Urgent: 250cc Bike needed for licence test

[breakaway]

EEEEK! :crazy:

My test is tomorrow at 12, and the bike that I was going to use has just busted its cam chain.

I've called around, and Wild West Honda was the only shop that answered pretty much, and their 250s are already hired out.

Looks like I'm up shit creek without a paddle.

Can anyone lend me a 250 for a few hours tomorrow? As you can see my situation is quite desperate to be asking here like this. You will be compensated ;)

And to top things off I have work 2-10, and I have to get off the computer at 12:30, so if you want to get in contact with me texting / calling would be the best (only) way! <snip> - or you can leave me a PM. I will check PMs / this thread later this night at about 10:45PM.

Just thought I'd add: I'm happy to leave my (road legal reg'd and wof'd) CBR400RR with you if you need transport / as security.

Any help appreciated!

[Nagash]

Somebody should be able to help this bloke,

I would myself but i'm going touring at 5pm today till wednesday, and I would just drop one of my 250's off at your house but they've just recently (like last week) expired their regos..

Hope someone helps you mate, that's a bitch of a situation to be in.

[Blackshear]

Yo. Going out on a limb here, I live in birkdale?

[Mom]

Yo. Going out on a limb here, I live in birkdale?

Nice offer mate! Top effort!

Have you sent him a PM with a contact number? He says he wont have PC to respond.

[CB ARGH]

Yowch! Shit happens I guess.

Good luck mate, all will be sweet. :2guns:

[EJK]

Breakaway says (txted me): Someone in Mangere Bridge texted me but I accidentally deleted their number. Could you please TXT me again?

[Zealot]

Mine was the bike he was going to borrow (that broke) :( Someone be nice to the poor chap and lend him a bike for a few hours :p

[awayatc]

Wot about taking a bike from a shop to trial....?


Actualy some shops have a little bike available for that.....(small fee)

Also outfit that did basic handling thingy (in Chch) had bikes available for tests.....
Good luck

[Spyked]

Holeshot Suzuki have a GN250 that they rent out. Worth a try.

[Rollestonchick]

:scooter: good luck in finding a bike. I would let you use mine, but unfortunately i live toooooooooo far away:love:

[Imbray]

Good luck with finding a bike, live a bit far away for u to use mine.:bash: I know in Hamilton some of the car rental places also have 250cc bike just for sitting the test as well as the riding school.

[Reido]

where abouts is he?

[EJK]

where abouts is he?

Three Kings Auckland I think

[Reido]

i needed an excuse for a ride, but i think i'd get lost lol.

[breakaway]

Some bloke texted me, willing to lend me his cruiser (he was in mangere somewhere iirc) and I was about to ring him via a land line, but in the mean time I decided to do something dumb and empty my inbox as it was getting full without saving his number.

Still haven't had any response from him. But for now, I seem to have secured a VTR250. I will post back here later ;)

[Donor]

Of course, had you been riding the prescribed 250 already, this wouldn't be a problem... :chase:

Anyhoo, all the best bud!

[breakaway]

Of course, had you been riding the prescribed 250 already, this wouldn't be a problem... :chase:!

And pay twice the price for a broken ass piece of shit in mediocre conditon? Never!

I passed btw, was pretty easy.

** breakaway goes off to eat subway meatball footlong with vanilla coke

[Nordy]

congrats! :D

[Gubb]

And pay twice the price for a broken ass piece of shit in mediocre conditon? Never!

You ask for help, then insult everyone who you were asking?

:girlfight:

[fizbin]

Haha teach me to not check Kb
My bike is just sitting in th garage doing nothing at the mo you could have used it soz cuz :) BTW congrats on the pass

[erik]

...
I passed btw, was pretty easy.
...

Congratulations!

[gijoe1313]

:slap: ...... obviously cocking a snoot at all the other bikers who are starting out with their 250s ... :oi-grr:

[breakaway]

My intention was not to be a tool, I was merely stating my opinion / experience!

[mnkyboy]

Some bloke texted me, willing to lend me his cruiser (he was in mangere somewhere iirc) and I was about to ring him via a land line, but in the mean time I decided to do something dumb and empty my inbox as it was getting full without saving his number.

