Suitable 250 cruiser for adult learner?

[sunhuntin]

my partner wants to get her license. she weighs in at around 90kg. what bike would be suitable?
ive got the virago, which she had a short go on yesterday, but im not all that keen to offer my lil bike up simply cos of repair costs if the worst happens. plus i can see myself getting shitty quickly. would prefer for her to have her own. i was thinking a cheap-o 80s gn250, but we dont want to pay the earth.

whats the learners and restricted periods for over 25s?

cheers!!

[firefighter]

6months for restricted, 6 months for full- and maybe the go with a GN if you think shes gonna drop it

[sinfull]

Ummm think ya find its more like do the bhs then you can sit the written, 3 months learners, then 9 months once you have done the restricted test, unless you book in for a defencive driving course which then brings the restricted down to 6 months then your elegible to sit yr full !

[firefighter]

Ummm think ya find its more like do the bhs then you can sit the written, 3 months learners, then 9 months once you have done the restricted test, unless you book in for a defencive driving course which then brings the restricted down to 6 months then your elegible to sit yr full !

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/licensing/mo...estricted.html

erm no.what I said before.

[sinfull]

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/licensing/mo...estricted.html

erm no.what I said before.

Well the Mrs must have got spethal treatment then she did her learners in feb and restricted in june !
My oppologies FF

[firefighter]

Well the Mrs must have got spethal treatment then she did her learners in feb and restricted in june !
My oppologies FF

really? she scraped in a month early can't complain there! I just went off the website- plus I recently became a safer rider by turing 25 so I could sit my full after 6 months instead of 18! (bloody rediculous that rule)

[sunhuntin]

6months for restricted, 6 months for full- and maybe the go with a GN if you think shes gonna drop it

cheers. its not so much the dropping im worried about, its the lack of knowledge about gearing, clutch and all that good shit. she drives an auto you see, and i hated hearing my lil girl struggle due to lack of revs with the clutch not pulled in due to susans fear over going through the fence! i cant afford engine repairs, and cant afford to be without the bike either.

pity auto bikes arent standard yet, otherwise thatd be the go for her.

[sinfull]

really? she scraped in a month early can't complain there! I just went off the website- plus I recently became a safer rider by turing 25 so I could sit my full after 6 months instead of 18! (bloody rediculous that rule)

Still having trouble working out how she did this as she never got the bike till xmas ! I may have fucked up when i said feb but even if she did the learners in jan she shouldnt be able to do the restricted till after june but she sat it on the 4th june !
Other thing that i just found (thanks for bringing up the ltsa site mate)
Was she went in to AA (i think) yesterday to see when she could sit her full (as i was under the understanding it was in sept if she did the course) but she was told that she couldn't till dec which had me thinking i was mistaken and it was 6 months when ya do a course ! The Ltsa site says she can after 3 months (over 25)
So my first post is totally up the crap !
Woooohoooo bike shopping we will go

[<Rhino>]

You can reduce your restricetd period from 6 months to 3 if you do a certified course.

[firefighter]

You can reduce your restricetd period from 6 months to 3 if you do a certified course.

I think that's the same with the full too........

[Griffin]

Not sure where the misunderstandings are coming from but this is how it works for those over 25 (and i have just completed the process not so long ago so I know this is fact)

Sit BHS course, gain BHS certificate, go to AA or other licensing authority and sit the learners theory test (25 road code questions and 10 motorcycle related questions) + eyesight test. Assuming you pass, you get issued your 6L learners licence. The minimum period you can hold this licence is 6 months - no exceptions.

After the 6 month minimum period you can apply to sit your restricted... this is a practical test around your local area + eyesight test. If you pass this you gain your 6R restricted licence. The minimum period you can hold this licence is 6 months - UNLESS - you sit an approved Defensive Driving course which is usually 4 x 2hr classroom periods + a 1hr on road component. If you complete and pass the Defensive Driving course you can reduce your 6R restricted licence from 6 months to 3 months.

After the 6 month minimum period (3 month for DDC passees) you can apply to sit your full licence... this is a practical test around your local area + eyesight test. If you pass this you gain your class 6 licence (full) and this is what you need to ride any size bike at any time with or without pillions.

Clear as mud???

[Amazon]

This is how it worked for me... (I'm over 25). Firstly basic handling skills, 6 months learners, 6 months restricted ( the restricted part can be fast tracked by 3 months if you do the defensive driving test. I just finished mine yesterday (thank goodness) so now I'm going to book for my full licence. Yah!!

[varminter]

If there is that great a change for the over 25s then as learner at 60 I feel it's fair if I get my restricted after one week and my full a fortnight later... that ain't gonna happen I dearly wanted a 250 cruiser, all new and shiny, wife talked me out of it and I got the gn 250, great learners bike and now I want a bigger one,(when I get my full) so wife was right...bugger.

[sunhuntin]

Not sure where the misunderstandings are coming from but this is how it works for those over 25 (and i have just completed the process not so long ago so I know this is fact)

Sit BHS course, gain BHS certificate, go to AA or other licensing authority and sit the learners theory test (25 road code questions and 10 motorcycle related questions) + eyesight test. Assuming you pass, you get issued your 6L learners licence. The minimum period you can hold this licence is 6 months - no exceptions.

After the 6 month minimum period you can apply to sit your restricted... this is a practical test around your local area + eyesight test. If you pass this you gain your 6R restricted licence. The minimum period you can hold this licence is 6 months - UNLESS - you sit an approved Defensive Driving course which is usually 4 x 2hr classroom periods + a 1hr on road component. If you complete and pass the Defensive Driving course you can reduce your 6R restricted licence from 6 months to 3 months.

After the 6 month minimum period (3 month for DDC passees) you can apply to sit your full licence... this is a practical test around your local area + eyesight test. If you pass this you gain your class 6 licence (full) and this is what you need to ride any size bike at any time with or without pillions.

Clear as mud???

cheers for that. still looking for more suggestions on bikes for the missus please? her aim is to buy a friends 600 cruiser, so a cruiser to begin with would be suitable.

[Griffin]

cheers for that. still looking for more suggestions on bikes for the missus please? her aim is to buy a friends 600 cruiser, so a cruiser to begin with would be suitable.

The 2 problems with the 250cc cruiser market is 1. that the majority are overpriced, considering that you can buy much larger cc rated bikes than 250 int the 4 - 5 K range and 2. for most people their 250 is a very temporary bike - as they aim to get something bigger and better as soon as they can.

You have a few options...

...buy the 250 version of your mates cruiser so that your staying with the same styling - then try and get back what you paid for it but probly lose some cash.

...Look out for any other cheap (read bargain) 250 cruiser that will last the 12 month learner/restricted period and then onsell for as much as you can.

...get a cheap, tried and tested GN250 or similar renowned 'learners' bike that will do for 12 months then on sell to another learner without losing your hard earned cash.

As for bikes - any of the well known branded cruisers are good... the Suzuki Intruder VL250, Yamaha Virago XV250, Honda Magna 250, Kawasaki Eliminator EL250 and even the Hyosung Aquilla GV250 is getting good reviews. I had the Yamaha Dragstar XVS250 for my learner cruiser - an excellent bike but a tad on the dear side. Have a real good look around and see what meets all your wants