Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

This is the same post I made in the Honda Rebel forums. I wan't to get both sides. Yes If I put a post about a GZ vs Rebel in a rebel forum Im going to get a bias rebel answer, same here most likely. So I am putting the post on both and drawing my own conclusion from that. so here it is guys.

Just wondering which bike has the highest speed before the engine can get damaged.

I have seen a video of a Rebel doing about 80mph on the interstate which is impressive. Not much info out there for the GZ. Some reviews of it claim it can only reach about 70mph

I also think the Rebel is a bit smaller than the GZ, it seems like 6.0-6.2 are comfortable on a GZ while that size on a Rebel is quite cramped.

The GZ costs about $300-$500 or so more than a Rebel on average used.

From what Iv read they have similar estimated MPG, I am not sure how they calculate the MPG since it said 82MPG on the GZ but most people Iv spoken to who have had one say its more along the lines of 60-65MPG realistically. Is the 82 figure riding like 40mph tops?

Anyway so yeah I guess I'm just asking a list of comparison questions since there's not much info about Top speed and specifics about both bikes.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Mine would do 75+, obviously on flat road with no wind in my face. I had a windscreen too. I wouldn't recommend running consistently at that speed all day however. I don't know what the Rebel site claims or doesn't claim, but the GZ isn't made ofr that kind of riding. It will do it, but you'll wear out your motor within 5000 miles or so, depending on how well you maintain it. I consistenly got 70+ mpg in stop and go commuting. I'm sure it would get 80 or better on a nice even (no big hills or headwinds) cruise at 55 mph.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Well I would be going from Home to school every day and maybe around town. I live in the San Diego area and go to San Diego state University.

The daily commute would be around 50miles both ways 5 days a week. I could take surface streets but I want it to be able to get on the Highway if need be once in a while.

There's a video online about the "Honda rebel on the interstate" the guy is pushing his Rebel to around 80mph. Only real problem I have with the rebel is I am 6.0 so it is to cramped for me.

I don't plan to do MUCH Highway riding like I said but I would like to be able to do SOME highway riding if I needed to a few days a month.

Also does a GZ250 last? If You do good maintenance and take good care of it how long will the engine last?

Do they last alot less than cars? My Chev Camaro has about 200,000 miles on it and still feels strong but Iv herd of some bikes engines giving out around 10,000 miles so is a motorcycle a much lower life span engine than a car if properly kept?

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

The Gz is the largest of the GZ, Rebel, Virago 250 group. Also the largest tank and best appearance. Probably the cheapest overall to maintain with only one cylinder as opposed to the Rebel/vertical twin and Virago/V-twin. The GZ has a sweet spot at about 60 mph and will do it all day long providing you aren't battling hills or headwinds. Have you looked at a S-40 Suzuki ?? Same appearance, just a bit larger with a 650 single for power. For your height and weight it might be worth a look just for fun.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

i got up over 75mhp on mine.

the gz rides much better than the rebel tho. it is wider, bigger gas tank and it feels alot more stable in my opinion, and much more comfortable to ride.

i rode a few rebels and did not seem to like them, i got on a gz and it just felt right, neither of these bikes are going to be good highway machines, with a bike like this you want to get the one that feels best to you, not the on that will go the fastest. yes you can get up to 75-80 mph on one but your gonna be pushing the motor hard. not recommended for long periods of time. some gz owners on this board run 70mph all day long on their gz some report doing this and not having any kind of problems.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

If you are 6 foot tall then you need to forget about the Honda Rebel or the Yamaha Virago and go with the GZ, simple as that. None of the performance numbers even matter, you are just simply gonna be too cramped on the Rebel, and the Virago is built about the same as the Rebel.


And on a side note, I know someone who just bought a Virago 250, did you guys know that even though it "appears" to have two exhaust pipes, one of them is a dummy pipe, I thought that was a very strange idea.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I'm a six footer! The rebel felt like crap, no way could I ride it! The GZ fit was a lot more comfy, still I wish I had more... Sit on both bikes! You will go for the GZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Besides the GZ looks better and I get 80 MPG or so!

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

If you want to ride the highway at 70+ mph, get a bigger bike, 500-800cc's. You are big, these bikes are light, and will not be very comfortable, or as safe as a bigger heavier bike on the highway. These little bikes are great around town or on smaller roads going 60-65 all day, not 70-75. There's also no reserve at those speeds if you have to speed up or make some speedy evasive maneuver. Look for comfort and safety, not top speed.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

If you're wanting to be able to ride on the interstate, then sadly neither the GZ or Rebel will be the ideal bike. I honestly wouldn't get on the interstate on a GZ if my life depended on it, but many people on the forum here don't have any problems.

