GZ250 vs. Rebel 250

[Shawnski451]

Hello everyone. I am looking to become a new rider this year and I'm having issues deciding on what bike I should buy. I've been taking a hard look at a couple of 250cc motorcycles and their amazing ability to be a fuel efficient commuter.

I'm looking at a 2004 Rebel 250 (only 1500 miles on it) and a 2007 Suzuki GZ250 (only 1900 miles). Both bikes are $1400 right now and are both in amazing condition.

I really don't know much about these two bikes (other than they are pretty similar in weight and performance). I'm hoping that someone here can possibly give me the pros and cons on both bikes as well as their opinions on why I should chose one over the other.

I thank anyone who answers in advance as any input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Shawn.

[Water Warrior 2]

Both bikes are good bikes. However you may be happier with the GZ250 for a couple reasons.
1st, the GZ is a slightly larger bike which gives you more room to get comfy on and alter your sitting position a bit on a longer ride.
2nd, the Honda is a 2 cylinder engine with a lot more moving parts and stuff to break one day. This not a biggy in the Grand scheme of things but just be aware of it.
3rd, when Lynda took her riding lessons she had a Honda to ride. She absolutely hated it with a passion. She really wanted her GZ to train on. Her biggest complaint with the Honda was the transmission not shifting down to 1st gear when coming to a stop. The only way to get the bike into 1st was press down on the shifter after coming to a stop and shutting off the engine. Then it would clunk into 1st gear and she would restart the engine. I can't say for sure if all the Honda 250 bikes are like that but I did read on their forum that many riders had that particular issue.

Depending on your own physical size either may fit you comfortably. Both are good 1st bikes because they are not overwhelming with power and weight that a new rider surely doesn't need.

Let us know of your choice when you make a decision. :tup:

[Shawnski451]

Well decided to go with the 2007 GZ250. It actually has 2400 miles on it but, You were absolutely right. Really comfortable. I got it for $900.00 mainly because the person selling it couldn't get it to fire up when I went to look at it. I took it home, put it in my garage with the furnace on for a bit and it fired right up.

[Vegas Street Rider]

Looks like it is in great condition. I have the same color in a 2009. I took the rear seat and pegs off though as I have no intention of riding double. Enjoy your ride and be safe.

[Shawnski451]

Thank you. Im really looking forward to the warm weather so I can actually ride this thing.

[Fatch]

Congrats on your purchase!

I waffled between the GZ and a Rebel for quite a bit when shopping for both my wife and me (her first bike, me downsizing so we could ride together), but in the end we both got the GZs and haven't looked back. I love the simplicity of the little thumper engine... Honestly what pushed me over the edge was not needing to balance carbs.

Edit: I just noticed this post is from like 6 months ago. For some reason it showed up in my feed as a 'recent post'. I sometimes forget how slow this forum moves. My bad! :D

[Shawnski451]

I have to agree... it is pretty slow here.

But I also agree about the GZ250. The simplicity of the engine design was kind of what swayed me to this little bike. I bought my 2007 with 2427 miles on it... I put it on the road in April and now have over 4500 miles on it. Yep, been riding it quite a bit.

I stepped mine up to a 16T sprocket and noticed a big improvement around town and on the expressway. I also throw some sea foam in the tank every third fill up just to prevent any carb issues.

I hope that you and your wife are enjoying your pair of GZ's

[SomeENG]

I realize this thread is old but having owned both an 86 rebel 250 and an 07 gz250 here is my opinion.

Parts for the GZ seem to be cheaper.
The rebel seems to have slightly better acceleration.
The gz has a couple of annoying design flaws like the sparkplug is a pain to remove, the cap on the engine is bolted and rtv'ed down which is alot of work to redo vs the rebel having two bolts holding the cap on a reusable rubber gasket.

The gz has storage under the seat accessable with only the key and the rebel has no storage and requires a tool to remove the seat.

My rebel was sometimes difficult to get into first even at a stop, you sometimes had to hold the clutch and roll a few inches backwards to get into first.

The gz sometimes won't go into gear when you're moving about 5mph.