Questions...

[cactus]

Hi all, I'm thinking of getting a nice new 2009 TU250 :) But I thought I'd ask you experts a few questions..

My biggest concern is if the 250 is going to be able to hold up, I've seen a few notes on the forum of folks killing their GZ's after 5000 miles and a year ownership... :/

I'll be using it to commute 80miles a day (40 each way), usually doing about 35 over the mountains and in town about 50-55. I'd say about 15 miles is mountains the remaining 25 is standard city/country roads at 55... planning not in the winter (ice + snow would splat me quick on a bike!).

400 miles a week, 1600 a month so doing about 10,000 estimate a year probably..

I love the looks of the TU250 but I just don't know if it can handle it the miles I'd throw at it.. It would be my first bike, and I have my license, done my MSF/BRC etc. Wife kinda frowned when I suggested stepping up in price to say vulcan 500 (I dont particuarly want to go to a 650cc for first bike)!

The plan was to pick it up this saturday.... (its a combined kawai/suz dealer)

[dhgeyer]

That's a lot of riding. If it were me, and I were planning that many miles on a daily basis, plus a full day's work, I'd go for the Vulcan 500 or something similar. Not so much for the wear and tear on the bike, as for the wear and tear on me. I'm a big fan of smaller is better, but for those kinds of miles day in and day out, something even bigger than the 500 might be better yet.

Also you mention mountains. Steep grades are not the 250's best friend, so you're talking about a lot of fairly hard miles.

[alanmcorcoran]

I second Mr. Geyer. Bike will probably hold up, but it's the wrong choice for hills. It's also IMO, the wrong bike for 80 miles each day. You will find lots of stories to the contrary, (such as Pat Henry's ride to Alaska) but you don't want every day to be some part of an endurance quest. Get a bigger used bike, there's lots to choose from.

[Easy Rider]

I second Mr. Geyer.

Not that I want to disagree with either of you level headed guys but.......... :)

Given that he IS a first time rider AND that his commute will be at relatively low speeds.........
**I** think he is making a fine choice.

Of course, we need to know how big the mountatins ARE, but mine did just fine going from Nashville to Chatanooga and back; some of that time in 4th gear, mind you. Hopefully the TU with it's injection will be just a tad bit better than the GZ.

As for engine longevity, if you don't spend too much time fighting the mountains, you should be OK there too. Those who have had major engine trouble around 20K miles, were in the habit of "ride it like you stole it" all the time; that is, pretty much max. RPM all the time, including pushing 80 on the highway.

Now, is it likely that he will want a bigger bike in the next couple of years if he continues that commute? I'd say yes, very likely but that's just a part of being a beginning biker. Better that than running a bigger bike off the side of a mountain the first year !! :cry:

[alanmcorcoran]

At 80 miles a day, he won't be a newb for very long. In a few weeks, he will log more miles than a lot of newbs do in their first year. Cactus, if you can borrow or get a used 250 to start you'd at least know what you are dealing with. The vast majority of us GZ'er's eventually get something bigger. I just listed my '08 on Craigslist today - it was great to get started with, but I just don't ride it much anymore, and when I do, I honestly don't enjoy it as much as I once did. I'll be taking a bit of a hit on it, but I overpaid for mine and bought it new. You should be able to find lots of 250's with low mileage out there from people in similar situations. Probably can get a nice one for 2K.

In any case, welcome to the world of two wheels, take your time getting up to speed and enjoy your first bike!

[cactus]

Thanks for all the reply's guys. I did my MSF on a GN125 and loved it. Some more info, I'm 5'5 and 150lbs, my 'mountain' is basically crossing the blue ridge parkway from lexington va across to lynchburg va on the va501 via Big Island.

I do know the way I go there are no run offs or signs telling trucks of steep grade. google maps shows the big climb winds from 200' to 1200', just not straight up but a nice long windy road.

My problem is that there is very little between the 250's and going up to the 650's with little beyond the vulcan500 in between. :( then I have that leg length challenge to beat too :)

[dhgeyer]

Not that I want to disagree with either of you level headed guys but.......... :)

What, don't you love us anymore??????