For interstate riding, I think the minimum would be the 750cc class cruisers (except the Vulcan 500, which is comparable in performance to the 750cc v-twin class).

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I put 12,000 miles on my GZ last year riding mostly back and forth to school, but only about 20 miles each way, not the 50 you are talking about. As for speed, well, I got it up to 82 downhill with a tailwind once for about 10 seconds, now I'm 6'1 and 210 lbs so someone lighter might do a little better but basically I've got to agree with what mrlmd1 told you about needing a bigger bike. I loved my GZ and it never gave me any mechanical problems, ran great easy to maintain, but it wasn't made to ride the highways. I took mine on a round trip to Atlanta two times (250 mile round trip) I was worn out and in pain by the end of that ride. Now some people have ridden a GZ from Florida to Alaska and WW's wife drove one across Canada a while back but for a 6 foot tall man, this just isn't the bike for highway/long rides. When I changed schools and started planning to ride back and forth to Atlanta once a week, I changed bikes too and I can ride that 250 miles no problem now but even with seat mods the GZ just isn't comfortable for a 6' person for rides like that. You are going to be better off buying a slightly larger bike for your driving needs and your frame, check out the Kawasaki Vulcan 500 (my new ride) or a Honda Shadow 600 or up size, or like WW said the Suzuki S-40 might be a good choice for your riding requirements but not a 250 of anybody's brand. As for mileage, I consistantly got 70 mpg on my GZ, the worst I got was on one of those Atlanta trips where I was wound out the entire time and I got about 56 mpg that trip, the best I did was about 78 mpg when I was riding around on local flat roads averaging about 45 mph. My current ride the Vulcan 500 consistantly gets 60 mpg combined driving mileage, so a little loss there but the comfort and power level for longer trips was a good trade off. I just came back from running to the beach in Florida and back over a 4 day weekend and the bike did great and I was fine with just stopping every 1.5-2 hours for gas and walking around a little before jumping back on it. Sorry to be so long winded, but I kinda felt like we had very similar situations and I just wanted to let you know my 2 cents on it from my experience. By the way, my Son in law rode with me on that trip on his Honda Shadow 750 and it performed flawlessly as well both bikes get within 5 mpg of each other on the road.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

The only problem with looking for bigger bikes is the fact they cost more money all around. Iv talked about this situation before hand on many other forums so ill say it here to. My budget is roughly $2600 for the bike used. I don't think I can get anything better than a 250cc with less than 20k miles used for that price. I would have $3200 but that would mean Id be riding with out any gear and only a helmet. I rather have the gear TBH. I basically don't even have the money to buy any tool kits, or even very good insurance. Basically bear bones $240 a year first time rider progressive stuff.

My money basically comes from Grants, Scholarships, and saved money in the last 3 years. I don't really work at all because I study full time and participate in my college's honors research program in psychology. Basically I'm stuck. Unless I can get lucky and find a Shadow or s40 for around $2500-$2600 used with low miles and in good conditions I'm kinda screwed as a student. I also have absolutely no credit to my name and no co signer. So I can't just buy from a dealership and make payments.

Also in California vulcan 500 is not sold so its near impossible to find used. And new.

As I stated before I'm not talking about LONG highway drives, I'm talking maybe 5-10min on the Highway at 65-70 mph. If the Rebel can do it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWfh8t3cZc Why couldn't this bike if its also a 250cc Is the engine weaker? Maybe the build quality is not as sturdy or full proof as honda's? Iv read many testimonials of people riding their Rebels at 75 mph for 50+ miles and still getting over 80,000 miles out of their bike.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I found a 1998 Suzuki Marauder 800 for $1700 (talked him down from $2000). All you gotta do is look and be willing to try to negotiate price. The economy is making this a buyers market, so you have more power than the seller right now.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I currently own a GZ250, and have owned a Honda Rebel, about 3 years ago. I have done fairly long rides on both. I think, to a degree, the top speed and mileage will vary a little from unit to unit. I am getting better mileage with the GZ than I did with the Rebel, 80's as opposed to 70's. The GZ will handle hills better. I think that is more important than top speed on flat ground. I am 6' 0" tall, and around 185. I didn't own these bikes at the same time, but to the best I can recall there isn't a big comfort difference between them. They both have fairly small, hard saddles. Being light, they both ride pretty hard on a bumpy road. Neither is ideal for long rides, but it can be done on either of them. Bottom line is, they are directly competing products, and are more alike than different. How long either will last probably depends more on how it is ridden and maintained than on any inherent differences between them.

