need help with choosing a bike.

[mt50]

hi, i'm 18 and have decided to get a bike, as i need to get to work for 6am some weeks so a taxi costs £6.50. and getting a bus takes about 1hour.
and i can't afford a car atm.
right so i'm going to take my CBT as soon as possible.
thats £60 for the day with bike hire ect sounds a good deal to me.

now the hard part which bike? must be a 125 as i need to go on a Duel carrige way for about 1/4 mile- 1/2 mile.

i've had a look in the local paper and decided that £1000-£1250 is my limit for a bike and hopefully a helmet, gloves, jacket. i was thinking £800 for a bike and the rest for the helmet ect is this enough money? insurance is on top of this.

i've thought about a sooter for 2 reasons-

A) got storage on them
B) cheaper insurance(£380ish TPFT)

but they kinda seem girlish, but kinda ok. i can't seem to make my mind up.
was looking a KYMCO ego 125 or KYMCO vivo 125 for about £800-£850 for a 2001 or 2002 model is that an ok price?

also had a look at the honda NSR125 and Aprilia RS125 like the look of these and would like one but-
the insurance is £800ish for TPFT now that seems a lot.

what would people suggest? also with all the rain we are having is it harder to ride in the rain?(turning ect) as i've never ridden a bike before.

any help would be greatful.

thanks

[TeePee]

A simple 125 like a CG 125 would be a good bet. They should be cheap and have cheaper insurance than a moped. They also don't look nearly as girly..

[mt50]

thanks for that should have said i hate the look of those kinda bikes even more than a scooter. just look horrible imo.

[Maffu]

Aprilias like expensive 2 stroke oil. Regularly. Else, you'll shag it.

If I were you [which I'm not, as I've a full motorbike licence ] I'd bag yourself a scooter. Nice and simple, cheap, practical. No fuss, less maintenance, etc.

Anyways, mess about with some restrictor things [not entirely legal, insurance pending, I might add] and some of those scooters will hit 60/70 no worries, so dual carriageways will be no problems.

Give it a year, sell if for exactly what you buy it for, then perhaps move onto a restricted bigger bike, seeing as you'll be 19.



Riding in the rain is like driving in it - go slower, leave bigger braking gaps, be smoother with acceleration/braking, and you'll have no problems. You'll get very wet though, and your visor *will* mist up.

Good luck..

I'm a FWB - eff riding in the rain.

[oyster]

Get one of these, mate. They're cool!

And spend as much on your helmet as you can possibly afford - it might save your life!!

[mt50]

thanks for the replies guys, going to ring up and book my CGT tomorrow afternoon.
will deffo get a scooter and then maybe get something better when i've got a few months experience.


oyster, thanks for that just read a review looks great, but is that one 2 stroke?

[Maffu]

Originally Posted by oyster

And spend as much on your helmet as you can possibly afford - it might save your life!!

DO NOT buy the most expensive helmet.

Buy the one that fits you the best. Then, go for a fancy race rep paint job if you wish.

Try as many as you can on. Got to a J&S store, and ask for a blind test. I got 7 helmets to try on, and it was done so I didn't know which one was what. Pick the one that feels the best [shop guys will show you exactly what is a good fit], not the pretty one.



[edit] The 'race' helmets are designed so air flows when you're in a race position on a sportsbike. Sit up right on a RX7 Cosair, and you'll get no ventilation. 'Race' lids are also very noisey.

[mt50]

thanks maffu, how much should i expect to pay for a good helmet then?

also how much is a good waterproof and nice and warm jacket going to be?

oh and will i need to get any gloves for a scooter?

decided to hopefully go for the the scooter oyster pointed out as it seems very good for the money

[Maffu]

Well, like I said, get the one that fits the best.



At the end of the day, they all have to pass the same tests, but when buying Arai/Shoei, you are paying for the name, too. I bought an Arai as it suited the shape of my head, and felt a snug but comfortable fit. J&S often stock last years race rep jobs, so I got a £400 for £240.

IMHO, £100-150 should get you something fairly good. If you can get one with a gold sticker on the back [I forget the coding, etc] it'll enable you to take it on a track, too. EEC 2206 markings, too, you want to look out for. I had a look at Suomy 1Rs - might be worth checking out them. The more you pay, the more features/lighter weight/race rep paint it'll have. Arais visor system is the best, imo, but then it's not a great idea to ride round with a dark visor in the winter! Try and blag a fogcity insert, or thing that goes in your lid and cups your mouth and nose, so you don't mist up the visor. A must in the winter, imo.

Gloves: if you were to come off your bike/scooter, what's the first thing you're going to do? More often than not, it's stick your hands out. Get good gloves. I'll not preach about what jacket and trousers you should wear, as that's your own choice, but if you're going for the minimum, gloves and some decent boots well help in the case of a spill. Look for triple stitched gloves. Some have bulky armour on the top of the knuckles - this is great, but if it's a bad fit, that'll destroy your knuckles. I spent £100 on some A* GP gloves. You don't need to go that extreme though. £30 will get you a good set.

As for waterproofs, I'm not too sure. I don't ride in the wet/cold. ;p I had a look at a £50 set, but just ask.

Don't forget to lubricate and check the chain tension regularly.

[oyster]

Originally Posted by mt50

oyster, thanks for that just read a review looks great, but is that one 2 stroke?

Yeah, that'll be a two-stroke. The 4-strokes are called Runner VX125. You'll probably struggle to get one for your budget, though, since its a newer model.

You never now, you might just love the smell of 2-stroke oil!!!

[Maffu]

Originally Posted by oyster

You never now, you might just love the smell of 2-stroke oil!!!

*breathes in*

Aaahhhhhhh.



Came |-----| that close to getting a RS250.

Get a 2stroke before the euro treehuggers ban them all!

[TeePee]

Don't worry about the gold sticker. Provided the helmet meets EEC 2206 (which I believe it has to or it can't be sold) any scroot at a track will put a sticker on for you.

[Rave]

Yeah, the ACU don't actually test the helmets themselves, as long as they meet the relevant British Standard they'll sell the manufacturer a sticker for 50p (was the figure I heard quoted). I was allowed on to the track at a race school with my ACU silver stickered helmet.

Rich :¬)