Still haven't had any response from him. But for now, I seem to have secured a VTR250. I will post back here later ;)


Was me who txted - sorry didnt check thread before i went to bed

And my POS 250 works fine. Keeps me off the pigdar until I update

[Donor]

And my POS 250 works fine. Keeps me off the pigdar until I update

Ah well, some of us have big enough tackle to be seen on a 250... and others of us need to compensate...

[Kittyhawk]

GN's you can get knee down, 12oclock them too <_< but what would i know im a chick:laugh: noob rider at that!!!

[Zealot]

Stop giving him flak. It's a stupid law, and I know many people will agree with me. It means the 250s are artificially propped up in price with no increase in safety for learner riders. As a student who was looking around for a bike for a period of about 2 months, I found it incredibly frustrating that every 250cc bike I went to look at was worth a ridiculous sum of money considering the condition. My budget was limited (I'm a student ffs, I'm not made of money), and almost every 250 I looked at was sooo overpriced.

If it wasn't for my desire to be legal(ish), I would have done what breakaway did and bought myself a nice 400.

[breakaway]

Ah well, some of us have big enough tackle to be seen on a 250... and others of us need to compensate...

Quit twisting my words. I ended up with the 400 because I saw it on trademe for cheap, and used the buy now option straight away. I didn't go out looking for a >250. I bought it sight unseen (well I did see the photos in the auction). My top priority was having a reliable bike, in the style that I wanted (Sport), that I was able to afford. Everything else was secondary. It's not like I went and jumped straight on a 1000. FYI, I had a 2 stroke 150 (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=383) which would require a top end rebuild shortly, which I didn't want to deal with, and quite frankly didn't have the funds to, so I flicked it and got the 400.

Also, it's not about 'the tackle'. It was never about buying a fast bike. It's all about how I'm way too tight to pay $5000 for a CBR250RR when I can get a CBR400RR for $2500. Despite 'high ks', my 400 is in top condition. No tappet noise, no weird grinding, etc. - probably because it hasn't been owned by learner riders who thrash the hell out of it when cold and have no clue how to lube a throttle cable. And have no idea what preventive maintenance is.

[Squiggles]

So you're on your restricted or full now? :P


And pay twice the price for a broken ass piece of shit in mediocre conditon? Never!
Wasnt that your bike after you had it on the rocks? :lol::lol: gw on passing tho

[westie]

GN = slow, I concur.

Can you now legally ride the bikes you own?

[R6_kid]

GN = slow, I concur.

Can you now legally ride the bikes you own?

More to the point does he actually have the skill to ride them safely :Pokey:

[westie]

More to the point does he actually have the skill to ride them safely :Pokey:

Mostly down banks but yea I think so.:devil2:

When you getting a moist rsv.Lol. You could join the squid throttle jockey brigade:Pokey:

[breakaway]

Wasnt that your bike after you had it on the rocks?

Cosmetically? Yes. Mechanically? No. Funny thing is I've still got it, and it's still in way better condition than several criminally priced 250s of similar vintage that I test rode with the intention of buying at the earlier of this year.

Also, I'll say it again. ITS NOT ABOUT THE SPEED. It's all about how reliable the bike is, and the mechanical state it's in. If you are a learner your only two choices are to buy a GN or Scorpio (Both great bikes, very comfortable) or buy a CBR250RR from 1996 (at the latest). I reject both of these options.

If anyone takes offence at what I'm writing here, there's something wrong with you.

[westie]

So you're on your restricted or full now? :P


Wasnt that your bike after you had it on the rocks? :lol::lol: gw on passing tho

Have you never crashed?

[gijoe1313]

Ever the hornet flag waver ... the little ol'hornets are right little rippers! :woohoo: I see the stores are starting to stock up on them and they've gone and marked them up $1.5K now! :pinch:

Slowly, but surely the hive grows and a swarm is swirling! :shifty:

Congrats on passing, but was it a Full or restricted?

