I’ve recently done my CBT and am currently riding a Honda 125.  I’m planning on getting my full licence via the DAS at some point this year (summer hopefully).  As such I’m currently checking out my next bike purchase!

I don’t want to move up too quickly and very much like the look of the latest Honda CBR500R (or CBF500).  Does anyone have one (or has ridden one)?

Are there any other bikes of this size I should also consider?

Many thanks!

My 1st bike after DAS was (still is) a Triumph Street Triple 675 and I didn’t find it too much machine, also very capable once you’ve improved. Grows with you if you like.

following my DAS I went for the Honda NC700, and TBH if it didnt exist I wouldnt have bothered replacing my PCX125. The NC700 is a great bike to step up to. Not to powerful (49bhp), will happily cruise on the motorway at 90+ yet do 75mpg+. Easy to handle, sympathetic throttle, nice and tall but can be moved around well.

Peter Poddy of this ‘ere’parish commutes many miles a year on his. I use mine a few times a week, but its always comfortable and enjoyable.

My first bike was a CBR600Fi it was an awful lot easier to ride than either the 125 I did the CBT or the pig iron 500 I did my test one. Obviously it could go an awful lot quicker than either of them, but the rev range was so wide it was a doddle to ride at normal speeds – far from being the fire spitting widow maker I thought it would be (for a novice rider) it needed a serious amount of provoking to go mental.

I got a Suzuki DL650 V-Strom after passing my DAS, pretty much for the reason you’ve given. Best to learn on a bike that doesn’t scare you!

I’d also recommend going 2ndhand as it will hurt less when you drop it (everybody does at some point, usually turning or putting it away…).

Not ridden the Hondas but they are well liked for a reason. Latest SV650 looks good vfm too (esp as I like v-twins). I’ve a mate who sold his DL1000 and now has a SV and a CB500X.

I currently have a DL1000 but would probably get a smaller bike again if I was in the market. In fact I fancy a Bonneville… 😳

KTM duke390

I rode all sorts of bikes from being a 9 yr old on a Honda C70 field bike to a 30 something on big Jap sports bikes to finishing on an KTM Adventure 950. Of all the bikes I owned a 1200 Bandit and the KTM were the most fun and the reason for that is seating position and fun factor and their limits being within reach.

What I’m trying to say is a bike that is comfy, gives a good view of the road ahead and over walls and other road users (flat bars like Stoner’s Honda rather than drops/clip-ons) and which you can (over time) control with ease and aplomb is what, in my opinion, helps you learn your craft.

So I’d say the CB500 or an ER6 (if they still make them) will be plenty to be going on with, and once you feel that your skills have outgrown it move on to something more ‘advanced’.

Almost all of those suggestions (other than the Street Triple) are lame. Motorbikes for fat middle aged men and women in shapeless black cordura textiles.
Get something with some style:

Also, don’t sweat it about engine size. Better to have too much power. You’ll find you just don’t twist the throttle as far.

Mine was a mine bending RD250lc which despite throwing down the road and stacking into the back of stationary traffic I managed to survive. Then I switched allegiance to big singles and went on a TTR600, XT600 tenere’ and finally an XR650 oddysey.

I’d agree with the comfy bike option, and one that you can see well ahead on.

Peter Poddy of this ‘ere’parish commutes many miles a year on his.

Yep. 12,000 miles a year, 85mpg average. Up and down the motorway. The bike never sees a corner……
It’s perfect for what I need. Easily the best all round commuter bike I’ve ever ridden but if I ever did anything else on it I’d get a Yamaha MT07 like my wife’s, or the Tracer version. Dynamically superior in every way and a much more fun. Nearly as cheap to run because the servicing is a lot cheaper even though it does nearly 20mpg less.
For the money, as a first bike or general fun bike I don’t think there’s anything to touch an MT07.

As above – Triumph Street Triple. I took my Speed Triple R 1050 in for a service in the summer & got a Street as a courtesy bike & rode it to the coast & back – it was a bit shabby but such great fun.

Watch & listen, this guy makes some sense;

Better to have too much power

I totally disagree. Having had 2 1000cc bikes with 110bhp you just never get to use it. I switched to a Monster 696 with less than 80bhp and it was way more fun because you can thrash the bejesus out of it and not kill yourself. Our Ducati ST3s was a proper weapon. Two up to the Isle of Man and back was a doddle but it’s like wandering round a forest with a gun in your hand – At some point YOU ARE going to shoot at something. 70 to 130mph and back to 70 happens too often. I’m
Sold on smaller bikes now, something light and chuckable that struggles over 100mph. That’s all you need.

I’d probably get something sub-£1k like a ZZR600 or RF600 to get used to a faster bike (and which won’t upset you too much if you drop it) then buy the new one you actually want next year.

Thanks all – there’s fantastic advice here and very much appreciated.

