First-bike advice?

[Tange]

I just got my BHS the other day and will be getting my leaners very soon.

I have looked through previous threads to see what people recommend for learner bikes but all the suggestions differ depending on what the person wants out of the bike. So i thought i would tell you what i want from a bike.


A bike ridden purely for fun on weekends and sunny days, dont need a commuter.
Something that will keep me happy right though to my full (sadly i am only 22 so no fast tracked license)
Budget of around 2-4k, that way its easier to convince the missus ;)
Something to keep up with my mates GSXR250 on the straights
Something that handles well so i can have some fun on the twisties (once i have some experience) and maybe even let me have some fun on the track
Got to be 250cc and not to fussed if its 2 or 4 stroke, but sounds like 4 stroke is the way to go.

Thanks in advance for any help

Brett

[Taz]

Kawasaki GPX250R $5995 Or Ninja 250R $6995. Of course you can find them 2nd hand.

[mowgli]

Hyosung GT250R $7195 new. Plenty around second hand.

[owner]

dude you r gunna fall off, dont buy a time bomb 90s 4 cylinder, buy a gpx or fxr, vtr, reliable single is my 2 cents, catch him in the corners bro that what a real man would do

[owner]

oh and buy decent boots and gloves and as much leather as you can afford

[Tange]

Thanks guys. Probably looking at second hand as new is a bit over my budget. But the second hand market seems so overpriced for such old bikes. Was looking at CBR's but these seem really expensive. What are the old GSXR's like seem to be the cheapest 4 strokes on trade me (probably says something about the quality)

Will look out for second hand bikes that hand been mentioned. Anyone got any other suggestions?

Owner: Will definitely be buying some decent gear before i hope on anything. Seems like everyone has some sort of incident when they are learning, so that just leads me to think second hand is an even better option? As for catching him the corners, i have only owned cars before, is there such a dramatic difference between handling in sports bikes? Or is it more due to different riders?

[Taz]

It'll probably cost you less in the long run to buy a new GPX250 than a 17 year old GSXR/CBR/ZXR for 2k less.

[ital916]

Thanks guys. Probably looking at second hand as new is a bit over my budget. But the second hand market seems so overpriced for such old bikes. Was looking at CBR's but these seem really expensive. What are the old GSXR's like seem to be the cheapest 4 strokes on trade me (probably says something about the quality)

Will look out for second hand bikes that hand been mentioned. Anyone got any other suggestions?

Owner: Will definitely be buying some decent gear before i hope on anything. Seems like everyone has some sort of incident when they are learning, so that just leads me to think second hand is an even better option? As for catching him the corners, i have only owned cars before, is there such a dramatic difference between handling in sports bikes? Or is it more due to different riders?

Hey mate. Yeah there is a big difference in putting a car through corners and putting a bike through corners. Remember you have the whole lane to move in and as such can put yourself in a safer position when going around blind corners etc. Forget about catching anybody, ride your own ride and have fun. Lock your ego in a box, if your just learning your mate shouldn't blast off he should stick with ya. Don't get a gsx250 btw, it's an elephant.

[CookMySock]

Seems like everyone has some sort of incident when they are learningIt doesn't have to be this way. Take your time. Go slow. Read heaps. Ride with people who are learning. Talk to people who think. Listen to the old farts talk. Take your riding seriously. Don't ride with smartasses. Ditch peer-pressure.

Learn. Grow. You will be fine.

DB

[Tange]

Thanks for the advice guys.

My friend also sat his BHS at the same time so most of my riding will be with someone on the same skill level. Reading about how the rules are probably changing might mean that the second hand 250 market might drop? Guess ill just have to keep looking around until i find something that feels right.

[FilthyLuka]

VTR250's are sexy awesome
GPX's in good nick are not too bad either
Bandits be good

Or you could just flag it all and buy a RGV 250 and pray like fuck you get your full before the 2010 :P

[Paranoid Android]

i used a zxr 250 c to get me through my learners. extremly reliable. and i got my money back for it when i sold it. a lot of my friends and people i ride with now are one zxrs. but the cbr rr's are also extremly good. i went shopping for a cbr did not like the ones i saw for sale and got a zxr.

But there are also the honda hornets. slightly more recent. not faired so can get you wet and or pushed around by the wind. but they fang good.

when you get into riding though on whatever bike you will quickly learn what you want and at that time when you get to your full.

[Ripperjon]

The Suzuki Bandits are a very nice looking naked bike that is within your budget.
I spent ages trawling through Trademe looking at bikes up to 4 grand and the bandits always looked like they were in the best condition.

In the end i saved a bit more and went for a new ninja 250 though. It will cost me if i crack the fairing but i think it's worth it. I love it.

[Capinure]

i got a gsxr250 cheap when i brought it but giving me hell atm.
zxr and cbrs are good bikes but hard to find a good heap one these days.
I'd say go for a hornet,bandit or balius.

[phoenixgtr]

GSF250 Bandit

-4 stroke inline four
-Plenty of go
-LOVE the corners
-So easy to ride
-No expensive fairings when you drop it
-Looks pretty cool
-Can sound like an F1 car with an aftermarket exhaust (just ask Wasp)
-Could get one easily for your budget in good condition

[TygerTung]

My friend has one of those 250 bandits, he dropped it at about 20k and it got written off.

MY advice is to get a real shitter for a wee bit, somthing like a CG125, it will help your riding skills heaps as you won't have power to compensate for lack of skill. They crash pretty good, and they cost only about $500 bux. You WILL crash it too.

Once you've been riding that around for a while and you are pretty good at riding, you can get a proper 250 like a 2 stroke, maybe a RGV or a NSR or whatever you like. These are NOT suitiable for a first bike, as they're faster than a 400 4 stroke.

[lostinflyz]

go for shitty and ride hard.

i learnt on a real old fucked as vt250. but i rode with guys on much bigger bikes and learnt to ride properly. i thought it was great cause it wasnt too quick and i coud bin it and not care. if you start riding knowing you cant push it or try things cause you might crash then you will take milleniums to learn to go anywhere.

just rem with any bike thats about 10 years old or more that it will cost you anywhere from 200-1000 bucks to make them sweet. and tyres count more than anything. a 5 grand zxr250 with cheap chinese rubber is as good as a 500 buck bomb on quality rubber. and tyres arent cheap.

[TygerTung]

I agree with you, but disagree. Tyres ARE cheap compared with the cost of fixing your bike WHEN you fall off. If you have good tyres the chances of falling off are MUCH lower than if you have cheapo tyres. I've had a few crashes due to shitty old tyres. Now I always make sure I have the best tyres on that I can get. $180 on a tyre usually tends to be a lot cheaper than the cost to fix your bike when you fall off.

[Tange]

Thanks for all the input. Might just look around for something cheap just to learn on. Probably a good idea to learn to ride properly before I go for something with some power.