Motorbike Advice For A New Rider

[CEF11E]

I have just decided to get my bike license and have always wanted a bike.

I am 31 and 6ft tall 90kgs so nothing to boy racer. it will have to be big and comfortable enough. i am not sure if i will fit properly on a 250cc road bike like a ninja.

I really know nothing about bikes but love them

I was thinking of getting something like a motard or trail bike with road tyres because they look like a lot of fun. and you can take them off road aswell. but a road bike would also be fine

really I am after advice on what is the safest, best choice for a new rider. it will be used for a commuter when i dont feel like driving the skyline. and i live in melbourne inner city so parking and quick commute is a bonus. can someone give me an idea of what they ride and what i can expect for a $3000 bike?

I will most likely upgrade in 12 moths of having it and would like a duke monster but it will have to wait for a while.

cheers!

[R33GTRKid]

mate your last paragraph says it all, you are going to upgrade in 12 months so save your money.

Spend $3k on a GPX250, for that money you should get a 2003/4 with about 10 to 15,000 on it in good nick and keep it for 12 months and get your money back.

forget the ninjas, CBR's etc, you are too tall and for $3k you will only buy someone elses problems, trust me.

check out www.perthstreetbikes.com for this type of info...

cheers

[kralster]

Don't be gay get a CB250 or a CB400 if you can, don't waste your time with shitty japanese 4 cylinder bikes.

[WazR32GTSt]

my advice?

save your life now and don't get a bike..

do you have a family?

[CEF11E]

thanks for the responses.

statements like don't be gay dont really help as i said i know nothing about bikes and don't know where to start.

also waz, thanks for the advice and i know how dangerous they are. your concern is appreciated but i am pretty sure i made up my mind. my wife knows the risks and is happy for me to ride one.

any othewr advice??

[Stinky Rooster]

Don't do it - not for commuting anyway.

There is a reason that motorcyclists are called "temporary Australians" and it has nothing to do with you or your level of skill.

Get a road trail, keep off the road as much as possible, and then upgrade to something you will only ride out of the city.

Srsly man, if you are married (and have kids?) then every time you leave your driveway you will be putting your life in the hands of complete strangers with little to no skill behind the wheel. Think of every near miss you have ever had in a car, remove all protection, throw in a lot less opportunity to get out of trouble and then mulitply by 10 (to allow for the barrage of "sorry, I just didn't see you")

[r33 chris]

yeh i agree ive been riding for years with motorcross and fmx and on the road its crazy no one see's you! i gave away riding on the road, would rather pay more to run a car then to be dead. also my best mate got heaps of stuff removed as a result of his crash got no spleen now cant drink alcohol or anything, well thats my 2 cents

[PranK]

I have to disagree with a few of you.

Firstly, on the bike side of things, I got a VTR250. They have been labelled the best learner bike many times. Nice V-Twin, I'm a big guy and it carries me comfortably.

Now, while I am still a learner and dont have loads of experience behind me, I do commute to the city 3 days a week (45min ride each way). I am a firm believer that a bike rider can avoid 95% of accidents by being cautious and observant.

If you dont ride too close to people, stay out of blind spots and away from the sides of vehicles. Let tail-gaters past (literally change lanes to let them go), buffer driveways, slow down and check intersections even if you have right of way and generally drive like you are invisible (because you are) then I personally think that you will be fine. Especially as you can ride in bus lanes where nobody dares to drive (most of the time).

Be nervous, you need to be nervous. If you are nervous then you'll be more cautious. At the end of the day, just give it a go and you'll either stick with it or not.

Christian

[krush]

im a bike commuter rider for three years. its true theyre dangerous but like the dude above said you can be cautious and stay away from danger best you can and you live to see another day. start riding like everythings gonna be fine and you start putting yourself at risk.

its the same old arguments from both sides of the fence. people will tell you how dangerous they are and others with tell you how to make it safer for yourself. statistics dont lie and at the end of the day you might just be another.

you know whats more crazy? scooters. those 50cc ones. they are down right ridiculous in my opinion. theyre too slow to get out of trouble and too slow to be on any real road.

as for what bike to get, my first was a vfr400. roughly same size as the cbr250's. it felt alright for me an im 6'2, though i think i have more torso size then dangly arms and legs get something cheaper rather then a brand new 600/1000 straight away as youll soon learn if its really for you or not, and if it is youre likely to have a prang of some sort in the first year.

not to be a personal insult, but if you drive like a tool in the car then a bike is probably going to be a step in the right direction to being dead. that or youre realise it is and sell it.

s.

