Learner motorcycle buying advice please.. (1 Viewer)

Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
honda cg 125cc

A honda CG125cc Japanese built, (before they were farmed out to Brazil).
They hold their price and have unburstable engines.
I just sold my 1978 model for £700.00

Perfect for the first commuter.

Then look at any of the bigger hondas, the VFR750`s there are still loads of them from 1986 onwards with over 100.00miles on the clock going strong, another perfect engine.
The 1988/89 are probably the best machines, still on the twin swinging arms, lighter and more frugal that the newer machines, the VFR800 somehow lost the magic enjoyed by the VFR750`s

The CB500 twin cylinder and the choice of riding school teachers and just about every delivery rider, awesome machine and another that was just right.

Whichever bike you chose be safe and enjoy.:thumb:
 

Jaws

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Most of the following is a cut and paste from an article I recently did for one of the mags..
Do not be offended if it sounds like I am teaching granny to suck eggs ! :winky:

Today you should expect to pay between £600 and £800 to do a DAS course.
It would be money well spent because:

You will not have to lob out your hard earned on a 125 thing that you will then have to sell on straight afterwards almost certainly at a loss

A half decent 500+ can be bought for so little compaired to learner legal ones it is a joke..

Remember though, you will have to insure it... So get a few quotes for bikes like the Suzuki 500 GS, the Kawasaki ER5 or the Honda CB

Also remember that the first bike you get will probably only be a stop gap .. It will give you time to learn road craft from a bikers viewpoint ( and believe me, that is NOTHING like a car drivers perspective ) and if you do come off ( fairly usual in the forst year ! :Doh::roflmto: ) a few bob and bit of hammer work will usually see things right
 
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scotjimland

scotjimland

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Most of the following is a cut and paste from an article I recently did for one of the mags..
Do not be offended if it sounds like I am teaching granny to suck eggs ! :winky:

Today you should expect to pay between £600 and £800 to do a DAS course.
It would be money well spent because:

You will not have to lob out your hard earned on a 125 thing that you will then have to sell on straight afterwards almost certainly at a loss

A half decent 500+ can be bought for so little compaired to learner legal ones it is a joke..

Remember though, you will have to insure it... So get a few quotes for bikes like the Suzuki 500 GS, the Kawasaki ER5 or the Honda CB

Also remember that the first bike you get will probably only be a stop gap .. It will give you time to learn road craft from a bikers viewpoint ( and believe me, that is NOTHING like a car drivers perspective ) and if you do come off ( fairly usual in the forst year ! :Doh::roflmto: ) a few bob and bit of hammer work will usually see things right

Thanks John.. I'm soaking all this advice up .. :thumb:

as I said earlier, about 12 years ago, I did do the CBT training and had a course of lessons but as I didn't have a learner legal bike to practice on I didn't have enough confidence and when the test came round I went to pieces and failed .. got disheartened and gave up.. stupid I know.. So am now a bit wary of a 'crash course' without the experience of riding and learning on my own.. at my own pace.

Not a big fan of car driving crash courses either.. I trained and worked as a car driving instructor for a year or so.. those learners without practice at 'home' took the longest to learn and often failed their first and even second tests simply because they didn't have enough practice..

can you advise on bike insurance companies... I recall you posted before about them..

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Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
bike insurance

Regards to Bike Insurance, I would suggest phoning around as many as you like utill you get the qoute you are happy with.

My experience has been they differ so much it`s almost unbelievable, I have been riding bikes since my 16 birthday with no only one claim and that was 30yrs back and even now 40 odd years later some of the quotes can be triple the cost depending on which company I phone.

I`m currently insured with "Zenith" and have been for the last 3 years and they have been the best for service and price.
 

Jaws

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Nowadays bike insurance is an absolute nightmare.. worse even than cars and vans..

But not in expense, merely in pitfalls and throat cutting !

1) Never go with fully comp for the first year or so ... Reason being, you will ( should be ! :Smile: ) on a bit of an old clonker which can be fixed easily and cheaply, and even if, god forbid, you kill it completely will still be cheaper to sell on eBay and replace with another, than have a 'your fault' claim agin you at the start of your biking career..
The following years insurance would absolutely kill you !

2) Do not worry about extras.. so no to them all.. Most are not worth a thing ( apart from perhaps the breakdown cover you get with Carol Nash ) ( and if you go with Carol Nash let me give you a dealer number.. I will get a tenner and I will pass that back to you so a little bit of a saving

3) Buy something like RIDE magazine.. Turn towards the back and, if your like me, only fone up those who offer an 0800 number to call on.

4) If you want a rough idea, by all means use on line quoting but use a made up name and details. Very often on line quotes are more than live ones when it comes to bikes.. And once you have a few you can always go back and barter with others to get them lower.. One to one on the fone they will usually drop a fair old wack.. But do it on line and they will have your details recorded and will fight you every inch of the way to get any reduction from that on line quoted price

Be aware that some make MASSIVE charges if you want to change a bike mid term, some will make reasonable chargers and a very few offer free transfer ( but they normally have other deeply hidden issues so extra care with those ! )

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Jaws

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Nowadays bike insurance is an absolute nightmare.. worse even than cars and vans..

But not in expense, merely in pitfalls and throat cutting !

