First Motorbike...

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying my first motorbike soon and I was hoping you people
could help with three things...

Any recommendations on motorcycle traders? I'm considering buying the bike
outright, but I'm also thinking about getting it on finance to ease my
financial burden while I study.

Any recommednations on models? Maybe something along the lines of a
CBR250RR, mainly because they're a popular make and easy to resell or trade.
I'll be buying the bike second hand obviously. I only weigh about 65 kg, so
take that into consideration.

Also, any recommendations on riding gear? Price isn't important here, I just
want good quality safety gear and I'm not worried about how much it costs.
Nothing's more important than safety.

Thanks in advance,
KS.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 9 Oct 2004 02:01:55 +1000

Good idea to tell us where you live...

Depends what your riding is going to be like, and what you like.
Babyblades are fast, but not the easiest or most comfortable of the
250s. IT won't be great for long rides, or with a pillion. IT will be
more expensive to service than a twin. It will be more expensive to
crash than an unfaired bike.

I believe the best learner bike is a SPada or VTR250 if you can find one
at a price you are willing to pay. Plenty fast, more upright riding
position meaning a) easier to ride fast and b) better in traffic. No
fairing, so much cheaper if it falls over, and many many bikes fall over
when being parked.

Have a look at the MCC's protective clothing information at
http://www.roadsafety.mccofnsw.org.au/a/11.html

It will help with knowing what safe gear looks like and how to determine
what you need.

Don't buy a very expensive helmet. You won't get any more
bonce-protection than a cheaper one, and you will have more money to
spend on other gear.

The best safety is active, not passive. Kit you wear will not protect
you from all injuries, so you have to use what's between your ears as
well. Do your learner's course and listen and practice. Between that
and the test, practice all that boring slow speed manouvering shit that
they test you on, not because it's on the test but because machine
control is one of the things keeping you upright. Then a couple of
months after you have your licence, go get more training.

Zebee

 

...

Sydney. ;-) And thanks for all your advice too, I know you must get this
kinda thing a lot, so I appreciate it.

Babyblades are fast, but not the easiest or most comfortable of the 250s.
IT won't be great for long rides, or with a pillion. IT will be more
expensive to service than a twin. It will be more expensive to crash than
an unfaired bike.

Yeah, I was just going through the classifieds, and it seems like the BB's
are quite popular, although I can imagine the cramped racing position would
be uncomfortable after a while. And I don't plan on carrying any pillions
any time soon. It's illegal here until I've had my license for two years.

at a price you are willing to pay. Plenty fast, more upright riding
position meaning a) easier to ride fast and b) better in traffic. No
fairing, so much cheaper if it falls over, and many many bikes fall over
when being parked.

Yeah, I've been thinking about the Spada too, because when it comes down to
it, they're a lot more practical and comfortable than something like the
Blade. Just seems like a more practical solution than the Blade. It's just
that the Blades are so readily available, and easily traded.

As a gift, I'm getting my second bike bought for me, either an R1, CBR600RR
or a CBR1000RR... it's my choice, and I just thought learning on a bike
similar to these bikes might make the transition easier/safer?

what you need.

Yeah, I actually had a look at that stuff before I posted, lots of good
info. I plan on getting a two piece race suit with armour, knee high boots,
gloves and full face helmet.

from all injuries, so you have to use what's between your ears as well. Do
your learner's course and listen and practice. Between that and the test,
practice all that boring slow speed manouvering shit that they test you on,
not because it's on the test but because machine control is one of the
things keeping you upright. Then a couple of months after you have your
licence, go get more training.

Where abouts can you go to get more training? I was reading up about some
training course provided by Honda that sounded pretty good. It catered for
all levels of riding, whether you're a novice or longtime rider.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 9 Oct 2004 07:14:18 +1000

There's a lot of them, but they are also likely to have been abused, and
much older than the "compliance" plate says

However... go for what you feel is right, the important think about a
bike is that you like it. Go for the one that makes you feel good when
you sit on it.

If you do go for the babyblade, then practice the slow speed stuff *a
lot*. It is hard to pass the test on one, so if after practicing it
looks like you won't manage, hire a bike to do the test on.

Not really. The difference between a 250 and any of those is like...
umm... well, a VW beetle and a top fuel dragster.

They are a lot lot more bike, and far less forgiving.

Tell me... why do you want a really big fast racerep bike? What are
your reasons?

In the end, you;ll get what you want But thinking about what you
want a bike for and what you want to do (and how you want to feel) is
useful to know what you want.

Do realise that most "got off my Ps now I get an R1!" punters are
dreadfully slow, and that there are a lot of R1 bits in the wreckers.
It's not the bike that makes you fast, it's the skill you ride it with.
Which comes from training and experience. Don't buy an R1 or Fireblade
so you can be fast, buy one cos it looks good and you like it.

Sounds good. Don't forget to add something waterproof. Even if you
don't intend to go out when it's raining, you may find you have to. So
add in a one piece unlined oversuit to that list. Or else spend a lot
more on the suit at get Tiger Anger waterproof set of leathers.

IT will be a lot - everyone's favourte spammer bitch Underdog Leathers
will do you a suit at under $1000, TA suits will be over $2000.

Yup, HART have several courses, so do Stay Upright. I haven't done any
HART, I have done SU and can recommend them. The SU "advanced" course
has a theory night which includes a lot of good stuff about staying
alive in traffic as well as the usual practicing of braking and
cornering. I think they also do an on-road course that might be useful.

Sounds like you are sportriding minded so I suggest that after you've
had your Ps for a year or so and have one the SU or HART course, do the
Australian Superbike School.