[Kranker]

OP he said he doesnt want to look like a boy racer ie. no baby jap sport bikes, no vrf's, cbr's, baby nijas etc.

As Prank said, prob best learner bike is the Honda VTR250, ive ridden my mates vtr a couple of times, nice little bike. It even looks a bit like a little Duc monster.

As for safety, its a known quantity, so im not going to crap on about avoiding acidents, u get hit you die, but u crash ur skyline at speed you die aswell. Im my opinion the biggest safety problem isnt the rider, its the other drivers on the road.

If you want the fastest learner legal bike then in 90% sure thats the Honda VFR400, or is it the RVF400, both are very similar except one is learner legal...but prob not a wisest of choices for a learner though.

Enjoy ur bike, and be careful

[R33GTRKid]

in WA you need to be 250 or less.....

hows the peeps here giving advice and do not even have a bike, pFFT

PranK great post dood and entirely agree with 13 years of road bike experience!!

[PranK]

CEF11E - Read these links.

http://www.msgroup.org/tip.aspx?num=170 - read the whole thing, not just the beginning or whatever.

http://www.netrider.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=51234 - A thread I started at Netrider. The site is down half the time, but when its not, have a read through. Some good advice.

[boj01]

If you do decide to do a road/trail bike, something like a Yamaha TTR250 is a great bike to start on. I had one as my first bike, road it for two years and did nearly 15000km on it during that time with no problems whatsoever.

I have since had a 2003 Yamaha WR250F and now have a 2007 Yamaha WR450 which I have motard wheels for. The maintenance side of owning a modern 4 stroke is a bit of a pain as I'm servicing it every 1000km, whereas the older 4 strokes, you can do service intervals at every 4000km.

A good 2000-ish TTR250 or equvilant 250 trail bike should fit within your $3000 budget! The money you will save on fuel will be a blessing to, I was getting 150km for $10.50 of fuel (@ roughly $1.40/litre)

[PranK]

I was getting 150km for $10.50 of fuel (@ roughly $1.40/litre)

I do ~200km's a week on my bike (riding in 3 days a week + weekend chores) and that uses about 7L of fuel. I dont think you'd find a VTR within your price range but I would definitely consider adding another grand for an older one if I were you.

[Bleach1]

I have been riding for about 5 years now and i am soooooo over people telling me im a 'temporary Australian' and how dangerous they are etc... Well no shit, of course they are dangerous and bike riders dont really need to be reminded when we are the ones having to deal with the public on the road everytime we ride. Anyway as others have said riding safely and staying observant can go along way to making riding much safer. Having said that it can be hard when you get some confidence on a quick bike to stop yourself getting a little Top Gun fever and pushing the limits on a weekend ride, i guess that one is up to will power.

Anyway best bike for a learner is definatley as others have stated something like a Honda vtr250 or Suzuki GS500. Trail bikes with road tyres are horrid things to ride and although i havent ridden a motard bike i think they are fad and i cant really see the point in them, i think they would be quite compromised for both road and dirt.

Good luck with the bike!

Edited July 23, 2008 by Bleach1

[Got Boost?]

I have to disagree with a few of you.

Firstly, on the bike side of things, I got a VTR250. They have been labelled the best learner bike many times. Nice V-Twin, I'm a big guy and it carries me comfortably.

Now, while I am still a learner and dont have loads of experience behind me, I do commute to the city 3 days a week (45min ride each way). I am a firm believer that a bike rider can avoid 95% of accidents by being cautious and observant.

If you dont ride too close to people, stay out of blind spots and away from the sides of vehicles. Let tail-gaters past (literally change lanes to let them go), buffer driveways, slow down and check intersections even if you have right of way and generally drive like you are invisible (because you are) then I personally think that you will be fine. Especially as you can ride in bus lanes where nobody dares to drive (most of the time).

Be nervous, you need to be nervous. If you are nervous then you'll be more cautious. At the end of the day, just give it a go and you'll either stick with it or not.

Christian

I completely agree! VTR250s are a fantastic learner bike, even if you don't end up with one do yourself a favor and at least test ride one. I also disagree with the mindset that if you ride your going to die, if you look at statistics im pretty sure you will find something like over 70% of motorbike fatalities have speed as a contributing factor (Can't remember the exact figure but its around that). It is really up to the rider in a huge way as to how long they last without serious injury or death. I ride my bike 5-7 days a week, through the middle of Brisbane in peak hour traffic. If you ride with the assumption that every motorist around you is out there to kill you, and you expect the worst from everyone then you will be fine. I have had possibly 3 close calls in my 3 years so far of riding. I know that isn't a long time, but its well over 50000km's on a motorbike, which is a fair distance. All those close calls were people merging onto me when they didn't see me, partially my fault because i hung around the blind spot.

