best bike to start with?

shewolf

im lookin to buy myself a bike at some time and i was wondering if any of yas have any suggestions on what would be the best and affordable bike to begin with.

KTRIC

Couple of questions:

What type of licence do you have?
What are your preferences on style, ie. cruiser, sports, street ?
How much have you got to spend ?
What age are you ?

Might help people give you a better idea of what you can get to suit your needs.

garthv

Well it depends on what you like.
Personally id start with a Varadero 125, very nice bike , group 2 insurance and brilliant to learn to drive on. You need to be at least 5' 8" or so to drive it but its still a very nice bike.
Either way you are best to start off with a 125, what kind of style are you looking for?

Chalk

what age and are you in dublin?

under 25 in dublin with a prov. license and youll ge getting a group 2,
unless your loaded

shewolf

well i havent really a clue yet about all the sorts of **** to do with driving cos ive only started to want to drive now, i wont be gettin for a fair few months but i just wanna have a good idea of whats best for when i do buy one. i live in dublin, 17(18 in oct.) and yeah im over 5"8'. i'd be wanting a bike for street use, its only since i start gettin pissed off waiting about 40 mins to an hour gettin to and from town on the bus or the luas that i decided i wanted a bike.

Seth Brundle

I started off with a Raleigh Kite Convertible (googling returns nothing ) - something similar would be ideal for a starter

LegacyUser

A Yamaha TDR 125, Honda NSR 75 or a Honda Varadero 125 would be your best bet. Personally, I drive a Varadero and think its the best. The other 2 are 2 strokers which mean better acceleration but it also means more time spent servicing it.

The NSR IMO is too small and light (I'm 6'1) while I dont really like the look of the TDR. You should be able to pick up a 01 / 02 model for between €1500 - €2000.

Insurance wise, you're probably looking at paying between €2000 - €2300 a year. However, AON are offering training schemes which entitle you to between a 25% - 40% reduction in your premium if you pass the test.

saobh_ie

I'd recommend the vadero as well. Although I did my 125 time on a CBR125 which is group three insurance and a four stroke motor like the vadero so it required next to nothing regards servicing but I did spend 70 quid to throw a better back tire on it because I wasn't a big fan of the original (but that was because I was hooning around like a muppet, asking it for more grip than it had all Nicky Hayden like, except I proceeded to drop the sucker on ice because of that.)

Insurance is a killer, specially for you, a lad of 17, living in Dublin (ouch). So you are probably better off on the Vadero. More expensive to buy new though.

http://www.honda.co.uk/mcStatic/en/picture/product/VARADERO_XL125V/prd_bike_red.gif
Vadero

CBR125 new 3500
vadero 125 new 5500
Those prices are about two years old now though so I don't know how much they've changed. My advice buy second hand. Some sort of street legal crosser might do you better though. Cheaper to buy and better insurance.

Even a 125 might be far too costly insurance wise for you at 17. Try a CG125, the solidest bike on earth, will run forever and you can get one second hand. Cheap to fix if you drop it. Looks are not the best but commuting through the city center its ideal.

http://www.honda.co.uk/mcStatic/en/picture/product/CG125/prd_bike_blue.gif
CG125

I think this…
http://www.honda.co.uk/mcStatic/en/picture/product/XR125L/prd_bike_black.gif
…might be the bike for you. Honda XR125L. 4 Stroke so again, it’ll run forever.

Check out the websites of other manufacturers though, I just have no idea about what they offer.

If insurance is absolutely horrible though, consider doing a scoot for a year. Or even 50cc scooter, then 125cc scooter and then get a 125 bike. I wanted a bike when I was 17 and I was 22 before I could afford insurance, basically had no life for a year after paying it but that’s the price you pay in this country.

murphaph

I'm just getting into biking myself (just bought a delightful 1982 Suzuki GSX 250e). Would it be an idea to bite the bullet and wait until October to get a 250cc (apply for the test now) and hope you pass the test first time for a full category A licence, then sell the 250 and step back down to a 125 for a couple of years. It may be completely unrealistic with insurance costs (I'm 26 and it's bad enough for me on my old bike).

saobh_ie

Yeah. Murph's plan is sound. Apply for the test now and a couple of weeks before hand get a few lessons on a rented bike and then do the test on your rented bike. You can learn quicker on a bike than a car because bikes let you know when you make a mistake.

That gets you 25% off your insurance before you even talk to an insurance company. You'll be getting insuraned with Axa through thier broker Aon, there's only one insurer in the Irish market who'll talk to people under 25, so do thier test aswell after more training and you could get another 20% (i think) discount on your insurance.

So its not all bad hehe.

shewolf

thanks for the help lads, that plan sounds good, i might go with that, ya cant argue with anything to save a bit of money.

528i

kbannon wrote:

I started off with a Raleigh Kite Convertible (googling returns nothing ) - something similar would be ideal for a starter

Convertible? I will say the raleigh chopper (3-speed) was a real dog to get up on its back wheel, so I'd suggest an RMX instead (with aftermarket 'cardboard cutouts held against spokes with clothes-peg' conversion for sound effects)

A veritable hoor of a yoke to go

Doodee

125 Viragos are great for starters. aint to big and good acceleration.

am selling mine if your interested

murphaph

Doodee wrote:

125 Viragos are great for starters. aint to big and good acceleration.

am selling mine if your interested

Maybe worth taking a look at some independent viewpoints on this bike before rushing in.....
Biker.ie forum

shewolf

nah i wont be buying for a while, i just wanna get an idea about the whole thing before i do. thanks anyways. i was just thinkin though, would i maybe need a 250cc to start at cos im not exactly a small bloke, im 6 foot and weigh 14 and a 1/2 stone. someone i was talkin talkin to was sayin i'd be best off with a bigger bike than a 125 and would just like some opinions on i. thanks.

saobh_ie

Everybody's better off on a bigger machine that leaves you something in reserve to deal with the lunatics you'll have to avoid on a bike, especially in dublin.

Biggger bikes generally come better brakes, tires, engines. Better road presence and a whole bunch of other potentially life saving stuff. Also bigger bikes can carry more of your stuff and carry you comfortably.

That's comfortable for you, not hunched over a screaming little lizard of a bike and comfortable for her, as in she doesn't have to kill herself to move you.

But seriously, 17 or 18 living in Dublin with a Full Licence your going to be absolutly murdered trying to get insurance. They will bend you over the desk and do stuff to ya. It's a disgrace.

But definitally if you can afford to take the hit do it. All though you shouldn't, I shouldn't, nobody should. Damnit...

---
99 posts on the board...