Buying my first motorbike =)

[Durp]

Hi guys im just new this forum but you all seem very helpful and very knowledageable.

Ive just passed my theory for the motorbike and wanted to buy my own bike to do the lessons on to save a bit of money.

Could someone tell me how much il need for

Bike
Insurance
Jacket
Gloves
Boots
Helmet

I know tax is £15 for up to 150cc which is what im looking for

Ive no real idea the prices or what I should be looking for in a bike however I would want something thats 1-3years old. Also im not going to skimp on leather/protection as a friend came off his bike and they basically saved his life!

[Jasp]

I did have a massive paragraph wrote out but decided to put simply this, what license are you doing and how old are you?

[Durp]

21 and the basic test?

Just wondering what sort of money il need for this

[Jasp]

Given you age i would look at doing a direct access test, basically you learn on a 600cc and do your test on one also, once you have passed your test you can ride any bike without restriction, i would then look at getting a GSXR 600 or CBR 600F a 9-10 year old one will set you back around 2-2.5k for one in good condition without any mods which are excellent learner bike, the CBR more so.

If you decide just to do a A licence, which is basically limiting you to 33hp for 2 years after passing then you can ride anything your best bet would be a 125cc bike, reason being you can ride it on the provisional before you get your full licence so can get a feel for the bike and also use it as you will. With a 125cc you need to decide if you are after fun or a daily communter, basically if you are after daily communter nothing beats a CB 125 4stroke, pretty much bombproof and will run forever with the minimum of maintainace. If you are after fun you need to be looking at a 2stroke bike, TZR125 NSR125 they require a bit more looking after mind you but can be quite rewarding, i personally own a TZR 125 91 plate that has yet to let me down, will happily do 70mph restricted and can hit 100mph with a powervalve kit. Again you are looking at around 1k for a ten year old 125 bike in good condition, i personally paid £800 for mine which had just had a full respray and piston replacement.

A few personal thoughts i would not look at getting a 1-3 year old bike, reason being you are bound to drop it after you have passed your test, ive come close with my 125 as its caught me off balance a few times. Don't be tempted by the cheap chinese bikes on ebay 1-2k for a brand new bike, they are crap, they rust and you will never get parts for them, get a good named japenese bike, yamaha, suziki, honda. Don't for the love of god get a scooter, the lack of gears mean they are no fun to ride and generally crap from my point of view.

Your quite right when it comes to protectives, don't spare money here it could mean the difference between you walking again or spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair pissing in a bottle being spoon fed, go down to your local dealer and spend some time trying the helmets on and getting fitted, don't buy helmets used as if they have been dropped they can be ruined. If you have a hein gereke were you are pop in and have a chat with the sales person, the big names in helmets are generally arai and shoei, a decent helmet with sun visor will probably set you back 1-4 hundred pound.

All in all i'd budget another 500-1000 pound for your protective gear new, 500 if you want to get used leathers with a new helmet or around 250/300 if you want a jacket approach, the ones with spine protectors may be uncomfy but they are worth it.

Just hope i haven't scared you off getting one now lol, biking can be highly rewarding but its not without its dangers, basic rule on a bike is don't be a dick and ya should be fine.

[idimmu]

a gsxr or cbr as a first bike? really?!

[Jasp]

Well if he chooses to do a direct access they are going to stick him on a 600cc anyway, so going from that to a CBR 600 would be the logic choice, as they are classed as quite a forgiving bike. Having ridden one myself i can say its heavier then my 125 but feels more stable + the powerband is quite predictable.

[idimmu]

the direct access can be on anything, its just got be 47.5bhp. for someone with no previous experience i wouldn't recommend a sports bike. i supposed its down to the rider though, the bike will only go as fast as you make it.

[J4MES]

Super sports may not be the best first bike - but mine was (1991 CBR 600)... If I was doing it again I'd get a nekkid 500 of some sort first so as not to get scared most times out. I learned over a few weeks, it'll work out cheaper to use the bike provided until you've passed, then buy and insure your own... good luck

[Durp]

Jasp thank you for that amazing post, gave me alot of things to think about. From what you said its going to more expensive than I previously thought even though you recommend going for a 10 year old bike.

I was going to get a 125cc to learn on and then upgrade to a 500-600cc after a year or so but now im not so sure. This bike is mainly going to be for fun!

