[Closed] Should I buy a motorbike?

Do it, you only live once. There is alot to be said for doing the test right now and get something bigger. If you are worried about hurting yourself doing the full test over the CBT will give piece of mind. Also this allows you to buy a sensible but better suited bike for a tall rider like a ER5 or CB500. They can work out cheaper to buy and run than a 125!

Bigger bikes provide better handling, better brakes, better road presence and power to get you out of trouble. IMHO 125s should only be considered if you're too young to get a full licence or you're getting a scooter for town use.

A)- Go for it.

Take your time, learn how to ride. Once you've done your test and graduated to a bigger bike do some advanced training and some on-track sessions and it's a continuous learning curve from there.

a) go for it

although 6 foot 2 i wouldn't go for a CBF, would look kinda small under you (i'm six foot and tried one out, felt like a scooter)

Something like this or one of the other fuller sized bikes would be a good bet:
[img] [/img]

Honda Varadero, not long ago read about two guys that have toured britain on these without missing a beat or wishing they had 600's

not long ago read about two guys that have toured britain on these without missing a beat or wishing they had 600's

They must be really slow!

Do it, do your full test. Just don't ride like a d**k and be aware of everything going on around you. You won't regret it, riding a motorbike is awesome.

The varedero's not slow, even my ancient crappy Virago 125 wasn't slow, it'd puff along at any UK speed limit 😉 DId take a while to get there though but still faster than a small engined family car.

I'd recommend it, I've gone off bikes a bit since I started mountain biking again but I'd still not swap to a car for my commute, I'd have to be insane to do that tbh. But recreational riding is a bit different, it's time consuming for one so I found it hard to fit in with mountain biking, and you do tend to get more out of it with better kit too so it can be expensive. Sound familiar?

It's also a pretty social thing IMO, solo biking can be fun but it's good to have people to do it with, again just like mtb.

so, you've always wanted a bike, you buy it, pass your test, spend untold amounts of money on a succession of bikes and kit for the next ten years then knock it all on the head, you don't miss it and on reflection you decide that it wasn't actually that good and then everytime you see a biker you ask yourself why? why? why?

oh sorry, no you don't that was just me 😳

Lol @ stu. Quiet possibly but I'd maybe prefer that than spend the next 20 years thinking what if.

Ok sounds like a plan. Excuse my ignorance but do I need to buy a bike to take lessons on or do they provide them? I was assuming I'd need to buy a 125cc to get through my test?

It will be the most fun you get,without taking your clothes off.
Says me after i just sold my Ducati

Go for it. Take your time. Learn to ride and go a little bit better at each step. Plenty of people will tell you you'll be ok buying a 50+ BHP as first bike. Just ignore them. Most of them cant ride for shit as they are only able to go full throttle on any straight line. Plenty of 400 cc bike with around 34 BHP. That is about spot on to start with. Keep it for about 10 000 milles and go a tad bigger (about 45-50) and so and so.
On open road you hardly need more than 85 Bhp. And to be able to actually manage that amount of power you need to be a seriously skilled rider.

Do the CBT first. It takes you through the basics of riding including a couple of hours on the road on a 125. Don't like it? You're only about £100 down. Do like it, then at least you know before buying something.

Sound advice from Juan. My last bike was a [b]mere[/b] 68 bhp and that was still quick enough to get you into lots of trouble, especially in the wet.

When I passed my test (a long time ago) you tended to go from a 50cc 'fizzy' or similar to a 250cc to pass your test. In that time you gained experience and hopefully road sense on relatively low powered bikes which would still do a ton if the wind direction/hill etc. was right. Going to a 750cc was a big step in those days and yet now you can get a fairly standard 600cc which would blow even the quickest 1000cc of those days into the dust in all areas.

Get your training in and at least you'll find out (in relative safety) if it's for you without too much expense.

Just sold my zx6r - guys picking it up tomorrow. Had it since new after I passed my DAS course. Loved it but got back into mtbs and there's not enough time at the wkd to do both and spend time with a young family.

Sound advice from Juan. My last bike was a mere 68 bhp and that was still quick enough to get you into lots of trouble, especially in the wet.

Don't totally agree with Juan... A lot of it's about temperament. For some people, imposing a bit of a limit is a good idea, but having 100bhp at your right hand doesn't matter unless you choose to use it. Fact is there are plenty of people who get a sports 600 or bigger as a first bike straight from DAS and get on fine, and they're not all slow either. Glad I didn't, I reckon you learn a lot from a weaker bike, not to mention that I could drop my 125 in a car park and do literally no damage at all, wheras if you drop a CBR at 0mph you can cause a grand's worth of damage.

But, don't assume you need a small bike, any more than you should assume you need a big one. Know yourself, is the first thing, if you're the sort of person who's likely to go nuts then consider getting a more limited bike. Most people with a good head on their shoulders will be fine to jump on an SV650 or an older CBR600F or something as a first bike. You only need about 5bhp to kill yourself on a bike so it's not as though going for a 33bhp machine will give you a forcefield.

