Looking for advice on GN250

[NOWOOL]

Hi Gang,
I just got my learner's licence and i'm shopping for a used Suzuki GN250. anyone got advice on what I should look for when I check them out?

TIA

[Choco]

Great choice of bike my friend! :yes:
Do the usual check of tires, lights, paintwork etc but be aware that GN's naturally rust (the new ones anyway) so a few specs here and there on the chrome doesn't mean it's been dropped in the sea.

Also bent foot pegs probably means it's been dropped because they take all the weight in a fall (twenty bucks for a second hand one though :bleh:)

Good luck hunting!
Choco.

[Pex Adams]

My wife own's a Ginny and loves it to pieces... You can't beat it for a first bike, reliable, easy to maintain, cheap and there are thousands and thousands of cheap parts for them if you decide that riding it gets boring, and you want to lie it down for a rest.

Things I have noticed on her one, her chain crapped out quickly (I'm sure it was a chinese one). So that need replacing.
Front Fork seals, have been known to leak (normal in most bikes)
Tires - make sure they're not cracked, or really badly weathered.
Holes in the exhaust - Not a major, but has happened to the wifes.

Good luck with finding a good one.

[sunhuntin]

only advice: get one from the 80s... japanese. ive owned one of each [86 and 06] the 86 was still running after being hit by a car. the 06 let me down more often than not over the year i had her.

[kensuem]

Nothing wrong with a Chinese one if it has been looked after.Check service records.My 06 model is now 20 months old,has done 21000klm,with no problems,Fantastic value.Dont believe the stories about bad handling,the bike is as good as the rider!!!

[Lissa]

I really dont know what to look for in a second hand GN so sorry I cant help. If you get one at a good price and you are happy with what a GN can give you go for it. :niceone:

On the other hand, I have to be totally honest. My first bike was a GN. I rode this around the Wairarapa (alot of country roads) and I found it absolutely infuriating to ride. It lacks power, and I found it very dangerous in passing situations. BUT it is economical and if you are going to be using it for mostly commuting to work etc it is a good little machine. But if you want it to learn on and do alot of riding you might find that you will be a little disappointed after a few months and will want to upgrade. That isnt saying that alot of people dont enjoy their GN's I am just talking from my experience.

I never had any problems with handling on my GN. And it was a bit of a buzz to ride up the Rimutakas!!

[NOWOOL]

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I know its underpowered but the price is dictating what I buy for a first bike (250's are very high priced for what they are!). My Budget is $2400 and a bike within 5 hours drive. If you know of any reliable WOF & Reg'd twin-cylinders nearby I'd be interested!
Living in Middlemarch Otago doesn't make it any easier since if I break down (even at home) I'm 100k from the nearest service! Lotsa hills out here but fortunately next to no other vehicles on the roads.

[Squiggles]

Given your location... ever considered a dual purpose bike?

[FilthyLuka]

I have a gn thats for sale, 1990, 73000km. Regular oil changes and maintanace, just got new head gasket, new valve stem seals and two new exhaust valves (one was chipped so i replaced both), its due for a camchain ($53.50 for the chain, no idea about labour, shouldn't be much, cam chain is on the side, no gnarly method needed to replace)

Its in auckland

You can have it for a grand

[yungatart]

I have a Spada here for sale (well actually hXc does).
Way cooler than a GN, very easy to ride, and more fun than a weasel down your trousers.
You won't 'outgrow' a Spada as quickly as you'll outgrow a GN either.

[NOWOOL]

Yeah, I did consider dual-purpose but nothin' within my price range available in my area. A Spada would be very cool but it all comes down to price and can ride home within 5 hours (Shipping a bike from north island adds another $400 to price). Wife's stipulations are she wants it to look "pretty" and low k's since it'll be her bike when I get a full licence (Please no links to "girly" bikes! It'll be bad enough riding a bike around here with 250cc's and an L plate).

[sunhuntin]

Nothing wrong with a Chinese one if it has been looked after.Check service records.My 06 model is now 20 months old,has done 21000klm,with no problems,Fantastic value.Dont believe the stories about bad handling,the bike is as good as the rider!!!

i had mine serviced regularly... how good a job the mechanics did, however, is another story, considering the fact they looked at me like a dopey blonde chick whenever i went in. and the work was all done by the local zuki dealer, where the bike was purchased.

