I might’ve been offered a motorbike as a swap for a second-hand bike. It’s a BMW 1200GS I think.

Problem:
I don’t have a motorbike license 😀

So I could do the fast-track course thing which seems to be about £600ish, spend some money on safety gear, insurance etc and actually ride it. Or I could SORN it and then sell it on to someone else.

How sensible are motorbikes to own? Will it be a massive money pit and then I’ll die wrapped around a tree? Is this blatantly a midlife crisis idea?

I want one, never been allowed – reason given that I would kill myself and have to admit that is probably true.

I am allowed, under strict conditions.

I’d start with something small if you’re serious about it. Something I always fancied owning, but never got around to. Probably for the best though, I’m bad enough on a push bike. If you’ve got the cash, do the course and take it from there maybe.

Yes, yes you do. (Not sure about that one specifically for a new rider, strikes me as drop city, but you could always chop it in)

Also; what the hell kinda second hand push bike has a comparable value to a BMW GS? They ain’t cheap themselves!

If you want a motorbike, go through the process and buy one. Don’t be bumped into owning one because of the BMW.

I loved it, for a long time- fun to do, fun to mess with, great social scene too (frankly way better than mtbing). But the bottom line is, it fitted in the exact same timeslots that mountain biking did, I just couldn’t do both. YMMV, of course.

Scotroutes advice is good though.

Even a cheap 1200 GS with no value-adding bolt-ons would usually be a good couple of grand, but they made them for a long time so be careful what you’re “buying”. Wouldn’t be my choice for a first bike personally, they’re big, hefty, and can be pretty expensive when they fall over (most people will have at least one low/no speed drop, it’s the law)

The other thing – given you nothing about motorbikes (and can’t ride this one) are you happy to take it as payment for something?

Cheers, yes, it’s a big bike which – paradoxically – seems like it’d be safer than a more boy racer bike.

I’m not allowed, but it’s because I have a young daughter, otherwise it would be fine. My wife just doesn’t trust anyone on the road and I respect that.

TBH, if I wanted to do the test that badly I’m sure I would have done it before now

I want one, never been allowed – reason given that I would kill myself and have to admit that is probably true.

Sounds like my wife is a bigamist, because that is what she told me too. Not allowed a chainsaw either.

I guess there are two separate but related questions – is it worth it as a swap for the bike (from looking at second-hand prices it seems fair enough) and is it something I want to sell on or to keep for myself?

Reasonably certain about the first question, it’s the second one that I’m not so sure about.

Honestly? if you have to ask then the answer is no.

As per Northwind a GS1200 is a big lumbering beast (and every chuffer an their dog has one) and not what I personally would look at for a first bike. Plus it could turn onto a money pit. And a bastard to pick up when you drop it…

The ‘traditional’ route to bike licence at your age ( 😉 ) is DAS and that will sting you for approx £600. Assuming everything goes swimmingly you’ll need at the kit (helmet, jaikit, gloves, boots, breeks and waterproof overs) and that’s £500 min (max is the moon!

Motorbikes are ace fun but they’re not particularly practical (not so bad if you’ve a menial job though 😉 and don’t need to sport a suit an tie) and you’ll get soaked bein in the West.

Also as NW says the bikin time neatly corresponds to mtn bikin time… Hence why my own bike is currently up for sale… 😳

Just IMNSHO

So, sensible head on, I presume it’s just like a car – I can SORN it then sell it onto someone else?

Also as NW says the bikin time neatly corresponds to mtn bikin time… Hence why my own bike is currently up for sale…

It’ll be interesting to see if my cycling time is impacted by my recent purchase….

Wouldn’t be my choice for a first bike personally, they’re big, hefty, and can be pretty expensive when they fall over (most people will have at least one low/no speed drop, it’s the law)

Pretty much my thoughts. If you’re doing DAS I’d be looking around the 600cc mark. Also, I’d probably want to pass my test first, by then you’ll have a better idea of what you want. There’s also the small matter of insuring a 1200 of course.

Step 1 is to book your CBT. You might find you hate it (unlikely but it happens) in which case you’re only out of pocket by a hundred quid or so. My thinking was, worst case scenario the CBT would be a “red letter” experience day.

sell it, buy a scooter, chill out, you look cool on a scooter at slow speeds.

That’s a good idea, Cougar – I should do that anyway, whether or not I decide to keep this bike (if the swap even happens).

bencooper – Member

Cheers, yes, it’s a big bike which – paradoxically – seems like it’d be safer than a more boy racer bike.