Also don't agree that the 400cc market is a good place to be buying at all, they're mostly old, some of them are inexplicably desirable and so expensive, some are expensive to keep on the road, and lots aren't actually that nice to ride. If there was a good range of current models I'd agree but UK biking fashion has left the 33bhp market pretty much broken.

Go for it. I learnt to ride on a VAradero and they're well easy to ride and as i'm 6ft it was about the only 125 I didn't look ridiculous riding.

It would do 70mph with your elbows tucked in, but would take all day and very long downhill to get there

Plenty of people will tell you you'll be ok buying a 50+ BHP as first bike. Just ignore them. Most of them cant ride for shit as they are only able to go full throttle on any straight line.

Most people advise a bigger bike than 400cc simply because there is so much more choice second hand.

Talking about different power bikes is irrelevant to a new rider but fact is a bigger bike has other features like handling and road presence that make them a better choice. FWIW, I am 'more' scared riding my old 100cc scooter than my 140bhp sports bike in town. The handling at brakes on many small bikes are horrific.

Fact is there are plenty of people who get a sports 600 or bigger as a first bike straight from DAS and get on fine, and they're not all slow either.

Most people advise a bigger bike than 400cc simply because there is so much more choice second hand.

Juan - long shot I know but don't suppose you know the whereabouts of a spare SRX600 engine in sunny France do you? Mate of mine in northern France lent his to someone who then preceeded to thrash it & seize it solid 👿

(Mr MC posting)

partly disagree with juan for the reasons northwind said, most 400ccs are getting on for 20yrs old, many were sports bikes with racy positions and pretty complicated mechanicals. Not ideal for a learner (writing as someone who bitterly regrets selling his NC30).

A CBF125 would be physically too small and uncomfortable for a 6ft+ rider, and having learnt on a 125 myself I think the poor performance encourages risk-taking (marginal overtakes, trying to keep momentum up etc).

I passed my test in my teens and only took my car test at 30. I still dont own a car (though have use of MCs). MC did direct access 3 years ago (all on hired bikes, you dont need to own one to learn) and bought a minter of an SV650. These are big enough for blokes your size, but has a low enough seat and narrow enough body that a 5'4" girly can still get her feet down comfortably. Its a 60-odd hp, 130mph bike, but MC rides it carefully and sedately 😉 and the bike doesnt carry her away.

Bike accident statistics are shocking, but the harsh reality is many accidents are down to the rider. Ive been riding 20yrs, used to ride year round and currently have an R1, but I havent had an accident since getting knocked off as a learner. If you have the right mentality you will go a long way to mitigating the dangers.

gratuitous picture whoring to motivate you

My R1 by a welsh dam, in the middle of a 400mile day-long epic.

[IMG] [/IMG]

MC pack-horsed up before 200 mile cross country ride to my folks in yorkshire (I told her my R1 couldnt carry luggage 😉

[IMG] [/IMG]

dickyboy tell you friend to look on leboncoin.fr and seek help on :
http://srxteam.forums-actifs.net/forum.htm which is the french bible of the SRX. I know yamaha still make plenty of spares fro the SRX. Problem is they are yamaha prices 😉
Tell your mate to mail me
jfernandezcarmona@gmail.com

Tell him I grieve as I crash mine on friday 🙁

EDIT: I know it's fairly easy to get it rebore...

juan - Member

"Well you mean the bike isn't. Problem with modern sports bike is that they are so powerful that any s"tretch of straight line is enough to use the bike as skill compensator."

So what? That doesn't automatically mean that everyone resorts to using it. A few of my mates went right in on 600s and are faster than people who went your route of 125-400-600. And I know some people who did the slow learning curve thing and are still total mince. Some people are happy just to have the straight line pace and there's nothing wrong with that but this idea that 600s WILL make you a poor rider is just daft, and obviously wrong when you look at the real world. It's like saying full suss makes you a bad rider.

Your list of recommendations proves the point, SR500, SRX400, XT400 I can't even remember the last time I saw any of those. bandit 4s are scarce too. Leaving aside that half your list aren't even 400s.

Then along comes the SV650- millions of them out there, better handling than most, (1) not massively powerful, tractable easy to use engine almost unkillable in a crash, restrict well, cheap to buy, cheap to imsure, cheap to repair. And restricted to 33bhp they still pull well because of the engine characteristics. A better choice than pretty much everything in your list in pretty much every way. Though I am biased 😉

(1) OK the SV suspension is very basic, and badly specced, the springs are too soft for most riders. But it'll generally be less clapped out. The great myth of the amazing handling 400s falls down when you take the top off the fork and see the oil's 20 years old and thin as water, and full of bits of metal. I've never ridden a used hot 400 that wasn't desperately in need of a suspension rebuild yet all the owners are convinced they outhandle modern 600s.

Diversion 600 :O You msut be foucking joking... I tried one and it's a ****ing pile of poooooooooooooooo. Position is rubbsih, motor is rubbish (ok that is predictable it's a inline 4) handling is utterly crap, I have tried road bike that handle better.

A friend had a SV 650. He sold it because back in the days (year 2001) even cheap bike fork were better.

I can't even remember the last time I saw either of those.

OK, but what's common down there tells you nothing mate, he's buying a bike here. And if your mate had just spent an hour fixing the spring rate he'd have found a new bike. Doubt you'd recommend people to get a completely standard SRX and leave it that way?