[Maffoo]

I have a Spada here for sale (well actually hXc does).
Way cooler than a GN, very easy to ride, and more fun than a weasel down your trousers.
You won't 'outgrow' a Spada as quickly as you'll outgrow a GN either.

how much for the spada?
my bike is for sale too on TM

[stevewederell]

TIP: Buy a $14 multimeter and check that bastard reg/rec out. :mad:

Do this by checking the voltage across the batt' terminals while she's running about 5000rpm. If it reads 18V like mine, either flag it or buy it for at least $250 less as that's how much a new one costs. Also the batt' may be buggered (mine was boiling dry) so there may be larger costs. I'm not sure about cost to install, just grab the manual (pdf's are everywhere for free) and do it yourself.

Good luck mate
Steve

I'll miss the Ol' GN...:weep:

[NOWOOL]

Thanks for everyone's advice. After failing numerous trademe auctions I bought a 2005 GN with 6000k from McIver and Veitch for 3000 (with orc). Fitted it with a Givi 755 fairing (since the wind kept trying to push me off at highway speeds) and a top box (same as Choco's).

I've put 2000k's on it since and moved onto my restricted licence. (I'd highly reccomend the tester in Mosgiel for licencing testing for anyone in Dunedin area!!).
Very reliable bike. starts everytime and no worries so far (touch wood). I did notice while shopping for a GN that every GN has rust to some degree (as you guys stated).

My wife has taken an interest into riding it but the seat and the clutch handle are a little to big for her (she's only 5ft). Anyway I can adapt the bike better for her and still keep it rideable for me (i'm 5ft 11)?

TIA

[hayd3n]

um all i can think of is bending it as lil bit in
but itll probably break
knowing my luck or not engage properly lol

[MSTRS]

It is possible to get levers that are adjustable. They have a little numbered wheel that moves the lever in or out.
I have heard of someone slackening off the cable a bit and somehow inserting a little wedge between the lever and the body it is bolted to.

[xwhatsit]

Thanks for everyone's advice. After failing numerous trademe auctions I bought a 2005 GN with 6000k from McIver and Veitch for 3000 (with orc).
Cool! I wish my bike came with an orc. I could set it on the cagers.

[NOWOOL]

I'm happy with the taiwan made 2005 gn250. All the fears I had from listening to complaints about the later made chinese bikes haven't panned out (except for the chrome rust). I've even learned to trust the chinese tyres; scraped the side stand and they still held around the corners! No complaints with the seat or bar comfort; after two hours i'm still fine (as compared to my ride mate on his hyosong complaining after 45 minutes). I'll keep the bike after i go for my full licence in april just for using on the gravel roads as it seems to do a stable job.

[mister.koz]

only advice: get one from the 80s... japanese. ive owned one of each [86 and 06] the 86 was still running after being hit by a car. the 06 let me down more often than not over the year i had her.

My 83 rocked 89000 on the clock and beaten to hell but easy to fix :)


TIP: Buy a $14 multimeter and check that bastard reg/rec out. :mad:

Do this by checking the voltage across the batt' terminals while she's running about 5000rpm. If it reads 18V like mine, either flag it or buy it for at least $250 less as that's how much a new one costs. Also the batt' may be buggered (mine was boiling dry) so there may be larger costs. I'm not sure about cost to install, just grab the manual (pdf's are everywhere for free) and do it yourself.

Good luck mate
Steve

I'll miss the Ol' GN...:weep:

Good call, there's a motorbike wrecker in ngaruawahia where i got a 2nd hand rectifier from for about $50 and i got a 2nd hand cdi unit from trademe for $60 took me about 2 hours to put it all in (including beer), not tricky!

Its a common fault that starts in the rectifier and ruins the CDI and sometimes the battery.

GN's are awesome for learning the gears and learning low speed stuff but they really don't have what it takes to comfortably do 90+km/h.

[NOWOOL]

[QUOTE=GN's are awesome for learning the gears and learning low speed stuff but they really don't have what it takes to comfortably do 90+km/h.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I agree, anything over 85 km feels like i'm teetering on the brink and requires total concentration (especially with strong winds), rather takes away from the enjoyable experience of riding.

When I get my full licence and move to a larger bike will this perception change?

[mister.koz]

Yeah, I agree, anything over 85 km feels like i'm teetering on the brink and requires total concentration (especially with strong winds), rather takes away from the enjoyable experience of riding.

When I get my full licence and move to a larger bike will this perception change?

Yeah, its the weight distribution and the push of the engine.

A more powerful bike holds to the road better and with a greater turning mass (centrifugal force?) they are less effected by wind and turbulence, this also makes them slightly less reactive when you are trying to put them into corners.

My zxr250 was not allot lighter than my zx6rr but the sheer force of the 600 engine makes it stick to the road better, not to mention the aerodynamics.

