I owned a GN this year.... for about 9 months...
Bought it off Trademe for $1200 ... 04 model with around 7000km on it that had been in an accident and repaired with old 80's parts...
Put her in my garage and spent $400 on her over 3 weeks and she came out of the garage looking like a new bike again.
Put about 8000km on the clock and then sold her to my mate for 2K.
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Live for today just in case someone decides to ruin your tomorrow
I reckon a GN250 production race class would be the ticket...
What about a GN250 rally?
Cant understand the 'plastic tyre' comment.I havnt had any problem with roadholding,even though I havnt had to ride slower in the rain.When I first rode it I found that it did hop a bit on bumpy bends,but softening the rear suspension and correct tyre pressures has largely solved that problem.One ofmy first bikes was a 1949 BSA c10[no rear suspension],now that realy did hop round corners! As regards the Chinese build quality I can honestly say I havnt had any problem apart from the cracked fork leg which the dealer replaced at my place of work,fantastic service!
When I first rode bikes[early 1960s] they needed a high level of frequent maintainance.Saturday mornings were for tearing the bike apart,and the rest of the weekend for riding them.Perhaps that is why my GN has been so good,because I expect to need to check and maintain it frequently.With regard to the comments about chains coming off,a chain has to be awfull slack for that to happen,not some thing that happens overnight!.I check my chain on a weekly basis,after all it only takes 5 minutes to adjust it if required.Same with oil changes,the cost of doing it yourself is minimal,so why not do them on time? We are dealing with a small engine,that is working very hard all the time,with a fairly small quantity of oil.Failing to maintain it is going to wreck it fairly quickly.Look after it,treat it reasonably and it should last for years[well I hope so anyway].
All weather rider
Well said![]()
Quote Buddy L:"The bike's like BOOM, the motor's like BOOM!
the exhaust is like....b-BANG!!
the whole bike's like WAAAAEEEEEEHH!!!"
I believe my GN has been around the clock once already, and is now at 50,000 again. That's 150,000 km! There's hardly any rust, but I think it has been well looked after. And maybe the engine has been replaced. WHo knows, I've only had it 7 months.
I replaced my front tyre with a Pirelli City Demon, which was about $100, more than the cheap $35 tyre the bike shop wanted to put on.
The original one looked like the stock front tyre, 20 years after the bike was made it was still on there! It was like concrete, hard and didn't yeild at all.
If I had not replaced it I believe it would have lasted until the End Of Time.
The Pirelli is soft and rubbery and nice, gives me a bit more confidence.
Also, my 1986 puts out more power than my brother's 2005 GN. Just a little bit, but you can feel the difference.
Determined to kill my bike before it kills me
what I like most about my gn is how easy it is to work on, really easy access to almost all the parts.
Before the riders of big bikes start scoffing,its not such a silly idea.As a 16 year old,I used to stop on my way to school to look in the window of a bike shop.This particular window usually had an Itom 50cc racer on display.THE 50cc Itom,as raced by one Bill Ivy.Remember big oak trees grow from little acorns!Some of todays power hungry bikers most likely laugh at the idea of racing 50s,but it was a lot of fun,at reasonable cost and was a way to start a racing career.I myself was going to take up racing on a small Gilera in the 250 class,but the advent of the Hondas meant i would have been up against it from the start.Then I saw this beautiful Royal Enfield Constellation in a shop window,all chrome and mettalic peacock blue paint!The money for the race bike was soon in that dealers till!
All weather rider
Good on you guys and girls for giving raps to the gn. Found most riders I come across are fully supportive of the bike. No negatives whatsoever. Riders still wave and people always have a look at the bike when its parked out the front of work (monthy I am asked if it is for sale)
The stock tyres (chinese) are average. I found in dry you could push them as far as you want (to the point of scraping the pegs) and no hint of sliding. In the wet they were ok but I did have the rear go a couple of times at low speeds on slippery surfaces (like on the bend in Waitomo township). Replaced the rear at 6000km with a Duro median dual purpose tyre ($80) it is grippier than the original in all conditions on the tarseal which is a bonus because I wanted it mostly for gravel work. Have kept the front as is because I couldnt afford a new one (has meant I ride carefully in the wet) will replace it with a dual purpose of some sort similar to the Duro at 10000km. The Duro would look good on the army style camo GN. Thinking of getting a wind shield, anyone got one and able to give some feedback on how good they are ?
My brother Lorax is taking his wind screen off his GN, as it deflects the air but makes it feel as if someone is slapping your helmet from side to side. It's annoying.
I think it cost him about $50 on Trademe, plus $5 postage.
Determined to kill my bike before it kills me
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