Well, Easy, you do have a point. I always advise people to learn on a 250 for a year or two, then move up. Or maybe not move up if they're happy with the 250. But most people don't learn on a 80 mile commute through the mountains day in and day out. I've put in my share of time on 250's, and done at least one 270 mile day on a Honda Rebel. And I've ridden bikes as large as 1500 cc's, and pretty much everything in between. The GZ250 and the TU250 are light bikes. You feel every bump in the road much more than on a heavier bike. They don't have a lot of compression, which means very little engine braking, so you're revving the engine up the hill to try to maintain speed, then on the brakes all the way down.

I'm not saying it can't be done. I'm just saying another hundred pounds or so, with a suspension to match, makes the ride a lot smoother. The saddle on the little Vulcan is wonderful. As for running off the mountain, after a decades long break from riding, I took my test on a Vulcan 500 after only a week of practice, and passed with no points lost. It's a very manageable machine - much more so than the VLX.

So, like everything in life it's a trade off: money now, money now and more later if you need to trade up, comfort, longevity, carrying capacity for stuff you need to take to work plus rain gear and gear for different temperatures at different times of day, possibly a bit of increased risk with a little bigger bike, a little more fuel consumption and general ownership cost with the larger bike, the 250 is easier and cheaper to maintain, insurance is lower, etc. etc. etc.

Different strokes. If I was doing that kind of mileage as a commute to a full time job in that country, I'd personally go a little bigger even to start. That's what I would do.

And by the way, I read the review of the TU250 in Motorcycle Consumer News (rave review), and looked at one in great detail at a local dealership. I seriously lust after one of those! Wonderful bike! Within its limitations.

[cactus]

Thanks for the heads up on the MCNews tu250x review

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/model_eval/2009AugTU250X.pdf

It did not slake my lust any :biggrin:

[Water Warrior 2]

Welcome Cactus. You have come to the right place for info and experience. So here is my opinion of your daily commute on a 250. It will get old really fast. You will soon dread the ride back and forth. A bigger more comfy bike will fill the bill much better. Spend the same amount of money on a good used bike of bigger displacement that is more highway oriented for commuting. Possibly a bike with a windshield and other things to make the ride easier.

[Sarris]

Welcome Cactus. Take it from a guy who has 35+ years experience riding, you'll get tired of a GeeZer very quickly. I own a Harley for anything over about 30 or 40 miles, but I keep my GeeZer for short runs and errands. The GZ is great for under 50 mph riding, but with no upgraded comfortable seat available (or made for that matter), you'll get a very sore ass in about 25 to 30 miles. Also, extended 50 to 55 mph driving gets very fatiguing (sp?) from the motor buzz and road vibration very quickly. IMHO, the GZ is just too damn little for that type of daily use and mileage.

I really would go for a 650 cc bike minimum. The weight and power will become very familiar and will get comfortable very quickly. If you are interested in a "cruiser" type bike, I recommend the Yamaha V-Star 650, as they are very reliable, have good horsepwer/torque, and are plentiful and cheap. Another good selection is the Kawi 650/750/800 cc midsize standards and cruisers. Just about any of the KawaYamaHondaZukis are reliable and fairly cheap used.

And don't worry, we let all kind of turncoats and traitors hang out on this site. No biggie.

Keep us informed.

:)

[burkbuilds]

I rode my GZ about 12,000 miles the first year, mostly to school and back every day, but I wasn't going half as far as you were and the biggest vertical obstacle was a hill along the road that no where near qualifies as a mountain or anything and I almost always dropped 5 mph on that little hill. Now having said that, I'm 210 lbs and that's a lot more than you weigh so it might not be as big of an issue for you. Also, I modified my seat and had it recovered to make it more comfortable. Most GZ riders will tell you that they aren't comfortable on long rides with the stock seat, although I think Water Warriors wife rode across Canada with a stock seat and was fine with it. Even with the seat customized on my GZ, riding 100 miles was not comfortable. When I found out I was going to be travelling 100 miles on the highway each way each week for an extended period I sold the Gz and bought a Vulcan 500. The stock seat is very comfortable and about the same height as the GZ, right at 28 inches. The Vulcan will get about 10 mpg less than the GZ, but you won't have any problems maintaining any speed you can legally drive on any grade without downshifting. The Vulcan at 498 cc's falls just below the 500cc price hike that most insurance companies start raising their rates at.
AS far as holding up, the GZ will definitely hold up if you take care of it. As Easy Rider pointed out, all those guys who blew the engine early were running it wide open throttle for extended periods. I'd be willing to bet almost any cruiser that was ridden WOT for extended periods would probably blow in a similar number of miles.
As to comfort level on my Vulcan. I rode 2 1/2 hours without a stop Sunday evening, mostly on I-75 at speeds of around 75 and I was fine when I finally arrived and got off, no stiffness or "monkey butt" or anything. So I'll have to disagree with Sarris on the point of saying you need something 650cc minimum but I do agree that the GZ will probably be more uncomfortable than you will want. I don't have any problems with the bikes he recommended I'd just like to add the Vulcan 500 to that list as a bike that would be comfortable and meet the requirements you have listed. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[dhgeyer]

