YAFMCT (Motorcycle...)

etrigan420

Golden Member
Oct 30, 2007
1,723
1
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Midlife crisis is kicking my ass, but I want to do this as smartly as possible. Taking the class in May to get my endorsement taken care of...

I *have* ridden...YEARS and YEARS ago...off road type stuff when we were kids, and then I had a Honda Spree through high school (different animal, I know)

Am thinking 250cc would be adequate for me. It will just be bopping around town for the most part any way. I would like to stay away from sport bikes as I've had some wrist problems in the past, and I'd like to stay away from cruisers because I don't have the facial hair nor love of bandanna to pull that off...

So I'm thinking something along the naked/standard lines is what I'll be looking at. Also wanting to keep it cheap (relatively), and would prefer to buy new (personal preference).

Anyone have thoughts on the Suzuki GW250 *other than* "that thing is ugly"? (I happen to like the way it looks...but that's subjective)

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product Lines/Cycles/Products/GW250/2013/GW250.aspx

Because it looks like everything I want. 250cc, cheap, comfortable riding position (TBD, I haven't actually sat on it yet). I've got the feelers out at the 2 closest dealerships, just wondered if any of our inhouse riders had other suggestions that might fit the bill that I hadn't considered.

TIA!
 

sze5003

Lifer
Aug 18, 2012
14,285
665
126
I would always say 250cc is good enough for someone that wants to ride and even has rode before. The suzuki 250 models are what they used in the safety class I took. You can also look at the Honda rebel although it may be old, still good. I know you don't like sport bikes but Honda also has a cbr 500 and the new ninja 300 is very smooth too.

I had a ninja 250 and although it looked like a sporty bike, after a year of riding I felt like I was revving the crap out of it wanting to get a little more power. I believe the fixed that in the 300cc version.
 

etrigan420

Golden Member
Oct 30, 2007
1,723
1
81
I would always say 250cc is good enough for someone that wants to ride and even has rode before. The suzuki 250 models are what they used in the safety class I took. You can also look at the Honda rebel although it may be old, still good. I know you don't like sport bikes but Honda also has a cbr 500 and the new ninja 300 is very smooth too.

I had a ninja 250 and although it looked like a sporty bike, after a year of riding I felt like I was revving the crap out of it wanting to get a little more power. I believe the fixed that in the 300cc version.

Yeah, I'm at kind of a strange spot where my age (43) isn't really conducive to just starting out road riding.

The CB500X or F look like they would fit the bill too...just a bigger and pricier than I was wanting to go...
 

sze5003

Lifer
Aug 18, 2012
14,285
665
126
I spent 2k on my ninja 250 about 2 years ago. It was a 2009 with under 3,000 miles on it. I got it from a professor that taught a few classes I took back in college. He wasn't riding it and because we are good friends he decided to give me it for that price.

It did need quite a bit of work. New spark plugs, oil, carburetors had to be torn out and cleaned, with the float bowls readjusted, and a new battery.

I rode it for a year and sold it for 2500. Just make sure you ride the bike often if it ends up being carburated. I paid $3k for the bike I have now, a 2005 sv650s. You probably don't want an sv because it's very torquey and I know exactly what you mean by a "wrist problem".

Also, invest in some good gear. I look like a damn power ranger when I ride but gear is mandatory.
 

monkeydelmagico

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2011
3,961
145
106
You will quickly outgrow a 250. A 500 is the sweet spot for enough power to be entertaining yet not going to kill yourself on your first ride.

Dirt/offroad experience in your youth is one of the best predictors of good riders in adulthood. It's like riding a bicycle, you will remember. Just don't stick your foot out going around corners, it looks goofy and your likely to break your ankle.
 

unokitty

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2012
3,346
1
0
...

So I'm thinking something along the naked/standard lines is what I'll be looking at. Also wanting to keep it cheap (relatively), and would prefer to buy new (personal preference).

... Because it looks like everything I want. 250cc, cheap, comfortable riding position (TBD, I haven't actually sat on it yet). I've got the feelers out at the 2 closest dealerships, just wondered if any of our inhouse riders had other suggestions that might fit the bill that I hadn't considered.

TIA!

In the 250 class, you may want to consider the Suzuki TU250.

For a newer classic, you may want to consider the Yamaha SR400.

Best of luck,
Uno
 

rstrohkirch

Platinum Member
May 31, 2005
2,434
367
126
Really won't find much with that criteria if you're looking to buy new. Might want to look at some dual sport as well. The 650s only have about 35-40hp in stock form.