There are some points in favor of the Rebel. Being a Honda, there are probably more dealers around for service if you don't want to do your own. They probably hold their value better, as they are very highly regarded.

There are some points in favor of the GZ250. It is far easier to service. The valves are easier to get to. The Honda has no oil filter to change, but it does have an oil screen that you are supposed to check and clean out. That oil screen is located such that you have to take a bunch of stuff off the bike to get to it. One piece of very bad design on an otherwise well designed bike. The GZ250 has an oil filter, located on the side of the engine. Easier to change than any other bike I have owned or know of. So, routine service on the GZ is very easy for anyone who can turn a wrench at all. The mirrors on the Honda are not far enough out. Depending on how you adjust them, they either give you an excellent view of your arms, or you can see out to the sides. You cannot see much behind you. The GZ has excellent mirrors, and they are well placed, far enough out that you don't have much of a blind spot and can see perfectly behind you. If there were no other differences at all, I would go with the GZ for that reason alone, as it is an important safety factor when riding.

Neither of these bikes is the fastest 250 out there. The Kawasaki Ninja 250 sells in the same price range used, at least around here. My daughter had one of those, and I got it up over 90mph one afternoon, on straight, flat interstate with no appreciable wind. It really will go that fast, and will cruise at highway speeds without straining, slowing down on hills, or risking engine damage. Even though the displacement is the same as the Rebel/GZ250, it's an entirely different kind of engine. It has dual carbs, and redlines at over 13,000 rpm's. At engine speeds over 10,000 you wouldn't believe it's a 250! Very fun bike to ride. Being a sport bike the riding position is different, and probably better for long hauls. It's fairly upright as sport bikes go, and it puts your feet under you for better control. The mirrors aren't very effective, though. They don't tend to be on sport bikes. The mileage on the Ninja can be in the 70's if you ride it like you would the Rebel/GZ. Out on the highway, or if you go out and have some real fun with it, the gas mileage drops into the 50's. Around here you can get a used Ninja 250 on Craigslist for a price that is well within your budget, depending on age and mileage.

Hyosung makes a couple of 250's, one a cruiser and the other a sport bike. Either is faster than either the Rebel or the GZ250. People tend to look down on the Korean bikes, but this is a mistake. They are very well designed and built, and are worth a look. Depending on whether or not there is a dealer in your area, they may be hard to find used, or to get parts for. Great bikes though, from all I have heard. I have not owned one, but a some of my friends have, and have had excellent luck with them.

Good luck!

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I understand your financial pinch, I'm a full time student as well. If I had to pick a 250, my personal preference at 6'1" and based on the lower maintenance cost and ease of doing a lot of the regular maintenance items yourself without having to be a mechanic, would be the GZ250 over the Rebel. However, don't give up on finding a deal on a bigger bike, here's a Vulcan 500 in your area (well California, not sure exactly where you are) with less than 2,000 miles on it, the starting bid on e-bay is $2200 and there are 3 days left with no current bidders, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Kawasaki ... otorcycles I found this in just a few minutes searching, you should try to find a deal on a slightly larger bike before you settle for a bike that you might be fairly uncomfortable on and therefore unhappy with in the long run. Good luck.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

The Vulcan 500 is a great bike, and, apart from not getting as good mileage and being a little harder to work on, would serve better in the long run than any 250. The 250's are better starter bikes, though. If there are any Ninja 500's around in the same price range, they would be an even better bet in the long run. I've owned both of those bikes also. Redding (where that Vulcan 500 is being sold) is about 665 miles from San Diego on Google Maps.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

If top speed is a significant concern for you, you are looking at the wrong bikes.....both of them.

The only one in the 250 class that can really "keep up" on the freeway is the Kaw Ninja 250. It is not really as much of a "sport bike" as it looks.

If you do much freeway riding, I would recommend a bigger bike, displacement wise that is.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I love my Honda Shadow 600 but am kind of sorry I didn't ride the Vulcan 500 first. I think it may really be a better bike overall.

