying that the pic on your auction looks bigger than the bike I sat on, maybe the rear shock was wound all the way down or something.

My partners just got a ZZR, and it feels a bit small but is basically big enough. While looking I sat on a number of bikes she was looking at:
Kawasaki ZXR, Kawasaki Balius, Suzuki GSXR, Honda Jade, Honda Hornet

The Hornet was the only bike that felt big enough (and my Hyosung of course)

Depends on your budget I guess. You dont seem to find a Hornet or Hyosung for anything much less than around $6k. I've seen some cheaper hyosungs on trademe, but they always seem to mention damage/problems

[Coyote]

Everyone has failed to mention motards. They have tall seats which would suit you, the handlebars can be moved or replaced, they're tough and dropping it won't be as costly as a sportsbike, some are reliable air cooled single cylinders that require little maintainence and they're cool. The Honda XR250 (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Dirt-bikes/auction-94682302.htm?p=13) and Kawasaki D-Tracker (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-101662805.htm?p=1) would be excellent. A mate of mine had both of them and thought they were excellent bikes.

Not all are reliable and mainainence-less, there are the motocross derived bikes that are awesomely quick but require engine rebuilds fairly regulary, such as the Yamaha WR250 (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Dirt-bikes/auction-110644946.htm?p=16) and the Suzuki RMX250 (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Dirt-bikes/auction-117985550.htm?p=1) (link isn't a road legal example). However if you're not going to be doing many k's and you want performance, you might want to look into them.

[rphenix]

Id recommend the GT250 (more so than the GTR) Hyo but either is good the GTR has dual front discs and a couple of other niceties over the GT but the GT you can get for 5,900 incl onroad from some dealers like baycity I think the GT has a nicer seating style and is apparently faster? but I recommend you test drive both.

If your after second hand I dont recommend the CBR's they are far too popular in the 250cc class so hard to get a bargain definently worth buying in the higher cc range, something like a hornet with that lovely rear wheel is a winner.

As for the XR250 other than being a dirt bike, definently! never been a fan of the XL though mind you I grew up driving the XR (ahem, illegally) down the highways (rural area) nobleys and all.

IF your after something quick well then any 250 2 stroke will kick a 4 , but I still prefer the later :0