Suzuki gn250

g8syl, Mar 20, 1:26am
simple question, is the reserverve fuel off when the tap is up or the tap is down!
gorgie14b, Mar 20, 6:20am
I had the GN125 as a learner bike - bit too underpowered for me. Another good bike in the Suzuki family is the GZ250 marauder. Its the american styled version of the GN250. They look far more styley. I got one of those when I got sick of the 125 (which was pretty quickly!) and have kept it, even after getting my full license and buying a 750. It gets a lot of positive comments and looks considerably better than gn250. Handling and performance pretty similar.
taipan4, Mar 20, 3:43pm
if you look closely the tap has an arrow on it
babyeater, Nov 10, 2:09am
im looking at buying the above bike for my learner wife. i am a car man so i have really no idea about bikes but have been told these are great value for money, easy to ride,good learners bike, etc. i also see that you can get them in 125cc so 1 is the 125 as good as the 250 and 2 is the 250 as good as mates say it is cheers Luke
gunhand, Nov 10, 2:13am
Most will say there now chinese junk. I got a new one about 23 years ago and it was never a problem. They havent been changed at all really except country of manufacture. get the 250, there not that quick as it is.
If buying new it will have a warrenty and buy the time thats up you/she will want a bigger bike.
taipan4, Nov 10, 2:16am
good reliable engine not real quick but good commuter bike, kept same design for years which says something for a jappa
robertsons-nes, Nov 10, 2:17am
brilliant bike as far as learners/restricted bike very easy bike to ride and great confidence builder with out needing a heavy hand.would also reccomend you do the license yourself never know when it could be handy
doriandarby, Nov 10, 2:24am
Good to learn on, I'd recommend you give it an oil and filter change as soon as you get it - a lot of learner bikes get sold on quite a bit and might not have had a decent service in that time.

Avoid the 125 - a 4stroke that small in a chassis that a 250 can just about power will not make a very good bike.
babyeater, Nov 10, 2:27am
cheers guys is there any other learners bikes you would recommend
doriandarby, Nov 10, 2:29am
just avoid any race replica 2 strokes.Will be difficult for a novice to learn on, plus the engines are pretty highly stressed and likely to cost a bit on maintenance.Difficult to go wrong on a 250cc 4 stroke.

Later Suzuki GN250's are built in China and you can tell the difference in quality between them and Jap built 250's.If you can, see if you can find a GZ250 - these are jap built (as far as I know - might be wrong here)
gunhand, Nov 10, 2:31am
I always say get a of dual purpose bike. Then you can learn on a dirt track as well as on the road. you pick up alot of skills doing off road work plus you generally dont have to worry about a errant car taking you out or all the other town / city hazzards. Also you may want to learn as well. easy to move on when time to sell and they go just as well as a gn. Bit taller though.
dansue, Nov 10, 2:50am
I started to learn on a GN250 for a couple of months.Was a reliable bike but felt like you were wringing its neck at 80kph.Traded up to a Suzuki Intruder 250.10 times the bike!Nice and smooth,low seat hieght plenty of grunt for a 250.Highly reccomend these.
bitsy_boffin, Nov 10, 2:54am
Other bikes.
Honda VTR250, more sporty than the GN but still excellent for learners
Yamaha XV250, more cruisy than the GN but still excellent for learners
bitsy_boffin, Nov 10, 3:04am
And personally, I'd buy used.Used bikes do tend to hold their value especially the 250s, new bikes depreciate.

You'll probably only have it a couple of years if like most people she decides to upsize (but that said, there's nothing wrong with a 250 for our twisty NZ roads, they can punch quite well above their weight, and if it is for city riding, I'd say a 250 is almost preferable there for it's light weight).

Oil change when you get it, new spark plug(s) too and you might want to consider new tyres even if they look good - check the age of them, older tyres (say 5 years) do have less grip and are less predictable.

Check the chain and sprockets for wear, both are cheap to replace and should be done as a package, all three, if you only replace the chain or a sprocket it will wear out VERY fast, replace them as a set and it will last a long time.

These 250cc bikes are not complicated, there's really not much goes wrong with them.
i-n-horz, Nov 10, 5:21pm
20 stone little bro had one years back and though he tried he couldn't kill it.lol, it was what the boss had gotten him to do the errands on.
berg, Nov 10, 8:01pm
Mrs Berg has one at the moment. It's been a great reliable learner bike and was quite cheap to buy. She will be updating to my bike as soon as she can but she still rides the GN 130kms to and from work each day. There are better bikes out there in the 250 range but you pay for the privilage. $1500 for a tidy GN vrs $4000-5000 for a tidy Hornet or Ninja
stevo275, Nov 11, 12:52am
honda cbf 250 heaps betterlook on trade me
kazbanz, Nov 11, 12:57pm
To answer the OP's question They are a solid reliable bike. I have issues with the angle of the handlebars on the later models but as a learn to ride bike they are brilliant.
There are a couple of variations on the theme which do seem to be better bikes. The Volty 250 is mechanically a GN but seems better built and nicer to ride.
Yamaha build an equivilant called the SR 250 which is nice for learners and their "new" learner bike the Scorpio 225 is a little honey for L platers.
There are a fair few bikes out there that are nice and really good ffor a learner
midosa, Nov 11, 2:47pm
great bike for a learner. Heaps to choose from on TM
therafter1, Nov 11, 3:28pm
I'm with Kaz . I would go the scorpio over the GN, great little bikes.

Another option may be the Suzuki FXR150.
brokebloke1, Nov 12, 2:21am
have you looked at the Honda 250 rebel easy bike to ride and to learn on, ive been riding for 20 yrs( learnt on a GN250 had it for 6yrs and sold it for what i payed for it ) and now my son is looking at learning to ride we have been looking at the rebelfor him going to make it a bobber custom for him.
doug207, Feb 22, 7:08am
I had a GN for a while, good around town. Useless on the open road, horrid in the wind, brakes were poo and it was uncomfy. It was an 04 model, I found the older GNs to be more comfortable (they have a softer seat with rounder edges)
I'd recommend,
any Honda twin.
Yamaha SRV250, bit more pep than the GN and look great.
Kawasaki ZZR/GPX 250. Good value for money and a forgiving bike to ride.
The Suzuki GSX250 are also a nice first bike, but, have held value very well and to be honest a Hyosung GT250 is better value now.