gpx 250

[BUNGY]

Hi. Im looking at a 1988 gpx250 on trademe and had a few questions

1-Is it suitable as learners bike

2-Is a 1988 too old

3-Its done 31,500km is this too many and will it need an engine rebuild in the near future.

[gamgee]

Hi. Im looking at a 1988 gpx250 on trademe and had a few questions

1-Is it suitable as learners bike

2-Is a 1988 too old

3-Its done 31,500km is this too many and will it need an engine rebuild in the near future.

1 yes
2 no
3 no
awesome learner bike, one of the best comprimises of performance and reliability in the 250 market I've had my one for nearly a year, and has been completely problem free

[gamgee]

oh mines just gone over 40,000km

[mynameis]

Hi. Im looking at a 1988 gpx250 on trademe and had a few questions

1-Is it suitable as learners bike

2-Is a 1988 too old

3-Its done 31,500km is this too many and will it need an engine rebuild in the near future.

Well good bike overall, great to learn on and very easy on you. Kawasaki's are quite reliable. Few things you have to look out for are obviously age and mileage in this case.

Can't really judge as you have to know how the previous owners have looked after it and if there are any existing problems with it or not. Generally speaking you won't need a new engine up till 60 000 odd k's if well looked after and maintained.

Having owned a 2001 GPX which did 10 000 k's I find them really gutless, they are two cylinders, if I was you I'd bite the bullet and go for a ZXR 250. Check this one out :

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...581&key=517169

Good luck !

[gamgee]

Well good bike overall, great to learn on and very easy on you. Kawasaki's are quite reliable. Few things you have to look out for are obviously age and mileage in this case.

Can't really judge as you have to know how the previous owners have looked after it and if there are any existing problems with it or not. Generally speaking you won't need a new engine up till 60 000 odd k's if well looked after and maintained.

Having owned a 2001 GPX which did 10 000 k's I find them really gutless, they are two cylinders, if I was you I'd bite the bullet and go for a ZXR 250. Check this one out :

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...581&key=517169

Good luck !

It's a 250 they are all gutless, so whats the point in wasting a lot of money buying a flash gutless bike, as I said get the gpx, it's the best compromise of performance and reliability, plus they will hold value well, and don't look too bad

[mynameis]

It's a 250 they are all gutless, so whats the point in wasting a lot of money buying a flash gutless bike, as I said get the gpx, it's the best compromise of performance and reliability, plus they will hold value well, and don't look too bad

Having owned the two GPX and ZXR, two and four cylinders, there is hell of a lot difference between them.

My GPX was dynoed at 30 hp and my ZXR 250 at 43. 1 hp in bikes makes a difference. You have to ride both of them to appreciate the difference. ZXR's will always hold value and are reliable as well. Plus the one on Trade Me is hell cheap !

[gamgee]

whoa a whole 43 hp, hold me back
as I said all 250's are gutless save your money for when your allowed a big bike

[twinkle]

I had one for a 3 years and it had done about 75,000ks when it died. The guy I sold it to is rebuilding the whole bike now.
A really good bike. I found the rear suspension a bit soft though.
I'd choose one over a 4 cylinder 250 mostly because of price. The 4's aren't very good value for money. The twins have the same amount of torque as the 4's anyway.

[T.W.R]

As a stepping stone bike the GPX will do everything you want without any nasty vices or suprises. It has the attributes of a larger bike but within a user friendly package, by comparison to a ZXR250 it's down on power & technological gimmickry thus a more comfortable bike for a learner to get to know and be able to use and more forgiving to slight mistakes.
The likes of the ZXR are far more sports orientated and less forgiving to inherant novice mistakes, although they do offer a lot of bang for your buck.

Mechanically the GPX is a far simpler motor to work with & maintain compared to a 250/4 and more durable to minor neglect. The GPX has been around for ages & the engine design has been basically unchanged since being introduced in the GPZ250R.

30 odd thousand kms isn't a hell of a lot of kms to clock up, GPX engines by design have a slight audiable knock when cold but nothing major.

Use it as a stepping stone onto a larger machine when the time is right, 250's & the likes turn over quickly and there's always a market for them.

[mynameis]

whoa a whole 43 hp, hold me back
as I said all 250's are gutless save your money for when your allowed a big bike

Gutless compared to what? "A big bike" 600, 1000? Well it's only logical to not compare apples with pears, when we're talking about the 250 category only.

Make the most of it and enjoy the best 250 around not a little 2 cylinder toy.

[ZeroIndex]

I like my GPX.. just got a few things left to sort out (when I got it, it was on the verge of being a giant gargre-filling paperweight)

[twinkle]

how much are the 250 4's now? something like $5000? It doesn't make sense to spend that much money on a 10+ year old bike when a brand new honda vtr250 is $8000.

It's a much better idea to buy the gpx for say, $2000-$3000 and spend the rest on riding gear, or start putting it toward the next bike once off the restricted.

[Motig]

Not everybody is worried about image. The GPX is perfect for starting off on. Worry about more power when you've got to grips with it. It'll be a lot more fun to learn on.

[speights_bud]

I'vehad my gpx now for about 10-12 months, it had a rebuild around 30 thou k's and i've done about 12 thou on it now (42,000) on clock. Altrhough i'd have to say it's not the 'sportiest' of 250's it's a great learners bike.
I took it out on trackday 3 at taupo after not having it for very long and was still able yto keep up/pass other riders in my group, only drawback was straightline acceleration. Even threw Gixxer 4 Ever on the back for a blat around the new track during pillion session and it managed to cope alright.

I'd reccomend one, fairly cheap yet should be able to do what a learner requires of one

[mynameis]

how much are the 250 4's now? something like $5000? It doesn't make sense to spend that much money on a 10+ year old bike when a brand new honda vtr250 is $8000.

It's a much better idea to buy the gpx for say, $2000-$3000 and spend the rest on riding gear, or start putting it toward the next bike once off the restricted.

Nope got your market value wrong there, can fetch a good one for $3500 to $4000, (cheaper in winter) while a GPX would be $2000 - $3000. Pay $500 extra and enjoy if you have the doughs!