Should I buy a motorbike?

Always wanted a Motorbike. Never got around to it and a year or two ago decided that I probably wouldn't.

Anyways the neighbours of to uni and selling his 125 and it got me thinking.

So I'm tempted to buy a 125 (his is a Honda CBF) and start taking lessons with a view to getting some mileage in as a leaner and having lessons through the winter to give me some experience of all climates.

I'm 30yrs and wouldn't be commuting just a bit of general pottering. When I pass my test I wouldn't be fussed about a big powerful bike but maybe get something nice. As an aside I have two young kids so don't want to kill my self

So should I

A) Go fot it. You only live once and its worth the experience.

B) Get real your having an early midlife crisis. Besides your 6' 2" and
will look a tool on a little 125

C) Whatever witty comment you guys can come up with…

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:

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 mere 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.

I did manage to crash with 45 horse under the crouch 😉

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.

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

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

There is some truth in that. The SRX 400 is a good choice, as is the bandit 400 (if you are into **** inline four). I would stay away from the NSR 400 that is just too nuts. Plenty of trail with a 400 CC engine that are overlooked.
Here come a short list of very unfashionable but very good and reliable bike to have as first:
DR 350/400 SM
XT 400
SRX 400
CB 500
GSE 500
SR 500 😉
CB 450 big on *double ;-)*
a bit bigger
XT 600
DR 600
F650/Aprilla pegaso 650
SRX 600 (I am however very biased about this one)

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.

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

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 **** 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.

It doesn't mean they are not any. There is a very funny thing down here. Week days, you only see modern japs, street triple and 696. They all have squared tyres, and are use to go to the café. On week end you don't see any of them around the cols. You however see plenty of european bikes, a fair amount of Ewan Mc Gregor and more SR500 than SV 650. So depending when you ride you will see different kind of bike ;). I agree about the mince good rider, but I still think a fast bike only teach you to full throttle on flat.

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?

As a matter of fact I do 😉 Try one. One that is used and serviced. You'll be very surprised trust me 😉

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

Yeah likewise, but it's costing me lots in footpegs :s

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 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………..

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)]

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

Exacary! 😆

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.

I agree. Power might be good to brag about, but it's not really about the bike -especially in sub-optimal conditions.

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

I'm not sure that it takes Tens 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.