Mine has more chrome though.....and it looks "cooler" !! :neener: :biggrin:

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I like my S50 better, ha, ha. :poke2:

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

The GZ will handle 5-10 minutes at 65-70 mph no problem. What we've consistently said it that running a GZ at 75+ all day long, day-in and day-out, will dramatically shorten the engine life. I rode mine on the freeway quite often, and 50+ miles at 75 mph a number of times. Many of the members here have taken them on multistate trips. One guy from the LA area just north of you rode his GZ to Death Valley and back on the same day.

The GZ is every bit as sturdy and fool-proof as the Rebel, if not more so, and has better ergonomics. And if you're talking about a first bike, you can't go wrong with a GZ. It will make you happy.

That said, we're not trying to talk you out of a GZ, or even a Rebel. We're just trying to encourage you to think outside the box a little. There are inexpensive larger bikes to be found. I have a '93 Honda Nighthawk CB750 that cost me $1800 last January. It's got high miles (near 38k) but it's been well cared for and should go another 38k and more if I take care of it. Insurance (Geico) is cheap. My only gripe about it is that it doesn't get 70-80 mpg like my GZ did.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

bottom line from the general consensuses, the rebel has a top speed of 80mph and 75mph for the gz . when i had my gz i let off the gas when i got up to 75, felt like it still had more in it but the motor did not sound happy at that kind of speed so i never pushed it harder than that, and those kinds of speeds were only short burst

as moedad said running something full bore all the time is gonna shorten the life big time, so if you want to run it at full bore all the time your playing Russian roulette with you engine.

i now have a 800cc now, i try to keep that under 80mph, I had it up a little over 100mph once and it did fine and did not feel like it was running wide open yet but i would not run it like that constantly,

if speed is what you are looking for neither of these bikes would be the right application for you.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I just watched the YouTube video of the Rebel on the highway, with the link posted above. It made me skeptical. For one thing, the rider/narrator was reading off speeds indicated by the speedometer. These are always suspect on any vehicle, and particularly on motorcycles in my experience. Also, that Rebel had a large windshield on it. Again, from my experience, a windshield, depending on its shape, size, and angle can either increase or decrease wind resistance.

I subscribe to a magazine called "Motorcycle Consumer News" (MCN). It is unique among such publications in that it accepts no advertising. All revenues come from subscriptions. They have an excellent technical staff, and do honest evaluations on any product they test. When something isn't worth the money, they say so. They also have a standard testing procedure for motorcycles. They treat them all the same, and do all of the same tests. They test the top speed by some means other than the speedometer. They do multiple runs on the same course, and take the highest speed they can get.

The last time they tested a Rebel was in 1996, and they got a top speed of 70 mph. That's about consistent with what I remember mine doing the one time I took it on a highway. I was unable to maintain 60 mph on a fairly significant incline on Route 89 here in NH. MCN got 62.2 ave. mpg fuel economy.

They tested a GZ250 in 1999, using the same procedures. They got a top speed of 78 mph, with combined fuel economy of 49.7 mpg. Not sure why the fuel economy was so low - everyone here gets much better than that. The top speed seems about right. More importantly, the GZ will maintain at least 60 in 4th gear, which will get you up virtually any hill you'd be likely to encounter, especially on the highway. That 60 mph figure may be low. I've never opened mine up fully in 4th.

The braking on the Rebel was much more impressive - 60mph to 0 in 115 feet as opposed to 123 for the GZ. The GZ had a little more HP and torque, measured at the rear wheel, and is a few pounds heavier.

They tested a Kawasaki Ninja 250R in 2008. To be fair, this is a newer model of Ninja 250, and used ones will probably be the older model. However, Kawasaki didn't change much that would affect performance. They got a measured top speed of 95.5 mph, with average fuel economy of 51.2 mpg. Again, this fuel economy is way below what we got with ours, but the top speed seems about right. 0 to 60 was 7.72 seconds, which is a little over half the time it took either the Rebel or GZ to do the same acceleration. The Ninja would be harder to maintain, since it would require removing body work, and the dual carbs would require synchronization. It also has twice as many valves.

Can't find any records of a test of the Vulcan 500. They tested a Ninja 500 in 2004, and got a top speed of 110 mph, with an average of 64 mpg. That's better fuel economy than what they got for the Ninja 250. That just doesn't sound right. Maybe a misprint somewhere. The Vulcan 500 has the same engine/transmission as the Ninja 500, with minor modifications to the cams and timing for better mid range torque at the expense of some raw horsepower at high RPM's. I don't think the Vulcan 500 would go quite as fast as the Ninja.