You will find in all bikes that they have a "happy area" where they perform and function smoother and more comfortably. I would suggest that when you feel like you have out-grown your GN250, start jumping on different 250s for test rides, you might need a restricted for that. There are an array of 250's out there that handle quite nicely on the open road at open road speeds, they are normally harder to control at lower speeds though. We have a couple of people in our groups on the 250 ninja's and there's a vtr250 as well, the keep up nicely.

There's always a trade offs with bikes, just make sure you keep within your own limits; as you go on on and get more experience you will grow out of bikes.

For me the GN250 was 3 - 4 months, then the zxr250 was 8 months. I stepped a little too far onto my 600 but i kept my speeds real low until i was comfortable enough to respect the power of the bike. It still scares the crap out of me and i have done 8000km so far.

[NOWOOL]

Hopping on another 250 isn't an option in my small town.All of my mates own 1300 to 1850 cc bikes (kinda scared to try them out).
it's more a matter of stabilty in air speed.
I agree with your comment about growing out of bikes; once I learned to actually trust the bike rather than 'control' it, i grew more confident! Biggest problem on trust is doing it rather than thinking about it (I'm doing 135km with strong winds, sound is deafening and i've got little chance if anything goes wrong of gloves, jacket, pants, etc protecing me at this speed).

[mister.koz]

Hopping on another 250 isn't an option in my small town.All of my mates own 1300 to 1850 cc bikes (kinda scared to try them out).
it's more a matter of stabilty in air speed.
I agree with your comment about growing out of bikes; once I learned to actually trust the bike rather than 'control' it, i grew more confident! Biggest problem on trust is doing it rather than thinking about it (I'm doing 135km with strong winds, sound is deafening and i've got little chance if anything goes wrong of gloves, jacket, pants, etc protecing me at this speed).

Bugger, well it would be good for you to (somehow) get onto other 250cc bikes before moving to a bigger bike, jumping straight from a gn250 to a large bike is a really big step.

Best thing in that 135k in the wind situation is to slow down; if you are thinking about how good your protective gear is then you are riding beyond your ability :D

I agree with the trust your bike, its good to support that trust by taking real good care of it too.

Obsessively cleaning my bike i found a couple of bolts that had worked them self loose.. needless to say i still obsessively clean my bike :D

[NOWOOL]

I agree, the theoretical psychist's side of me tells me 'what will happen is already pre-determined". I'm not riding beyond my ability, usually I go with what is comfortable, I tend to think of what could go wrong and base anything on that, but hard to keep at the forefront of your mind when the strong winds are pushing at you and you have a 45 degree corner coming up! lol

I'm not new to motorcycles; my last bike was a '92 K75rs, only change is i havent ridden since '93 and since i didnt add a MC adorsement to my lic in NZ i gotta start over.

[mister.koz]

I agree, the theoretical psychist's side of me tells me 'what will happen is already pre-determined". I'm not riding beyond my ability, usually I go with what is comfortable, I tend to think of what could go wrong and base anything on that, but hard to keep at the forefront of your mind when the strong winds are pushing at you and you have a 45 degree corner coming up! lol

I'm not new to motorcycles; my last bike was a '92 K75rs, only change is i havent ridden since '93 and since i didnt add a MC adorsement to my lic in NZ i gotta start over.

Hehe theoretical physic's says that everything is happening, happened and about to happen all at once :D all possibilities are actual. Or as janis joplin said "its all the same day man"

Good you are keeping it real on the road dude :)

[NOWOOL]

Yes, I agree; Everything that can happen will happen........ doesn't mean the reality you are currently experiencing won't hurt! LOL

[Fumph]

Reading the earlier post I see you have fitted a Givi 755 faring. How is that working out and at what cost? I could be interested in one myself...

[NOWOOL]

The fairing works great, especially at motorway speed. I've got it tilted all the way up which makes a quiet pocket from my waist to the top of my helmet. sometimes it works a little too well (bug landed on my visor and I had to flick it off). I haven't tried it in heavy rain, but works well in light drizzle. No buffeting, but since its attached to the handlebars it does affect steering at speed with strong side winds.
Without the fairing headwinds kept trying to push me off at speeds over 80kph.

it comes off in a few minutes (loosen the headlight bolts and handlebar bolts) but I've tried it both ways a few times in different winds and I now leave it on.

List price for the Givi 755 is around $300 NZ and it comes in different paint colours. Mine is the matt black (unpainted) which I bought off trademe for $210 without a scratch (my wife dropped the bike 30 mins after I mounted it but surprisingly it only suffered a slight scratch after being slammed into the tarmac at no speed; she said it was too heavy so she didn't try to stop it falling!).

