how much to start riding a bike?

i'm 21 male and have full car license less than a year.. drive an old e30 318is.

so with all the good weather, i'm thinking it'd be cool to have a bike for weekends.. just a small enough yoke for tippin about.

so how realistic is it for me to learn to ride one, then pass the test.. then buy a cheap bike and most importantly, how much to insure it?


thanks

CianRyan

Well i dont see why it wouldn't be realistic, i'm planning on doing the same thing and i'm quite a lot younger at 18.
Lucky for i have a brother in law that's only more than happy to help me out with learning, probably let me use his spare bike.

Haven't a clue about insurance though, i haven't looked into it yet.

I'm sure the others will be a long, they'll know way more than me.

Cuddlesworth

Deleted User wrote: »

i'm 21 male and ....

Thats all the insurance company wants to know.

Deleted User wrote: »

so with all the good weather, i'm thinking it'd be cool to have a bike for weekends.. just a small enough yoke for tippin about.

Bike or Moped? Whats your budget?

Deleted User wrote: »

so how realistic is it for me to learn to ride one, then pass the test.. then buy a cheap bike and most importantly, how much to insure it?

You can get lessons from a variety of different places. Insurance assements too.

A good plan would be to get training and a insurance assessment, your looking at around 600quid in total. Maybe more. Then get quotes and look at bikes.

You can buy cheap bikes, but gear and locks/chains are going to cost you. Would budget about a grand for them.

Insurance depends on the bike, but as a 21 year old male you are not going to be happy when moving up the bike sizes. Its much worse then cars.

thanks for the replies.. got a quote there of quinn for 600 on a 125cc and 700 on 600cc? thought there should have been a bigger jump.. i'm happy to wait until i have a full license to start riding so it'd be a bit less. if i had full class A license by next summer, i'd be good.


budget-wise, by the time i'd be started, maybe 250-300 a month? i'd only be using it in the evenings and weekends..

i feel like it'd be too good to be true tho, having my dream car and a bike in the drive at 22..



what cc bike would be a good start? i'm a very level headed driver and not boy-racer so a 250cc maybe?


thanks again

af_thefragile

Hey, i'm looking to get a bike too, presumably sometime over the summer as i've gotta work and make up the money for it. Though i'm kinda looking for some more serious riding to college and stuff.
I estimated it'ld cost me around 3k atleast to get on the road on a bike.

I've planned on first getting lessons. msa-ireland do a beginner course for 850eur on their bike. They say it also includes a short assessment test which can lower the insurance and such.
Then protective gear would be something around 500-1000eur depending on how much you're gonna spend. I'll probably be looking at something of atleast 1000eur for a good helmet, a decent jacket, gloves, shoes and trousers. Though i don't think i need to buy all of it at once. Or maybe i do...
Then for the bike, its another 1.5-2k for anything used thats in a decent nick i'll say. I've been looking at the Honda CBR 125 which is a good starter bike and they're selling around 2000eur (plan on upgrading to a 600cc in a year though, most probably by the time i do the driving test for the full license, love to be able to get a Ducati Monster!).
And finally insurance on such a bike would be around 1000eur considering i'm 21 too.

So to sum it up, its more like 4000eur to get you on the road on a bike... You could maybe save a little by getting a cheaper bike and spending a little less on the gear...

Cuddlesworth

Deleted User wrote: »

thanks for the replies.. got a quote there of quinn for 600 on a 125cc and 700 on 600cc? thought there should have been a bigger jump.. i'm happy to wait until i have a full license to start riding so it'd be a bit less. if i had full class A license by next summer, i'd be good.

Insurance depends on the bike you want tbh. You want fully comp.

Remember that the provisional and full license(2 years) bikes have to be restricted so the bike at 600cc will still drive like a 125. Better brakes and tires though.

Full license has very little effect on insurance, ncb, experience and Aon/Axa/quinn assessments are much better to bring down premiums.

Lastly bike waiting times for test are quite long at this stage. Southside in dublin is close to a year.

Deleted User wrote: »

budget-wise, by the time i'd be started, maybe 250-300 a month? i'd only be using it in the evenings and weekends..

i feel like it'd be too good to be true tho, having my dream car and a bike in the drive at 22..



what cc bike would be a good start? i'm a very level headed driver and not boy-racer so a 250cc maybe?


thanks again

As above, restricted so not that important for the size of the engine. You will still be able to exceed the speed limits on any road in this country.