They tested a Honda Shadow VLX 600 in 1999, which presumably would be the newer model. Top speed of 90, average fuel economy of 40 mpg. We owned 2 VLX's at one point, one new model ('04) and one of the older models ('95). The top speeds seem about right to me, but we got a lot better fuel economy with both of them.

Points to ponder.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Here's a link from AMA, comparing four 250cc bikes!

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/sch/0 ... index.html

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Bottom line...If your going to commute 50 miles per day, at any speed, You should have a bigger bike. At least 500cc. For around town the GZ is great, I use it all the time. But if I'm going anywhere farther than 20 miles, I ride one of my my Harleys.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

The MPG values you see in review should be seen as the low end of the range. IMO, they probably really flog these bikes when they review them and that results in poor gas mileage. For instance, reviews of my Marauder 800 place the MPG at around 39 stock. I've got one with an aftermarket exhaust and rejetted carbs and I'm getting 49 MPG. I don't really flog the bike, but I'm by no means easy on the throttle.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I got my first bike in 1963. I had just turned 16, and gotten my driver's license. There was no such thing as a motorcycle license in New York State at that time. I bought a 1954 Harley Davidson 165cc Hummer for $110.00. On a good day it could get up to 50. Rode that for about a year. Next I got a new Honda 150cc. Not sure what they called it, but it was a mini version of the 305 Dream. I rode that bike from East Aurora, NY (near Buffalo) to Far Hills, NJ and back. Thought nothing of it. Back home from college for most weekends, 75 miles each way. For the first 6 years I rode I never could afford anything bigger than a 250 Ducati. I rode that thing all over, 250 miles in the rain one day that I can recall specifically. You can do that stuff when you're young. And if you're on a budget, sometimes you have to.

A bigger bike for commuting would be more comfortable for sure, but "Need" is a relative term. I think that starting out on a small bike (no bigger than 250) is also a good thing. Safer. There's something to be said, too, for buying a first bike that isn't exactly pristine, cosmetically. Mistakes happen. I hate being the first one to drop a bike. If you buy something not too new, not too shiny, and look around and buy it right, you can ride it for a few months or a year and sell it for most of what you paid. If you do a little fixing up you might even get more than what you paid. Then get the newer, bigger bike that you've been saving for in the meantime.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

He said the trip is 50 round trip; 25 each way. He also said it would NOT be on freeways.

That may be YOUR conclusion but I think a LOT of us would not share it. If you are riding roads where the speed limit is 55-60 mph, the GZ would be a fine choice for most people.

NOW because he is a fairly BIG guy, it might not be a good choice because of comfort but that's the only reason. Most riders can do 45 minutes or so on the 250 class bikes with no problem.....even with the crappy stock seats.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

The daily commute would be around 50miles both ways 5 days a week. I could take surface streets but I want it to be able to get on the Highway if need be once in a while.




I think he is talking about 100 miles per day??

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

25 miles each way

50 miles total per day

5 days a week

250miles a week

About 8/12 months a year


Surface street speed limit = 50mph for the most part. Never over 50mph. A lot of 40 mph roads.

Total time it takes me going at that speed to get to my campus = 40min on surface streets

Total time it would take going at 65mph on the Highway = 25min

I don't really mind not taking the highway like I said. Even If I did I would be going at around 65-70mph for maybe 15 min of the 25 total. This would maybe be 4-6 times a month. From what Iv read there should be absolutely no reason why the GZ250 can't go 70mph for about 15 min one day a week without causing damage to it.

I don't plan to make any trips longer than 100miles ever...on a GZ250.

I plan to use surface streets about 90% of the time I ride 10% being Highway use.

Basically 90% of the time the GZ will never go beyond 55mph, and the 10% times it does it will be 70mph.

Hopefully I made things a bit more clear.

Also about my Weight and Size I am 6.0 Tall but I only weigh around 175-180lb Im a semi skinny guy but my backpack alone is like 25 more lb lol

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Thanks for clearing up the proposed riding trip you will be making most days. With that information, I'd say you'd be fine with the GZ or the Rebel, but at 6' tall the GZ will be a better physical fit for your frame, unless you are mostly tall in the upper torso and short legged that is. I drove my GZ about 15 miles each way every week on I-75 to visit my mom and as stated previously I did two 250 mile round trips to Atlanta on it, so no problems going "highway" speeds for a while but you won't have much left at 65 mph if you needed to speed up to avoid anything which happens more than you might think. (Happened to me this morning when a pickup decided to turn left and broadside me, but I had enough power to gun it and he missed me! Barely.) Most of my riding to school was on Highway 27 (55mph speed limit). You weigh about 30 lbs less than I do, so I would expect that you could go a little faster on the GZ than I was able to do with a little less "strain" on the motor. It's a great motor, like somebody pointed out the only people we really hear about having any problems with the motor almost always drove it WOT all the time and didn't do squat for maintenance.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Any bike that you like will do that with no problem.

