new rider

[grimjaw]

I've been riding a scooter for some time now but am switching to motorcycles and my first ride is a GZ250. I got it used. It's a 2005 model that had about 5500 miles on it. It was first owned by a group that taught motorcycle safety courses. One of the instructors bought it for his wife after she completed the course, and she put half the miles on it that it has. She upgraded and now I've got it. Great beginners bike, and was very close to the riding geometry of the scooter so less adjustment to make.



I made my friend's son pose on it so I could start corrupting him early. Thanks for providing the forum, it's been helpful.

jm

[JWR]

Looks like we are getting a lot of Arkansas riders.

Welcome, some good information on these pages.

Jerry

[bonehead]

Welcome and enjoy the madness.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by grimjaw

very close to the riding geometry of the scooter

Hi there, & welcome. I think you'll find that the gz has a MUCH better centre of gravity than a scooter, and all the weight is in line with the wheels, not at either side (like the scooter's gearbox sticks out to the side) Also, the larger wheels give better roadholding. I'm sure you'll come to find that the gz is ten times more stable than a scooter. :2tup:

[New GZ250]

The bike looks big with your neighbor's kid on it!
Welcome!

[grimjaw]

Thanks.

After riding the 90 miles home for Thanksgiving in the chilly air, I'm on the hunt for a windshield. I've seen the Plexistar II, but it looks a little tall for my somewhat short frame, don't know if I could see over it very well. National Cycle has three or four other windshields they claim will fit the GZ250, but I can't find a dealer that carries them.

jm

[JWR]

Most motorcycle stores only carry their brand shields.

Most are bought online, and one size does not fit all.

Shields are a trial and error fit.

I have found they can either be real tall or very short. Anything in the middle will cause a lot of wind shake to the head.

I do not ride without one, and have adjusted mine about 50 times, to get it where I can live with it.

Jerry

[k1w1t1m]

I fitted a windshield to my wife's GZ250. I am told it came off a Honda Rebel 250. It mounted right up to the forks but because of the GZ speedo position I had to space the windshield out from the mount about 2". Although my wife hasn't ridden it much (especially at any kind of speed yet) it seems to work well. I took it for a test ride right after installing it and it stayed in place with no vibrations or shaking at 60mph.

[alanmcorcoran]

grim,

I bought two windshields for the GZ - the first one was pretty substantial (it had sheet metal that bolted to the plexiglass) and it was about $240. I wasn't impressed with the mounting hardware (the clamps looked way big for the GZ tubes) but it was a fork only mount, which I think is probably the best way to go. Unfortunately, between the wrong size clamps and a missing sheet metal strap, and the inability to line up the holes in the shield with the holes in the sheet metal, I ended up returning it and got the Plexistar II. The Plexistar mounts a lot easier, but it's a fork/handlebar combo and it's a strange little beast. As JWR mentioned above, I have also effed with it on numerous occasions (you can mount it in almost an infinite number of configurations and there will be something about each one you don't like.)

Here are some things to consider when shopping:

1) Do you want hand protection? Some have it some don't.
2) Fork mount or handlebar mount or both? (I think fork is best. The Plexistar is both)
3) How tall? Lots of debate on this - some claim good protection with a short shield. I'm skeptical. I think you want one that comes up to just below you line of sight. Many of us have had flying objects of size smack into the shield that would have struck us in the face had it not been there.
4) Lowers? Beware of windhshields that start above the bars and leave all the wind coming through underneath. The Plexistar handles this well if you go with a lower mount position.
5) Ability to adjust the rake. My yamaha windshield is pretty flat but it seems to work. I have more rake on the Plexistar. I suspect the flatter you make it the bigger the impact on gas mileage and top end speed.
6) Quick release? I generally don't take mine off, but on both of my bikes you can remove the shield without de-installing.
7) I don't think any windshield is perfect. My Strat has a pretty nice one but there is no hand protection and there is a glare from the blue lights on the dash on it at night. I think you have to decide what drawbacks you can live with.
8) All things being equal, you're probably going to lose a little mph and mpg with a shield. Unless you are already shaped like one.

I think for the money and the size of the bike, the Plexistar is a decent choice, but be prepared to mount the thing three or four times until you get it close to the way you want it. (You'll never get it exactly right.)

[grimjaw]

Where did you order the Plexistar from? Both BikeBandit and JCWhitney don't list it as an option for the GZ250. I've looked at the part numbers from National Cycle and the same one is listed for the VX800 (I think).

jm