Budget is your problem.

jameshayes

biking is not something you can just rush into and it doesn't sound like you are so fair play. It's completely different to driving a car - in a car you can mess with the cd player, check yer hair in the mirror and relax, on a bike you are constantly being tested, whether it is a wet manhole cover on a bend, a car sticking it's nose out of a garden or a sap in a car doing a U turn while your filtering through traffic.

Whatever you decide
-get lessons
-wear the right gear
-drive within your limits
-dont forget to get it restricted
-dont forget you have to do the test on a 250cc + bike to have a A licence (if you do it on a 125 you'll have to do it again if you want to drive a bigger bike)

If you want to try it without committing you can do lessons on a instuctors bike - it's a little more costly but will let you see if it's for you.. If you dont like it - you've only lost a few quid but it will make you a better car driver - you will have better observation and be more aware of other road users..

well I only want something for tipping about it till now.. later on ina few years i could move to something nicer.

budget wise, i was thinking maybe 100 a month on a loan, 60-70 on insurance and the rest on tax/petrol.. the gear etc at the start included in the loan.

good idea/bad idea?

seanybiker

What kinda bike ya gonna go for. Since your 21 maybe a restricted 600 be the way to go. Least then when ya pass the test you wont have to buy another bike, ya just take out the restricters.
A few lessons might not be abad idear at all. Some gear is a great idea.




Adsbygoogle, sounds lke a decent idea. A few weeks on the bike and you will get over the nerves aprt of riding a bike and ya will wanna be on it all the time. woo enjoy

jameshayes

Deleted User wrote: »

well I only want something for tipping about it till now.. later on ina few years i could move to something nicer.

budget wise, i was thinking maybe 100 a month on a loan, 60-70 on insurance and the rest on tax/petrol.. the gear etc at the start included in the loan.

good idea/bad idea?

100 quid a month will get you a great bike - what are you interested in? sports, street, custom, cruiser, tourer?

jameshayes

jameshayes wrote: »

Whatever you decide
-get lessons
-wear the right gear
-drive within your limits
-dont forget to get it restricted
-dont forget you have to do the test on a 250cc + bike to have a A licence (if you do it on a 125 you'll have to do it again if you want to drive a bigger bike)

If you want to try it without committing you can do lessons on a instuctors bike - it's a little more costly but will let you see if it's for you.. If you dont like it - you've only lost a few quid but it will make you a better car driver - you will have better observation and be more aware of other road users..

hmm... so i think the best idea is try a lesson or two on instructors bike and take it from there. ideally, i'd pass the A license by next summer anyway and then I can look about a bike ( with work bonus hopefully :P ) and all the equipment.

is it a different theory test to the regular driving one?

jameshayes

Deleted User wrote: »

hmm... so i think the best idea is try a lesson or two on instructors bike and take it from there. ideally, i'd pass the A license by next summer anyway and then I can look about a bike ( with work bonus hopefully :P ) and all the equipment.

passing a test without your own bike to practice on would be VERY hard - it takes hours to learn slow control and the U turn - let alone observation. IMO get 2 or 3 lessons now, if you like it get a bike and you'll either fall in love or it will gather dust

Deleted User wrote: »

is it a different theory test to the regular driving one?

Think it depends when you done your theory test...

seanybiker

seanybiker wrote: »

What kinda bike ya gonna go for. Since your 21 maybe a restricted 600 be the way to go. Least then when ya pass the test you wont have to buy another bike, ya just take out the restricters. Your supposed to wait 2 years before taking em out but sure ya know yourself.
A few lessons might not be abad idear at all. Some gear is a great idea.




Adsbygoogle, sounds lke a decent idea. A few weeks on the bike and you will get over the nerves aprt of riding a bike and ya will wanna be on it all the time. woo enjoy

do the restrictors only affect top speed? as long as i can get up to 70-75 for passing out i'm happy.. in the car, i prefer quick acceleration than high top speed.

jameshayes wrote: »

100 quid a month will get you a great bike - what are you interested in? sports, street, custom, cruiser, tourer?

this type of bike..



cruising through spiddal on that would be pretty damn nice.. obviously i wouldn't be able to afford that but something along those lines..

jameshayes

yes, restictors effect your top speed - they restrict the amount of air intake - so low to mid range is fine but then when your go near the top of the band nothing happens...

you could get something like a dragstar 250 http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/motorbikes/888262

a Maruder 250 http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/motorbikes/894628

or a Rebel 250 http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/motorbikes/889517

jameshayes

yes, restictors effect your top speed - they restrict the amount of air intake - so low to mid range is fine but then when your go near the top of the band nothing happens...

you could get something like a dragstar 250 http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/motorbikes/888262

a Maruder 250 http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/motorbikes/894628

or a Rebel 250 http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/motorbikes/889517

Cuddlesworth

seanybiker wrote: »

What kinda bike ya gonna go for. Since your 21 maybe a restricted 600 be the way to go. Least then when ya pass the test you wont have to buy another bike, ya just take out the restricters. Your supposed to wait 2 years before taking em out but sure ya know yourself.
A few lessons might not be abad idear at all. Some gear is a great idea.

