Gilera DNA.org

Modern alternatives to the Gilera DNA

August 1, 2009 at 11:43 am | In My Gilera, Off Topic | Leave a Comment
Tags: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki

My Gilera DNA 180 hasn’t been available new for a good few years now and the thought of what you could possibly replace it with is going to become more and more pressing. Ideally I would love to buy another one but that isn’t going to happen. The obvious thing to do would be to get a Gilera Runner 200 or a Gilera Nexus 300 but I’m not convinced these are a genuine replacement for a DNA. The point of the DNA is the motorcycle type layout and the above two bikes are most definitely scooters.

Interestingly, new worthwhile 250cc motorcycles seem to be on the verge of starting to be sold again in this country, a trend commenced by the Kawasaki Ninja 250. Now the well established Honda VTR 250 (popular on the other side of the world for years) seems to be on the verge of coming to Europe and I see a rumour on MCN that Suzuki with throw their hat into the ring with a bike probably to be called the GSR 250 with a new motor.

This means people like myself who want a midrange bike will now have a meaningful choice. My personal favourite is the Honda VTR 250.

To me this bike is a natural replacement for my old DNA: it’s small, light (139 Kilos) manageable through the tight urban traffic, won’t cost a fortune to run and looks good. It seems to be a developing market however and something even better may yet come out. It’s nice to have a choice though.