Looking for a 250

**motorbyclist** · 2nd September 2008, 14:49

Originally Posted by Real_Wolf

Oh yes, one other good idea.

Get a naked bike, a bike with fairings can get them scratched up pretty easy, but a naked bike is usually just pick up and go, with maybe a bit of a bend to something but nothing like what can happen to the fairings

all good and well unless you grind through or smash an engine cover

at that point you need a new cover and possibly whatever was behind it, and you sure aren't riding home - fairings are protection for your bike from wind, rain, road and "carpark shopping" for spare bits, and just cause they're scratched doesn't mean you can't ride it

also, hopping on the hornet yesterday (and today for insurance reasons) i can say that fairings, however pathetic they may be, make a world of difference to the riding experience in terms of not getting buffeted by the wind and completely drenched in the rain.
note a learner shouldn't be on the motorway anyway.

**ital916** · 2nd September 2008, 20:41

The reason I said rain gear is that motorcycle gear is not 100% waterproof, it arely even comes close. I'd say more 75 to 90 % waterproof. Thus if you ride in all conditions like moi then rain gear comes in handy. Also allowing the rain pant to take it means your nice protective clothing after riding in three days of torrential rain stays dry. Even cordura takes a long time to dry and nothing is worse than putting on wet gear.

Sometimes you will want to wear draggins as cordura pants can be cumbersome in inner city commuting, hence rain gear. Trust me, there is method in my madness. Then again, I know nothing haha so do what you want, your money and your skin.

**PirateJafa** · 2nd September 2008, 21:26

Motorcycle gear can indeed be waterproof.

I ride every day, regardless of weather, and do so bone dry. The only part of my gear that lets water in is my gloves when it is absolutely torrenting down, and that's only because I crashed in them.

Buy rain gear if you want to fork out extra unnecessary money to the shops. I suppose that supporting your local community is all well and good and noble.

**bomma** · 2nd September 2008, 22:03

that's what the interest free over-drafts and $1000/year "course-related" costs are for......i mean if i get wet on the way in and out of uni everyday, i might fall ill and thus wet weather gear is required for my functioning on the academic level

**Slyer** · 2nd September 2008, 22:04

Either cheapish gear + rain gear OR decent gear OR get wet.
Sound about right?

**bomma** · 2nd September 2008, 22:09

Originally Posted by Slyer

Either cheapish gear + rain gear OR decent gear OR get wet.
Sound about right?

from experience, drider's right in that corudra does get wet OVERTIME and does not dry overnight. HOWEVER it will be fine unless it's absolutely hammering down when you ride in. And if it's raining on your way home, then it will not matter much if the gear is wet anyway. When you get home, hang up the jackets, pants, gloves etc in a small room with a heater or a dehumidifier overnight and it will be nice and crisp by morning

i used to let my jacket dry naturally in the garage and found that it wasnt dry in the morning and started to smell like ass coz it was moist for long periods from repeatedly getting wet and not being allowed to fully dry....

protection first IMHO

**Zim_Invader** · 2nd September 2008, 23:59

i reckon it's about time i add to this thread!!! (muhuhuhahahah).

i got my gear from botany honda. it's more than decent, gloves keep dry enough, and only get a little cold in the heavy rains. the jacket does what it needs to, tho a bit of moisture does get through (easily enough too) - learnt that the hard way, and spent 3 days rying out my phone. moral there, keep phone in bag where it will def be dry!

what i'm getting at is, i paid 550 at botany honda, which is peanuts for full gear. the boots are fairly stiff but u get use to them really quickly. i got a bonus on my pants - they didn't have my size in pants so got upgraded to a pair of spykes! fully waterproof! (i mean fully fully, not that 75% partial nonsense like the jacket). the gear i got will last long enough, provided i don't fall often.. kyle's seems to be lasting him well enough... the only thing he had to buy was gloves, that too becoz he lost one.

good luck in the hunt. i spent a good 3 months looking around. (for various reasons). ended up getting myself a beautiful vtr250. the guy i got it from was really good. i paid 3400, but in the end added 550 to that for new tyres, and chain + sprockets. still, 4000 for teh bike in the condition it's in is a steal! as andrew said, it is prob the BEST bike to learn on. have ridden banzai's GN, and ehab's gsx, also a gpx.