Please don't advise people to take out the restrictions. It voids the insurance and in these times they are sending out assessors to everything. And you need insurance on a bike.

Deleted User wrote: »

do the restrictors only affect top speed? as long as i can get up to 70-75 for passing out i'm happy.. in the car, i prefer quick acceleration than high top speed.

Depends, on a big heavy bike like a cruiser it will really effect it. A bike with lots of torque will accelerate much faster in lower speeds then most cars, good look with higher speeds. Think Micra around 60-75.

i'm going to apply for my provisional as soon as possible so.. get it out of the way and look about lessons. then i'll really know if it's worth going for the full test..

i've driven mopeds a right bit before and been a passenger on bikes once or twice and feel comfortable in that sense.. just a matter of seeing if i'd like to ride a proper bike.

i'll keep ye posted!

bushy...

jameshayes wrote: »

biking is not something you can just rush into and it doesn't sound like you are so fair play. It's completely different to driving a car - in a car you can mess with the cd player, check yer hair in the mirror and relax, on a bike you are constantly being tested, whether it is a wet manhole cover on a bend, a car sticking it's nose out of a garden or a sap in a car doing a U turn while your filtering through traffic.

Whatever you decide
-get lessons
-wear the right gear
-drive within your limits
-dont forget to get it restricted
-dont forget you have to do the test on a 250cc + bike to have a A licence (if you do it on a 125 you'll have to do it again if you want to drive a bigger bike)

If you want to try it without committing you can do lessons on a instuctors bike - it's a little more costly but will let you see if it's for you.. If you dont like it - you've only lost a few quid but it will make you a better car driver - you will have better observation and be more aware of other road users..

As well as all this you have a tricky problem choosing your first bike , goes something like this :

The bike you " like the look of " may not be the most suitable for you , add to this possibly biased advice from some bike shops ( or from lads with years of experience on a limited range of bikes)

Also don't fall into the "smaller is safer" way of thinking that some loons decided on :

I think a ( * restricted) CBR6 or something would be safer than a lot of smaller bikes anyday .

galwaytt

...Spiddal? Are you in Galway ?

..anyhoo, you can ride a Harley without restrictions - they're not powerful enough to need them !!

An 883 Sportster can be had quite reasonably these days.....even in Galway !

seanybiker

I know a few peple who got insured on the Dragstar 650 without having to get it retricted. Power to weight ratio or some crap like that. Yes I know there's gonna be loads of people saying its not possible but I seen a few people on provisionals driving em so :P lol.
Lovely bike aswell. Some sound outta em without the baffles lol.



I think its a good idea to get a retricted 600 or something. Then ya do the test obviously. then when your restriction is up rather than spending another few thousand on a new bike, you just unrestrict it and ya more or less have a totally different bike, if ya know what I mean.

I think AON are the only ones to take Factory restriction into account, so you will save a few yo-yo's on the insurance rather than pay for full power with quinn on a restricted bike.
None of the insurance companies take shop restriction into account, not as far as I know anyways.

RosieJoe

seanybiker wrote: »

I think AON are the only ones to take Factory restriction into account, so you will save a few yo-yo's on the insurance rather than pay for full power with quinn on a restricted bike.
None of the insurance companies take shop restriction into account, not as far as I know anyways.

As well as AON taking into account the factory restriction they also give you a discount if you have car insurance in your own name, even if the policy is not with them!

I did my lessons with msa-ireland too and found them very good. I went from no experience whatsoever to being able to drive comfortably in 2 days with them. But that was only the start of learning for me

galwaytt

galwaytt wrote: »

...Spiddal? Are you in Galway ?

i am indeed.. live up prospect hill. originally from on up north but settled down here after college..

RosieJoe wrote: »

As well as AON taking into account the factory restriction they also give you a discount if you have car insurance in your own name, even if the policy is not with them!

I did my lessons with msa-ireland too and found them very good. I went from no experience whatsoever to being able to drive comfortably in 2 days with them. But that was only the start of learning for me

i'll keep these guys in mind.. thanks!