Bike advice

[Shocko]

Hi, dunno if anyone here can give me some advice on biking. I know throddy should be able to help, if no one else can

I'm thinking of getting a motorbike, preferably before the end of this year. I'm working over the summer, then going back to college in Sept. Hopefully i should have about £1900 in the bank by the time i finish, and a motorbike is right up there on my list of things to spend it on.

I don't currently have a license of any kind. I'm thinking of doing one of those intense courses, where you do a whole week of it, and end up with a full license. Will i have to do a CBT well in advance of that, and does the new written test stuff have to be done well in advance as well? Also, will doing an intense course mean that insurance will be quite expensive? I'm 18 currently, don't have a car driving license, and have never been in trouble with the police...


The big question though, is what to get. Since i'll be stuck with the 33bhp limit, i'm thinking a 250. I had a look on the net, and was quite impressed to find there's a 250 Ninja, which really looks the part How expensive are these second hand, realisticly, and what other sporty 250s are there? I've seen stuff on CBR250s, but they're grey imports so perhaps that'd be a nono for insurance. What would insuring something like the 250 Ninja cost me? I think it's over the hp limit by just a little bit, so i was thinking about getting one and haveing a restrictor kit on it... I heard this is generally bad for performance, but since the bike isn't that much more powerful than the limit(36bhp?), i thought it might not be to much of a problem. *Also, i heard that you can whip the restrictor off anyway once the insurance man's seen the forms for it*

I'm planning to get a part time job when i'm back at college, and i think i have about another £300 already put to one side... But can i realisticly get a licence, get a fast bike, and get it insured, for £2500ish?(maybe insurance payment can be spread out anyway) If i'm setting my sights too high, what's a more sensible 250 to start off on? I've read some stuff on the CB250, but it's apparently got a bad rep, and is underpowered...


I don't want to start on a 125/L-Plate, as i would probably end up just wanting to get onto something bigger pretty quickly, and also, i wouldn't want to get grouped in with the whole scooter/trailbike/replica thing which all your tracksuit clad youths seem to have taken to alarmingly quickly over the past couple of years uke:

 

[Trem]

Throd is away for a week now, hes on his hols. You couldn't of timed it worse

 

[Shocko]

Will just have to come and bump this up then, when he gets back. Ta.


Could go and ask at a bike forum or something, but thought i'd stick to a friendly place atm as i'm not planning on doing this for a couple of months yet(although probably a bad time to get a bike).

 

[Clown]

Is insurance, gear, security and training meant to come in that £1900?

 

[Shocko]

Well, yes But i can probably make it more like £2500 if i'm careful moneywise. Just work a couple of saturdays, and then get a barjob or something immediately after i get back to college.

Question was really:
How expensive is getting a full license through an intense course type thing?
How expensive are the sporty 250s, and are there many?
How expensive would insurance be for me, on a sporty 250?

If by security you mean a phat chain, i might be able to save some money there by nicking my dads. He has a late 70s cb550, but rarely uses it. He has it chained in the garage with a good quality bike chain, but i could probably swap that for a massive big long chain we used to have(and hopefully still have somewhere).
Gear wise, i wasn't thinking of getting an all-in-one to match the paint job type affair. There's a bloke at work who has a big bike, think it's one of those 600 Ninjas, and he has the matching leathers and helmet, and he comes accross as a bit of a poser really. Still, when he screams past in the morning and evening, can't felt but feel impressed Just a black leather jacket, any helmet, and gloves is proabably all i'd want. I could go 2nd hand on the jacket if money was tight.

Whilst i would really be doing this as winter comes around, i wouldn't intend to be using it in nasty weather. Bus is good for getting to college or town, so i could just select my days to ride it carefully...

 

[Clown]

My insurance quote was £2000, first quote. 20 years old, no riding experience, 1998 RS125, London postcode. I could probably phone around and get it down to £1200 I hope.

I thought the Direct Access courses were from £500 quid or something, but I can't remember as I haven't looked for ages. If you pass that, then you're limited to a 33hp machine for 2 years, when that cap drops off. I'd try and get a 400cc and limit it if I went down that route.

www.bikechatforums.com have fairly helpful people there, try posting in the newbie section

 

[Tom]

All I can say is that I hope you have good road sense. Riding a pushbike through city traffic will help massively.

 

[Wij]

All I can say is that I hope you have good road sense. Riding a pushbike through city traffic will help massively.