[vindy500]

If you are a learner your only two choices are to buy a GN or Scorpio (Both great bikes, very comfortable) or buy a CBR250RR from 1996 (at the latest). I reject both of these options.



since when

[Donor]

If you are a learner your only two choices are to buy a GN or Scorpio (Both great bikes, very comfortable) or buy a CBR250RR from 1996 (at the latest). I reject both of these options.

If anyone takes offence at what I'm writing here, there's something wrong with you.

No offense intended.

BUT WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT.

And for gods sakes, get off your 'I'm above the law because my uber ethics allows me to be' high horse.

Plenty of cheapish 250 bikes that would serve 12 months under a newbie out there til they could upgrade.

The laws the fucking law, and unless I'm mistaken, ignorance and being a disagreeable sod are no bloody excuse.

Hats off to those who did the license the right way - doesn't make you any better matey, just means you got bloody lucky.

[klyong82]

Agree with Donor... but at the end of the day it is your choice that you choose to take. You would have paid the price if you got caught by the cops plus riding a bike without the appropriate class licence just means you can't have insurance to protect your asset.

If I was a learner my choices would not only be limited to a GN or Scorpio but that it would have included an FXR, Bandit, Virago etc etc. If you wanted new then back then you could have bought a new Hornet, VTR, GPX, a Hyusong? and a couple more.

Well all the 250cc riders/learner riders I know look after their bikes well and know alot about preventive maintenance. I just think it is wrong to stereotype all learner riders that they thrash/crashed their bikes or all 250cc bikes have gone through a hard life.

Then what about the front of your CBR400? It has forks?, calipers and rotors off a Suzuki...does that mean some time in its life it had a crash so badly that required the front to be replaced...many wild assumptions can be drawn as to the cause.

I don't think anyone will take offence in what you are writing but alot of us did our licence that right way ....and so if you think you are above the law then there's something wrong with you.

[westie]

High an mighty brigade hath arrived!

I dont think breakaway is too high on a horse. He's just been a little adventurous outside his parameters set by an interim govt.
And thinks that 250's are gay. Whats wrong with that.
My first bike was a virago and its was gay, but had a nice engine!

Breakaway probably even rides better than those picking him to bits.
Any of you never broken the law(including not getting caught) then have some of the pie you dish out!

[Donor]

Haha, love it when the kiddies get shirty because the grown ups point out the facts.

[westie]

Haha, love it when the kiddies get shirty because the grown ups point out the facts.

That dont matter.

:love:

[Zealot]

I don't really want to get into an argument over it, but I will add one point.

Donor/klyong82:
For my situation, and I'm sure it's the case for many others, I can't afford a good 250.

I wanted a VTR250 or hornet, or something similar (bandit/balius) as my primary use is for commuting to the UOA city and tamaki campuses, and home (a co-curricular involvement means significant amounts of time spent at tamaki). I did not want a GN/FXR as they're a wee bit underpowered. The problem is that all the decent 250s are worth at LEAST $4k, for the most part.

I tried quite hard to find a 250 that was in pretty decent shape, I checked out ZXRs, FZRs, CB, CBR, etc. Pretty much everything that was around the $3k mark. And 90% of them were pretty crappy. Those that weren't ended up selling for more than I could afford. I couldn't find a single hornet, vtr or balius for ~$3k, but there was the odd bandit.

So you see my dilemma. There are decent 250s on the market, but they're basically all overpriced for what you get. When you look at the 400s you can buy, you get a MUCH better bike for the same money.

So I suggest you two get off your high horses and try to accept that there is a pretty valid reason for buying a 400, even if it is illegal.

[Disclaimer: I have a 250. Which is broken, so that probably explains why it was cheap. Sigh.]

[westie]

I don't really want to get into an argument over it, but I will add one point.

Donor/klyong82:
For my situation, and I'm sure it's the case for many others, I can't afford a good 250.

I wanted a VTR250 or hornet, or something similar (bandit/balius) as my primary use is for commuting to the UOA city and tamaki campuses, and home (a co-curricular involvement means significant amounts of time spent at tamaki). I did not want a GN/FXR as they're a wee bit underpowered. The problem is that all the decent 250s are worth at LEAST $4k, for the most part.

