First bike options?

[Oakie]

Either of the Suzuki 250s linked would work for me. Seriously considered one when I got back into biking 4 bikes ago.

[kanez]

Better buy, great starter for sure -->http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-955046614.htm
The VTR is an awesome 250 but you'll be hard pressed to find one that hasn't been molested for the money you are looking to spend.
This here is good buying http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-953940854.htm
First bike buying from a dealer is advised though, at the very least for the warranty that comes with it.

Don't discount a 250 Hyosung, you can pick up one for your budget or less.

Got to admit those GSX250's seem like a nice bike for the money. Some decent looking ones on trademe 2004 just under 3k like the one you linked.
I'd much prefer to buy something from the 2000's than the 80's so that defiantly an option ill be looking for into

[pritch]

Did you Google the LAMS list yet? Learners no longer have to buy a 250. The range is far wider than what you're looking at.

[kanez]

Yeah I did have a look there's a lot there. Any sport models you could recommend in my price range? Don't know if would want to go any higher than 400 for first bike.

[Maha]

One thing to keep in mind is, after a year or so (or about restricted licence time) you'll be looking to buy something bigger, it's a natural occurrence, so buying a reliable bike and not a money pit will aid that time in your biking life.

[jasonu]

Any 4 stroke 250 will get boring in no time. By the looks of the CBR250 you posted it has been thrashed and most likely poorly maintained and you will find that with a lot of the repli racer bikes.

Get yourself a GN250. Not the coolest bike but they are cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap and easy to maintain, reliable, generally unmolested because there is no point in modifying one and when you are done with it and are licensed to get a bigger bike they are easy to sell.

[Tazz]

CBR's are fun as fark! Can't go wrong.
Pay to get a known workshop to do a decent pre-purchase if you're worried about an older bike, otherwise you carry a risk buying any second hand vehicle.

Wouldn't touch the Hyosung 250 imo. Gutless by comparison to other options.

I'd only go the GN250 route if you plan to commute everyday, otherwise for the same amount you can definitely get something a bit more exciting.

[kanez]

Like I say this is only a weekend/holiday toy, and there's no way I'm getting a GN250 lol.
Only a year but still there alot of riding ill want to do in a year, needs to have no worries on 100km highways as ill be wanting to do trips

[ellipsis]

...get one of these...

[Tazz]

Like I say this is only a weekend/holiday toy, and there's no way I'm getting a GN250 lol.
Only a year but still there alot of riding ill want to do in a year, needs to have no worries on 100km highways as ill be wanting to do trips

The old 250s will do that no sweat, and a few of the newer ones. My little CBR will still do well over 100, even loaded up with pies.

I wouldn't be put off by a higher CC bike as mentioned either. A bigger CC engine doesn't always mean it's going to be a lot faster or heavier as a rule, and anything in the LAMS system is under a certain power to weight threshold anyway.

In saying that, I wouldn't buy anything 600-650 either as you end up paying extra rego for sfa difference in performance.

At the end of the day the bike you end up with will depend on how much cash you have in your pocket and obviously what is actually for sale/available at the time.

[ellipsis]

...take some joy from this and some advice...don't forget to read the captions...

[J.A.W.]

...get one of these...

Yeah, funnily enough - Honda didn't include their horrid little killer-trike in that historical machine line-up..

Can the OP ride?

If yes, get a classic Suzuki 400 dual-purpose bike.. a tidy PE 400, would do nicely..

[TheDemonLord]

I started on a Hornet 250 - was lots of fun
I then got a bigger bike (GSX650FU) - Also lots of fun (mroe Torque MROE TORQUE!)

Then it was a GSX650F (Double the HP, Snippety Snip) after I got my Full Licence of course.

[kanez]

How do you guys think the gsx250s compare to the ninja 250s?
If I had the money the 300Ninja looks like an awesome first bike

[Tazz]

Same years? Of the older ones, the Ninja (and every other 250 at the time) has a few more ponies than the Suzukis, but more importantly, I think parts are easier to get for the Ninjas.