Guys, remember that the original poster is considering a TU250, not a GZ250. Entirely different seat and riding position. I sat on the TU250 for a minute or two, and the seat is very different than the GZ. The footpegs are in "standard" position, not forward as on the GZ. The rider's feet are more or less under him/her. I find this much more workable on long rides, but others don't. Not sure how it would be on a long ride. But, I'm still "voting" for something a bit heavier. The Vulcan 500 has the most comfortable stock saddle I've ever tried on any bike, including larger Vulcans. At least that's how my butt felt on it.

[dannylightning]

I would strongly agree that the gz or the tu would NOT be a good bike for any kind of long distance traveling. especially mountain or hilly terrain. highway driving on the gz is not a good idea at all, you get up to 50 some mph and its starts to take a while to get it going faster. and when the wind is blowing hard your all over the road and its kind of scary. about 60mph the rpm's get kind of high on the gz. i would never run that bike over 60mph for any extend period of time. put it this way. the gz and tu is a great little around town bike and a great gas saver and it would be better to start out on something like the gz or tu but in your case like others have said its not going to do the trick for the kind of riding you need to do on it.

if money is the issue i suggest craigslist and lots of shopping around, right now is a good time to buy if you live in a colder climet, winter is right around the corner. you can get a really nice used bike between 3 and 4 thousand. for example i just got a 2001 800cc suzuki intruder volusia for 3 thousand had about 6k miles on it and its pretty much in brand new condition well about as close as you can get to brand new condition any ways, you really halve to look hard to find the flaws on this bike. i have had 4 people ask me if its brand new already. they were suprized when i said it was a 2001.

bottom line you can get a killer deal on a bigger bike if you be patient and keep shopping around, i would suggest you do, you never know what you might find. there is always the suzuki s40 650cc witch is a bout the same size and weight as the gz, just a bigger engine. but thats still going to blow all over the road when its windy. and im not really sure how much extra power your gonna get out of that single cylinder 650cc engine. some say its really not that much of a upgrade from the gz.

on my new bike i can cruz at practically any speed i want, i took it out on a super windy day and i did not faze the bike one bit. its fast its comfortable unlike the gz. but it is big that might be the only draw back with something like this. i would be confident to drive that bike across the country if i ever decided to.

when i got my gz i had no idea what i was relly getting, did not know any thing about bikes. i saw the speedo went up to 80 so i figured i could do 80 on that bike all day long if i wanted but that was not even close to the case.

i hear plenty of good things aout the vulcan 500, honda shadow 750 is a nice bike and there are usually plenty of used shadows on craigslist, some in the 3k dolor price range.

just some things to think about..

[VTXorcist]

Yeah, smaller bikes are very good for beginners, but keep in mind that cruisers are not like sport bikes. A 650cc cruiser is far, far, far, etc, less likely to take off on you than a 600cc sport bike. In fact, beginnerbikes.org recommends both the Yamaha V-Star Classic 650cc and the Suzuki S40/Savage 650cc among its beginner cruisers (http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/sho ... hp?t=26387 (http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26387)).

Having said that, no matter what bike you get, you'll want to take some time getting to know it on parking lots and back roads before you try your first 80 mile round-tripper.

[dhgeyer]

Having said that, no matter what bike you get, you'll want to take some time getting to know it on parking lots and back roads before you try your first 80 mile round-tripper.

Now I think that's the best advice anyone has offered yet in this thread. I wish I'd said that. A 5 mile ride. Then a 10 mile ride. Then a 20 mile ride.

[cactus]

Just want to thank you guys for the advice, its been really helpful to me.

