Opinions please, Suzuki VL250

[woodboats]

Just a few photos on how it was decked out.
I couldn't help myself I had to dress the the little thing up a bit.

Sigh, Now she wants the same things for her Yamaha!

[KelvinAng]

That's indeed a beauty, woodboats! Thanks for sharing the pics.

I can understand why that "darn little thing" is a looker. A quick google search also turn out comments similar to yours. She's really quite a beauty and sounds really good. It's going to be 1-up riding for me as far as I can tell so I guess I shouldn't worry about it being a 250 cruiser.

So, when we can see pics of a decked out Yamaha V-Star? ;-)

Keep us updated on your bags, 1 Free Man. I know what you mean about the bags falling off. Sounds weird that that's all Suzuki would give to keep the bags on the bikes. Then again, I've once saw a Hayabusa in Singapore with one of those scooter carrier box attached to the back, so maybe Suzuki aren't that smart when it comes to accessories after all...

[johnnyflash]

I went looking for a second bike (for commuting) a little while ago and after riding many 250's the ONLY one in consideration was the intruder, I found the new intruder 250 felt the BIGGEST bike ride wise, most laid back cruiser style in that size range. But no I didnt buy one as I found hopping of the 1500 onto 250 was just too much, so I settled on a 800 as my commuter bike.
But as a first bike its got to be one of the best all round for performance and looks in the cruiser style.. TEST RIDE em ALL bfore you buy anything :-)

[Blossom]

I thought they're pretty good bikes (at least on paper, but I don't really know very much about bikes). Nothing on TardMe except dealer advertisements, and few people discuss these bikes here. So just wondering... are they so good that nobody is willing to sell them, or are they so bad nobody's buying? Or... am I in the wrong forum?

Yeah I know everyone has different opinions but I've love to hear them all...

Just found this thread and thought I would add my 2c worth.
I brought a vl250 2008 model in March I think I paid $6000 for her with wof and reg. I brought some saddle bags off a local dealer for $180 and have found no need to have support bars to hold them up.
Its an awesome bike. My hubby rides a rf900 yet still enjoys taking my girl out for a blat. She cruises at 110 easy as. I have not taken anyone else out on her but I think she would handle it fine.
We test rode I think every 250 on the market from the virago to the maurader and the vl was the best bang for buck. I nearly went for a magna but $5500 for a 10yr old magna or $6k for a brand spanking new intruder was hardly a difficult choice. The guys at colemans suzuki let us take the floor model out for a test drive and we were sold.
Good luck hunting. I have a few pics of the girl in my profile if you want to have a look.

[KelvinAng]

Thanks for that Blossom.

There's no doubt the VL250 is excellent value for its class. I'm a bit reluctant to buy a brand new 250cc cruiser actually, the logic being I'll probably want a bigger bike when I get my Full, and that the 650cc Boulevards aren't that much more expensive!

This "250 tax" is a bit ridiculous I think. The Burgman 250 scooter actually cost more than the Burgman 400

[chubby]

Kelvin

Then if its just a transition bike you want, does it matter what you ride (within reason)? I am sure the VL will hold its value as good as any (allowing for the impending changes to the rules on licencing) but your right at $6k there will still be a loss and even then maybe a hard sell due to price. That loss is minimised on the purchase of say a cheaper, older GN that has an almost sold before you advertise feel about it. If your looking to top up as soon as you go full then why not get a good little GN etc and squirrel your money away for the Bouvelard of broken dreams (sorry, the music line just hit me as i was writing, no offence intended).

Then again as a transition bike, just grab anything (again within reason)????

PS if anyone does know about the sale of a GN......

[KelvinAng]

Then again as a transition bike, just grab anything (again within reason)????

Know what you mean, chubby. Thought of that before. I'm not in a hurry to get anything (at least 4 more months before I can take my Restricted test) so shall see if any decent deals come up along the way.

[chubby]

sounds like a plan. If cruisers are the way you want to go then thats great, but does it have to be in transition??? I can see your wrestling with this as we speak and so your comment 'see if any decent deals come up along the way' is a very good one. Don't restrict yourself as you will get what you want in short time.

Good luck in your search.

[KelvinAng]

Very observant! :-)

I have a wee bit of a problem... I have a fetish for bikes designed for roads. I love them all (and this includes "racer" bicycles - technically known as "road bikes", as opposed to "mountain bikes" or "trial bikes").

I can see myself eventually owning a cruiser, a sport bike, a naked bike, a big scooter and a three-wheeled novelty bike of sorts sometime in the future. Problem is picking the starting point (and finding a flat with a huge garage). The 250cc bike will most likely be transitional (why keep a 250 when a 400-600 cost just a grand more?) BUT if I can get a good deal on a 125cc sport bike I might keep that. There's something about these small sport bikes that I find... cute... for lack of a better word. Plus, they probably make decent commuters should I sell my 50cc scooter (not that I don't like that scooter.... it has fantastic handling and unbelievable fuel economy, but it will probably be the sacrificial lamb when it comes to keeping my number of bikes in check - if that ever happen).

I also like the bike to be able to do a bit of touring. Come summer I hope to be able to do a ride from ChCh to Tekapo (one of my favourite place in NZ), and I think a cruiser will be well suited for the job, which is why I'm considering a VL250 (good value for money, even with the 250 tax applied).

[Blossom]

Ah I see your problem. Well if you want to do some touring before you get your full and upsize the bike then I guess you will need a reasonably grunty 250. Having owned a gn250 before they are a great bike but I personally never used mine for touring as it could not sustain 100k well. The resale on the 250s is good though. I have seen 2 vl250s for sale 2nd hand. Both with around 1500-2000k on the clock and both sold for $5300 which is only a loss of around $700
But I see your point. Perhaps an older 250 like the kawasaki EL250. Cheaper than new but not a lot of them around though and still way over priced. IMHO
Well keep us posted. and good luck

[Blossom]

As I was lurking about thismorning I found this http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=73936

You might want to check it out.

[KelvinAng]

Hi Blossom, thanks for the link and thoughts. I thought 1500-2000 km is quite a short distance to have it depreciate by $700 but it's lesser than what my scooter would have depreciated in the same amount of distance. Seems like a used VL250 would be the way to go aye.

[Blossom]

I think it comes down to loving what you ride. If you love it you will ride it. If you dont you will just use it when you need to. At least that is how it is for me. Good luck with the hunt, hope you find what your looking for.

[blossomsowner]

wow.........blossom is so wise.............you should listen to her.....

[blossomsowner]

just remember what the great philosopher maximus said



"there is no replacement for displacement