I tried quite hard to find a 250 that was in pretty decent shape, I checked out ZXRs, FZRs, CB, CBR, etc. Pretty much everything that was around the $3k mark. And 90% of them were pretty crappy. Those that weren't ended up selling for more than I could afford. I couldn't find a single hornet, vtr or balius for ~$3k, but there was the odd bandit.

So you see my dilemma. There are decent 250s on the market, but they're basically all overpriced for what you get. When you look at the 400s you can buy, you get a MUCH better bike for the same money.

So I suggest you two get off your high horses and try to accept that there is a pretty valid reason for buying a 400, even if it is illegal.

[Disclaimer: I have a 250. Which is broken, so that probably explains why it was cheap. Sigh.]

LOL!

Yea its pretty crap that if you are a learner you can buy a shit 250 for the same money as a way better bigger bike.
But what would the facts mean when they actually are facts!????

Bummer bout your broken 250.

Pretty realistic post......really

[Donor]

So I suggest you two get off your high horses and try to accept that there is a pretty valid reason for buying a 400, even if it is illegal.


LOL!

Yea its pretty crap that if you are a learner you can buy a shit 250 for the same money as a way better bigger bike.
But what would the facts mean when they actually are facts!????

No.

If you can't afford a 250, tough - don't ride til you can, pure and simple.

It IS illegal riding a bigger bike than that prescribed by law that the majority of us abide by.

Zealot, nicely thought out post. It doesn't change anything, and frankly the "but bigger bikes are cheaper!" argument carries no weight.

Westie - damn boy, you're looking set to become the next skidMark of KB.

The world is black and white - those that live in the grey are lost.

[westie]

No.

If you can't afford a 250, tough - don't ride til you can, pure and simple.

It IS illegal riding a bigger bike than that prescribed by law that the majority of us abide by.

Zealot, nicely thought out post. It doesn't change anything, and frankly the "but bigger bikes are cheaper!" argument carries no weight.

Westie - damn boy, you're looking set to become the next skidMark of KB.

The world is black and white - those that live in the grey are lost.

Seriously you cannot believe yourself can you.

You're like the guy who is president of america and says having never tried something I can honestly say it has nothing to offer me.
Oh and nice change of topic. I thought you were ripping into breaks holier than thou(non existant) attitude:blink:

[Donor]

Seriously you cannot believe yourself can you.

You're like the guy who is president of america and says having never tried something I can honestly say it has nothing to offer me.
Oh and nice change of topic. I thought you were ripping into breaks holier than thou(non existant) attitude:blink:

Sigh.

Let me summarise one last time westie - I'll try and use small words.

Riding on a motor bike bigger than 250cc is illegal when on your learners or restricted license.

Price is no excuse - if you can't afford the bike, tough shit, you don't ride.

There are NO excuses - other than hard fought exemptions through the LTSA, and poverty isn't an excuse.

This has been my argument the whole time. It's not THAT hard to follow, is it?

And at no time have I been ripping into breakaway - but I have been getting at the blatantly obvious holier-than-thou attitude that a lot of people seem to have when it comes to self-interpreting the law.

Enough said. Your arguing is as weak as a geriatrics bladder on bingo night.

[Spyked]

No.

If you can't afford a 250, tough - don't ride til you can, pure and simple.

It IS illegal riding a bigger bike than that prescribed by law that the majority of us abide by.

Zealot, nicely thought out post. It doesn't change anything, and frankly the "but bigger bikes are cheaper!" argument carries no weight.

Westie - damn boy, you're looking set to become the next skidMark of KB.

The world is black and white - those that live in the grey are lost.

I take it from your post that you've never broken any laws then?

[breakaway]

since when

At the time, most of the 250s I had seen in my price range (~$2000) were pretty beat up, and in dire need of "TLC". So when I saw that a 400 Sport in good condition was marginally more, I thought "Flag that" and got the 400. It was quite impulsive really. I buy now'd it without seeing it in person.


And for gods sakes, get off your 'I'm above the law because my uber ethics allows me to be' high horse.


and so if you think you are above the law then there's something wrong with you.

I never said anything like this. If something I have posted previously gave you this impression then you have misunderstood me.