[GZ250]

If it is really 80 miles a day and everyday or 5 days a week I would not suggest a bike. You won't be able to ride on rainy days and from Dec to March it would be cold and chilly. Not an easy ride.

It would be tough and than boring later on especially when you will loose power on hills. 250's are just good on plain roads. To save on gas find alternatives. Find a smallest car.

For fun drive 250 is good. I ride 50 miles a day and I can understand how you would feel over that. Any seat, any bike, not good for every day 80 mile trip. period. read posts on pains in backbone, hip, butts, legs.

[Easy Rider]

If it is really 80 miles a day and everyday or 5 days a week I would not suggest a bike.

Any seat, any bike, not good for every day 80 mile trip. period.

Unless a person is in a SEVERE financial pinch, I wouldn't recommend a bike as one's ONLY transportation either......if you have something like a job you have to go to every day.

The second part of that is, however, just bunk. Sticking a "period" on the end doesn't make it any less so. :roll:

The trip is 40 miles each way. You would have to have some pre-existing medical condition for that to be a significant problem.......even on the stock GZ seat.

Assuming you would have to stop occasionally for an intersection.....where you put down your feet and can "stretch in place" a bit......it should be no problem at all, for most people......on ANY bike.

[dhgeyer]

So, cactus, did you decide on something and buy it? You said you were thinking Saturday. Not that your doing so would stop this conversation......

[Water Warrior 2]

So, cactus, did you decide on something and buy it? You said you were thinking Saturday. Not that your doing so would stop this conversation......

Ain't it the truth. We can sit and babble while Cactus is out doing something. Me, just sitting and watching the rain, ugly clouds and thinking "another week of this crap". But I did have a good ride yesterday.

[cactus]

I did.. I sat on heaps, fondled a few and come home with the vin number to a suzuki gladius. I butt tested a lot, and as soon as I sat on the gladius I was like oooooooooh..... 1% financing was the clincher. I was not as impressed with the vulcan 500 up close as I hoped to be. The throttle on the SFV650 is nice and smooth rather than jerky and abrupt, which is nice, I'll be spending this fall doing a nice slow breakin around my sleepy town since I'm told I need to do 500 miles below X rpm's.

Dealer told me to ignore that tho, and just ride around the block a few times, get it all hot and then let it cool down so everything seats in, and to do that a few times, and get a good oil change after 400 or so miles to flush any junk out of the engine from the gears meshing etc,.

[burkbuilds]

Congratulations on your new bike! When you can post some pics for us to see!

[dhgeyer]

Motorcycle Consumer News did a 3 way model evaluation in the August 2009 issue. The Gladius compared to the Yamaha FZ6R and the Kawasaki ER-6n. All similar price points, style, displacement, weight, etc. All "naked" bikes with a "standard" riding position. The Yamaha came out on top, but does cost a little more. I didn't read the whole thing, but the Suzuki didn't fare too well overall. Not sure this is the time to tell you that. Sorry.

Anyway, congratulations on buying a bike. It's definitely big enough to be the commuter you're looking for, and has the standard configuration of the TU250 that you originally were looking at.

You will probably want to do something about the seat, as all the reviewers complained about that. And you will probably want a windshield for the length of ride you want to do more or less daily. Other than that, I'm sure you will enjoy your ride for years to come. Comparing three bikes can be misleading, in a way, as I'm sure you'd be happy with any of them in the long run. You've definitely got a lot of motorcycle for the money.

You'll get different opinions about the break in procedure - all the way from "By the book" to "Ride the Hell out of it right away". For what it's worth, I'm a "By the book or at least as close to it as I can stand" man myself. That initial oil and filter change after a few hundred miles is very important, regardless of what else you do or don't do.

[burkbuilds]

I'm with dhgeyer on the break in stuff. You might not do any damage doing it according to the way the dealer told you but the Engineer's at Suzuki were convinced that you definitely wouldn't do any damage if you followed the recommended procedures, therefore, the recommended procedures. Plus it gives you an excuse to ride some nice back roads and just get to know your new bike. You'll have the 500 miles on it in about a week to a week and a half if you ride every day. I'll also second his recommendation of making sure you change out that oil from the "break in" period, it is down right nasty after only a few miles of riding. When I bought my 09 Vulcan I changed mine out at 200 miles and then again with a new filter at 500 miles, then at 1,000 miles and then at 2,000 miles on the odometer. That might be extremely excessive but I got over 200 psi at each cylinder at 3,000 miles when we put the gauge to it, it's tight! There's a lot of crap in that oil when it's breaking in and I didn't want to leave anything in there that might scar my cylinders or mess up my valves.