Lots to research and think about! I could well be watching YouTube all night…

NC750s are brilliant bikes but of the two you mention the CB500 range would probably get my vote, especially the CB500F.

It has a similar power output to the NC750, but it’s lighter, revs more freely and is just a bit more fun to ride.

For a first bike, I’d be wary of something like a Street Triple or something with that level of power. People who say that you only go as fast as you twist the throttle clearly have greater self control than me…

I totally disagree. Having had 2 1000cc bikes with 110bhp you just never get to use it. I switched to a Monster 696 with less than 80bhp and it was way more fun because you can thrash the bejesus out of it and not kill yourself. Our Ducati ST3s was a proper weapon. Two up to the Isle of Man and back was a doddle but it’s like wandering round a forest with a gun in your hand – At some point YOU ARE going to shoot at something. 70 to 130mph and back to 70 happens too often. I’m
Sold on smaller bikes now, something light and chuckable that struggles over 100mph. That’s all you need.

+1

You know you see all these big bikes for sale sub 500k on the clock? I reckon it’s because someone buys one, goes out and shit themselves on a corner, scares themselves half to death, it goes in the shed, and then after a year of neglect they sell. Well, the lucky ones do…

Funny that glennquaqmire started the thread, I’d name this bike Joe Swanson.

Look at what you want to use it for. I had a ZZR6 and it was great. I rode pillion on a couple of BMWs the off road jobbies for work and they were really nice places to be.
Regarding out and out sports bikes, they don’t need to be hammered everywhere and are likely to be uncomfortable for longer rides, and are likely to kill you.
Sport touring is the place to look, but I’d probably look at a CBR6 if I were looking to buy another bike (or an R 1200 GS).

Thanks, this advice is superb.

The bike will be used for pleasure (I have a car for the commute) but I want something relaxing and easy to ride. I think a more upright style will probably suit me more. The Yahama MT07 looks good, will look at that in more detail.

But all the suggestions are great – I’m new to this (ish) so some of the older bikes might well be a great purchase.

Seriously, ride a few bikes then ride a CB500 followed by an MT07 last.
I would have had a CB500 but I got my NCX cheaper as they had a used one. The CB was lighter and felt faster (it’s not) because it revs higher, the MT07 feels very similar to a CB500, just better in every way.
If you’re looking at used bikes, make sure you get one with ABS brakes. It’ll save your ass at some point.

Honda = build quality. I’d have to be hard pushed to buy something else.

Don’t get a fully fared bike as a first bike. First time you drop it – and you will drop it – it’ll be bloody expensive.

Get something with some style:

Taste is subjective but I think all of those are hideous.

They’re getting on a bit now but the SV650/S is still a legendary learner- it’s great fun to ride, it’s easy to upgrade if you’re into that, it’s got a lovely usable engine with “just enough” power, it’s pretty light… And it’s bloody nearly unkillable, because if/when you bin it, the frame and engine and other expensive parts are narrow and a long way in, and there’s a million spares out there. Build quality isn’t especially good, is the main downer.

One of the big deals is that if it’s your first big bike it’s really hard to know what you want. Also, there’s a reasonable chance of having some sort of bump- even if it’s just a “dropped it in supermarket car park”. So there’s a lot to be said for buying something inexpensive that’s not completely wrapped in plastic to do the next step of learning on. Especially since inexpensive can still be damn good.

I don’t want to move up too quickly

Good man, sensible way to go and as you graduate upwards you’ll find you’ve the confidence and skill to handle the bigger bikes far better.

I’ve a pal who passed his test (late in life) and bought a big Kwak – replaced it with another earlier this year, now in hospital with a load of broken bits. It bit him when overtaking…

tbh when I started finances meant you couldn’t go ‘big’ even though I passed my test at 17 y/o (RD250E on L plates and then an RD350LC 🙂 ).

Taste is subjective but I think all of those are hideous.

What, the Duc Monster?

Anyone see James May’s latest The Reassembler?
Now that’s a bike!

IMO the smaller Monsters are the prettiest. The bigger more complicated ones look too fussy, there’s too much hanging out all over the place, less is more. To my mind the prettiest of all the monsters was the 695, the last of the origional style before the redesign. Or the old 620 Dark, but I do prefer red. Mrs PP had one….
[url=https://flic.kr/p/6GJgy4]
IMG_0966[/url]
by Peter Atkin, on Flickr

I had a 696, the replacement.
It was my favourite bike ver. Sooooooo much fun. It loved to rev and be thrown around. Awesome brakes, very very light, and a wonderful growl from the air box right under your chin. Loud cans would have drowned that out and spoilt the bike. I’d love another.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/51SNdn]
Duke[/url] by Peter Atkin, on Flickr

Cheers all for the advice. I want to take it steady and there’s no rush – learning is good fun 🙂

Good point regarding ABS – it’s re-assuring to have in my car and it should be no different on the bike either.