If you were to look for a used bike then there are a lot of older 300-500cc standards that you could look at.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,146
5,095
136
Ninja 250 has been replaced by the Ninja 300.
CBR250 is about to be replaced by the CBR300 but no word on when it will be stateside.


CBR250 > Ninja250
CBR250 - You can also grab it with ABS, though it will cost you. Its sportbike looking but its has a fairly upright riding position.

Ninja300 vs CBR250
I'd spend the extra bucks and get the Ninja300 over the CBR250. Plus, you can get them in non-doochey color schemes.

HOWEVER, if you are buying new and looking at the abs models you might be looking at a bigger price difference. The CBR300 is on its way and there are Honda bucks offers on the 2012 ($500) and 2013 ($200) CBR250's


Remember - You will find several years worth of new models sitting in showrooms. Leftovers can be had for SIGNIFICANT savings
 
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pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,146
5,095
136
Really won't find much with that criteria if you're looking to buy new. Might want to look at some dual sport as well. The 650s only have about 35-40hp in stock form.

If you were to look for a used bike then there are a lot of older 300-500cc standards that you could look at.

KLR650s are awesome.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,146
5,095
136
Yeah, I'm at kind of a strange spot where my age (43) isn't really conducive to just starting out road riding.

The CB500X or F look like they would fit the bill too...just a bigger and pricier than I was wanting to go...

Whats your price range?
Actually what are you comfortable spending on bike+gear?
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,542
921
126
Midlife crisis is kicking my ass, but I want to do this as smartly as possible. Taking the class in May to get my endorsement taken care of...

I *have* ridden...YEARS and YEARS ago...off road type stuff when we were kids, and then I had a Honda Spree through high school (different animal, I know)

Am thinking 250cc would be adequate for me. It will just be bopping around town for the most part any way. I would like to stay away from sport bikes as I've had some wrist problems in the past, and I'd like to stay away from cruisers because I don't have the facial hair nor love of bandanna to pull that off...

So I'm thinking something along the naked/standard lines is what I'll be looking at. Also wanting to keep it cheap (relatively), and would prefer to buy new (personal preference).

Anyone have thoughts on the Suzuki GW250 *other than* "that thing is ugly"? (I happen to like the way it looks...but that's subjective)

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product Lines/Cycles/Products/GW250/2013/GW250.aspx

Because it looks like everything I want. 250cc, cheap, comfortable riding position (TBD, I haven't actually sat on it yet). I've got the feelers out at the 2 closest dealerships, just wondered if any of our inhouse riders had other suggestions that might fit the bill that I hadn't considered.

TIA!

:thumbsup: That's a good first bike. If you can get it for around $4500 OTD you're doing fine. Haggle the crap out of it and don't let them tack on assembly or delivery fees.

You can ride it for a year or so and if you don't drop it you could easily sell it for $3,000-3,500. Small bikes like that hold their value fairly well especially if you take good care of it (store it in a garage, follow the maintenance schedule and don't drop it/wreck it).

I had an SV650 I bought new in 2008 for $6500 OTD. Sold it 3.5 years and 17,000 miles later for $4,000.

Definitely take the MSF and practice practice practice.

I love the naked bikes too but I'm thinking my next bike I would probably get something with a windshield. Some sort of sport touring bike like the Ducati Multistrada.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,460
5,937
136
I was in the same boat 5 years ago. Rode when I was a kid, gave it up for 35 years, wanted to ride again. I did what everyone says not to do, bought a brand new V-Rod. It's been near 5 years, I haven't dropped it or crashed yet.
In reality it's a pretty docile machine, always does exactly what you expect, but has enough grunt to make you smile when you want it to move. Not what you're looking for at all, but my point is that if you already know how to ride, you might want a little more than a 250 has to offer.

Full discloser: Being a middle aged balding pot bellied white republican, I had to buy a Harley, it's the law.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
32,635
11,766
136
i'd say go for any sport/standard 500cc or less. not much sense buying new, since it's very likely you'll ultimately want something a little bigger in a year or so.

GS500, ninja500 (used), Ninja250/300, CBR250, Yamaha R25 if it reaches the US.

also, to those who say you will outgrow a 250cc - what they really mean is you'll want more power/torque than a 250 has to offer. if you can post top-notch laptimes around various US tracks on a 250, then you may have finally outgrown it (ninja250/300 = mazda miata of bikes).
 

etrigan420

Golden Member
Oct 30, 2007
1,723
1
81
Whoa, sorry about that guys...somehow my emails for responses weren't happening...