Il keep you updated on what im going to do, need to think some things over now

[Jasp]

Bikes tend to hold their valve a lot better then cars, they are mainly bought by people that care for them, while most people require a car so they don't tend to be treated as well. If you simply want to get a feel for biking to see if you like it your cheapest and easiest route would be to do a CBT which entitles you to drive a 125 geared bike on main roads (not motorways) for upto 2 years with "L" plates and no passengers normally costing around £80-110 then get a cheap 125cc. Since its for fun go for a 2 stroke as they are quite pokey for small bikes, drive it around for a year then if you then want to go serious do your direct access which is around £500 depending on the amount of lessions etc iirc, your CBT will still be valid so you won't have to do it again. If you don't like it sell the bike on, you won't lose a whole lot on it in all honesty. This is my TZR 125 which i don't regret buying for a second. (Yer feel free to laugh about the colour i like it )

As previously mentioned if you go down this route the bikes to keep a eye out for a Aprilla RS 125, Yamaha TZR 125, Honda NSR 125 all are based on the superbike style and give you the feel of a bigger bike but without the power, all 3 are restricted to 70mph, but all 3 can be derestriced to do over 100mph if you pass your big test and decide to keep it.





The reason i said about a direct access is the fact its the quickest way to get you in to serious biking and on a "big" bike as it were which will teach you more in the long run.

[BigGlenn]

Durp,

You can still have fun on a 125, it depends on the type of riding you will be doing (ie short ride outs or all day cruising) but if you decide to do the Direct Access then you might find yourself wishing you had got a bigger bike

Well if he chooses to do a direct access they are going to stick him on a 600cc anyway

I would have thought that most places would put you on either a Kawasaki ER5 or a Honda CBF500, not a 600cc bike to be honest??

for someone with no previous experience i wouldn't recommend a sports bike. i supposed its down to the rider though, the bike will only go as fast as you make it.

That is very true, although admittedly I am on my first bike which is a 2005 Suzuki GSXR600 so I can't tell someone not to get a supersports bike for their first bike when I have one myself
If you did go down this route, be aware that the handling characteristics are very different to the bike you would be learning on, most noticeably the low speed turning ability and this would be the most likely time for you to drop the bike, and even at these speeds you could quite possibly do some expensive damage


As for the clothing side of things - do not buy the cheapest gear you can find, unless it has the correct protective standards in which case it will do the job it is designed for
Some people will spend silly amounts of money on gear because they think that the more expensive it is, the better it will be, but like all things in life, sometimes you are paying just for the name / colour / etc
Personally I started out with a textile jacket and trousers with all the protective inserts but picked up a 1-piece set of leathers a couple months ago for under £300 in a sale at Hein Gericke so you can get decent gear at a decent price


At the end of the day, it all comes down to how sensible you are - you could go out and get a 'hyperbike', never drop it and never change it for another and be totally safe - it is like idimmu said, it only goes as fast as you make it go

It is expensive to get started and get all the gear that you need, but at the same time it is very rewarding to be able to go out there and enjoy yourself

[Jasp]

Well if he chooses to do a direct access they are going to stick him on a 600cc anyway

I would have thought that most places would put you on either a Kawasaki ER5 or a Honda CBF500, not a 600cc bike to be honest??

Quite true....my mistake.

[BigGlenn]

Quite true....my mistake.

Nothing intended mate, was just wondering if things were changing since I did it a couple years ago as the place where I did mine are still using the ER5

[Agent]

a gsxr or cbr as a first bike? really?!

Indeed.
If you're going to start talking about mid range CC bikes, look at the ER-5/6 and other similar bikes. Friendly to ride, very forgiving and easy to maintain. They also keep their value well.

I almost went down the 'lets get a sports bike after passing the DAS' route and I'm so glad I didn't

Most schools around here still have ER-5s stockpiled as they are excellent commuter bikes.

[Jasp]

Nothing intended mate, was just wondering if things were changing since I did it a couple years ago as the place where I did mine are still using the ER5

Cousin did his about a year ago, not sure what bike he said he did it on though could of been a cb500 (ill have to ask next time i see him, & for the £80 he owes me still for the retest lol), basically bought a CBR 600 F, drove it around for 3 months didn't kill himself then sold it for £300 more then he paid lol. I quite naughtily took it up and down the shops were i used to work as they had a 100-150m stretch of empty road and was suitable impressed at how easy it was to actually ride compared to my 125.

[schmunk]

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