Goldwing. In for a penny…

Good point regarding ABS – it’s re-assuring to have in my car and it should be no different on the bike either.

It’s not any more. Compulsory under Euro 4. About time too.

Whatever bike you buy, promise me one thing: ride the bloody thing. I can never understand these people who spend all this money on a bike they ride a couple of thousand miles a year. Hardly seems worth it!

Rachel (who seems to be averaging about 14000 a year now)

Whatever you get, consider some sort of advanced course. You’ll gain experience in weeks that would take years to amass.

I can never understand these people who spend all this money on a bike they ride a couple of thousand miles a year.

LOL That’s a lot…. i’ll be happy if i manage 500 miles this year motorbiking 🙂

Although 90% of them will be around Silverstone and Donington 🙂

Good point regarding ABS – it’s re-assuring to have in my car and it should be no different on the bike either. [/I]

Yep. My first bike with ABS was a Tiger 1050 and on a wet night in London a taxi u-turned in front of me. I slammed on the brakes expecting to hit it because I couldn’t slow down enough (needing to lift off as the wheels locked etc). The wheels never locked enough for me to need to lift off and I came to a stop with my front wheel creasing his drivers door as he had stopped in a panic.

Needless to say my next bike had ABS and I wouldn’t buy one without either.

All good bike related advice on here.

My advice would be – don’t get too hung up on what bike to get. Spend your time and money on LEARNING TO RIDE whatever bike you get.

I was always amazed when mates would happily spend £800 on a full exhaust system for an extra 4bhp but wouldn’t spend a fraction of that for some advanced 1-1 training.

Do the IAM, do track based courses, track days, ride offroad, ride in the wet as much as possible etc etc.

It’s fun reading about and buying bikes but it’s wa-a-a-y more fun if you can ride the hell out of anything you swing a leg over.

😀

I bought a SV650 4/5 years ago when I passed. It’s been faultless and all over Europe with me. The V-Twin is one of the easiest engines to ride I think as you can just let the engine breaking slow you down without having to touch the brakes.. This allows you to just practise being smooth and reading the road well which is great for a beginner.. it also has a lot of play / grunt so you can start practising getting over in the corners confidently ect..

It sounds really nice and has lots of power for on the road… like has been said they are fairly cheap second hand.. mine only cost me normal servicing costs and tyres in that time.

I have a few upgrades mainly to the retarding and suspension to make it stiffer so it’s less likely to dive under breaking (I’m 13 stone) but the stock stuff is super soft.

Love the bike.. not a huge fan of it’s looks but I don’t think it’s that ugly with the big frame and it doesn’t look as dated as a lot of the bikes from the mid 2000’s.

SV650s was my first ever bike. Loved that thing. Commuted on it all year round, was great

Then Street Triple R, amazing bike, miss it still

Then RR8 Fireblade, amazing bike, still have it, but not riding much these days

I’d recommend something with more than 500cc, they tend to be boring. I’d go for a 600cc ish bike, they’ll be forgiving, but also fast enough and you won’t feel the need to upgrade straight away. The <500cc KTMs are the only smaller engine bikes I’d consider

I did my test on an SV and bloody hated it! 🙂

Sticking a brand new learner on one would be cruel. “Now while everything else is going on, learn how to work with engine braking and blip on downshifts or you’ll DIE”

We rode into a town called Die on the day of this picture… and funnily enough we did have a close encounter with a big rock round a blind corner at speed!

All ended well though!

Nothing like test riding a bike to see what you like… the faired version was surprisingly comfortable too but I personally prefer being hammered by the wind as a reminder of how fast I’m going.. (red ones mine)

My recommendation would be an SV650. Great little bikes and fast enough to grow into, also the engine is nice and has a definite character that the parallel twins (CB500 etc..) don’t have.

Don’t be afraid of all big bikes by the way. BMW boxer engines in 1100/1150/1200cc are big, but far from scary. All my favourite bikes have been big boxer engines – torque is king as far as I’m concerned and they still have enough top end to be fun.

A road bike with minimal plastic in 350cc – 500cc would be my recommendation. You will become a better rider more quickly than if you have a big bike as you will learn to corner properly being unable to blast down the strights to wobble round corners and still keep up a decent average speed.

the fun in bikes comes from thrashing them. thash a 4 pot 600cc plus bike and you will soon run out of skill as a newb – hence get a smaller bike you can thrash at more reasonable speeds to gain the skills you need to ride a big bike properly

I see many folk out on big sports bikes who clearly have not done time on small bikes – you can tell by their inability to brake and corner properly. Best example was a group of full on power rangers on 1000cc sports bikes trying to keep up with me and my mates – we were on big tourers out for spin so making rapid progress but not flat out. ONe of the group of power rangers put his bike thru a hedge trying to keep up. One nearly hit a car from overshooting a corner.

So skill is all – and you develop your skills better on smaller bikes.