[jaczor]

I´ve always been interested in learning how to ride a motorcycle, I live in Caracas-Venezuela, it´s a big city with very heavy traffic almost 24/7, so a motorcycle can turn a one hour + commute into a 15-20min one.

The traffic issue has gotten so bad that I have finally decided to get a motorcycle, due to economical and political reasons, the market for new motorcycles is VERY limited, nothing above 200cc and the only mayor brand that sells a new decent motorcycle is Suzuki, besides that the alternatives are:
-Cheap chinese bikes
-Buy used, but for very high prices (Venezuela is the only country in the world where used vehicles cost the same or even more than new ones).

Anyway, the Suzuki bike I was talking about is the GN125, it´s a custom style motorcycle, tried and true design, basically bulletproof as far as realiability goes. An honest bike that pretends to be nothing more than reliable means of transportation.

Now, on to my issue, I´m 5´9-10 and about 250lbs and I´m concerned that the 125 might not be able to deal with some hills that are part of my daily commute, I don´t expect it to fly uphill but I don´t want to be overtaken by bicycles, lol.

Other than the engine issue, I really like the looks of the GN125 and I´ve been told it´s perfect for riding around traffic. I´ve never riden a motorcycle, so I would learn on my first one (I have a friend who will teach me, sadly, there are no MSF courses available in my country).

So what do you think, would a 125cc and 12hp motorcycle be able to lug me uphill at decent speeds? I would basically avoid freeways and they are not part of my daily commute, so that wouldn´t be an issue.

Just to give you an idea of the local motorcycle market situation, here are some prices of the ones I´ve considered:
-Suzuki GN125, new: 1500$ US (it´d cheap because it´s assembled locally).
-Suzuki DR200, new: 4875$ US (imported).
-2.008 Suzuki GZ250, USED: 3.800$
-1.998 Yamaha Virago 250, USED: 3750$ US (no, that´s not a typo).
-2.008 Yamaha Fazer 250, USED: 4.300$ US.

Crazy isn´t it?

Lastly, a picture of the GN125 for those that don´t know what it looks like:

http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/suzuki-history/2002/2002_GN125_black_800.jpg

Thanks in advance

[gitchy42]

That’s a nice looking little bike. For someone your size that bike may be a little small, but then again if it is geared well, you shouldn’t have any problems keeping up with traffic. I was looking at a little Kymco Quannon 150 that didn’t have much more power than the GN125, and it would be great around town. If I didn’t have to worry about hitting the freeway almost everyday I probably would have gotten it.

[mhl]

I’ve started with 125cc, moved up no long ago. It was not a classic though, but supermoto (Yamaha XT125X, this one, around 10 bhp as well), and it’s been (and still is) a great fun around the city. It’s light and maneuverable, and it gets me up to 70 km/h easy and in no time (and we’ve got 50 km/h speed limit here in the city), though I’m 5’9 and 165 lbs . With some throttle work I can get it up to 100-105 km/h, so it can be ridden along the highway as well – but it’s not quite comfortable up there. But for the city – just great.

As you’re a bit heavier, it may go a bit slower for you, but I’ve been riding it with my wife at the back – together we’re just about 250 lbs, and I’ve never felt that bike struggling under us.

[stu]

did my MSF on the gn125 (red version), I think outside of MSF it would be like riding a scooter, underpowered and anemic. as for uphill at decent speeds, I dont know if the GN125 is that strong, you’d have to gear down a lot. You’d probably be better off with one of those 250’s ybr/fazer 250, but a year on teh gn125 would be good fun and you could put the difference between it and the others to some good gear and maybe toward next years upgrade

[jcwhite]

I’m riding a CBR125, and while I don’t pass too many people that are going over 110km/h, it does just fine. I can cruise comfortably at 100 – I’m a bit smaller than you, but if you stay off highways you shouldn’t have to worry. Sure, if you find a steep hill you may have to gear down, but you don’t lose much, if any, speed (if you use the gears right). The only time I really feel the lack of power is trying to accelerate from highway speed to passing speed – as long as you’re under 80km/h I can keep up with just about anyone.

Something to consider: If you’re riding around a reasonalbe city in Venezuela, I’m assuming the traffic is a nightmare, and traffic laws are mostly suggestions. In a situation like that, having a lighter bike that you can throw around easily is great. If you end up slightly off balance (because some dog ran out or whatever), you can catch the bike and hold it upright. With a larger bike, if it gets off balance it’s likely going down (and I’ll guess that you don’t want to be in the middle of one of those streets with a downed bike).

Mine is a perfect city bike, I just don’t go on road trips over 500km (I’ve done 450 before). Also, my friends hate me when I complain that it took almost $7CAN to fill up my tank.

[CBBaron]

That looks like a great choice for a city motorcycle.
Cheap and readily available, so should be easy to repair cheaply.
Enough power for city speeds, as long as the gearing is decent you should have no problem with hills.
Light and easy to handle.
And it looks nice too.
Just get a decent cable or chain lock depending on your crime rates and if you park on the street over night, because a light bike is easier to pick up an carry away.

Craig

[TrialsRider]

…even though I have a 1000cc bike

[jaczor]

Just to give you an idea of what driving in Caracas is like, here’s a video I found on youtube, mind you that the traffic is very light on this video, the roads usually look more like parking lots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tzaKuoGm7A

The driver is what’s known locally as a “Moto Taxi”, like the name implies, they are taxis but many are also thieves who rob you at gunpoint while you are inside your car in traffic, most of them drive like maniacs.

[madjak30]

I took my msf course (well, the Canadian version of it) using 200cc bikes, and they had lots of zip…I’m 5’10-5’11 and 275lbs…I don’t think those bikes had much more than 12Hp, so I wouldn’t worry about it. It really comes down to how they are geared. They accellerated faster than most cars all the way to about 80kph, then started losing steam…and they were a blast to ride. I would have gone for one of those bikes myself if I didn’t need it to go freeway speeds…115-125kph.

Kool bike TrialsRider, but I don’t think I would want to ride it more than 20-30mins…but what a 20mins it would be…lol. That thing can’t be comfortable…?

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