Well. Safety is really all about you. The GS has good visibility and a taller riding position than a sports bike but that’s a marginal difference. It’s more likely to have ABS than sports bikes too. OTOH it’ll probably have some all-rounder tyres on with less tarmac grip than a full road tyre- even GSs that never go further offroad than the garage tend to be dressed up as if they’re going to go round the world. And weight does count against you in any sort of emergency, it’s going to be something like 230kg and carry it fairly high.

(sports bikes/race replicas also come into my category of “bloody expensive to drop”- you can easily break a grand’s worth of plastic in 1 careless second. Though in your case I suspect plastic welding it all back together and respraying would be no hardship…)

I’m about 10 years behind the times now. For my first bike, I had a wee 125, it was shite but I loved it. For my second, and last, I got a Suzuki SV650S- 65bhp, enough power to be faster than pretty much anything with 4 wheels, light and good enough handling to be fun, looked and sounded like a proper bike, and very nearly impossible to kill because all the expensive stuff is tucked away. Slid it along the back straight at knockhill at some ludicrous speed and just shook out the gravel, changed a broken brake lever and rode it home. I tuned and modified the balls out of it, which was completely stupid but, that’s motorbikes. Cost less to insure than my diesel focus. It was supposed to be a sort of advanced-learner bike but it grew with me, never wanted another- still got it.

Anyway, no doubt there’s other better options now, that bike’s 17 years old! But something very much like that. Enough bike to be a proper bike, not enough bike to be mental, something to grow into but also to help you figure out what you want.

Cougar – Moderator

Step 1 is to book your CBT. You might find you hate it (unlikely but it happens) in which case you’re only out of pocket by a hundred quid or so. My thinking was, worst case scenario the CBT would be a “red letter” experience day.

This is great advice. And if I’d taken it, I’d have missed out on the whole thing! I had a disastrous first CBT, hated it. Just couldn’t do it. If I hadn’t already bought the bike I’d have walked away.

But it’s still great advice.

I gave up motorcycles pretty much for mtbs about ten years ago and I was a 10 000+ mile a year rider

One thing I really don’t miss is getting dressed up in all the clobber for a spin and also given my greater emphasis of being green these days I cannot justify using one just for a blast in the country given the pollution that causes compared to the much lower environmental cost of a n MTB. That and I didn’t really have the leisure time to do both.

Unless you have always hankered after a motorbike I would say no. GS is not a good first bike in many ways and also an old cheap one could have a host of issues and cost a few bb to put in good condition. 2 or 3 hundred for a pair of decent tyres, new shock front and rear etc etc

Tjagain beat me to it but there are plenty of GS lemons about especially the early models with final drive problems, even the ones that were fixed under warranty have failed time and again. The build quality didn’t really do justice to the BMW badge either so don’t be sold on that. If you get a lemon expect it to cost lots to get right. If the owner had a good one I’m sure he could have sold it easily by now to pay you cash rather than swaps.

I had a bike for a year, but in the end I got rid – so here’s a very negative list of why:

As a practical form of transport they’re compromised – you can’t take the kids, you can’t do ‘the big shop’ it’s usually too cold, but occasionally too hot, it’s never in between.

It’s lovely being able to filter to the front of the queue at lights but people will hate you for it and any time you make up doing that you’ll lose having to get changed every time you get on or off the thing.

They’re total scrote magnets, if having a shed full of bikes keeps you up at night try having a half-way flash motorbike.

And the whole death thing, bikers will usually act angrily if you refer to them as death traps, but the stats don’t lie, if a car was being sold today with the sorts of rates of fatalities that motorbike riders suffer it would be banned, banned again and banned a third time to make sure. Like everyone else I’ve suffered at the hands of idiot drivers and half-asleep drivers as a cyclist but it’s nothing compared to what motorbikes suffer – and that the being outside the vehicle at 70mph (or more) and it ends badly for too many bikers.

The truth of it is none of the above mattered, riding a bike is sublime, it’s a wonderful experience and you don’t need to be scraping your elbow around the roundabout by Tesco like a **** to enjoy them – but when it came down to it – on the odd occation that a had a few hours free and the sun was shining I still wanted to get on the MTB rather than the motorbike, so I rarely used it

Plenty good advice here but the best is – if you have to ask, the answer’s no.

I’ve been looking at the rookie to rider that BMW offer, looks great but I have no idea if it offers good value…. doesn’t really matter though because I’m not allowed one anyway. For anybody that is allowed here’s the link.

https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/Offers/RookietoRider.html