SOON TO BUY
 

I am currently in Iraq and will be heading home in a couple weeks. I am disgusted with the oil companies and our government; since I have arrived in country gas prices have soared back home. The only way for me to cut costs is to get a reliable, inexpensive, gas-sipping vehicle for commuting. After researching for the last couple months the overall winner for me is the GZ250.

So I plan on returning home next month and probably buying in early August. I can't piss off the wife right after getting home. I will have to wait a month or so... :neener:

So anyways, here is why the GZ250 was more attractive to me than the Rebel or V star (virago):

Price - There is a dealership in Monroe, WA that is offering the 2008 GZ250 for $2995.
Style - After looking at numerous pictures of all the 250's, for me the GZ stood out.
MPG - My research showed that the GZ has the POTENTIAL of getting the best MPG, based on driving habits.
Comfort - Once I get home I will actually sit on all of the 250's, but reviews consistantly point to the GZ being comfortable.

Those were my major concerns (not in order).

JIBTEX
I will be another PacNorWest rider, I am normally stationed in Everett, WA (when not in Iraq). I was born and raised in Tacoma/Lakewood and graduated from Clover Park High School in 85'. The garden spot of America. I am looking forward to riding in the rain.

Ok... I have rambled enough. I will continue to lurk until I buy and then post pictures and a ride report.

Stay safe...

Get home safe :2tup: , kiss your wife, and buy a bike. Sounds like you got a good plan. Be careful head low, spirits high.

Bought my GZ a couple of months ago, couldn't be happier with my choice :rawk:

Welcome to the boards. :cool:

welcome (almost) home!

i think you'll like the GZ, i took it out on the freeway for the first time today and it did just fine at 60-65 mph, although there's quite a bit of vibration once you get into the higher RPM's.

it's raining now and i have places to go tomorrow, so maybe i'll get to ride cold and wet for the first time. exciting.

Freeway riding with the GZ:

If the drivers in your area are anything like Seattle (they actually pay attention to the speed limit most of the time) then riding something that barely does the speed limit is really OK.

People in LOTS of other parts of the country, however, should never consider getting on the freeway because the prevailing flow of traffic is 15-20 OVER the "limit" and being on a GZ would be hazardous to your health !!

Hello and welcome!

Enjoy your stay.....

Just bought my GZ about 2 weeks ago, and have already put about 200 miles on it. Very much enjoying it and happy with my decision to buy it.

Get home safe!

D

Thank you all for welcoming me.

I-5 in the Everett area rarely gets above 50mph. Luckily, where I live I don't need to get on any major freeways to get to work. I will pretty much be sticking to county roads and city driving.

Exactly where the GZ shines the brightest. It was never meant to be a high speed freeway bike but it works well almost anywhere else. Welcome to the forum.

My commute is 10 miles city and 15 miles back roads, just perfect for the GZ250 !
Congratulations on your choice. :tup:

I just need to sell it to the wife. I am thinking of just rolling up the driveway on a new bike. Shock and Awe....

That might work. Who knows ?? Just tell your wife it is a freedom ride after the sandbox service. You have earned it. Let me be first to thank you for your service to your country and the free world. Keep safe over there.

My wife was OK with it, and I involved her from the beginning. It went like this:

Step 1:
"Hon [living near Baltimore...], I'd like to get back on two wheels, but to get a license I can either get a bike and have someone drive it to the MVA, or take the MSF class - where they really teach you how to drive safe. What would you do?"...
So, guess what, within a few months I had my license via the MSF class. :tup:
(you seem to have you license already but in my class were several licensed riders who were doing it for the safety aspect).

Step 2:
"Hon, those sport bikes are beautiful but kind of scary, and too much/too fast for my commute, and the Moto Guzzis are beautiful but rather expensive.... Harley$ are ga$ guzzler$ and money drains... maybe I should get a small bike like the Honda Rebel or Suzuki GZ250, that would be safer, they don't even go like 90-100, and they're also very economical - how about 70 miles to the gallon ? Wow ! What do you think ?"
So, after a couple months I was riding on my GZ 250 ! :rawk:

that's pretty much the same conversation i had with my mom to make her less worried, ha.

i told her i didn't want a sportbike because they go too fast and i'd be tempted to drive like a maniac. then i told here the GZ was about as small as you can get and that i was going to take the safety class and always wear a helmet and she calmed right down.

Wise decision about the sport bike. Give yourself a couple seasons on the GZ, then maybe go bigger. Sport bikes are not nearly as forgiving as a GZ.

That really depends on what sportbike you buy and how reserved the rider is.

So true but I remember when I was young and had to try everything to it's limits. I don't want to paint all new riders with the same brush and call them irresponsible but I do see so much of it and wish we had a graduated licensing system here. I applaud a new rider who doesn't get a faster quicker bike that might get him/her in over their head in a bad way.

i have very little doubt that i would not live to see my next birthday if i was starting on a liter sportbike.

I agree with you but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that they'll be repsonsible with their decisions.

Also, there is a world of difference between a 600cc bike and litre bike. I mean, you can kill yourself on a 50cc moped. The most important thing is how you ride; not what you ride.