vtr250

**Aitch** · 6th March 2006, 07:08

Kitty - I bought a VTR On the recommendation of a friend) for my first bike. And I love it. BUT .......... on my first ride dropped it three times. Now I'm 5'6" and I had trouble getting both feet squarely on the ground and when it started to go I just couldn't stop it! Sitting on the side of the road with your bike in the middle of it out in the country waiting for someone to come and help you is no fun and if you are anything like me, will scar you for life! Eventually (after repairing the brake, foot peg AND the clutch) I got the bike lowered - and now no problems. So figure out if it's too tall and by how much. I got my lowered about four inches and it's made all the difference. And I don't find the seat too wide which is something I have noticed on my friend's GN.

Hope that helps.

Oh ....and I learned how to pick it up. It's all technique!

**jaybee180** · 6th March 2006, 07:17

Opps - that last post was by me! That damn man keeps forgetting to log out!!!!

**R1madness** · 6th March 2006, 08:43

The lying the bike down to pick it up thing is a crock. After you have had a small off your addrenaline will be pumping and you will be able to lift a gold wing with the correct technique no matter how small you are. If its a major off the last thing you will be worried about is lifting your bike.
VTR250s are great.
An early one with the castec frame will be showing signs of camchain wear by now unless its a really low k one. Listen closely for rattles comming from the middle of the engine. Thats camchain slap.
Oh yea a good one will cost ya way more than a grand to 1500. Try 3 grand or more for a good one.

**Goblin** · 6th March 2006, 08:59

Kitty, have you considered a 150cc road bike? They are much smaller and lighter and probably cost less than a 250cc. Or how about a 125 dual purpose bike like the TS125....Ideal learners bike and can take the knocks. There are other options for a learner and you dont have to have 250cc's to start with. Just a thought.....

**terbang** · 6th March 2006, 09:09

Originally Posted by Goblin

Kitty, have you considered a 150cc road bike? They are much smaller and lighter and probably cost less than a 250cc. Or how about a 125 dual purpose bike like the TS125....Ideal learners bike and can take the knocks. There are other options for a learner and you dont have to have 250cc's to start with. Just a thought.....

Second that, saw a young lass yesterday (Nicksta I think) on one of those 150 road (sporty) bikes and the whole package seemed to match up fairly well and she was wearing a big grin.
At 15 (a wee while ago) I learned on an old 125 trailie that I rode on the motorways, beaches, Dirt tracks, paddocks, gravel roads and streets. Drowned it, dropped it and generally rode the poor old thing into the ground. Went straight on to some fairly grunty machinery after that with enough skills to survive.

**Ixion** · 6th March 2006, 09:10

Ms Str8_Jacket seems happy with her KR150. A 150 two smoker should have similar performance to a 250 4 stroke, and given a SENSIBLE rider (and chicks generally seem sensible riders ), I think the strictures about two strokes not being for beginners do not apply to the 150cc machines. Lot cheaper than a VTR250.

**Colapop** · 6th March 2006, 09:16

AND Ms Str8 Jacket had a blast out on the track with it too!! Blasting the airhorns while ringing it out down the front straight - what a hoot!! I thought she was gonna end up with a 'flip top head' she was grinning so widely....

**Str8 Jacket** · 6th March 2006, 10:08

Wow, im famous!

Kittie, I had a GN as my very first bike. Wrote it of 2 months later but thats another story... Anyway I have to admit that the GN was a very easy bike to ride and great to learn the basics. However when I got my insurance payout I decided not to go for another GN, I found them very slow and quite "clunky" they are also very heavy, which in a way was a good thing. The KR is extremely light, I have been blown of the road and watched it been blown over outside work... All things aside if I had the choice again I would have gone with the KR first. They are excellent to control and easy to pick up. The other good thing about it is it teaches you about gears and when/ how to use them. If you find yourself taking a corner to wide then you just lean a bit more. The only thing with a two stroke is that they seem to have minds of their own.... somewhat temperamental (sp?) All things said I love my bike, its loud and obnoxious and it goes fast when you need to!

**NotaGoth** · 6th March 2006, 11:26

Originally Posted by Goblin

Kitty, have you considered a 150cc road bike? They are much smaller and lighter and probably cost less than a 250cc. Or how about a 125 dual purpose bike like the TS125....Ideal learners bike and can take the knocks. There are other options for a learner and you dont have to have 250cc's to start with. Just a thought.....

Have considered a bike with a smaller CC rating. And as recommended by enigma maybe just something to use round here on the farm to learn on first off. Have looked and still looking at alot of options. Helps to live in an area where you actually have bike shops though