Reasonably priced 250cc learner?

[neels]

You're right, 250's are expensive. It's a bit crazy when a 20 year old CBR250 sells for about the same money as a 10 year old ducati. And the 250 is pretty much guaranteed to have been dropped at some point in it's life.

The upside is that you'll usually sell it for what you paid for it, for as long as the law stays as it is.

[Taz]

I'm laughing at ya

[Sable]

If you're going to breach your licence conditions you might as well go the whole hog and buy a 1000cc bike.

You completely missed the point. Power outputs similar to certain 250s but cheaper. A GB will be about 1800, a 4 will be about 2500. And the licensing comittee is NOT going to grant you an exception for an R1.

[ukusa]

go a dirt bike, you're unlikely to get laughed at (unless you try to go touring).
XR250R probably the most reliable & plenty of them around.

[Gibbo89]

there are a couple of bandits and zeals in your area to look at, could be a good deal if you negotiate the price too. but i have heard that bandits pre 1995 are not as good? maybe someone can clear that up for you... and me! spada is a v twin and cbr in an inline four. different rides but have heard spadas are pretty sweet.

[staind]

Never ridden a bike before but did my first timer training and basic skills test on a GN250 and found it pretty comfortable... just grabbed a 06 GN250 off trade me for $1600 with WoF and 3 month Rego - looking to start biking soon irrespective of how many "laughs" I get!

[Neon]

Despite the fact that I had a 250 Hornet as a learner bike, I'm going to chime in and +1 the GN. Seriously, it may not be the coolest or fastest 250, but dammit they are inexpensive, reliable as hell, cheap to run and repair, and will keep you out of mischief fairly effectively until you're ready for a bigger bike.

I know loads of people who had GNs and were very happy with them. Hell if I was doing it all again I'd probably have spent less on the bike and more on gear. Might have even got one myself...

[McWild]

It's been said before...

- Cheap
- Fast
- Reliable

Pick two.

In my opinion the best compromise is a CBR250R (MC19).

Just ask yourself which two factors you care about most, which for most people will be the amount of money they have to spend on fixing shit, or on overhead.
And remember there are bikes out there that fulfil one factor, and bikes that don't fulfil any. Aim for one that meets two. Hope for one that meets 3.

And don't give a shit about what other people think of your ride.

[Gibbo89]

good option with the GN. you will learn to drive a 'slow' bike fast, and will have a bit of fun doing it. instead of riding a fast bike slow and possibly incorrectly.

[ellipsis]

good option with the GN. you will learn to drive a 'slow' bike fast, and will have a bit of fun doing it. instead of riding a fast bike slow and possibly incorrectly.

...cool advice...and I have seen a whole heap of 'bobbed GN's on a Thai or Indonesian motorcycle forum once, if you were the handy type or new someone who was...they were spectacularly cool looking bikes....or grab an older Suzuki t250 or similar, two stroke, that is past the age of being anything other than fairly cool....

[Yow Ling]

Get an FXR150, you can bucket race it , and use it for other stuff too !

[Old Steve]

I bought a 2006 Hyosung GV250, have had incredible fun, done 7000 km in 6 months on my 6L. I'd do it again. She's a cruiser, but I've just put new tires on her and the wear pattern goes out to within 10mm of the tread edge, so you can lean it over a little and enjoy your riding.

Buy the bike which suits you. No use buying a cruiser if you're younger and want a sports bike. But on a 250 learner you'll be able to cruise at 100 to 110, screw it to 120, but need to drop a gear and slow down when you encounter hills.

Now, my GV250 performs much better now I have my 6R. She leans over more, and cruises faster, than when I did when I had my 6L. I love roundabouts, you get to go left, right, then left again to straighten up.

[Suntoucher]

Have a look at the 88 VTZ250s, sold mine not long ago for $2k but if you want a sports bike it's the way to go. The VTZ is the Spada engine dropped into a VTR body, never had a single problem with it and did 12,000km when I owned it between December and last July. Was hugely reliable and never once had to replace anything but the standard fare(oil filters, oil, tyres etc) and not costing an arm and a leg. Bonus: 27km/L with me racing off the line and a top speed of 175.

Have now bought a 2007 GV250 since July which had 6,000km on the clock for $3.7k, but is now up to 8.5 without any flaws. Rejetted it, pulled the silencers and put a chain oiler on and it gets me up to 160 which isn't bad at all for a 250 cruiser, it's certainly not as fast as the VTZ but it's certainly more comfortable for the amount of k's I was doing.

I recommend both highly, I've heard lots of things about Hyosungs but I still have yet to experience any of them myself and it's definitely a lot nicer than the other 250 cruisers available(looks and with fork mounted speedo, tacho AND fuel gauge, although the latter isn't hugely accurate, rather than just a tank speedo, ugh I hate them so much.)

[Tryhard]

dont buy something you dont want.
If u rush into it you will end up with a piece of shite you wont enjoy.

Dont get into the mindset that its a just a learner bike ra ra 6 to 9mths

There are a lot of good bikes out there but unfortunatly not cheap.

Gear is another major cost. Buy well it will last for ages.

[simpy1]

I bought a really well-looked-after Yamaha SRV250 with new WOF and rego for $2200. It has a twin carb engine (I think same as the Virago Cruiser) on a light and fun bike. Plenty fast enough for me to learn on, plus it looks like a classic cafe racer!

You should be able to find cheap-ish ones on TradeMe. Like this:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...-316307085.htm

That particular one is in the wrong area and needs a little work but you get the idea!