(I'm not recommending a Divi btw, they're horrible but they're practical. Til it gets dark and you discover they might as well not have a headlight anyway)

Doubt you'd recommend people to get a completely standard SRX and leave it that way?

Mr MC - you are so right about R1's and luggage! Badly positioned panniers and underseat exhausts do not mix!!! I have learned the hard way!
Your R1 looks nice, got the black 06 version...
I think your right about the mentality of the rider but there are also plenty out there as Juan says who think its a skills compensator in a straight line! but come to a bend and its a different story...
Personally I like going round corners 😀

Personally I like going round corners

I was going to polish my bike today to put it on the market as it hasn't seen much use. Anyway, I thought I'd better go for a blast and it was too much fun to sell. I went back to having a bike after a breat of c 20 years. My criteria were cruisy, not too fast and shaft driven. I scored a very low milage Yam Virago 535 and it ticks all the boxes wonderfully. Go for it!

Fair enough then Juan, the only SRXs I've ridden were very modified. And ace, I have to say, though I felt a lot of it was down to the modern suspension fitted (one of them had a set of Ohlins R&T in it...) But both the owners said they wouldn't ride a standard one, and had poured huge amounts of effort into making them as good as they were. (funnily enough they both have SVs as day to day bikes and SRXs as project bikes)

i started riding motorbikes at 6 years old [i'm now 40].

i rode the road and the track and am now back on the road with mrs tlr on the back.

in my experience anyone who's started to ride after their teens are generally prone to havinbg less ability and less speed as the self-preservation instinct stints progress........unless you learn on the track..............

for sure have a go, but FFS do not go power ranger on your R1 and end up in the hedge - it happens every weekend with the mid-life crisis set and it's unnecessary.....

good luck...........

[img] [/img]Hi, just do it! You wont regret it but if your prone to the odd upgrade on your MTB, and you think you'll be the same with a proper bike, prepare to be skint forever!
It's a great excuse to just go out somewhere for no reason, and you meet some great people too - hang on, that sounds familiar!
As stated by the others, get your direct access out the way on a hire bike, and get something worth having to start with - Suzuki SV would be ideal as great alround bike that you wont get bored of!
And you dont need to be going fast to crash - being a careless tw#t also works! (as below)[img] [/img]]

And 5 month's on i've kept it upright still!

get a monkey bike that would right funny under 6,2 😆

To the Op - do the cbt and see how you get on.

I was exactly like you, 30 32 years old, with an alfa 75 3l I loved, but couldn't handle the bills, nor the 23 to the gallon. So I bought a 125 for commuting. I hated bikes as a kid, noisy, dangerous dirty things.

90 to the gallon really appealed, and so did the comedy insurance and road tax. So I did the cbt. Frankly, it was the best £100 I ever spent - I didn't enjoy it, but hell, it made me a much better driver, instantlym seeing the road from a bikers point of view.

So I got a little gs125. After literally a few weeks, I got fed up with traffic bunching behind me, and being blown all around the road in shitty weather. So for that reason alone, decided I'd give myself a year max, but look to get a full A Licence. Next spring, did a DAS course and aquired a full license.

I am not the usual hairy biker, I am not big or rugged in any way, nor care much about power, how it works or whatever. I am the apollo at Halfords mtb buyer of motorcycles. However, its great. I use it most days, commuting is a big lol, its 1/2 the time to work. Its half the insurance, half the tax, half the petrol, twice the fun, and parking is free, not £6 pd in central croydon. A Day down to the coast, means free parking, right on Brighton sea front. On a good day, even riding along normally is like going down a decent hill on a mtb, that freedom from pedalling/sheer fun thing.....

To the poster who dismissed an sv650, er, well, its all about opinion, but really, you didn't own one, and the opinion expressed is one many would disagree with, or suggest that the view is "controversial".

The bike is light at 169kg, low with a sub 800mm saddle height, easy to ride, a twin so learners are less caught out with gears as it rides along on a decent wave of torque, you dont need to hunt for a powerband at the top end. It's cheap to buy, cheap to fix, and the basis of a decent racing series, and quite fun to ride. Ok the suspension is a bit budget, but it's easilly modded in due course with a gsxr front end.

On the roads, its one of the most common bikes you might see on the roads, Suzuki sold thousands of them, and has a fairly loyal following at places like sv650.org.

I did CBT and day one of my DAS on a CB125 and boy, did my backside hurt! I'm 6ft2" and these bikes are great for small people and, like the 500cc Suzuki i did the remaining 4 days of my DAS on, are a bit basic. They are training school/commuter bikes. Zero bling, both were uncomfortable and cheap as chips!

The Varadero 125 is indeed a good choice if you want to go that route. Frankly, i'd do the CBT followed by the DAS as soon as you can and skip the 125cc. At higher speeds the basic Honda i rode 125cc felt unsafe and simply hadn't got enough grunt (although I managed to rag the one i was on and topped 75mph when the instructor told us to "open it up", but it was well past it's performance comfort zone).