This sites' ability to turn the most insignificant comment into the largest shit storm ever will never cease to amaze me. Hours of entertainment.


Plenty of cheapish 250 bikes that would serve 12 months under a newbie out there til they could upgrade.

Of course. But this would mean that I would have to buy a beat up TLC requiring sport bike, or alternatively, buy a single or something like that. But I wanted to get the type of bike [sport] that would make ME happy.

I know lot of people put up with a type of bike that isn't their 'first choice' for their learner period, and I was intending to also, until I impulse-bought the 400RR. As I posted earlier, I test rode several 250s recently (SR250, GN250, etc) and they were all shit. Routine maintenance like lubing cables had been blatantly ignored.

Secondly I have never made excuses of any type; It's a choice I made. I could have waited for a cheaper 250 to come up, or bought a GN250, but I did waht I did and I do not regret it. Surely you can't say that you do not at all understand why someone would be tempted to do the same thing I did.


Well all the 250cc riders/learner riders I know look after their bikes well and know alot about preventive maintenance. I just think it is wrong to stereotype all learner riders that they thrash/crashed their bikes or all 250cc bikes have gone through a hard life.

Not all, just most. And what really pissed me off is that they were asking criminal prices for it. Case in point: Went to see a SR250 recently, it had the most vicious tappet noise, and clutch cable that barely came out on its own (I could pull it in, let go of it, and slowly add power and get the bike moving - it recoiled THAT slowly). The guy wanted $2000 for it. Faak that.


Then what about the front of your CBR400? It has forks?, calipers and rotors off a Suzuki...does that mean some time in its life it had a crash so badly that required the front to be replaced...many wild assumptions can be drawn as to the cause.

Fair call. But it was dirt cheap, and hasn't missed a beat since I got it. If it was a 250RR, It would have been twice what I paid for the 400. At least.

[Donor]

I take it from your post that you've never broken any laws then?

Nope.

Well, only when I have had to for work reasons.

[sinfull]

I have to laugh at the trolling !
Good on you for going through the steps to get your licence mate !
Don't know if it was your full or restricted, as you haven't let on (can't say i blame ya, as it'll only bring on another bashing for being on a 4 hundy if it was ya restricted)
Horrible feeling riding uninsured aye, all i'll say there is ride safe man !

[westie]

Sigh.

Let me summarise one last time westie - I'll try and use small words.

Riding on a motor bike bigger than 250cc is illegal when on your learners or restricted license.

Price is no excuse - if you can't afford the bike, tough shit, you don't ride.

There are NO excuses - other than hard fought exemptions through the LTSA, and poverty isn't an excuse.

This has been my argument the whole time. It's not THAT hard to follow, is it?

And at no time have I been ripping into breakaway - but I have been getting at the blatantly obvious holier-than-thou attitude that a lot of people seem to have when it comes to self-interpreting the law.

Enough said. Your arguing is as weak as a geriatrics bladder on bingo night.

Well thats a great summary of your view.
For me I wouldn't let that resrict me at all.
However I wouldn't ride what I couldn't control.
This seems to be the view of some people.

Its going to be ok princess

[Spyked]

Nope.

Well, only when I have had to for work reasons.

So it's acceptable that you break the law "for work reasons" but not for Beakaway to breach his license conditions??????
Your argument's really getting tenuous innit?

[breakaway]

So it's acceptable that you break the law "for work reasons" but not for Beakaway to breach his license conditions??????
Your argument's really getting tenuous innit?

He's an Ambulance Officer :rockon:

[zeocen]

lol@people saying they can't afford a 250.

Ego rules at the end of the day, I spent my time on a '90 GPX250 and it was a little cramped but travelled superbly, got it for $2,500.. sold it for $2,300 to a mate who's now got it to 90,000km and still going strong. I'm 6'2 and 92kg.. I had no problem going back and forth from Auckland -> Whangamata/Pauanui on many occasions.

Saying you can't afford 250 = flat out bollocks.
Claiming ignorance that you just clicked 'buy now' on a bigger bike = Controlled by ego.

Why people want to skip stages in what should be a life long hobbie is beyond me.. I'm so glad I got my lil GPX250. It was an awesome little fucker!

