New to me GW250

[DimitriT]

Maybe not a GS but still a UJM in the sense that its not a cruiser and its not a sportbike.

Payed $2000 for it and after another $500 to register it and add some farkles I have a nice little reliable commuter.

It is a little underpowered for highway hyperdrive speeds but it will hum along at 75 mph just fine. And its good fun on back roads.

One amazing aspect I found out. You can adjust the valves on it without taking the tank off. And the valves use the screw/locknut adjusters. This bike is actually easier to maintain than my GS550.

 

[Gorminrider]

Sexy lookin' bike! "Humming along at 75" is awfully good for a 250 if you are stuck my timewarp-my TX650 used to lose control about there... and the engine is...water-cooled? but looks wonderfully simple.

 

[DimitriT]

Yes water-cooled. I got fed up with the bike overheating in traffic. These are built in China BTW and you can tell from looking at some of the components but I think the important bits are still made in Japan.

 

[eil]

Neat looking bike. I knew these existed but haven't looked into them. What year is it? $2000 is not a bad price at all, carbureted Ninja 250s are still going for about that around here.

Do you find it buzzy at higher speeds? I test-rode a Yamaha R3 over the summer and that was one of the main things that turned me off about it.

 

[DimitriT]

Compared to the Katana it is definitely buzzy but its not a bike for long trips. I rode it 50 miles to bring it home after I bought it and that was just about my limit on it. My daily commute is about 25 miles. One thing about it is its setup for new riders so the clutch and throttle are really light. Just what you want in a city bike or a commuter. I'm still riding it like an inline four with my shift points way up there. I need to get used to shifting much lower in the RPM range.

 

[Guest]

According to the picture it not only doesn't have a centerstand but no side stand either; it just balances there by magnetic levitation, probably hidden in the cataclysmic perverter. Way cool.

My only questions are whether or not you'll chop the rear fender and also do something about the purple brake fluid. I think about two inches below the licence plate is the best spot to cut; you can always cut it shorter, but not longer.

Normally I despise modern bike styling, but this one has a certain grasshopper attitude that I find appealing. I'd probably paint the wheels silver, tho.

 

[DimitriT]

I don't like the styling. The bump outs for the front turn signals are too big. I would've preferred less plastic and turn signals on stalks. In other words a retro look.

I don't modify bikes. Although for this one I added a center stand, a Givi monolock top case and a Puig Touring II windscreen. I'll probably add a helmet lock too.

Other than lack of off-the-line acceleration (I'm a pretty big unit at 250 lbs) I am pretty happy with the bike. It's getting 70 mpg and is smooth and free of vibration in the 60-70 mph range. The tank holds 3.6 gallons (US) which means I can go about 210 miles between fill ups. That's almost exactly a week of commuting for me. It has a nice wide a$$ holder too.

The 180 degree crank means I get the old "put.. put.. put.. putputput" as I pull off the line but I've gotten used to it.