The advantage of gaining a full license is you will be able to buy physically bigger bikes which will be right for your height. 500-600cc bikes would be about right as a first machine in my opinion. I'd generally avoid sports bikes as these are just going to encourage risk taking, but apart from this, they aren't renowned for comfort.

Power is irrelevant so long as you keep a lid on your behaviour.

I did the DAS 3 years ago after a 28 year break, with a view to commuting. Since then no commuting need has arisen and i'm tempted to pick up something old with a view to a rebuild. I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap, but fun. You can get some pretty excellent older bikes for £1000, so this might be a waste of time.

In terms of suitable bikes, being the same height as you, it isn't easy finding something big enough, but which doesn't have an enourmous engine. The BMW GS1200 is the right size, but the enging is too big and too heavy. I looked at TDM's and other "adventure" type bikes, but nothing has set me on fire yet (aprt from bikes with huge engines).

I went to the BMF Tail end last year expecting to see all the manufacturer's offering, but all I found was lots of stalls selling end of line stuff at knock down prices -which was nice seeing as I was also there to get kitted out.

Kids are a massive responsibility and i'm surte you don't need the safety lecture.

Good luck, whatever you choose to do!

So I got a little gs125. After literally a few weeks, I got fed up with traffic bunching behind me, and being blown all around the road in shitty weather

Do direct access and get a middleweight twin.

Juan is right if a bit OTT. Going straight to a sports 4 makes it harder to learn to ride properly and less fun. Simnply pout they are so fast along a stright that you are still fast point to point without cornering properly and cornering at low revs / low loading the bike does not respond properly. So if you do overcook it a little you don't have the skills to get out of that situation as you haven't learnt how to handle a bike near its limits ( as almost no one can take a modern sports bike to its limits on the road and a newb will get nowhere near. Unlike cars a bike used gently does not respond in the same way it does usd hard.

newbs on big sports bikes are horrendously overrepresented in the accident stats. CB 400 / 4 ( the recent one), SV 650, CB500, ER6 older fazer. Thats the sort of bike to go for - fast enough that you wont get bored,slow enough you can learn to ride it properly.

It take tens of thousands of miles to even become an adequate rider. I have ridden big bikes a lot but not for a couple oif years now. I wouldn't attempt to ride a sports 4 without months on a middleweight again first.

motorbikes are ace, and insanely dangerous.

I'd love one but I'd die in the first week. Many years in my youth riding around on a variety of bikes taught me lots of things. I passed my test and rode a few big bikes, had a few crashes and lucked out without being seriusly injured, realised they were mental, left it behind me. But I love the feeling of a good bike bike.

samuri - Member

"motorbikes are ace, and insanely dangerous."

Some riders are dangerous. Motorbikes are not. If you realised you weren't temperamentally suited to it, good for you but it's not like that for most people.

Go for it.

Observation and anticipation are the most important things on a motorbike, whatever you are riding.

TandemJeremy

newbs on big sports bikes are horrendously overrepresented in the accident stats. CB 400 / 4 ( the recent one), SV 650, CB500, ER6 older fazer. Thats the sort of bike to go for - fast enough that you wont get bored,slow enough you can learn to ride it properly.

It take tens of thousands of miles to even become an adequate rider

I'm not sure that it takes [b]Tens[/b] of thousands of miles. It depends on the person, the 'quality' of the riding and how much effort you put into it. Most people don't ride enough after they pass their test after a short course.

I'm not claiming to be a riding god by any means, but I'm certainly competent with only around 15k miles under my wheels. It would have been more, but for being off the road for a few months.

When I passed my DAS a couple of years ago (at age 30) I bought an ER5, rode as often as I could(& commuted in all weathers) before getting a TDM850(not a Top Trumps winner in any category), I practised low-speed manoeuvres a lot, asked others for advice, read many books on riding & I went out for rides -the more twisty the better- with biking friends and relatives.

I did the IAM course as I was interested in learning more and finding out how good my riding was. As I'd already picked-up a lot of info, I didn't have any trouble with it and I didn't learn a huge amount (mostly at the end of the test from the superb examiner), but it did polish my riding a bit and was worth doing.

I'd say that having been a keen/over-confident mtber who's learned through some hard 'experiences' to be smoother and less frantic and improved as a result, moving across to motorbikes at 30 was fine and it is satisfying when you start to feel 'at-one' (cosmic, man) with your motorbike.

Aye, you should get one. They're gid fun. Here's some pics of my two current bikes and some of my mates.
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3348580591_a7d4ff72cd_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3348580591_a7d4ff72cd_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3348580591/ ]my GS and Stac Pollaidh[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/3200644281_10580b89eb.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/3200644281_10580b89eb.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3200644281/ ]Slovenian border.[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3359267721_3de0e9f7fc.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3359267721_3de0e9f7fc.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3359267721/ ]My GS at Longniddry[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3351964972_0fb70f557b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3351964972_0fb70f557b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3351964972/ ]VFR, GS and Dignity[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3897524094_37ea4e44ff.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3897524094_37ea4e44ff.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3897524094/ ]Ferg on the back wheel.[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3863173396_5614bc2389.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3863173396_5614bc2389.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3863173396/ ]R1150GS[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4774880835_9fe9d4819d.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4774880835_9fe9d4819d.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/4774880835/ ]tantallon bass rock[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4774885735_e06994b8fe.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4774885735_e06994b8fe.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/4774885735/ ]C90 in a field[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3443568099_ee77990607_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3443568099_ee77990607_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317806@N06/3443568099/ ]Lammermuir Run[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/7317806@N06/ ]yodagoat[/url], on Flickr