if u want the contact info of the guy i got my stuff from lemme know. he imports cars, but gets some bikes every now and then too... again, he's a great guy, and won't play u. priced really really well too.

don't let the gpx slip bye. t's a great bike. got more than enough kick (above 6000 rpms) - again learnt the hard way... but still. i'm happy i got the vtr. i took andrew with me before i bought it. he's great. u should see these guys. haha. they're the funniest when they inspect a bike.... first bike we saw was a gpx, and i managed to round up about 4 other guys. jaffa, andrew and kyle pounced and were pulling at bits, flicking things left and right, like rabid dogs on a piece of steak. it was remarkable! they're really efficient!

**ital916** · 3rd September 2008, 08:23

Originally Posted by Slyer

Either cheapish gear + rain gear OR decent gear OR get wet.
Sound about right?

wrong. Don't get cheap gear. Get quality. Good gear lasts longer, causes less drama and will provide a more comfortable riding experience. Again I recommend the rev it warp jacket. Not saleperson spool but from the fact I've ridden it through weeks of rain and absolutely shit conditions and it is yet to fail me. I only wear rain pants, the warp jacket doesn't need anything on top, it's just a pain getting gear to dry in time.

And non of this cordura will melt to your skin or not protect you talk that you will hear. Cordura is very good at protection, only it's a one use thing. If you crash you have to replace it, a step that I highly recommend of all your gear if you crash. You won't crash though.

**JBJB** · 3rd September 2008, 09:22

Originally Posted by motorbyclist

not bad at all, you're off to a good start
welcome to KB

Is this your first ever bike? ANY prior experience?
I'd strongly suggest going around and having a look, bring someone like myself/avgas or whoever is keen and actually knows what they're looking at incase there's something wrong.
EDIT: and go have a sit on a few bikes to see what they're like. on your learners don't expect a test ride, but if you bring myself/avgas they can have a blat for you to check the gearbox etc is all good. if they wont let a full licenced rider test ride then dont buy it.

Cheers mate. This will be my first bike. Apart from a few blats on farms, lessons for the learners and a few test rides I'm a total newbie.

So you don't reckon I should be testing bikes myself? I went for a couple of test rides (oops) one of which was pretty nuts when I was on my own and stalled it in the middle of Henderson shops with a flat battery (the guy hadn't ridden it for ages).

I had a ride on a vtr on the north shore and liked it but they all seem to be up around 5/6K for a late 90's one with a few km under the belt. It'd be mint if someone could come and check the odd bike out with me.

**motorbyclist** · 3rd September 2008, 12:26

Originally Posted by Drider87

wrong. Don't get cheap gear. Get quality.

uh, that IS what he was saying

Originally Posted by Drider87

And non of this cordura will melt to your skin or not protect you talk that you will hear.

who says that? i've heard that stuff about the plastic/nylon gear (like most rain jackets) but not codura

and it was from a shop salesperson too....

Originally Posted by JBJB

Cheers mate. This will be my first bike. Apart from a few blats on farms, lessons for the learners and a few test rides I'm a total newbie.

So you don't reckon I should be testing bikes myself?

lol sorry no i meant that i wouldn't go expecting people to let you test ride their bike. if they won't let a fully licenced rider then they (might) have got something they don't want found.
if they decline a learner a test ride, well that's just common sense

and of course an experienced rider/mechanic will look/test for a lot of problems while riding that you won't yet know about

as for experience having a few blats on a farm will help you more than you'd think - pure road riders generally don't learn how to crash or handle a loss of traction without serious penalty

Originally Posted by JBJB

I had a ride on a vtr on the north shore and liked it but they all seem to be up around 5/6K for a late 90's one with a few km under the belt. It'd be mint if someone could come and check the odd bike out with me.

we managed to get zimm set up on a mint vtr for $4k once it had new tyres

what exactly is your machine budget looking like (too many ppl in one thread, hard to keep track of who's who)

**JBJB** · 3rd September 2008, 15:47

I would say that $4K would be my max.

I know purple is not the most manly colour but this seems like a pretty sweet deals in terms of value for money:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=173749544