Modern Vespa

[URL=http://img108.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10736012gs20400submittequ4.jpg][/URL] <<<< Looks just like the 77 suzuki GS 400 that I rode when I was 17..... boy it sure looked BIGGER Then! ($1,200 retail) LOL

yeah... clip ons, rear sets and a solo seat... my girl would look so hot on that thing!*















*der.

Definitely. Haven't seen one for sale here, though.

I just checked the new-and-improved Suzuki USA site, and they've jacked the MSRP of the TU250 from $3499 to $3799. Rats...

Yeah, bummer. None of the dealers down here have a TU250 & won't order one (unless it's pre-sold). None have the GZ250 either, and I think I actually like the looks of it better anyway.

My fate is sealed for now. I bought a mint '96 Honda Rebel. I'll either stay with this or move up to the Boulevard S40.

I'm wondering how the suzuki will stand up against the enfield. The latter is almost double the price. Admittedly the latter has EFI is a newer design and gets better mileage.

Seth

^^ It's moot down here, Seth: there are 2 Suzuki dealers within 10 miles of the house, and nothing for hundreds of miles in any direction for the Enfield.

If I were going to go esoteric, I think I'd pick a Ridley over any of the more common brands, and Ridley HAS a service center in B.R.

My guess is that the margin on the suzuki is so small, the dealers have no incentive to stock it. We all know the cheaper/lower CC bikes outsell the bigger ones. Kawasaki's most popular model is the Ninja 250.
So if you have a choice of making an order on a bike you never sat on, or leaving the dealer that day with something you could test which was pricier, odds are you'd do the latter and the dealer makes more.

Seth

I wouldn't want to be riding that one in any sort of accident which pitched you forward ... if I were a guy!

+1

Nor would I think that the riding position is conducive to a ride of more than a mile.

Pssst... the TU250Xs are here. They look great!

here as in locally? (RVA is local)

Totally local, as in sitting on the floor at Ultimate Cycle on Midlothian Turnpike.

Hey, the new issue of Cycle World has a nice one-page review of the TU250. According to the article, the TU is not Cali legal, sorry. I guess that makes the review of limited interest for now. Anyway, for folks outside CA, here are a couple highlights from the review. They claim they got 53 MPG while riding the heck out of it. They dyno'd the motor and got 16.1 rear-wheel horsepower and 12.54 ft-lbs of torque at 4800 rpm. They say it will go 75 mph (Puzzling since GTS250ies with similar FI 250cc motors and less-efficient CVT transmissions have been GPSed at near relativistic velocities). They say the 30 inch seat height and sensible ergos make it a pretty good fit for a range of rider heights. They agreed with me that the TUs look well-made and they note that the pin-striping on the tank is a nice added touch.

P.S. There's a great pic at the top of the review showing a rider feeling his way through a turn with his toe, Mike Hailwood style. Great pic. Check it out.

If it had been available I might have opted for the TU over the GTS - I really wanted a motorcycle to be honest but all the 250s are cruisers with forward controls and I don't like that one bit. The TU still hasn't hit dealers in So Fla.

The best bike I could find was the Triumph Bonneville but at 440lbs and ~65hp is a BIG jump from the 200lb 2hp scoot I had. Thinking a nice '09 will be my next ride in a couple years though.

I wish you could still by something like a CB400.

I'm enjoying the heck out of my Rebel 250; at its MSRP it's an absolute steal compared to the 250 Vespa.

No TUs in Louisiana yet either.

I like the Rebel but the battery (?) box below the seat totally dug into my thighs , it's got the kicked out front end which is floppy at low speed, and forward controls. They are good looking IMO and bomb proof. You can find them for a steal used too!

My GTS w/600mi was roughly the same price as a new Rebel btw.

I'm amazed by this... it connotes poor resale value for the Vespa if a $6K scooter with only 600 miles can be bought for $3395. The local dealer has a couple of 200 CC Vespas on consignment for ~ $4500. I'd say you got a steal on your GTS. Congrats are in order.

BTW I have no trouble with the Rebel at very low speeds - say 2 - 5 MPH.