1) Never go with fully comp for the first year or so ... Reason being, you will ( should be ! :Smile: ) on a bit of an old clonker which can be fixed easily and cheaply, and even if, god forbid, you kill it completely will still be cheaper to sell on eBay and replace with another, than have a 'your fault' claim agin you at the start of your biking career..
The following years insurance would absolutely kill you !

2) Do not worry about extras.. so no to them all.. Most are not worth a thing ( apart from perhaps the breakdown cover you get with Carol Nash ) ( and if you go with Carol Nash let me give you a dealer number.. I will get a tenner and I will pass that back to you so a little bit of a saving

3) Buy something like RIDE magazine.. Turn towards the back and, if your like me, only fone up those who offer an 0800 number to call on.

4) If you want a rough idea, by all means use on line quoting but use a made up name and details. Very often on line quotes are more than live ones when it comes to bikes.. And once you have a few you can always go back and barter with others to get them lower.. One to one on the fone they will usually drop a fair old wack.. But do it on line and they will have your details recorded and will fight you every inch of the way to get any reduction from that on line quoted price

Be aware that some make MASSIVE charges if you want to change a bike mid term, some will make reasonable chargers and a very few offer free transfer ( but they normally have other deeply hidden issues so extra care with those ! )


Ok.. insurance aside, would like to return to DAS again.

It should be remembered that no matter which way you go, you are only taught to pass the test. Once that is out of the way, it is well worth contacting your local police to find where the nearest police operated advanced training takes place.. Very cheap, and so much better that IAM etc ( no doubt have IAM wallers throwing brickbats now ! )

IAM are very good for those with a few years experience under their belts. Reason being by that time YOU will know when it is best to apply their riding style.,. It really is not something I would suggest should be followed rigidly .
Do the police thing and they are fantastic.. Very helpful and you will get a real world assessment rather than what is a slightly esoteric idealistic assessment from members of IAM, and they will help and guide you to an extremely competent level in a friendly atmosphere.. After all, the guys ride all day every day and are probably among the best riders in the UK

There is also the old argument that a small bike has enough power to get you in to trouble, but no where near enough to get you out of it.

Bottom line Jim.. Like guns, big(ish ) bikes do not kill, it is the right hand of the operator that does that ..

Todays bikes outbrake and out handle everything that was available in the 1980's

Big(ish) bikes since perhaps 1997 can outbrake and out handle what was being raced at a high level in the 70's.

If you go for a 500 in line twin, all servicing is simple and can be done with even the most basic of spannering skills.. Someone like your self would find it a romp.. And doing your own work on your own bike aids not only in what you know of the vehicle, but greatly improves how you ride it, simply because you will KNOW what it is doing under you.. no mystery and easy mastery, thats something I bore the pants off folk by preaching it !
 
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scotjimland

scotjimland

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Ok.. pretty much got it covered now .. thanks, it's starting to gel how I want to proceed..

Next Question .. (there will be plenty more no doubt ... :roflmto:)

Crash helmet..

I'm in favour of a full face jobbie .. simply because it give's better face protection... is that a fair assumption ?

Also, there is a huge range of prices .. anything from around £50 .. to several hundred and more.. I presume they all have a BS mark or inequivalent EU minimum standard that they all meet.. ?

So, leaving price aside.. what points to look for in a good helmet .. ?
 

Jaws

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Yes, a full face helmet is about the best option.. Even the flip front ones the police use have issues ( a friend in the job up in Manchester was punted off his bike by a boy racer trying to get away.. His flip popped and his jaw was smashed up.. )

The basic things to think about are wind noise ( gets very tiring in a noisy bash hate ) and it being a good fit.

It should be fairly firm fit without any bits sticking in your head ( most commonly the ridge at the front of the bash hat pressing hard in to your forehead on the cheaper ones )

Put it on, and get someone to hold it still while you try to turn your head. Any thing other than a wee bit and it is too loose for you..
It is said that there are only two shapes of head, the shoei head and the arai head.
Shoei heads tend to be round when viewed from above and arai long ( from front to back ), but of course there are many makes that have similar dimensions.

So do try several makes on before coming to a decision
Generally speaking the cheaper hats are quite noisy but if you find a good fit and are on a budget ( as are most of us ! ) you can always wear ear plugs which are just pennies ( and if your in the building trade usually can be found or obtained for nowt :winky: )



As to price, like most things in life, the more you pay the better you get..

My best advice would be under no circumstances buy on line.. ( look at ANY of my web sites.. you will not see any clothing for sale on there at all. Ill fitting clobber and esp hats are worse than having nothing on at all )
You may see one ( say a Shoei ) in a shop, find the one that fits perfectly and thing you can go find one on line cheaper .. Nope.. even though it will me the same make and the same size there are variations from one to tother..

Although a couple of months away, I would suggest you pay a visit to the BMF show at Peterborough in May.. You will be able to wander around and try on hundreds.. and usually, with careful weather on on what may be a fault, buy an absolute bargain

My present Shoei retails at £270.00 I paid £90 for it late on the Sunday afternoon as folk were clearing up :winky:

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Re helmets, if you've got a ten bob head, wear a ten bob helmet.
Whatever else you scrimp on, buy the best helmet you can afford.
 

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