I think it's a wise old dude indeed who doesn't rag the tits off any bike that they ride - bigger / faster bikes can get you into a whole world of trouble if you've not got the experience under your belt to start with. Being a six footer, the small road bikes all looked a bit silly so I took the trail bike route, started with a TS100 which was s**t & then moved onto an XT250 which was great to learn on, took it off road too & got used to skidding & sliding all over the place.

Juan - thanks for the heads up on that one, I do believe that parts of my mates SRX came off one I crashed about 10 years ago 😥 too little pressure in the rear tyre & got into terrible tank slapper at 60mph before the front tyre dug in & catapulted me off the front - must have been quite spectacular but sadly my mates ahead didn't even notice & dissapeared up the road leaving me unconcious in a ditch 😆

Thanks for all the info guys. Def up for this and the over whelming positive posts from everyone just seals it.

Think the best route will be to do the CBT and then look at doing lessons straight away and getting the direct access sorted. It makes sense to do that and get a bigger bike more suited to my stacture.

All the info above is great but looks like i'll be doing a lot of reading up to get a better perspective of everything.

If anyone can recommend any tutors / schools in the Stockport / Manchester area that'd be grand. Also any advice on good books etc

Keep the Pics coming, they're getting me all giddy 😀

If anyone can recommend any tutors / schools in the Stockport / Manchester area that'd be grand. Also any advice on good books etc

[url= http://www.msmmotorcycletraining.co.uk/ ]I would highly recommend MSM at Belle Vue Stadium[/url]. The instructors are all very experienced and good at what they do. Other people have also had good experiences with them.

I wouldn't recommend a certain instructor in the Sale area.

here's my VFR...[which is more than capable of delivering a srious blow to the un-initiated :)]

[IMG] [/IMG]

and my road spec gsx-r before i went track spec on it 👿

[IMG] [/IMG]

an is right if a bit OTT. Going straight to a sports 4 makes it harder to learn to ride properly and less fun. Simnply pout they are so fast along a stright that you are still fast point to point without cornering properly and cornering at low revs / low loading the bike does not respond properly. So if you do overcook it a little you don't have the skills to get out of that situation as you haven't learnt how to handle a bike near its limits ( as almost no one can take a modern sports bike to its limits on the road and a newb will get nowhere near. Unlike cars a bike used gently does not respond in the same way it does usd hard.

I went from a Triumph 955i Speed Triple to a Ducati Monster 696. 112bhp down to around 75bhp.

Now, I had the Trumpet for 6 years and did nealy 30,000 miles on it. I loved it. It was a big sledgehammer of a bike. Brilliant engine, comfy, good looking, superb handling. But red line it and by the time you hit third you're going seriously rapidly. Then you've got to stop it and get it round the corners....

But the little Monster was more fun. I could wring it's neck, thrash the spuds off it and it never scared me, never got me into trouble and was just like riding a little BMX after the S3. I caould just slap it into the bends with 100% confidence.

Bigger isn't necessarily better.

God I miss that Duke. 🙁

I'd say No even after riding for 17 years on a motorbike myself.

However, they are great fun.... but death traps.

If you do get one.... do some training with the Police.

Try not to become an Organ Donor to soon 🙁

yodagoat nice pictures but

Just after the Slovenian/Italian border guard on the Virsic Pass

Virsic pass doesnt have a border...
[img] [/img]

anyway as for motorbikes my first bike has been good, not too fast but quick enough to get away from idiots when needed. Cheap to insure too.
[img] [/img]

God I miss that Duke.

haven;t read the thread - but did see the tantsllon castle pic, my favorite castle, but fwiw you should never have to ask the question - just do it. if it's in you you have to try and decide for yourself.
i have one of these, have only seen another 3, and i love it
[img] [/img]
i now know a lot more about 12v elctrics than i used to

25 yrs, including 1 as a london m/bike courier - no organs donated so far

As an old fart (in my day a good clubman racing machine had about 45 bhp) I feel that too many people follow the marketing and overbike. The best way to me to describe a good rideable bike is that it should be nimble, which seems to cover weight and power combination.

I always liked the editorial by Peter Egan in Cycle World discussing the ideal bike where he said "I don't trust a bike I can't see through". Sums up quite a lot really.

I got an SV 650 when I got back into biking 10 years ago. Superb bike, plenty of useable power, handling pretty good (Some heavier fork oil and extra preload with pieces of PVC pipe as spacers helped). Lovely noise with a fruity can, too. I haven't ridden one, but the Kawasaki ER6 and Versys (same engine) are really highly rated. Triumph Street Triple has to be [b]the 'small' capacity bike, though. I've got a Triumph Sprint 1050 and am looking to change it for something smaller and probably, less powerful, possibly a Triumph Thruxton. However, a friend has just bought a Moto Guzzi Griso and I think I may be in love ..........

