At last, i got my Motorcycle Leaners.
been wanting to get it for a very long long time. ^^
anyways, what are some good learner bikes out there? should i buy a new one? how much should i spend.

i want a road bike, something like a cbr250 .

The flatmate has a Kawasaki ZXR250 which has treated him very well.... and has an awesome redline of 18,000rpm.

I'd always say newer is better so depends how much you want to spend, but seeing as you'll only want a 250 for the time you're on your learners and restricted you might not want to spend moonbeams.

having ridden bikes for almost 20 years doing your L's and P's tests on a dirt/motard style bike is much easier. passing these tests on a CBR250RR/ZXR250 style road bike is hard to say the least and in the scheme of things they are slow. you will learn some valuable skills on these dirt style bikes that you just won't get on a road bike. like what to do when the rear slides, on a road bike you will almost certainly end up low siding or high siding but a dirt bike is more forgiving. just my 2c anyways

do some training Californian superbike school is really good fun and will teach you some really good skills

And a final word of warning cars are dangerous as the below picture demonstrates so be careful out there on two wheels coz no one else will be looking out for you...

...maaan ouch! is that why your building the IS?

:o thats scary, but i still wanna ride. hehe just needa be careful plus dont do anything stupid.

yeh not wanting to spend too much. about 3-4K.
dont plan to ride it everyday anyway, just weekend, going to the cafe about 10mins away or sumfing like that.

Make sure you include the cost of gear into your budget as well.

Helmets, gloves and jackets are a must. Imagine driving your car at 50km/h, open the door then push your hand on the road.

Shop around, there are all sorts of oddball brands on TradeMe that're cheap, but I wouldn't necessary trust them, but there're also quality end-of-line gears around as well, I got a DriRider jacket for $150 from Boyd Honda on TradeMe.

Beware when getting CBR/ZXR, they've been owned by tons of new riders and may not be the best maintained bikes around. Get someone who knows bikes to check it out for you.

I got a Yamaha Scorpio for $4k brand new, not as quick as CBR, but smaller so way easier to handle. Air cooled single cylinder means easier to maintain, and cheap to run.

You can also get a Honda Hornet 250 for between $3-5k (closer to $4k to be honest). Same engine as CBR250.

i had a FZR and ZXR for learning and they were great. A 250 motard would be a great learners bike, as the two i had didn't have much bottom end, didn't really start [pulling until 9000rpm(but did go all the way to 18000 :D ). I've currently got a ktm520 motard and it is great around town. check out these ex police xr250's http://www.turners.co.nz/Auctions/Pages/Au...Vehicles&Page=4 would make great learner bikes

yeah thats why im buildign the IS. the acident was her fault and she is getting charged but it donsnt help me much.. missed 3 months of work etc

yep good gear is a must. dragon jeans might look cool but they suck when it gets right down to it. they will still ride up and expose skin when you are sliding down the road as they are loose. leather is the only way to go!!

saying all this I still love riding and will probably get back on a bike when my body allows.

I wouldn't tell anyone not to ride because its so enjoyable I would just say be careful because car drivers just dont pay attention...

Yeah CBR's are a bitch to get your license on as you have to do slow speed u turns etc in the P's test.

I learnt on a GS500F and did my P's test on a postie.

The posties are bloody great for doing your P's test as the instructor will go easy on you compared to the cocky types who ride CBR's etc and also these bikes are so light and easy to manoeuvre for the rider exam.

ZZR's have a good rep, so do GPX's
I'd say stay away from CBRs and FZR's.

I think ZXR are naked 2cyls...CBF's actually no that's what I'm thinking off CBF's are good.

I'd stick to 2 cyls and less sporty, after all you want to learn to ride well in a comforatable situation. You can get the best bike when you are off your P's but also still be alive which is a big bonus.

I gave up on bikes because I found them too dangerous, and my maurity level wasn't up to it.

OK, just a thought, are you in NZ or Aus? the rules on what bikes you can get on a learners licence are very different (at the moment anyway).

I personally wouldn't go anywhere near a GN250, they are quite possibly the most boring motorbike ever, almost enough to put you off motorcycling :P

If you're definitely wanting a road bike over a motard (converted dirt bike) I'd stick to 1 or 2 cylinders to start with. they are a lot better around town and don't need 6000revs to get you off the line :) have a look at a VTR250 (v twin Honda) or Kawasaki GPX/ninja as mentioned (parallel twins) they're both very capable learners bikes.

Hey guys, im in aust, melb. a mate wants to sell me his aprila rs250, but dont think im allow to ride those.

mm atm im looking at the honda cbr250rr or kawasaki ninja 250r =\.

heard they are good bikes, easy to ride.

two very different bikes (if you're talking about the new 'Ninja' which is a parallel twin)
if you go the 4 cylinder route just make sure it's been serviced regularly.
the aprilia is two stroke(i'm guessing you new this?) which will be a LOT quicker than the others but can end in tears if not treated with care, and it'd be an absolute nightmare to sit a test on...

If you're in Aus cant you get a much bigger range of bikes for your learners?

OK, I'm now really jealous, i just looked at the list of eligible bikes... http://www.sa.gov.au/subject/Transport%2C+...ved+motorcycles

there are some great bikes on there and no twostroke 250s are specifically not on the list. so the aprilia is not an option

SV650 FTW

i dont know about other states but in the ACT the "fine" for riding a bike over your power to wait ratio is lik $80 and no points.... Im not promoting getting on a big bike on your L's just somthing to think about

hehe im pretty new to these stuff. really, i just want a bike that looks good and easy to ride.

pretty much just for the weekend cruise down to the market.

it is because im giving the is200 to my lil bro, for his 18th bday.
now i needa bomb to get to work and a bike ^^.

Have you considered 2 stroke 150s? Or even 4 stroke ones?

I had a Suzuki FXR150 and it was pretty good for getting around on, horribly uncomfortable on long rides but it could manage 140km/h fully tapped out.

I'm pretty keen on getting a Kawasaki KR150 for my next bike, I think they'd have just enough poke to be interesting and stave off boredom until I can legally ride something bigger than a 250...

I think the best inner city bike I've seen was a Yamaha SDR200, liquid cooled 2 stroke 200cc single, cafe racer style. Looks gorgeous, lattice tubular frame like a Ducati Monster but it's tiny, fuel tank is about a foot wide at the most, it would be perfect for zipping in and out of traffic ;-) Pretty difficult to come by these days though...

http://www.bikepics.com/yamaha/sdr200/