GN250 speed ?

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

120 yes 140 i doubt it...

[Steve 555]

I can do 120 on my gn no problem anything over that and it is a bit shaky. Now I have to test ride a scorpio sometime. The gn is a fun bike I really enjoy it. Although I am a learner. But 140km I don't think so with NOS maybe

[kiwifruit]

I sat my full licence test on a loaner gn 125
part of the test involves traveling at 100km/h.... no worries
i'd say it would do near on 133km/h, not that i tried!

[fridsy]

Yes a 400 may be a better option, but I haven't seen any around that are new or have low k's. What bike did you have in mind ? I don't really want a racer style with legs tucked up/back, and weight on my arms. I've got a bit of a dodgy shoulder, and as most of my riding will be commuting, the sit up and beg style of bike is more appropriate at the moment.

My price range is in the $2500 to $3800 kind of bracket, and there isn't a lot in new bikes in that price range, and pretty old bigger bikes, with high K's, from what I've seen on TM so far.

If I get right back into riding, and my wife enjoys being a pillion, I will get a bigger bike eventually, but for now I'm intent on keeping the outlay to a minimum, and just getting the buzz of riding again ...
Thanks for your suggestion.

You could look at a honda cb600 hornet there pretty upright.... or any other naked sports bike, they seem to very a little in sitting position but most have a natural sitting position....600+ would be fine if you wanted to do 2 up....(imho)

[Gizzit]

You could look at a honda cb600 hornet there pretty upright.... or any other naked sports bike, they seem to very a little in sitting position but most have a natural sitting position....600+ would be fine if you wanted to do 2 up....(imho)

Yes a 600 would be nice, but to pricey at the moment. I haven't seen any reasonable 400 - 600cc second hand bikes for sale anywhere, that aren't over the top price wise, or cheap but old with loads of K's. I will still probably go for a second hand GN or Scorpion perhaps.
I'm sure I could get a nice GN250 for around $2500 - $2700 with low K's. I haven't seen a second hand Scorpion for sale, so not sure what they go for.
A CB600 Hornet would be very nice, but out of my price range for this bike. Maybe next time

[Gizzit]

I can do 120 on my gn no problem anything over that and it is a bit shaky. Now I have to test ride a scorpio sometime. The gn is a fun bike I really enjoy it. Although I am a learner. But 140km I don't think so with NOS maybe

Yes that sounds about right to me Steve. 140Kmh is a bit ambitious for a GN. Pleased to hear you enjoy yours. I think they are a good basic bike, and certainly good for around town and commuting, and maybe a bit of crusing on the open road.
Some people seem to use them ok on the open road, and I guess if you arent in a huge hurry to go places, 90 - 100kmh would be fine on something that small. I'm pretty sure thats what I'll go for, as I haven't heard from anyone who knows both the GN250 and the Scorpion 225. I know that the GN has been around, probably largely unchanged .... since Adam was a cowboy .... so they must have got something right with the design!!

[Steve 555]

I actually really like the look of the GN250 it looks like a cruiser type bike were as the scorpio although it may be good I just don't really like the look of them. Only my opionion of course. Hey is the GN250 not being sold in nz anymore I have heard rumors that this is the case.

[Gizzit]

I actually really like the look of the GN250 it looks like a cruiser type bike were as the scorpio although it may be good I just don't really like the look of them. Only my opionion of course. Hey is the GN250 not being sold in nz anymore I have heard rumors that this is the case.