You did not ask, but......
The Yamaha 250 V Twin will out pull, out run, get better fuel mileage, and is smoother than the GZ.
This is based on my 1400 mile Blue Ridge Parkway trip.

The GZ is more comfortable and less money.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Absolutely right. When it comes to engine life, you can do more damage easier in the lower gears because there you can over-rev but in 5th that is almost impossible. Those who have damaged their engines were, by their own admission, punishing it in all the gears.

I took my GZ on a 1200 mile trip last year. You might be surprised where you will take it.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I just remembered something relevant that I had forgotten. I took the course (9 days) to become an MSF Ridercoach (instructor), and did a very brief stint in that job. We used both Rebels and GZ250s in the training and in the course. Of course these training bikes took a beating, both in terms of getting dropped a lot and getting rough use. A lot of the students had never even driven a standard transmission car. A lot of the Rebels developed trouble shifting, particularly into first gear, and it was nearly impossible to find neutral on them. The GZ250s held up much better under this rough usage, and did not have any chronic problems that I can recall. That was a few years ago, and I had forgotten. The poor students that got stuck with those affected Rebels had a terrible time. Not all the Rebels developed this problem, but quite a few of them did.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with real world riding or not. The training bikes were being shifted all the time in the lower gears, and never went over 20 odd miles per hour. But, due to its simplicity and the ruggedness I saw back then, my gut feeling is that I would trust a GZ more than a Rebel, especially if I was buying it used and didn't know how it had been treated.

The Rebel we owned (bought used) wasn't bad, although it didn't shift quite as easily or smoothly as the GZ, particularly in the lower gears. We had occasional trouble finding neutral. Never once saw that happen on any GZ250.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

A great number of Rebels come from the factory with the free of charge 1st gear hang up option. The easiest way to find first is apply normal downward force on the shifter and flip the kill switch. It will drop into gear. Restart engine and away you go. Of course this is meant for situations when you are already stopped. Lynda was ready to set fire to the Rebel she had in training until the instructor mentioned this trick. I lucked out with a Virago 250 with a very loud exhaust............ARGH !!

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Gee I wonder what the Honda Rebel Forum is saying?
Be nice to have a web link.
:popcorn:

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

This

http://www.rebel250.com/rebelforum/view ... hp?t=22489

To sum it all up there seems to be some agreement on the fact the GZ250 is better at lower speeds and can be faster on lower speeds but the Rebel can top out the MPH a bit more than the GZ.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

Can a 6.0 tall guy fit on the yamaha 250? Also is that the 250v star?


http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/pro ... /home.aspx


How does that bike fit 6.0 tall guys? Anyone test one?

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

You will be fine going in a straight line. Try to turn anymore than a wide corner and you will likely catch a knee with the handle bars. Sounds of a drop will follow. Don't ask me how I know. I am a little less than 6 ft so try one out just for your own hands on experince for fit and general size. The pic makes it look bigger than real life.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I am going to ask around Vstar forums see what / if 6.0 guys are getting on a vstar and doing well on one. Maybe there are adjustments you can easily make kind of like how on the Rebel you could raise the handle bars. The ability of the bike to reach 85mph and hold 75mph for long periods of time is not a must have in my situation but it would be nice.

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

I got some risers for my vulcan handlebars because I couldn't turn at parking lot speeds without hitting my knees and that made it very awkward for me, the risers got the handlebars out of range of my knees and even brought them to a more comfortable position. Bought mine from Scootworks. ($75).

Re: Have questions GZ250 or Rebel 250?
 

i hate the 250 v star, it looks nice but it feels so akward and small. i set on one of those and i think how can any one ride this, especially with the swept back bars they put on it.

i would take the rebel over the v star any day, but i would take a gz over the rebel. all of this is personal opinion. they are both excellent bikes with well built motors. and both bikes are quite comparable in a lot of ways, only you are going to be able to tell witch one feels right for you. test drive or at least set on one of each and see what feels better to you, that should be the deciding factor if you are getting a 250.

i think what it's really gonna come down to is witch one feels the best to you. i really cant say that one is better than the other. but i sure can say witch one feels way better, to me at least.