Virgin poster here! Do I get a scooter, a 125, or a 250?

[froggyfrenchman]

whatever you choose, enjoy! Oh, and welcome to the madhouse

[Hitcher]

Welcome along, what does a virgin poster look like

Something more than 10 years old with a photo of Petra Bagust on it...

Oh. Welcome. And get a 250.

[Sniper]

VIRGIN, how did you escape my castle???

[Zed]

I've only ever been on bikes illegally in Thailand when on vacation (rode a dirtbike on their highway from Sangklaburi to the border of neighbouring country Burma/Myanmar without any sort of licence! Did the same thing on a busy Bangkok highway -- scary! ) and it was easy as pie...

...I was thinking about getting a cheap scooter (just being lazy, really), but since I live on the shore where steep hills abound, I'm probably better off with getting a 125/250. Any suggestions?

Congrats on your Certificate & decision to become a biker! Just remember that riding ANY motorcycle in Auckland is never "easy". Could bear resemblance to Bangkok at times - lower Queen St at midnight on a Fri/Sat night? Take care out there.
Welcome to KiwiBiker kochikaren! :spudbn:

[Zed]

Go and sit on a Virago 250cc...

...The Virago is a great commuter...

...harder seat than a Virago 250 cruiser...

...the Virago has a much more comfortable seat...

...The Virago 250 is a much more commfortable ride...

...But I highly recommend the Virago 250cc cruiser...

You sure about that last comment crashe??

Oh why not, based solely on crashes passionate testimony, at least give The Virago 250cc Cruiser a trial ride pleeease kochikaren!

[sunhuntin]

ok. welcome!! yes, get a 250. i started on a 250 and would not go any less. scooters dont have enough power to get you out of trouble spots [acceleration] and im not sure a 125 would either.

i ride a gn250, and am on my second [loooong story!] never get over confident...that leads to broken bits. as far as a ginny not being any good for long rides...ive gone miles on mine. something like 600-ood k in two days! however...what you decide to ride is ultimately up to you. go sit on a few bikes, maybe test ride a few if you can. what style do you like? racer or cruiser? some 250s have a lot more power behind them than many realise [mainly the racers] the gn i think is more the armadillo of the pack, lol.

green rep headed your way,

[kochikaren]

ok. welcome!! yes, get a 250. i started on a 250 and would not go any less. scooters dont have enough power to get you out of trouble spots [acceleration] and im not sure a 125 would either.

i ride a gn250, and am on my second [loooong story!] never get over confident...that leads to broken bits. as far as a ginny not being any good for long rides...ive gone miles on mine. something like 600-ood k in two days! however...what you decide to ride is ultimately up to you. go sit on a few bikes, maybe test ride a few if you can. what style do you like? racer or cruiser? some 250s have a lot more power behind them than many realise [mainly the racers] the gn i think is more the armadillo of the pack, lol.

green rep headed your way,

Heheh. Is the second ginny a direct result of being overconfident with the first one? Well, I don't plan on going on solo long rides once the bike comes -- I hate to admit it, but my partner will probably follow me in her car with flashing lights and hire another one to go infront with the sign "wide load follows"!!!!

Seriously though, I think I'm more a cruiser girl ... my dad had this big beautiful chrome Kawasaki cruiser-type (cant remember how many CCs) and I was hooked after that. I'm probably going to ride the bike on a daily basis, to and from work (aka over the hills of the shore) and of course cruising on the weekends if I can hook up with some of the KBers for some group rides. Would be a bit apprehensive to do at first for sure!

[skidMark]

or go and buy a virago 250cc cruiser.

thats what im buying next year but the lifan version looks very similar....

www.lifanmc.co.nz

see what i mean (goto roadbikes then delta)

saving my pennies for one

[skidMark]

depends on your budget the one i just mentioned is only 4835+orc brand new with 12 month warrenty... i think im in love

[FROSTY:Me]

Id have a look at the gb250 --nice lil single naked 250
I loved the lil Honda 250 spada I owned.
The GNU is actually not too bad within its limitations

[sunhuntin]

Heheh. Is the second ginny a direct result of being overconfident with the first one? Well, I don't plan on going on solo long rides once the bike comes -- I hate to admit it, but my partner will probably follow me in her car with flashing lights and hire another one to go infront with the sign "wide load follows"!!!!

Seriously though, I think I'm more a cruiser girl ... my dad had this big beautiful chrome Kawasaki cruiser-type (cant remember how many CCs) and I was hooked after that. I'm probably going to ride the bike on a daily basis, to and from work (aka over the hills of the shore) and of course cruising on the weekends if I can hook up with some of the KBers for some group rides. Would be a bit apprehensive to do at first for sure!

was a mix really.....woman not looking at stop sign and me overtaking and riding a tad faster than my angel can fly....but she cant have been far behind, seein as i wasnt more seriously hurt.

i rarely ride in groups...prefer solo or paired riding more than anything. gns are cruisers, as are virago [is that spelt right CRASHE?] lol. you only gain confidence on group rides by going on them. if you can, find out which route you are going to riding and ride it at least once prior to the actual ride. could literally be a life saver. last group ride i went on, i knew the road a bit so took it slowly [about 50k] due to it being narrow with lots of twists and massive dips in corners. the backriders of the groups tend to be pushed harder to keep up, but the frontrunners also seem to be bunched more, so chances of you being tangled in a spill could be higher. your first few groups rides youll likely be recommended to stay at the tail end, specially if your bike cant quite keep up [scuffy doesnt quite keep up, dunno about the virago though in terms of pull]

again, welcome and post pics of your bike when you get one!!

[Unit:Me]

Welcome. So long as your on two wheels, who cares, but I agree with TL Rider, a 250 means you can do that extra riding and far more bike to grow into. Keep us posted as to how you get on, welcome to the mad zone

[Lias]

A new GN 250 can do 135ish downhill on a good day, people accuse me of being slighhly mad but I've done Hamilton to Wellington twice on mine. Great bike to learn on, and as noted they hold their value well and dont cost the earth to repair.

[kochikaren]

A new GN 250 can do 135ish downhill on a good day, people accuse me of being slighhly mad but I've done Hamilton to Wellington twice on mine. Great bike to learn on, and as noted they hold their value well and dont cost the earth to repair.

WHOA! Hamilton to Welly? I'm sure that's quite the drive eh! I've been lurking on Trademe to check out what's available out there for the past couple weeks and came across this dude who was selling something like a 200cc bike and rode from Christchurch to Auckland on it!!! Hardcore, man!

Speaking of Trademe, my partner and I had a horrible experience purchasing our car from this dodgy person, but that never deterred us from using the site to get other non-big ticket items (eg below 1000 bucks). Now I am in the market for a bike, is Trademe still a-ok to use just as classifieds on the paper? Or am I better off buying from a dealer, since warranties do come with most bikes?

Thanks for any advice!

[MSTRS:Me]

Now I am in the market for a bike, is Trademe still a-ok to use just as classifieds on the paper? Or am I better off buying from a dealer, since warranties do come with most bikes?

Thanks for any advice!

Dealer is legally obliged to warranty that the bike is 'fit for the purpose intended'. Beyond that, the age of the bike will determine what sort of warranty against breakdown. At the cheaper end of the market you would do better on TM, as long as you get the bike checked over BEFORE you part with the dosh.