Yes I agree with you about the look of the Scorpio, but thats just a matter of personal taste. I have ridden one for a very short ride, and it seemed to go ok, and got up to 100kmh fairly easily. I'm sure they are a good bike too, but as yet I haven't heard enough about them. I think they have also been around for a while, just not long here in NZ .... I think. I could buy a demo model that has 88k's on it for $3500, but think I would rather go for the GN250 for some reason.
I was looking at helmets today, and was in my local Honda shop, and I sat on a CBF250. They are a slightly larger bike than the GN or the Scorpio, but from a writeup I read, comparing a Hyosung GT250 and the Honda, they are both able to get to about 140kmh, and cruise at 100 - 110 quite well. BUT .... the Honda I saw, was $6995 !!!! Thats 2 x new GN250's !!! I couldn't justify spending that amount of money on ANY 250cc bike ..... but thats just me

And yes .. as far as I know they are still being sold. My local Suzuki dealer has a brand new red GN in at the moment. I'm not sure if that is going to be the last of them though. Maybe someone else knows ?
No ... I'm pretty sure it's going to be a GN I buy. They seem to be the best bang for your buck, and you don't loose a lot of money on them ..... (I hope !)

[swbarnett]

I've owned a GN250 for just on 9 months and found it a very capable commuter. 100 to 110 is where I usually sit on the motorway (when traffic allows), 120 at a pinch. It would probably go faster but I don't want to shake it to bits. As soon as I get rid of a debt or two I'll be moving to something bigger again but until then I'm actually enjoying the GN (haven't tried it a lot on the open road though).

PS. I can now say with certainty that a 2006 GN250 will do 130km/h in top gear at red line (on a downward incline). And it didn't shake as much as I thought it would; I could've put up with it for an extended period. The bike is well run in and loosened up at 10,000k on the clock.

[howdamnhard]

I have just been looking at a reasonably new GN250. The owner said that it apparently can reach approx 140kmh, but cruises best at 90kmh, as it seems like the engine is over reving at 100kmh.
Has anyone got an opinion on that? I was wondering if this bike may free up and not vibrate/over rev at this speed, when it has more K's on it. Apparently its only done about 2500 K's.

My other question to GN owners, is can you change the rear sprocket so that these cruise easier at 100Kmh, without feeling stressed, or compromising the 1st gear slow crawls ?
Any advice greatly received.

I'm still in decision mode regarding a suitable small commuter.
Thansk for any help,
Grant.

I've a GN250 and I would seriously doubt it would ever do 140 km/h.The fastest I've ever managed is 120km/h.Mine gets very "viby around 6000rpm.Then gets better after that.The motor has freed up a bit with time but overtaking can be interesting as there ain't much power/speed in reserve after 100km/h.Changing the sprocket won't help as the motor just doesn't have the grunt .Mine cruises at 100km/h in 5th at around 5500rpm if I can remember correctly and has become less viby with age.If its been run in correctly then itshould be fine,its only a single cylinder after all.It makes a good commuter but it no racer so it depends what you need from a bike.A 250 Vtr honda would be quicker but much more$$$$.

[BigRed2007]

Gn is a good learner bike, thats pretty much it.

How about the suzuki marauder? I have one atm, learning on it andits pretty cool and strong and reasonably priced.

[Steve 555]

My gn has only done 2300kms it has freed up quite a bit since I have had it. But $7000.00 is far too expensive for a new 250 you might as well buy a decent 2nd hand 600 for that price. Another option for you is a fxr 150.

[sunhuntin]

ive had 2 gns... with 20 years between them! one was an 86, the other an 06. i cant remember which one did what, but i did get one up to 120, on a downhill. soon as i noticed, i brought her back to 110, lol. 140 would likely never happen on a gn, unless on the back of a trailer or ute!

[Deviant Esq]

Hey Gizzit. From what you've posted it sounds as though you've already decided on a GN250, so I won't bore you with alternatives. But as for getting back into bikes, good for you mate! There are heaps of born again bikers around. The good thing about a GN is that once you've ridden it around for a while and have decided it's time to get something better, it should hold its value. If you do get a GN, do yourself a favour and get new tyres, if the previous owner hasn't already replaced them. The stock tyres are quite plasticy and tend to lose traction in slippery conditions. You have been warned!

[sunhuntin]

dev... i never noticed a problem with the tyres. they would step out occasionally, but that happened less than 5 times over the year, and always on a HUGE paint arrow right in the middle of a corner. but then... i ride slow as a snail anyways. might be a different story if pushing things.