If i could start again (go back a few years to when i passed my test) i wouldnt buy something with under 70bhp or thereabouts.

I was told not to buy something with 140bhp and have never EVER regretted doing so. ive done over 16 thousand miles now and never ran wide on the cbr125 or the zx9r. I dont drive like a maniac and i believe that you can choose a big powered bike thats known to be easy to ride / stable at speed without killing yourself on it. considering how quick and how fast an sv 650 could go,you can still fly into a corner over 100mph on one of those just as easy as a big 900.Its still going to be the same head on the riders shoulders.. they just have to take it easy and know the limits no matter what bike they choose.

something else id like to say.. so many people mentioned a bandit 600.i recon i would have come off one of those long before the zx9. its the most horrible feeling and heavy bike ive ever been on.

theres so many ifs and buts though. you could buy a powerful bike with good handling and fresh suspension and quality tyresa and be safe on it. you could also buy a low powered bike from the 90s that will have you in a hedge because of the way it rides due to the way it bucks around on our U.K roads with the oil in the forks/shock reaching the ripe old age of 20! Its not always going to be a powerful bike on a left hander that kills riders.

what next? dont get a 29er for a first bike because the speed it picks up will be a bit too much for yer capabilities? lol

Martin - unfortunately you still miss the point. It is far easier to learn to ride a smaller bike properly and this makes you safer. A big sports bike does not handle the same way at 3 / 10ths as it does at 9 / 10s. so if you get into trouble / overcook things on the big bike you have not got the skills and reflexes to get you out of the trouble.

It is much harder to learn to corner properly on a bigger bike. Partly because they are so fast down the straights that you can keep up decent speeds by without cornering hard and partly because of the weight and dynamics due to the size of the tyres.

16 thousand miles over a few years is not experienced I am afraid.

Note the folk who are saying get a middleweight on this thread are the people with decades and hundreds of thousands of miles of experience. There are very good reasons why newbs on big bikes are way over represented in the accident stats and they are very easy to spot and avoid out on the roads.

Yes you can pootle along slowly on a big bike - but you simply cannot develop the skills to get you out of trouble when something goes wrong as easily and it is harder to learn to ride that big bike than a middleweight.

You argument

you could also buy a low powered bike from the 90s that will have you in a hedge because of the way it rides due to the way it bucks around on our U.K roads

Note the folk who are saying get a middleweight on this thread are the people with decades and hundreds of thousands of miles of experience. There are very good reasons why newbs on big bikes are way over represented in the accident stats and they are very easy to spot and avoid out on the roads.

Yes you can pootle along slowly on a big bike - but you simply cannot develop the skills to get you out of trouble when something goes wrong as easily and it is harder to learn to ride that big bike than a middleweight

I totted it up recently and I've done roughly 110,000 miles on bikes so far, in about 14 years. So that's a reasonable average milage.

But I'm with TJ. Hving a big bike 'just becasue' isn't the way to go IMO. I downgraded to my Monster and I very much doubt I went any slower than on the S3. It's an odd thing to explain and even harder to quantify, but having a smaller bike was just more fun. [b][u]I[/b][/u] was in charge. I could barrel into a corner and feel totally safe, whereas the S3 always seemed to wnat me to go faster, and 'mock me' the Monster was just a tiny little BMX of a bike in comparison. I could fling it on it's side and then get back on the gas earlier. Light, agile and fun.

Oh. It sounded better too. 🙂

Sorry for thread highjack but have been reading this with interest, and understanding about half of it.

I think I will be ready by spring for my Big Bike Test - what should I go for ?

I am a small person (152cm) who doesn't like going silly fast, but I do want to be able to overtake stuff on the A9, and ride on motorways safely. And commuting although I guess I could keep the 125 for that.

So far suggestions include a Honda 250 and something in the 400 range. Much as I would like to ponce around Italy on a Monster. Will 250 be Ok for me ?

Would like to go on motorbiking weekends away with friends.

P.S cost/insurance not an issue due to good job and more years than I care to admit of clean driving

Hels - something you feel comfortable on. ER6 is a good bike or cb 500. Both come with half fairings and they are a decent balance of power and weight. CB 500 is a fantastic bike but it has had a charisma bypass a 250 might be a bit slow.

Perhaps the cb 400 super 4 would be a good bet. Unfortuatly there is not a huge choice around the lower end of the middle weight market. One of the small monsters is a good bet as well if you need that charisma.

[img] [/img]

Thanks TJ - that looks like I might be able to get my leg over it !

Only one way to find out...

my wife got laid off 2 years ago, to cut costs i got rid of the second car (mine) and did my CBT and bougth a bike to commute on.

its was ok, i was never a bike fan, it was a pain in the arse in bad weather though, hassle getting your gear on and off, somewhere to store it in work etc etc.

i ddi save a far whack on fuel and insurance.

dont listen to half of them on here, 90% of them are 'fair weather riders' 😉

oh if you do get a 125, may i suggest the Honda Varadero, its a big bike with a small engine, some of the other 125 are scary to ride, with the vara you sit nice and high up.