Some bikers seem immune to the fact that they ARE harder to see than cars and they can accelerate much faster. "Oooh - I'll overtake now that he's slowing down." they think, ignoring my indicator. "Argh FUCK. I'm gonna KILL SOMEONE !!!", I think. Please remember, it's not always the cars fault :/

 

[Aoami]

must... resist... mother/bike jokes... *eugh struggling here*

 

[Shocko]

My insurance quote was £2000, first quote. 20 years old, no riding experience, 1998 RS125, London postcode. I could probably phone around and get it down to £1200 I hope.

Ouch!

Is that to keep it in a garage? And what level of insurance is it(comprehensive, 3rd party etc)...? Also, is that on a provisional license, or full? And maybe i'm wrong, i don't know much about bikes, but isn't the rs125 one of those replicas? I heard they insure for far more than normal road bikes, even sporty bikes such as the 250 Ninja...

I would be looking at minimum insurance level(3rd party?), to be kept in a secure garage in one of the better areas of Nottingham... If i would still be looking at as much as a grand, then i might have to reconsider this That's car-type insurance money!


Also, can't you pay for insurance monthly or something?

 

[Wazzerphuk]

It's still gonna cost you shitloads. Garage ain't gonna matter to them, nor is the area: why? You're a young male, so that means they'll take you for all they can.

 

[Nightchill]

One of the problems is the new emission laws. A lot of 125s were 2-stroke (and fun) but have now either had to get better cooling (and put the cost up) or become 4-stroke (and less fun). As such, look to getting a bike from at least a few years ago..

How about looking into one of the old NSRs (or NSs) from Honda? For £1000 you could pick up an N reg or so and they're great bikes, even back then. RS125s are a very high insurance group (as 125s go) and about as low mpg as you can get RGs (Suzuki) are 4-stroke, very economical and stable, but you won't be racing off the line.

If it doesn't have to be a sport/supersport then even something like a CB125/CG125 will get you round and be very cheap to run.

 

[Shocko]

Well, i was looking to avoid a 125 or a stroker :/ Take those aprilia 125s, for example. You can hear them coming a mile away, and not because they scream, but because they're whiney, smelly, smokey 2-strokes...

I was really thinking of getting something bigger. I found a site with some more info on bikes, but all the sports 250s seem to be around the 40/45bhp mark The only interesting thing i've come accross, is the Honda VTR 250. Do you know anything about this? Is a 250, 4 stroke, just under the 33bhp limit, and doesn't look too bad... Not really a sports bike though

Am i just looking in the wrong direction, at 250s, rather than the older 125 strokers, as you say?

 

[Nightchill]

You could always get something greater than 33bhp and have it limited then, when your license becomes full, delimit it. Not all two strokes are loud and smelly The NSRs are nice sounding bikes. Was the RS you heard definitely the 125 version? The RS50 looks identical bodywork wise and seems pretty popular.

On 250s, maybe an RG/RGV? I thought the 250 market was a fair bit smaller than the 125 though. Most people seem to get a 125 then as soon as they can move onto something bigger, at least a 400

 

[Clown]

Don't get a 250. I'm only looking for a 125 because I don't want to pass any extra tests

 

[Trem]

My mates selling an RGV 250 by the way. I know its done very little miles and I know its pretty newish, think he wants £1500 for it.

Can get more details if need be.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Just realised, you're 18, no riding/driving experience and you want a 250?

You're going to kill yourself!

 

[Shocko]

Bloody IE just crashed when i went to post, so had to rewrite this. That's why i dislike windows...

@Wazz:
No, i'm specifically not going to kill myself Maybe saying "I'm going to get a proper license straight away and buy a sporty 250" makes me sound like an immature fool, but i'm really not as stupid as that*. People who know me realise that i'm actually boring, and far too sensible. I don't even ride my pedal-bike down hills without keeping the break on a bit all the way down

@Trem:
Despite the best efforts of the internet, i think i've managed to find out that the RGV250 is 40+bhp I think if i want something bigger than a 125 that's a bit sporty, i may have to go down the restricted route... But i'm not looking to buy yet anyway, so i'll leave it for now.