[Water Warrior 2]

A brand new Gladius, far out dude. You will love that little V-twin. It has the same bloodlines as the SV and Vstrom. Don't be surprised if it wakes up and really wants to go after approx 5000 miles. For some reason a lot of the 650's grow extra muscles about that mileage. A real kick in the pants at 7000 RPM.
Also do the above mentioned oil changes. I did about the same thing and my Vstrom runs very well. Having a 90 degree V-twin is as smooth as it gets with almost no vibration at all, nothing comes loose and falls off. Light bulbs will last longer too with no vibs to loosen the filaments.
Do we get some pics in the future ??

[cactus]

Pics? ok :) The double garage can at least right now hold the bike, if nothing else ;)

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5126/ximg1213.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6393/ximg1214.jpg
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2095/ximg1215.jpg
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6156/ximg1216.jpg

[burkbuilds]

Awesome pics! Nice bike, enjoy the heck out of it!

[Water Warrior 2]

The name of this thread is "Questions". It has been answered in a fine fashion. Good looking bike Cactus. Seems like just 4 years ago my bike was that new and clean. Should be a very nice handling bike.

[alanmcorcoran]

Anyone else thinking "Tron"? Very cool looking bike - I don't remember seeing that model before.

[music man]

Anyone else thinking "Tron"? Very cool looking bike - I don't remember seeing that model before.


viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1698 (http://www.gz250bike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1698) There ya go.

[dannylightning]

not something i would want to ride around but its a nice bike. will probably serve you well comperd to a gz or tu for what kind of ridig you are going to do. what's the red line on that thing. probably really high, if so i bet it will do great in mountain type areas or big hills

[birdmove]

I don't have,and have never ridden a GZ250. I'm 56 and have ridden for some 48 years never being without motorcycles since I was eight years old. After owning a bunch of motorcycles, I now, since 2007, own a small Yamaha XT225 dual sport. Guess what? I enjoy the heck out of riding this little machine, and really enjoy getting from a low of 72 mpg (on a short commute in really cold weather) to a high of 95-105 mpg (on longer rides in warm weather at speeds of 40-50 mph). Now I also ride a 2007 Royal Enfield 500 Bullet, and my 2006 HD XL883 Sportster. I work at a Harley-Davidson dealership. Often as not, I commute on my XT225. But I ride year round here in western Wa. State, in rain (lots of that!), and very cold weather. This winter we had a two week period where about every day we were breaking cold weather temps.It got down to as low as 14 degrees. I rode the XT to work. I don't worry over a dual sport bike getting dirty and wet. Who cares? There have been many many days at work when I was the only one that rode to work.I am not a fair weather rider.

The reason I bring this up, is that, if a guy like me can enjoy riding a 225cc motorcycle....you get the picture. I seldom take the XT on a freeway, but it will run at 55-65 all right.It has a six speed trans which really helps. I will be taking some overnight trips with this motorcycle later in the year.I'll plan back road routes. Freeways suck anyway, unless one is in a big hurry at all costs.

It isn't pre ordained that everyone must "progress" from a small motorcycle to larger and larger ones. Most of us do, to the glee of the motorcycle makers. I think it's great to eventually have a couple of motorcycles. One smaller bike like the GZ250,TU250, Honda Rebel, or a nice dual sport like my XT, or a KLX250, and a larger street bike that can handle freeways.

Just my two cents.

jon

[alanmcorcoran]

When gas gets up to ten bucks a gallon I bet a lot of us will "progress" right back down. Given the current state of the economy: the gas mileage, maintenance and insurance cost of the GZ250 makes it a superbike. I don't like it for hills or freeways, but it's a very low cost commuting bike.

[Sarris]

Why do ya' think I keep mine? It only gets ridden about 30 miles a month and makes my ass hurt.

I love my GeeZee.

[dhgeyer]

Another member of the two size bike club here: BMW R1200R and GZ250. I love 'em both, and I agree that going bigger isn't necessarily progress. I too believe that fuel is going to get very expensive here someday, and a small bike will be a precious commodity.