Budget: Really up in the air. Factoring in that it will be a first bike, and likely dropped at some point, or might not fit my long term needs, or hell, I may get into the sport for awhile and then decide it's not for me, I'd like to avoid dropping $20k on a bike and $3k in gear.

One of the things that I find strange is that there are new 250cc(ish) sport bikes (Ninja300, CBR250, etc) that go for around $4k, *and* "light touring" 250cc bikes (I'm looking at you Honda Rebel) that go for around the same price, but no standard bike (except for the aforementioned Suzuki GW250) fits the "250cc and around $4k price point" that I had wrapped my head around. I even emailed a couple of local Suzuki dealerships and haven't heard anything back... I guess I'll have to modify either my engine requirement, price point, or bike style.

Conditions will mostly be around town in the Pacific Northwest corner of Washington state. I'd *like* to ride it to and from work, but it's a 70 mile round trip, with a good stretch of it being highway speed, so it certainly wouldn't be something I'd do from day 1.

Was looking at some...uh...less expensive gear at CycleGear. Goretex Fall/Winter/Spring jacket, Goretex lighter spring/summer jacket, Goretex gloves, waterproof boots, and an Icon Airmada helmet...

Thanks for the pointers guys...I'll let you know as things progress.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
32,635
11,766
136
Whoa, sorry about that guys...somehow my emails for responses weren't happening...

Budget: Really up in the air. Factoring in that it will be a first bike, and likely dropped at some point, or might not fit my long term needs, or hell, I may get into the sport for awhile and then decide it's not for me, I'd like to avoid dropping $20k on a bike and $3k in gear.

One of the things that I find strange is that there are new 250cc(ish) sport bikes (Ninja300, CBR250, etc) that go for around $4k, *and* "light touring" 250cc bikes (I'm looking at you Honda Rebel) that go for around the same price, but no standard bike (except for the aforementioned Suzuki GW250) fits the "250cc and around $4k price point" that I had wrapped my head around. I even emailed a couple of local Suzuki dealerships and haven't heard anything back... I guess I'll have to modify either my engine requirement, price point, or bike style.

Conditions will mostly be around town in the Pacific Northwest corner of Washington state. I'd *like* to ride it to and from work, but it's a 70 mile round trip, with a good stretch of it being highway speed, so it certainly wouldn't be something I'd do from day 1.

Was looking at some...uh...less expensive gear at CycleGear. Goretex Fall/Winter/Spring jacket, Goretex lighter spring/summer jacket, Goretex gloves, waterproof boots, and an Icon Airmada helmet...

Thanks for the pointers guys...I'll let you know as things progress.

gear is worth every penny. i've bought the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff, and believe me there's a biiiiiig gulf between the two.

cyclegear carries both big name brands (a*stars, etc) and their in-house brands (bilt, sedici). i've heard their in-house brand stuff is kinda meh, but i've never seen what happens when it gets put to the test.

what i can say is that my alpinestars, revvit, and dainese gear is much nicer than my speed/strength, shift, and joe rocket gear. teknic filled this wonderful middle-ground, but they went out of business. i'd personally avoid AGV, at least the textile stuff. i bought a pair of textile pants from them and the pants ripped all over the place from regular use after ~3 weeks.

personally, i'd go with leather all around if you can. there are plenty of nice, comfortable leather jackets, gloves, boots, and pants. Many brands also have overpants that you can wear on top of jeans. They're not going to offer the same level of protection as a nice set of leather pants, but they will offer additional padding and abrasion resistance on top of jeans.

a used set of leather gear can still perform its job perfectly well, and will save you lots of money as compared with buying new. never buy a used helmet

also, get fit for a helmet in person the first time. helmets have different shapes - some brands will suit you better than others. also, some brands will have numerous shell sizes, while others will only have a few and fill the rest with padding. having more shell sizes = better fit to your head when you pick any given size.

if you have questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

</soap box>
 

etrigan420

Golden Member
Oct 30, 2007
1,723
1
81
gear is worth every penny. i've bought the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff, and believe me there's a biiiiiig gulf between the two.

cyclegear carries both big name brands (a*stars, etc) and their in-house brands (bilt, sedici). i've heard their in-house brand stuff is kinda meh, but i've never seen what happens when it gets put to the test.