I think perhaps most of the Aprilias i've seen have been 50s, or been restricted to be learner legal. However, i still wouldn't consider an rs125, as your going to be grouped in with the lawnmower lot by alot people anyway. Maybe that's me being snobby, but i really can't stand the chav/scooter thing, and for me, your Aprilia replicas aren't so far away from that... Looking at Honda's webby(shit, but better than Kawazaki's or Suzuki's), the CBR125, that replaced the NSR125, is only about 13bhp. I gather that the NSR250s are all 45bhp, with the newer ones still being 40bhp...
I might try going to a few bike shops and seeing what they say, as the net isn't giving me too many ideas, other than a 125 or a restricted bike.

*Probably

 

[old.user4556]

There is one seriously flawed problem with your plan

I always post that when someone mentioned motorbikes

The power of glen.

G

 

[Clown]

You wonder why people post "fuck off **** head twat mother gay bitch fuck" whenever someone mentions you?

 

[old.user4556]

Hush child, i'm only having a laugh.

 

[Clown]

Go Wessstttt

 

[Tom]

http://www.youthofbritain.com/chillout/

 

[Serafijn]

The problem with not going the 125 route is that you don't really get any biking practice before you take your test.

I got a bike when I was 19, did my CBT and rode a 125 on L plates for about 3 months before going in for my test. I had a car before my bike too so I had plenty of road experience. This helped a lot and I think you might find it hard in your test after only 3 days total.

From what I remember the 3 day course plus test I did was over £300, might have been more but it was a while ago. The CBT is only about £35-£50, depending on where you go, and lasts a day.

Regarding the theory test, you need to make sure you get this done (and pass it) before you do the test. They won't let you take the test without it and there's a bit of a waiting list for both theory and practical - so something you might want to sort before booking anything.

Not all 125s sound like lawnmowers, or look like scally scooters. I had a J reg NS125R (not an NSR which dramatically reduced my insurance but looked just as good) and it was a gem. Pic here: http://www.geocities.com/hb1quicksilver/CazBike/bike1.jpg (cut and paste link).

That only set me back £800 (4 years ago) then I sold it on a year later for £900 (teehee)
Insurance was around £400-500 if I remember rightly, and it was pretty nippy round town, beating most cars away from lights. Out on the open road it wasn't so good, but it got to around 60mph without too much trouble.

Try getting your hands on a copy of Bike magazine, they have a list in the back of loads of different new and used models, along with a short sum-up of each one and average prices. Worth a look if you're not sure what's available.

Hope that helps

 

[Nightchill]

Just to add to Caz's (Serafijn's) post. I'm pretty sure her bike was limited to keep it "learner legal". Another of my friends has an NSR125 and, going off the tuning sites, they can hit 100mph without too much trouble.

 

[Clown]

Mmmm.

 

[GekuL]

Clown, you intend to ride in London? Call me a pussy but I don't trust other drivers around here enough to go on the road without a tonne of metal around me.

 

[Shocko]

Cheers Serafijn, i think that has given me some help. I think i've decided to look into doing CBT, and arranging theory test sooner rather than later, so i don't get held up when i've £2k sitting in the bank

I guess i could do some one off lessons prior to doing an intense course, to get a feel for it, to make up for having never ridden a bike before, but i'm still veering away from a 125. My dad's also saying the same thing about being best to start on a 125, but i just don't like the idea. Maybe i'll check out what's available on the 2nd hand market before i make a complete decision...

I have to admit, the pictured bike does look the part, and i'm sure any other fast 125s also are impressive in the flesh... But i can't help be tempted by the 250 Ninja, with the bigger, 4 stroke engine - I don't think they're too dear either(just need to cull the hp a little ).

 

[~Yuckfou~]

I've just come home from a weekend in Donnington, win! 82,000 attendance and the rain kept off

2 strokes can blow up fairly easily, if you are buying second hand have it checked by someone who knows bikes, or get a warranty from the dealer.
A modern 250 2 stroke is very fast, make no mistake. A decent rider can keep up with a 600 on bendy roads no problem.
I also think you may be underestimating kit costs.
You can pay £100 for a decent lock/chain alone. You will need an alarm, maybe disc locks too. Them theres personal safety, helmet, leathers or alternative, boots, gloves. All of these items are essential. Falling of a bike at 10mph you will stop your fall with your hands, you will probably be able to see bone without gloves. Decent boots could stop you losing a foot in an accident.
That said, bikes are excellent and ungay, only scaredy cat poofters who haven't been on one would think otherwise

 

[GekuL]

I've just come home from a weekend in Donnington, win! 82,000 attendance and the rain kept off

Good racing this weekend, wish I could have been there too .