[gitchy42]

I’ll agree with most people here and say that most 250s are great for beginners and have enough power for most situation. That being said, unless you are in love with the look of a Rebel, I would avoid it. Compared to other similar bikes it has little power. If you like the cruiser or standard look I would suggest one of the Zuke 250’s.

I will admit that I am biased against the Rebel though, I think it looks silly too…like someone forgot half the motor. Although, I do like some of the larger Rebel models.

[gitchy42]

Am I the only person that finds stuff like onStar creepy instead of cool?

[gitchy42]

Both are nice looking bikes. Enjoy!

[gitchy42]

A tip for moving a bike with a flat…maybe everyone else has figured this out.

I got a flat a month and a half ago, and had to man-handle my bike about the length of a block. When I got to work a coworker had a similar situation and when he took it to the shop the tech started the bike, controlled the bike speed with the clutch and walked along side it. I’ve found that it works just about anytime I want to walk the bike along, but don’t want to be on it, like when loading it into my truck.

[gitchy42]

The 2010 Hyosung’s (all of them) are Fuel-Injected. The GT250 (Comet) is the naked version of the GT250R. Both are styled after Suzukis, not big surprise as Hyosung has been mentored by Suzuki for the last 30 or so years. The GT250 has a slightly more upright seating position due to having real handlebars as opposed to the clip-ons that the R version has.

Based on the reviews that I have read/watched the fit and finish is a little lacking, but the performance is comparable to the Ninja 250. The power plant is a 75-degree V-Twin, which mean a bit more bottom-end torque than the Ninja, which should help if the wife wants to hop on the back.

[gitchy42]

As already said, your rear brake should be strong enough to hold the bike on a hill. There is a fairly steep hill in the parking lot at work, and I managed to hold the bike with the rear brake and kill the engine. If you have the coordination, it may be easier to start on a hill if you hold the bike on the front brake, using 1 or 2 fingers which allows you to have both feet down and still control the throttle.

As for right turns, what they taught us in the training that I did was to put your right foot down, left foot up, turn the handlebars full lock to the right, lean a little to the right and when ready look where you want to go, roll on the throttle and away you go. Everyone in the class was able to make right and left hand turns from a stop in half a lane using this technique.

Good luck and happy riding!

[gitchy42]

The idea is a large-ish mountain that still has snow on it, the more the better.

[gitchy42]

It is likely that the only additional fees that you are going to have to pay for the used bike is licensing, which you are going to have to pay anyways. Possibly sales tax if you are in that kind of state, I’m not (Oregon).

That is going to save you at least $400-$600.

[gitchy42]

I would suggest taking ranette’s advice on taking the BRC and considering a scooter.

[gitchy42]

The SV is a little smaller, the pegs are a little back, but otherwise the riding position is basically ‘upright’. The handle bars are at a comfortable distance, the only real concern I would have for you is that it CAN be a little tight for me (6′, 32″ inseam) after about 45mins of riding.

Depending on how much you are going to ride, and how far at any time the SV should be a good bike to start with, and upgrade to the Versys in a year or two when there are more used one’s out there at a better price. You may want to consider the KLR 650 also, a larger dual-sport would probably fit you well, they have good power and handle well.

[gitchy42]

It is great living here in the Portland area. About 75 miles from the closest ski resort, about 80 miles to the coast, about 100 miles to grasslands, about 120 miles to the high desert.

Hope you have a good time camping.

[gitchy42]

A coworker has some Corbin soft bags on his bike that look pretty good, and hold most of what he needs for a long trip, looks pretty good too. I’ll be posting some photos from a ride yesterday. I’ve also been considering upgrading the saddle to a Corbin, my butt gets tired after a while.

[gitchy42]

I have a FieldSheer Corsair jacket that offers a decent protection, and good airflow. Two downsides however, it is black and it doesn’t breathe that well when you aren’t moving. However, it lets a LOT of airflow through the Carboflex fabric, not quite as much as a mesh jacket however. Also, it has an OK liner, not great for cold days or hard rain, but really good for cool days or light rain. Fieldsheer has come out with the Corsair 2, so you can find the original on closeout probably for a decent price.

[gitchy42]

That the TU250 is Fuel Injected!! A BIG plus over most of the other 250’s.

[gitchy42]

I wouldn’t really say that you would be settling for an older Ninja, really they are good bikes. The older bikes have good power, are nimble and get awesome fuel mileage, also I believe they have a little more room. The newer one’s do look better (I think at least), have a stiffer suspension and (according to Kawi) have more ‘usable’ power, however they cost more and don’t get the same mileage.

It depends on how you are built, how much you want to spend and how you are going to ride it. If you are never going to push the bike hard, the ’07 and older will be great, however if you plan on taking it to the limit every chance you get maybe the ’08s and newer are a better option. If you are a ‘heavy’ rider you may want to consider the newer model, but the older model can handle it. It you are tall, maybe the older model will fit better than the new.

$2300 for the ’06 or ’07 isn’t a bad price, but if you are willing to go a little older, like with an ’04ish I wouldn’t be surprised if you can find a gently used one for around $1500, but I have seen ’99s going for that on craigslist here…..

For gear, it depends. For the helmet I would suggest going somewhere local that has a decent selection or two or three different local shop. I don’t care what anyone else says, you have to try on a helmet to see how it fits. For the rest of the gear, you can get it online (Motorcycle Superstore, among others), at a local Cycle Gear (if there is one near you), or at a local motorcycle dealership. I got all of my gear locally, mainly because it is my first set of gear and I wanted to make sure that I got stuff that fits how I want it to. You can save a lot of money buying closeout merchandise.

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