Wait that long, and do the others first, because you will need the
foundation it gives you. You need to have a reasonable understanding of
your bike, and although you will feel you know it all after 6 months,
you need at least a year to really have a clue. Plus some focused
training on the stuff the superbike course doesn't teach.

Once you've done the superbike course, spend money on track days.
Your skill level will increase markedly. Do remember that the track
is not the road and vice versa though, as people who forget tend to hit
solid objects by the side of the road. Your leathers will do bugger all
if you hit a tree, except show the ambos where to find you, and give
you something to look at from your wheelchair.

So get your race feelings out of the way on the track, and go lots
easier on the road, you'll be safer. Your track skills will help
you if things go pearshaped, but you don't want to buy trouble...

Zebee

 

The 600 is way too slow. Go the CBR1000RR as it has more 2 more R's in it
than the R1. Everyone knows that R's are good things...

 

~
Baby-Blades are absolute wanker-bikes!
(Good resale though, because the world is full of wankers.......)
Clem

 

~
A Baby-blade is PERFECT for you!
Clem

 

Well, once I get the time to go out and really have a good look at bikes,
I'll get what I feel most comfortable on and what seems most practical.

Well, there's a number of reasons I want a sports bike. Mostly because I'm
in need of something new. I'm just coming out of a three year relationship,
and I've been taking up new hobbies all over the place; Thai kickboxing,
rock climbing, I'm writing a novel, etc. And this is just something else I
think I will enjoy. I haven't really had the time over the past few years to
explore all these possibilities until now.

For the past few years, like most other guys my age, I've been into
performance cars. But I've realised that cars are just money traps. Petrol
is getting more expensive, and this whole performance car thing has been
done to death. I want to try something different.

And the more I read about bikes, the more I talk to my uncles, my dad and my
grandfather about their motorcycle days, the more I like the idea. Bikes are
cheaper to run, cheaper to buy, more efficient, more fun, more powerful,
traffic-proof, there's always parking... they're just better in every
respect... except safety, heh.

I looked at a Tiger Angel suit, it was about $1500 and it looked rather
nice, and reading the specifications, sounded very practically/safety
orientated. I think that's what I'll end up getting in the end.

Yeah, HART, that was the one! Thanks for all this advice, I'll definetly be
doing these courses.

Yeah, I'm pretty safety-conscious. My uncle showed me his helmet from a big
accident he had with another rider. They hit each other on a blind-corner,
doing about 60 K's, and my uncles head hit the gutter. He was fine, but
there's a hole in his helmet the size of a fist. And my mother is always
trying to turn me away from the idea with newspaper clippings of deaths from
motorcycle accidents. So, I realize these machines are pretty dangerous and
I want to do everything properly to be as safe as possible.

 

...

than the R1. Everyone knows that R's are good things...

Wait... isn't the R1 more powerful than the CBR in dyno tests?

Yamaha claimed to have a 1:1 power/weight ratio... not sure if that was dry
weight or not?

 

...

So I guess you own one then?

 

...

Here's some advice they teach you in anger-management; "Think BEFORE you
speak."

 

I'll also definetly be thinking about the Spada now. I know the test is
pretty much impossible to pass on a Blade, with all the weaving between
witches hats and stuff.

Plus, those things are a hassle to manouver around the garage, hehe, so I'll
definetly look into the Spada and similar bikes.

Just two more questions...

I'm guessing bike engines encounter a lot more wear and tear than car
engines because of the higher revs, so what's considered "high kilometers"
in the bike world?

And what price range should I expect the Spada and VTR250 to fall into?

Thanks for all your help Zebee.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sun, 10 Oct 2004 05:50:32 +1000

I think you'll find it easier to ride fast too, as while it might not
have the top speed and HP, it has a better spread.

With 250s, it's not km, it's lifestyle.

Big's bike did what... 120,000km? WHich is 3x as much as most do
Got the bejesus thrashed out of it too, but because of frequent oil
changes, it coped happily. A bike badly maintained suffers much more
than a car does, especially a performance bike

How to tell? Ask the owner.... Most bikes will have had many owners,
but at least the one selling can say what they did.

VTR is much newer than the Spada - most SPadas you see are 5-10yo, VTRs
less than 5. Spadas are what... 4-5000? I think VTRs are 5-6000 but I
don't keep track. Browse http://www.bikepoint.com.au

Note: there are some places that specialise in getting old neglected -
as in hardly ridden and not much maintained - bikes from Japan, giving
them a quick spray job, and advertising them as "2004 complianced".
Most babyblades are in this class, but they have other models too.
Buyer be very beware...

But bikepoint and www.redbook.com.au will give you a feel for prices,
perhaps tradingpost.com.au too.

Zebee

 

Whoosh

 

If you are a sufficiently good enough driver that the 15 Hp difference
between the Ferrari F1 car and the Jordan F1 car is going to make a
difference to whether you win the championship or not then it matters,
if however your laptimes are going to be about 30secs or more slower
than Schumacher then it's really a moot point isn't it ?

The difference in HP between an R1 and a CBR1000RR is so minute for a
rider with zero experience (or even only a couple of years experience)
it is an utterly moot point. Don't worry about the numbers you haven't
got a hope in hell of being able to use the difference.

Like most car drivers you think it's the same, it ain't. Your average
600 sports bike will eat anything short of a McLaren for breakfast, and
they've got usually about 40hp less than a litre bike

JL

 

*snigger*
/me points and laughs at the newbie taking clem's bait.

 

Well that rules out pretty much most sports bikes.

Well that rules out pretty much most sports bikes.

 

Here's some advice they teach you when dealing with the great knobdoodle
"..........."

TB

 

Nah. he's got a beemer..

TB

 

Let me know when you get the joke......
Clem