[Zealot]

It's a perfectly valid reason. I paid $2600 for my gpx250, and it was the cheapest one I could find. Before you start spouting off crap, take a look at trademe. Good luck finding any 250 that isn't a GN for less than $3k and isn't buggered.

The prices for 250s have been steadily going up, and I'm a student. I don't work as I can't. There is no WAY I would be able to get the marks I want and still work 10 hours a week - that 10 hours is vital to my studies. My class is (quote from lecturer) the most competitive group they've ever had, meaning you need to work hard for as little as a percent.
As such, my budget is limited by what savings I have.

So in short, stop being a self-centred knob ;) For people working full time, sure, they can get $4k to buy a nice vtr or whatever. For a student, $4k is a heck of a lot of money, typically.

[Squiggles]

I bought an RGV250, a minter, for $1800 a couple of years back, never had any trouble, sold it later on for $100 less, Hanne bought her zzr about the same time breakaway bought the cbr, for $1800.... Banzai bought a minter of a GN ('04) for a grand... lol @ the i cant afford it attitude. The law is supposed to be there for safety, to not give you too much power, from memory breakaway was on the rocks after giving it too much gas in a silly passing move, a gn probably wouldnt have been able to make the passing move at all :P

[tri boy]

Pppfft, puppies, don't you know the price of 250's is jacked up excessively so that your hard earned paper round $$ can be used for more important things like providing quality scotch whiskey to bike shop owners.
Puppies in all walks of life are always departed from their dollars in this way.
But riding outside your license conditions, running into a 2005 Ferrari side on after doing a squid maneuver, and NOT having insurance to cover the repairs is just dumb.:bash:(this is hypothetical by the way)
Whining and crying to your mom may work, but it won't work with an insurance company.
Donors right. End of story.
Congrats on the test breakaway.:yes:

[zeocen]

It's a perfectly valid reason. I paid $2600 for my gpx250, and it was the cheapest one I could find. Before you start spouting off crap, take a look at trademe. Good luck finding any 250 that isn't a GN for less than $3k and isn't buggered.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-165085012.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-164886746.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-164165544.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-162944191.htm

This is from literally 1 minute of clicking the search button, on any given day. Now I'm not saying they are absolutely mechanically fresh, since I haven't looked at them in person but it's obvious the choices are there if your ego lets you have something lower than the IL4 250s.

You, yourself said you got a GPX250 for 2,600 and unless you got a lemon or thrashed the nuts off of it, you would have gotten close to the same price on resale, if you were patient/smart enough.

Now, I don't know where you got this whole "full time job, rah rah, don't have $4,000 to spend on a sports bike rah rah.." Do you not see the wonder of being able to start on a 250? Or are you an instant gratification type? I wouldn't have mind if I started on a GN125 for christ's sake, I have all the base knowledge and intuitive skills needed to at least make it on a commuting trip thanks to my GPX250, it was light, forgiving and didn't give a shit how I treated it. As opposed to a certain mini 400cc rocket that had an inexperienced rider on top and flew it onto a pile of rocks, down a bank. (Who, might I add, also told another 250CBR owner at one stage to forget about the 250 and go for 400. In person, I was there. "I would have gotten a 250", yeah sure buddy.)

Next time you want to spout excrement such as being unable to find a decent bike for 2k that will last at a maximum of 2 years, it might pay to look at motorcycle trading sites and papers to make sure you can back those claims up, you may also want to remind yourself where you are. I have seen countless 250s for sale well below the price they would be on TradeMe, for sale on this site, for fellow KB'ers or new people who've just signed up, looking for a bike.

The argument that reliable 250's are too expensive died ages ago, only ego thinks that's the case, because you've got to look and sound cool, right? Well, ego needs to be checked also, because at the end of the day it's still a 250 and with that argument, that shit just don't float.

:sunny:

[klyong82]

I did buy a CBR250 a while back for $1400....I was careful to wait for good deals and this one only needed a battery and carb rebalanced so I bought it....sold it a year later for $3200. It is now still used at the military base over the shores. Best deal I ever got. Deals are always there if you keep your eyes peeled out.