what i can say is that my alpinestars, revvit, and dainese gear is much nicer than my speed/strength, shift, and joe rocket gear. teknic filled this wonderful middle-ground, but they went out of business. i'd personally avoid AGV, at least the textile stuff. i bought a pair of textile pants from them and the pants ripped all over the place from regular use after ~3 weeks.

personally, i'd go with leather all around if you can. there are plenty of nice, comfortable leather jackets, gloves, boots, and pants. Many brands also have overpants that you can wear on top of jeans. They're not going to offer the same level of protection as a nice set of leather pants, but they will offer additional padding and abrasion resistance on top of jeans.

a used set of leather gear can still perform its job perfectly well, and will save you lots of money as compared with buying new. never buy a used helmet

also, get fit for a helmet in person the first time. helmets have different shapes - some brands will suit you better than others. also, some brands will have numerous shell sizes, while others will only have a few and fill the rest with padding. having more shell sizes = better fit to your head when you pick any given size.

if you have questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

</soap box>

Yup, that was almost *exactly* what I was looking for from a gear review. I've got some Bilt stuff in my online cart right now (jacket and gloves) at CG, but some of the stuff almost seems to good to be true (http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/...oof-Textile-Motorcycle-Jacket/p/43742_59409_2 for summer rides)...and we all know how that goes. But there *has* to be a price/performance sweet spot doesn't there?

Most of the low/mid-range stuff seems to be hit or miss, but I'm finding it *very* hard to justify some of those prices... Funny you should mention Teknic, as Revzilla has a *very* sweet review of a prior year model jacket (Freeway HP) that's on clearance. Had my heart set, only to discover that they only have the size 50 still in stock. C'est la vie.

I think I'm at about $400 in my cart for a warm(er) weather jacket, gloves, boots, and helmet...and that seems like a good chunk of change for "entry level yet still safe" stuff.
 

sze5003

Lifer
Aug 18, 2012
14,285
665
126
I'm lucky enough that revzilla has a store in the city here. When I started riding I bought the gear piece by piece before I purchased the bike. It wasn't all expensive gear but it is still holding up. I'm using a Joe rocket jacket with armor on the back, and shoulders, some icon textile pants that go over jeans, cortech latigo ar boots, and some entry level mesh/leather gloves with bumpers on the knuckles.

The pants are the most annoying. They are big and look like mc hammer style, but they fit and have inserts at the knees.
You want to go into the store and try this stuff on. Make sure everything fits correctly. I should get a better helmet too but I haven't had time to browse. Cyclegear will send out a magazine every month. There is one about 40 min from me and they have sales regularly where you can get some decent gear.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,146
5,095
136
One of the things that I find strange is that there are new 250cc(ish) sport bikes (Ninja300, CBR250, etc) that go for around $4k, *and* "light touring" 250cc bikes (I'm looking at you Honda Rebel) that go for around the same price, but no standard bike (except for the aforementioned Suzuki GW250) fits the "250cc and around $4k price point" that I had wrapped my head around. I even emailed a couple of local Suzuki dealerships and haven't heard anything back... I guess I'll have to modify either my engine requirement, price point, or bike style.

I wouldn't exactly call the Ninja300 or CBR250 "sport bikes".
More like "sporty" standards with fairings.

Have you sat on either bike?

You get wind protection for highways rides, you have optional ABS (bonus). Resale value is fairly strong if you decide to resell.
 

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
4,981
66
91
My friend/co-worker had the same mid-life crisis at the age of 42. He wound up with a Buell Ulysses. Very cool bike, very different from most other bikes I've ever seen. Falls outside the cruiser/sport bike genres you want to avoid, and a bit more capable than a 250.

XB12X.jpg


It looks like you can get them used for reasonable money too.
 

drnickriviera

Platinum Member
Jan 30, 2001
2,431
242
116
My friend/co-worker had the same mid-life crisis at the age of 42. He wound up with a Buell Ulysses. Very cool bike, very different from most other bikes I've ever seen. Falls outside the cruiser/sport bike genres you want to avoid, and a bit more capable than a 250.

XB12X.jpg


It looks like you can get them used for reasonable money too.

Lol, my brother may be getting one in a couple weeks. I test rode a used one for him. I think 100hp is a bit much for a 1st bike :) I'm used to getting on it with my little 500cc twin. I did the same on the uly and quickly got to 'oh crap!' speeds