European GZ250 rider

[alantf]

Hi there.
I came across this site by accident while trying to find an owner's manual in English. I'm English, but moved to Tenerife about 6 years ago. I'm 61 years old, but I've had a motorcycle driving licence for over 40 years. Tenerife is a small Island, so a smaller bike is ideal, & the GZ250 (Known over here as the Marauder) fits the bill perfectly. I bought mine, new, 18 months ago for 3000 euros (You'll have to convert this to dollars yourself as I don't know the exchange rate), & it's the least expensive 250 cc that you can buy here. With the year round warm weather here, I can ride it every day, in just a tee shirt & jeans. Unlike England, where I had to wrap up warm, most of the time. The only bad thing is that Tenerife is very hilly, so the front brake pads only last around 4500 kilometres (around 3000 miles) but apart from that I've had no problems in 9000 kilometres (around 5500 miles.
Ride safely,
Alan (known as MadMax)

[alanmcorcoran]

That's about $3800 at today's exchange rate. Less than I paid for a 2008 but more than most of the bargain hunters on here paid for theirs new (and a lot more than waht they've paid for used ones.)

I am also an Alan. And I also live in a hilly area so I will be paying attention to the brakes. I'm at about 1800 miles.

Is Tenerife in the atlantic or mediterranean? My Spain travels were limited to Barcelona, Tarragona and Aventura(?) Lots of beautiful girls and British tourists. Barcelona is one of my favorite places in Europe.

[alantf]

tenerife's in the atlantic, off the coast of Africa. It's one of the 7 Canary Islands.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by alantf

The only bad thing is that Tenerife is very hilly, so the front brake pads only last around 4500 kilometres (around 3000 miles)

Might I suggest that more engine braking (downshift) might help the front pads last longer ??

[Sarris]

Welcome Brother!

[theneanderthal]

"Might I suggest that more engine braking (downshift) might help the front pads last longer ??"



Might I suggest that front brake pads are way cheaper than clutch packs, engines and transmissions. :whistle:

[5th_bike]

Welcome to the forum Alan !
Me and my wife and two little (back then) kids were in Tenerife once on vacation, I forgot what the place was called, near the southwestern tip of the island. There is a tourist supermarket just west of the resort, but when you walk a little further and go left around the corner there is Supermercado Manolo, with much better prices. Hope it's still there.
It was beautiful. Very volcanic. I would love to live there and cruise the island on my GZ250 !
Have fun and drive safe ! (and thanks for bringing back the memories) :2tup:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by theneanderthal

"Might I suggest that more engine braking (downshift) might help the front pads last longer ??"



Might I suggest that front brake pads are way cheaper than clutch packs, engines and transmissions. :whistle:

You might.....but, like your unusual quoting style, it would miss the mark just a bit! :biggrin:

Seriously, I can't remember the last time I needed to use the brakes to slow down just because I was coming down a hill. Even in the mountains of western Tennessee, I used the brakes very little. Engine braking causes extra wear on exactly NOTHING. Done properly, the same is true for a downshift. If you don't believe that, your riding skills need some improvement.

[alantf]

Hi to the guy who came to Tenerife on holiday.

The island's only about 80 miles from top to bottom, but I live in the north, near the town of La Orotava (if that means anything to you) It's like being on a different island up here. Down south it's hot & arid, but where we live (amongst the fields & vineyards) they call it "springtime all the year round". As for the south, it's just a "concrete canyon" of high rise hotels for the tourists. Unfortunately it's got a reputation (well deserved) for ripping off the tourists. If anyone is thinking of coming here, & doesn't want nightclubs every night, & burgers every meal, you should try Puerto de la Cruz (Port of the cross). It's around an hour and a quarter up the motorway from the South Airport (Reina Sofia) but it's a much more relaxed, laid back, & unspoiled resort.
If you want to see where I live, get on "Google Earth". (Do you have that in America? It's part of the search engine "Google.co.uk" then go to "Tenerife - La Perdoma" & it'll bring the map up.

[alanmcorcoran]

Google being a silicon valley company, yes, we have Google Earth. (you can see it on some of my ride reports... shhh!)