[papat5]

I had a small Honda many years ago. Used it around town for short trips. Am presently looking for an economical bike for a 100 mile roundtrip per day commute. Have been looking at Honda Shadow 750, Yamaha VStar Classic, and a Kymco Venox V (250cc – weighs 400+ – looks like the Honda. Can anyone share thoughts on the Kymco? Reliability, service/parts availability? Today, an independent repairman steered me toward the Kawasaki Ninja 250R and told me, “today’s 250s are not like the ones from years gone by.” I went on line and checked the Honda Rebel, Ninja 250R, Yamaha VStar 250, and SuzukiGZ250. All are quite impressive. Any comments, suggestions?

[Matt]

Kymco is a Taiwanese factory that produces Hondas (and has for more than 30 years). They’re QA is just as good as Honda’s because, well it IS Honda’s. Service and parts will be entirely dependant on your local dealer. My local Kymco dealer is a pretty big dealership (They also sell Kawa, BMW, and Ducati), so service is great, not sure on parts.

A modern 250cc is a solid bike.

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The problem with the internet: Everyone gets the same font size.

[TheAbomb12]

for commuting… I would recommend the 2008 Ninja 250… you’ll get an average of 60 MPG…

if you need more power on the freeway, there is always the ninja 500 and 650 ( I have the 650 its a very nice bike too); both would make excellent commuter bikes, but the 250 would be cheaper to maintain.

[six-shooter]

If you’re interested in a cruiser, you might consider the Kawasaki Vulcan 500. There’s a good review here on the site. I’m commuting on my Vulcan 500 about 100 mile per day… I’ve been very happy with it. It has plenty of power for freeway riding and one of the most comfortable stock seats of any bike in it’s range. I was initally looking at the the Ninja 250, but I often carry alot of equipment to work, so a cruiser with mounted saddlebags and a large rally pack really made more sense for me. I started with a 250 cruiser (a United Motors 250), and while it did fine, the 500 is much more comfortable and less “buzzy” at freeway speeds. I get around 55 -58 mpg on my 500 (versus 65 mpg on my wife’s 250).

[BoOZe P-ti Motard]

as i said earlier… chinese taiwanese $%$#^&%* and better deal with Japanese… long distances?cruisers..all are good..but i’ve heard alot about vulcanz kawaz

BoOZe
Solomolo Rider

[papat5]

The Yamaha VStar Classic is a nice cruiser bike. Must say that, on test ride, I was pretty nervous. Kept it slow but felt like just looking at the throttle would put me up to highway speed. Afterwards is when I started to reconsider a 250. I’m not concerned about using the freeways since, on my commute, I can use back roads and only add 5-10 miles each way.

[papat5]

Thanks for the info Matt. “Their QA is just as good as Honda’s because, well it IS Honda’s.” I haven’t found anyone, except Kymco dealer who has told me that. Everyone else, especially the big dealers in my town, don’t want to touch them. The next closest dealers are 50 & 100 miles away. I like the look, sound, and feel of the bike, but the service angle makes me real edgy. Will keep looking for now!

[Author]

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