Riding is a fantastic thing, the feeling is great and you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it! Do yourself the favor and buy ALL the gear, absolutely everything you can afford and then just be careful and you will be fine. I'm sure you have heard all this 1000 times before, but a couple of mates of mine had heard the same stuff, and still one is dead and another couple injured. You just can't stress it enough..

If your wondering, i also started out on a 2005 GSXR 750, which is by no means a basic bike, even with very little previous riding experience i still managed to come through years with the bike without a scratch by being sensible. Now i have a K8 GSXR 1000.. it ensures i need clean underwear after every ride.. i love it!

[PranK]

Btw, buy your gear first!! Before you buy the bike! So when it comes around to getting the bike, you'll only spend what you can and you wont spend too much and then be forced to get shit gear. Ride a shit bike with good gear, not the other way 'round.

[Bleach1]

Oh yeah and some other simple advice i can maybe give you is when you first start riding a motorbike it is hard work. You more than likley wont really enjoy it at first, especially this time or the year in the cold! At some point though it will all just click and it wont be hard work anymore. Once you are confident in your ability and you become relaxed on the bike going for a ride will become really good fun. You really do feel like you are part of the machine.

I have done trackdays and gone on plenty of drives/rides in my skylines and my bikes and when you nail a really good lap on a bike it alot more rewarding than in a car i feel. I just recently sold my R32 GTR and got a new GSXR600 and all new gear and am loving it. Bloody cold at the moment though. One downside compared to the car!

[kralster]

I completely agree! VTR250s are a fantastic learner bike, even if you don't end up with one do yourself a favor and at least test ride one. I also disagree with the mindset that if you ride your going to die, if you look at statistics im pretty sure you will find something like over 70% of motorbike fatalities have speed as a contributing factor (Can't remember the exact figure but its around that). It is really up to the rider in a huge way as to how long they last without serious injury or death. I ride my bike 5-7 days a week, through the middle of Brisbane in peak hour traffic. If you ride with the assumption that every motorist around you is out there to kill you, and you expect the worst from everyone then you will be fine. I have had possibly 3 close calls in my 3 years so far of riding. I know that isn't a long time, but its well over 50000km's on a motorbike, which is a fair distance. All those close calls were people merging onto me when they didn't see me, partially my fault because i hung around the blind spot.

Riding is a fantastic thing, the feeling is great and you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it! Do yourself the favor and buy ALL the gear, absolutely everything you can afford and then just be careful and you will be fine. I'm sure you have heard all this 1000 times before, but a couple of mates of mine had heard the same stuff, and still one is dead and another couple injured. You just can't stress it enough..

If your wondering, i also started out on a 2005 GSXR 750, which is by no means a basic bike, even with very little previous riding experience i still managed to come through years with the bike without a scratch by being sensible. Now i have a K8 GSXR 1000.. it ensures i need clean underwear after every ride.. i love it!

Did you pull that 70% out of your arse???

[Haysey]

Hey mate, how ya been?

I picked up a 2000 Model Suzuki Bandit 250V, for what your wanting to spend.... Its the locally delivered model with the variable valve timing, mine had 30,000k on the clock, and ive clocked up more than 13,000 in about 9 months of riding!!

Its a 250 in a 400 frame, so its a bit bigger, (alot of people dont think its a 250), and its quick enough to keep up with the RRs....

Overall great bike, i do love it, i prefer riding than driving anyday (cept when the rain is horizontal) thismorning it was 5deg and i jumped on the bike, hands were a bit cold though!...

I spent about 1800 on gear getting everything, dont skimp! Boots, pants, gloves, helmet, jacket.....

If you dont ride like a f**kwit, and you expect EVERYONE to do the stupidest thing ever (so your prepared) then youll be fine on the roads..

2 of my mates have 620 dukes on their Ls... one has bent the restrictor back, the other has stacked it... 12k bike this is not fun!!

Best thing about bikes is fuel economy, its fun going anywhere... and at 3am it takes me 13min to get to work, at 730 it takes me 15min (in traffic)....

I love it!!!!!!!!