I'm relatively new to motorcycles (started out on scooters last June) and I did my first charity ride/poker run last month in southcentral PA (a memorial St. Jude's Ride); due to the distance from my house to the sponsoring dealership I hauled my GZ250 on the back of my suv using a VersaHaul carrier...there was a tremendous size difference between my 250 and the majority of cruisers & baggers pushing 1100cc's on up; the next smallest I saw was an older Yamaha Virago 535; I had much difficulty keeping up with the 2 couples that let me ride with them so I didn't get lost, especially thru the mountains of Perry County and the 5 mile bursts on 322 South & 81 South; total route was nearly 110 miles & I felt that I pushed the GZ beyond normal riding conditions; lesson learned...if I do that ride next year I will start out earlier and ride my Yamaha V Star 650 which can manage that kind of ride much better
on the opposite side of the coin I did a self-paced poker run for the Motor Maids that had alot of stops at intersections and farm country roads with right angles which caused much upshifting and downshifting and I used the Yamaha 650...I wish I had the GZ250 which handles slower rides better since I don't have to shift as much at lower engine speeds;
can poker runs be done with a small displacement motorcycle? yes, but romps thru the mountains and runs on the highways will have your GZ screaming and this will sheer your oil quicker, hence an oil change shortly after the run...