Newbie to the bike world

leeomurchu

:DHey folks, This question has probably been done to death but just figured I'd throw it out there. I'm looking into getting into the madness that is buying a motor bike and learning. I'm well aware of the folks on here who are looking to start out on a 1000cc sport bike i'm pleased to say I wont be joining them.

Just looking for some general info about getting started lessons buying a decent bike I'm prepared to drop on occasion. A couple of peole have recommended a 250 bandit or hornet.

also I was thinking that it might be worth my while to buy a cheap enough second hand bike that I can use for lessons as opposed to renting their bikes(mucho deniro)

Sure any info is better than what I have at the mo. oh yeah I'd say I've been on a motor bike twice ever so I'm stepping off the push bike beginner we all start somewhere.

alanmc

leeomurchu wrote: »

:DHey folks, This question has probably been done to death but just figured I'd throw it out there. I'm looking into getting into the madness that is buying a motor bike and learning. I'm well aware of the folks on here who are looking to start out on a 1000cc sport bike i'm pleased to say I wont be joining them.

You say that now, but you could very easily catch the bug and end up selling various body parts to buy that Ducati you always wanted.

leeomurchu wrote: »

:Just looking for some general info about getting started lessons buying a decent bike I'm prepared to drop on occasion. A couple of peole have recommended a 250 bandit or hornet.

The bandit and hornet are both great bikes. Very learner friendly. but still capable of putting a smile on your face. Unlike faired bikes, they can withstand light drops without too much costly damage. Coupled with Suzuki/Honda reliability, you can't really go wrong with either of these.

leeomurchu wrote: »

:also I was thinking that it might be worth my while to buy a cheap enough second hand bike that I can use for lessons as opposed to renting their bikes(mucho deniro)

Ummm, if it was me, I'd do a few lessons on a school bike. Just to get the basics down. Then I'd buy my very own. Bear in mind that you'll not only have to buy a bike (and insure it), but you'd be wise to get yourself some decent gear (helmet, gloves, jacket, boots, etc). Factor all this in to your budget. Don't skimp on your gear. Buy the best you can afford.

leeomurchu wrote: »

:Sure any info is better than what I have at the mo. oh yeah I'd say I've been on a motor bike twice ever so I'm stepping off the push bike beginner we all start somewhere.

Believe it or not, this is probably a good place to start from. No bad biking habits. An empty vessel for your instructor to fill with biking roadcraft.

leeomurchu

Haha it's more the unwittingly giving up body parts i'd be worried about

I know what you mean about ducati one passed me the other day it sounded like thunder, couldn't tell you what make it was mind you.

I reckon you're probably right about the school bike at least till I get the hang of moving the thing. I'd planned to get some good safety gear alright I figure you can't really put a price on your brain and good looks haha:D

I plan to do this from the ground up crawl-walk-run thats why i'm goin down the lessons route alot of people telling me to jump on and see what happens, that was well and good when I was a young fella in the car but I'm gonna go ahead and guess there's a bit more to it than just turning a wheel and changing gear. I think the biggest concern will be going slow in traffic I reckon cruising along at motor way speed will have little manoeuvring involved.

thanks for the input al much appreciated:D

alanmc

Lessons are a must in my book. Just jumping on a bike can very easily end in tears ... and some painful road rash.:eek:

If you've been driving for a few years, then you should have some decent road sense. It'll be easier for you to concentrate on the mechanics of riding the bike (throttle, clutch, sequential gears and your two sets of brakes). Lessons will give you the all important "how to do things" (road position when cornering, counter steering to turn the bike, usage of the front/rear brakes, life-saver checks), rather than you having to figure it out for yourself or going on second hand knowledge. After that, it's all seat-time and practice.

After that you can get into how the bike behaves under certain conditions and why. How rider input affects the bike (e.g. chopping the throttle - never good). Several good books on this subject. One I found particularly useful was "A Twist of the Wrist" - Keith Code. It goes into the physics of it all, so might not be to everyones tastes.

Best of luck anyway. Let me know how it goes for ya and what bike you end up getting.

SlabMurphy

leeomurchu wrote: »

:DHey folks, This question has probably been done to death but just figured I'd throw it out there. I'm looking into getting into the madness that is buying a motor bike and learning. I'm well aware of the folks on here who are looking to start out on a 1000cc sport bike i'm pleased to say I wont be joining them.

Just looking for some general info about getting started lessons buying a decent bike I'm prepared to drop on occasion. A couple of peole have recommended a 250 bandit or hornet.

also I was thinking that it might be worth my while to buy a cheap enough second hand bike that I can use for lessons as opposed to renting their bikes(mucho deniro)

Sure any info is better than what I have at the mo. oh yeah I'd say I've been on a motor bike twice ever so I'm stepping off the push bike beginner we all start somewhere.

Don't buy a 250 Bandit. A motorbike mechanic told me the 250 Bandits are mechanically sh!te. That's why you never see many 250 Bandit's about. Sure the 600 and 1200 are great bikes, but the 250 is supposed to be sh!te. Stick with a Hornet or CB 250.

KamiKazi

The Hornet 250 is supposed to be decent.

StinkyMunkey

As stated already:

* Lessons

* Good Gear (good helmet, gloves, boots, trousers, back brace, neck brace). Items listed have saved my bacon on more than one occassion.

* Second hand bike (for those little hiccups at the start)

* Common sense ( just because you can make a bike go fast in a straight line, doesnt mean you can put the knee down a couple of months after starting)

Getting lessons will probably save you alot of heartache later on. Bikes are not like cars - you make a mistake on a bike, and it usually hurts ALOT. Having good gear usually means if you do have a little fall, you will still be in possession of all your skin. And make sure you buy a full face helmet, its beyond me why some people dont, its usually your chin that make first contact with something when you hit it, be it a car or pavement (talking from past experience there, nice little scar on my chin to prove it, without the full face id probably alot less handsome now).

And the next eejit who tells you to hop on and see what happens, tell him go run infront of a bus and see what happens. Plenty of clips on you tube of people who just hopped onto bikes and where left with a hefty repair bill and less skin on there body.

EGOSHEA

Had a lesson today on my first bike in 13 years. What a thrill to be back on two wheels, I have to say! And I can't believe that some people (many, it seems) just hop on without the training. I had a fella from Bike2Bike and he was great.

I know it's early days yet, but the Sinnis Stealth 125 I bought seems to be the business. I know how some people feel about Chinese bikes but this one has an engine made under licence to Suzuki, twin front disk brakes (rare on a 125), a rear disk brake, and USD forks. It looks pretty chunky for a 125 too. I have no intention of doing the test for about a year so I think I'll either upgrade before my A test or else rent a school bike coming up to it.

If you're interested in a new Ninja 250, Bikeworld are having an auction a the moment - their last one auctioned off for about 4700.