[Badjelly]

The fairing works great, ... No buffeting, but since its attached to the handlebars it does affect steering at speed with strong side winds.

You mean it makes the bike move around more in strong side winds?

What difference do you think it makes to the drag on the bike? Does the bike need more, less or the same power to go at, say, 100 km/h?

[NOWOOL]

Yes, in strong side winds (IE: 50 kph+) it does push the front end around a bit, but still controllable.
It does appear to make the bike more aerodynamic. my top end went up about 5 kph (137 kph with light headwind on flat ground). I haven't noticed any difference in fuel economy.

[Fumph]

That's very interesting thanks. I went and had a look at a couple of internet sites in the states and they appear to be well thought of. The Givi site in Italy doesn't mention the A755 as fitting the GN250 so it is good to know you have fitted it ok. I saw the pics of your GN and it looks fine.I was wondering about your top speed for the GN 137 kph! that is the fastest I have heard anyone doing on one. I have had mine to 120 with a tail wind but 110 is about what I get normally. Have you modded the exhaust/air intake carb etc?I was hoping the faring would give another 10 kph and ease the wind buffeting at 100 kph.
There is an agent for Givi in NZ and I have emailed them for prices etc.

[hayd3n]

130kms for my partners gn which now needs a rectifier/regulator
seems pretty stable but hard to stop in the wet(at 50 kays ) unless you use footpegs indicators/mirror as a brake

[Fumph]

Well 130kph is fast for a GN250... sorry to hear about ur partner's slide, hope is okay. I have fitted Pirelli City Demons in the hope that the risk of that will be reduced. I am still curious about the variation in reported top speeds for GN250s. I read some comment on a US site about it and the concensus was why would you bother to make it go much faster as it gets unstable...but you can by drilling holes in the exhaust and taking the cover off the air cleaner and enriching the mix in the carb. But is it worth the effort?

[NOWOOL]

That's very interesting thanks. I went and had a look at a couple of internet sites in the states and they appear to be well thought of. The Givi site in Italy doesn't mention the A755 as fitting the GN250 so it is good to know you have fitted it ok. I saw the pics of your GN and it looks fine.I was wondering about your top speed for the GN 137 kph! that is the fastest I have heard anyone doing on one. I have had mine to 120 with a tail wind but 110 is about what I get normally. Have you modded the exhaust/air intake carb etc?I was hoping the faring would give another 10 kph and ease the wind buffeting at 100 kph.
There is an agent for Givi in NZ and I have emailed them for prices etc.

Yes it does ease buffeting at 100 kpm. Creates a calm pocket between you and the fairing.
I haven't done any mods to the bike. It does take a while to get up to top speed of 137 kph and needs a long flat stretch. Front end gets feels pretty light once you get over 125 or so kph. Could be the speedos are only calibrated up to a certain speed and vary from bike to bike.
110 kph is pretty slow top speed for a GN. Maybe it needs a tune up. Not sure if there's been any hp changes over the years.

[Fumph]

Well yes maybe it does need a tune up I will have to look at that.
Was out this afternoon and on a long straight managed to get up to 122kph before having to ease up for a bend. A site I found today says that in a test in the late eighties 69mph was the top speed for a standard GN250(about 129 kph). The bike is getting faster with age.... when I first got it had 2500 ks and 100kph was max..... but I notice it is getting faster with age now at 6400 ks....When you fitted the faring did you have to move flashers and reflectors?

[NOWOOL]

Well yes maybe it does need a tune up I will have to look at that.
Was out this afternoon and on a long straight managed to get up to 122kph before having to ease up for a bend. A site I found today says that in a test in the late eighties 69mph was the top speed for a standard GN250(about 129 kph). The bike is getting faster with age.... when I first got it had 2500 ks and 100kph was max..... but I notice it is getting faster with age now at 6400 ks....When you fitted the faring did you have to move flashers and reflectors?

My bike has almost twice the kms, so maybe mine is just "broken in". I'm sure your bike specs are identical to mine.

Nah, I didn't have to do any mods to fit the fairing. it attaches to the headlight mounting bolts and two clamps on the handllebars. I'll take some closeup pics tomorrow and post them for you.

[Fumph]

Thanks for that I would appreciate seeing the pics. I made a mistake with the speed figures should have been 79mph (about 129 kph).

[NOWOOL]

I've uploaded the pics of the Givi mounts in my album. you can view them here.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=1535