Hels - how tall are you in old money? A female friend who is 5'2" had one of the cb 400s an issue with them is as a small capacity 4 they need a lot of revs. What sort of style of bike do you want?

I'm definitely a fair weather rider, especially since yesterday when I got caught in a tropical deluge on the way up to Hartside. Wearing leathers. My boots were 3/4 full of water when I got home. I'd just cleaned the bike and it looked lovely, so I thought I'd go and show it off .......... Had to clean it again when I got back. 😈

I think I'm about 5 foot 1 in old money.

I want a motorbike that looks like a motorbike e.g. I don't want a sports bike cos they look silly and uncomfortable, and I don't want a harley cruiser type bike as they also look silly and I am not a hairdresser. (all IMHO of course).

And if I am being honest it has to come in blue, but I think the process will be:

- pass my licence
- sit on some bikes to see what I can get both feet down on
- find out what comes in blue

Hels - there are ways of lowering seat heights on bikes - cut down seats and lowered suspension.

cb 400 super 4 should be OK and meets your criteria, ER6 or CB 500 as well.

Tehre will be others as well.

CB 500 is a fantastic bike but it has had a charisma bypass

TJ, you've said that before and I've taken you to task on it. Have you ever ridden a CB500?

I did 34,000 miles on one. It was my only transport. It taught me how to ride a bike. I did make a few mods - Different sized tyres,: A 140(I forget the profile) bridgestone BT90 or 91 on the rear and a slightly lower profile on the front tips them forewards a tad, and improves the ground clearence and grip. Slightly heavier for oil and a couple of washers added for preload under the fork leg caps firms the forks up reasonably well, and a braided front hose and better pads sharpens the brake. This is pretty much the way CB500 cup bikes were prepared for the track and makes a difference.

But the engine is a wonderful little unit: Revvy and punchy. And the handling is light and nible, right over onto the footpegs..... 🙂

Charisma bypass???? Nope, only if you've never owned one!

PP - just from 2nd hand knowledge - but its very dull looking and its a typical honda - very good but souless. No? Compared to your monster?

I think they are very good bikes but do they have charisma?

Perhaps the cb 400 super 4 would be a good bet

I wouldn't get an inline 400cc bike, sorry. All revs and no action. Plus most of them are imports with all the hassle that brings, and most likely have been owned by a newbie, not serviced, crashed etc.

There's plenty of smaller bike you could ride easily Hels, and remember you can always get the seat lowered if you cant reach the floor!
Twin cylinder engines are more tractable and need less gear changing to get anyhwere.

I'm biased, but from what you say you like, a Monster should be top of the list, followed by a Suzuki SV650.

Monsters are lovely little bikes: VERY light, easy to manage, stable handling, well made, reliable (if looked after, like all Dukes. You're better with a higer milage and a full service book than a low milage and no history. Dukes need riding!)
Mrs PP had a Monster 695, which is a tiny little thing, and drop dead gorgeous to look at....I fell in love with my 696 🙂

Mrs PPs 695
They reall ARE tiny. Mrs PP isn't short, but she could get her feet flat on the floor with her knees bent, it looked like a kid's bike on her
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/4830991639_907c98e0f8_b.jpg" width="1024" height="719" alt="IMG_0966" />

My 696, which is a tad higher in the seat, but more modern and a better bike to ride
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4831603928_8cc59d9857_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4831603928_8cc59d9857_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/4831603928/ ]IMG_0963[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_atkin/ ]PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

Other choices?
Suzuki SV650
Kawasaki ER6 or ER5
Honda CB500 (Not as small as they look though, but better made than the other 2 above)

Err, can't think of any more, but there must be some! 🙂

PP - just from 2nd hand knowledge - but its very dull looking and its a typical honda - very good but souless. No? Compared to your monster?

I think they are very good bikes but do they have charisma?

Well, not compared to the Monster, but it was more 'fun' then my S3, and not boring at all 🙂
Sure, it'll do the commuter thing day-in-day-out with no hassle (And get 60+ mpg if you want it to) but turn the wick and it's like a little sportsbike, think GPZ500 but with more midrange. Nice'n'rorty!
Was a right giggle round the TT circuit on Mad Sunday too. And touring round France 🙂
More charisma than the GSXR600 I tested when I owned it, put it that way!

I think your annecdoes (sp?) have been coming from the wrong people... The ones with the blinkers!

If I needed another commuter bike for mid-distance work I wouldn't look at anything else, TBH

Mine was the half faired S model, identical to this but without the gopping bellypan

[img] [/img]

Thanks also PP.

I think you are talking me into a two bike system, the 125 to get to work and a Monster for fun and looking and sounding cool (it comes in Blue)

Now, best go and buy a house with a garage...

...and don't forget you combine your love offroading with an engine.

I rode offroad as a youngster and had an urge to get back on a bike, did my direct access so that I could progress to doing some long distance enduro/rally type events which inevitably have some road sections between the dirt. It's also pretty hard to really hurt yourself on one if you ride vaguely sensibly, although agree with the posts above regarding attitude being the most important thing.

Got a KTM 250 in the spring and have been loving some trail riding near home and in Wales, and then did my first hare and hounds a couple of weeks ago, which was a brutal lesson in falling off but so much fun.

