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Originally Posted by Easy Rider
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.