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Mesh textile gear is about all I can stand in the summer… when the temp is in the high 90’s (which is pretty typical here during the summer), even with vented leather, I feel like I’m roasting. Textile gear generally is cheaper as well. I’ve always heard that both will protect you, but textile will only protect you once before needing to be replaced. Luckily, I haven’t had to test this out, so I can’t tell you how true this is.
During the cooler months, I ride with a leather jacket.

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Hardest thing to learn for me was starting from a stop on an uphill incline… practiced it over and over in a new neighborhood until I got it down pat.

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My Vulcan 500 doesn’t have a tach, but recommends staying under 48mph in 6th for the first 500 miles… needless to say, since I have to travel the freeways, I went above 48 mph. I did try not to rev too high going through the gears, but 48mph? Really??

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I see your point, but again that’s why I talked to the service dept people (apart from the salesman.) And suprisingly I actually did have a salesman tell me that Lifan was junk, while they had 4 new Lifan units sitting in their showroom. That being said, I understand where you’re coming from, and can only offer my experience with the Hyosung bikes up to this point.

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United Motors sells the Hyosung bikes under the UM label here in the US, but throws in a 3 year waranty (www.umamerica.com). Hyosung is a Korean company that has been making bikes for over 20 years (they use to produce Suzuki designs I believe). I can’t speak personally about the GT250, but I do have the UM/Hyosung 250 cruiser (UM V2C-250T or the Hyosung GV250) and I love it. Actually, my wife has it now, but that’s a different story. It has alot of features that you don’t see in most of the other 250 cruisers, including a Tachometer, fuel guage, seperate blinker lights, 3.7 gal tank, v-twin engine, & 2-tone paint. I haven’t had any problems with it up to this point. That being said, Bernie has a point about the major brands and the availibility of service. Luckily, we’ve got a reputable dealer around here that sells and services a ton a Hyosung bikes, so I felt comfortable getting one… and have been very glad I did. I was sure not only to talk to their sales staff, but also to their service center to see what they thought of the Hyosungs, especially since they work on them every day. If you’ve got a reputable dealer in your area, I’d have no problem recommending the brand.

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My wife has a similar “problem” (problem for her, not for me with getting things to fit up top but not be too big everywhere else. She just bought the Firstgear Coutour Mesh Jacket in all white and loves it. She bought a large, and it fits her like a glove… room up top, but “countoured” (hence the name) around the waist.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/2/49/765/ITEM/Firstgear-Womens-Contour-Mesh-Jacket.aspx

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United Motors is relatively new… you might look for a Hyosung dealer for the same bike, but if you didn’t have a local service provider, I’d probably hesitate on getting one myself. That being said, I just bought a Vulcan 500 yesterday. The wife liked the UM 250 so much that I “gave” it to her as an excuse to get a little bigger bike. I looked at the Honda Shadow 600, but the Vulcan just “felt” the best by far to me. Around here at least, the 500 is pretty hard to come by, so when I saw one and sat on it, I went ahead and bought it on the spot. (As a side note, Kawasaki has a pretty good financing deal going on right now if that’s the route you’re looking at going.) Unfortunately, while they were prepping the bike, they discovered that it had a bad kickstand kill switch, and can’t let the bike go until the replacement comes in, soooo, I’m still on the 250 until next week. Kind of like getting a christmas gift and not being able to open it until after New Years. But hey, like I said, I still love my 250, so it’s not all bad.
Good luck on whatever you choose.

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