Can I stand up to say - I am an offroad motorcycle rider and not a hooligan (it seems we have an even worse reputation than mountain bikers).

Bikes. Are. Fantastic.

But I'm with TJ. Hving a big bike 'just becasue' isn't the way to go IMO.

In most cases, passing DAS and getting a fast sports bike is just for bragging rights not riding enjoyment.

Somebody I know was telling use how he'd been on a Bikesafe course with the Police and told by the copper right behind him on a lardy tourer that he could (physically and legally) go much faster around bends -In the next sentence he was telling us that his sports bike will do 160mph, although he was shaking riding it at 100mph 🙄

Indeed....

I have to admit I quite fancy a shot of some offroad, but one thing at a time... and (confession time) dodgy hand injury means I have dropped the throttle more than once on longer rides (it tires) I have been told to buy a Touring Grip but that sounds almost as "pipe and slippers" as the bar muffs however potential safety issue...

Indeed....

Oh yes, and that riding it for longer than 45 minutes is painful.... "but it looks good, though!"

TandemJeremy - Member

"There are very good reasons why newbs on big bikes are way over represented in the accident stats and they are very easy to spot and avoid out on the roads."

Course, a big one is the self selection- the sort of person who does DAS and jumps on an R1 is often the same sort of person who'd be a liability on anything. Wheras the people who choose to get into biking on a sensible bike are ironically the people who'd probably be fine if they got an R1.

Sort of like the hi-viz thing- people who wear hi-viz are less likely to be in an accident but nobody can say how far it's visibility, and how far it's the fact that people who wear hi-viz are generally more careful anyway.

So, in conclusion, do your best not to be killed, it'll do wonders.

I am a small person (152cm) who doesn't like going silly fast, but I do want to be able to overtake stuff on the A9, and ride on motorways safely. And commuting although I guess I could keep the 125 for that.

Well I recommend a SRX. Either the 400 or the 600. They are amazingly light (actually lighter than a R1) and have a very low saddle. Have a look on SRX600.net for more info. Plus as a bonus it has the correct number of cylinders.

Martin you say 16000 milles. How much it is in real mileage AKA out of motor and dual carriage way. When I give my mileage, I take out the commute to work as it's motorway and town.

Northwind, ive been riding around on my own bike and 2 different 1999/1998 R1s this afternoon.Its the first time ive ridden them and although easier to corner they dont feel that much different to the zx9 power wise. they werent great examples and the suspension and brakes werent as good as my own bike.i did enjoy the slightly smaller cockpit and the feel of floating through corners,though. i want a fresh one!

Jeremy. you talk like its impossible to ever learn how to ride on a motorcycle with 900cc.if i told you i bought a 600 2 years ago it would have been a different story.a 2007 zx6r would have been fairly acceptable in your eyes but the 2001 zx9r never was. compare the two on paper and get back to me on that one.not much in it.

but what exactly IS the correct way to ride a bike? who knows.you probably know more folk with amazing skills that have fallen off,dont you? well so far,i havent.Its not that i am a good rider. maybe i have been lucky. maybe i have been careful. we just dont know. does it matter? why did you go calculating my mileage over 2 years and go out of your way to come back and tell me im inexperienced?
As i started off with.. yet again,you were on a forum for hours on end posting/replying about something that i was actually out doing this afternoon. riding 2 R1s and the zx9,enjoying myself.not overshooting left handers or tank slapping down country roads.

If i fell off tomorrow and got out of it with no injury,jeremy.. id be happy that i got this amount of miles in before my first fall.
One guy that used to pop into the shop where i worked once said "you will fall at one point.dont know when but you will fall,but it happens to everyone" I thought this attitude was so wrong. do you have this attitude too? do you have it when riding the mountain bike?

without your helmet on? ;o)

Ok, out of curiosity I decided to check on Autotrader to see hox many SRXs are for sale. None. And on ehay? Er, none. On the other hand on Autotrader there's 400 SV650s and 13 Monster 600s, 434 Bandit 6s, 181 Hornets...

Juan. i live in Inverness. i have never driven to elgin (before today)or beyond in all that time ive had it. ive also never driven south on the A9 to perth (or beyond).it bores me. I rode around the cairngorms a few sundays ago. that was about 195 miles with no stops.amazing ride.had to go into reserve near the end.
I sometimes ride to Ullapool over the west coast after work. or do a loop over to gairloch.. then back up through Kintail. sometimes it might be out to loch maree then past torridon etc.all tight twisty stuff around gairloch thrown in with some amazing open roads at achnasheen. a bit of everything.

I rarely commute on a bike.After the first few years i dropped a huge amount in the miles i had done.cleaning the bike through winter and going long journeys in near zero temps was something i did after i passed my test.. but the notion wore off a bit.with all the snow up here last year i think the bike sat for about 3 months unused.there was far too much snow so it just didnt happen.

twisty - http://photos-by-martin.digimig.co.uk/p54706359.html

straight - http://photos-by-martin.digimig.co.uk/p54706362.html

Lalalalalalalalala.... I want a motorbike, but i'm not listening.

I have enough money for the das