Keeway any good for a learner!

brummoi, Oct 1, 12:44pm
looking to get my licence but not seeing a huge difference betweenprices for second hand 250cc bikes from well known brands and the new cost of Keeways. Are they worth considering or should I go for an older Suzuki, Yamaha or whatever!
ninja_man, Oct 1, 12:46pm
stay away. stick with the well known brands
dr.doolittle, Oct 1, 1:07pm
Low seat height on cruisers is not normally an issue as the controls & foot pegs are well forward of the hips, unlike a sport bike.
Personally I'd get a cheaper bike to learn on but still go with a cruiser for comfort(for a taller rider) & a lower centre of gravity until you get used toslow riding without wobbling all over the show. Good luck.
brummoi, Oct 1, 1:15pm
thanks but am really after a 250
brummoi, Oct 1, 1:16pm
I'm struggling to find cheaper bikes in my area (Wellington)!
muzz67, Oct 2, 5:54am
At 5'9 a low seat cruiser may not be great,considereda road/trail! Most models in recent years are elec start and registerable. . Not great at motorway speeds admittedly, but very light, not much to break when you fall over, because you WILL fall over! Easy to maintain, and you can always go a bit bush if you want. Dirt riding is great for balance/co-ordination etc.
kazbanz, Oct 2, 9:22am
brummoi--when you are just learning I'd suggest you need a neutral riding position as the best setup.
By neutral I mean reasonably flat /wide bars and a seat/peg relationshgip that is neither really laid back or really crouched forward.
Recomendationsfor a five nine tall person would be.
Cbf250 honda,Spada 250,Cb250.GU250 suzuki. Yamaha scorpio 225. Some dual purpose bikes would also be great first bikes.
mrfxit, Oct 2, 9:46am
Owned a few smaller motorbikes & a couple of bigger mid size motorbikes over the years, cruised around the north island a bit (as ya do) .
BUT
Had my 1st ride on a proper scooter last week (did some minor repairs on it for the boarder) & instantly thought WT HECK %$$@#@!$ (& that was before I started it up),
Then took it for a zip up & down the driveway & nearly shat myself. .
Burger that for a joke .
No wonder so many ppl fall off them & thats BEFORE they split lanes & run red lights.

BUY a PROPER motorbike, not a scooter.
You will never regret it.
cocabowla, Oct 2, 9:49am
good for learning how to push when it breaks down, good for learning how much repairs can be.
brummoi, Oct 2, 10:01am
That's the keeway, presumably! No worries, they're already off my list! At the moment, I'm hedging towards spending between 2 and 3k (if I can get away with it) on either a trail style or neutral style bike. I still really like that Virago though.
cocabowla, Oct 2, 10:54am
they did have some starter clutch issues with viragos early on , not sure if that included the 250 or not . i'd ring a few independent bike mechanics from yellow pages and ask their opinions.
kazbanz, Oct 2, 12:11pm
THAT in my opinion is pretty darn close to the PERFECT first bike for a lot of reasons.
That particular one looks to be an honest bike.
There is a graze on the muffler which isn't a worry at all.
In principle dude id say go for it.I'd be checking the details of the specific bike -leaky fork seals,siezed front caliper slides and glugged up carbs are the three Issues I've had with spada's I've had in stock.
brummoi, Oct 2, 12:19pm
Thanks, kazbanz. I'm tempted but It closes tomorrow so I'd be buying it unseen and unchecked - never done that before!

(eevee2 post was me but partner still logged in)
a.woodrow, Oct 2, 2:02pm
I learnt on a Suzuki GN250, bit gutless but very forgiving and easy to ride. also very frugal :)
mrfxit, Oct 2, 2:27pm
Tui . SNAPPED.

Good to see you steering clear of scooters.
brummoi, Dec 2, 3:04am
I was thinking of those for a while but the consensus seems to be that their gutlessness gets tiresome very quickly, even for a novice. That said, it looks like a 2005 or so GN250 can be picked up for around the same $$$ as the 1989 Spada I'm now thinking of - different class of bike, I suppose.