Recommendation for Bike - Victorian P Plater

My nephew has recently got his licence, and wishes to purchase a bike.
Given that it has been a long while since I went shopping for bikes, I
was wondering if I could get some recommendations.

He is 19, but small and slight for his age, and is a rather
non-agressive person. His only experience has been in getting his
licence.

The bike would mainly be for riding around the southern suburbs, but he
would need to be able to take it up to Ballarat on occasions, so would
need to be able to navigate the cross-winds on the Western Highway, as
well as be able to travel at highway speeds, but not much more.

He does not know a great deal about bikes, but would like to be able to
work on it himself, so simplicity and reasonable availability of parts
would be good, as well as as few electronics as possible.

We were thinking something along the lines of: -
400-650cc
4 cylinder.
Reasonably light < 190Kg
Sports bike, naked
LAMS approved

He does quite like the Royal Enfield style of bike, but we are having
trouble sourcing one - we just went through six months of hassle
getting one imported, and had to cancel the deal about a week ago.

He can pay up to $8-9K, but something around $5-6K would be
preferrable, inc. ORC. New or used would be fine - a reliable used
bike would probably be best for him as a beginner.

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Also, does anyone here know of any organisations or people that we
could pay to perform a quick check on any second hand bike that he
looks at if we choose to buy one from a private seller? We are based
around Cranbourne, and a simple "Its a lemon" or "Its OK" would be all
we would be wanting.


Regards,

Michael Cole.

 

Suzuki GS500 would fit your criteria, even a new one.

 

I'm not sure if this would suit your needs, noting people have differing
opinions, but a friend has a rather nice Honda 250 Magna (baby Harley) that
he'd like to sell soon. He's in SE Melb.

I've also looked at the Enfields and don't like the new OHC engine at all.
They're also a little small for my bulk and probably wouldn't like a lot of
100kph use.

 

+1

cant kill them and it was the highest selling sports tourer in Aust
last year so there should be a few good 2nd hand ones around

mh

 

I'll almost third that idea but I'd suggest the full fairing version so
it looks a bit sportier (as mentioned in the original requirements).

Also the faired version will offer better weather protection for that
occasional highway trip.

So... GS500F rather than GS500.

http://www.suzukilearners.com.au/learner+range/road/gs500f.html



G-S

 

I owned a non faired GS500 for 5 years from new and covered about 61000 km.
The only abnormal problems were loose connections on the rear direction
indicators. I had no further trouble after replacing the indicators. The
bike would cruise easily at 120 km/h so from my purposes was adequate for
highway use. I would obtain 3.9 to 4.3 litres per hundred km fuel
consumption. Expressed differently, I would regularly go for 400 km without
needing to select reserve. The bike will both commute and tour, and is not
particularly heavy. Maintain it as recommended by the manufacturer and it
will serve you well for many years. Options worth considering are a luggage
rack, Scott oiler for the chain, Oggy knobs to protect it if you drop it and
heated grips.

The choice of faired or non faired is personal.

John Dwyer.

 

Of course I forgot the YNAGYD option of a Moto Guzzi V50 , if you can
find one. I had to throw that in, having chosen a v750 Breva over a
brand new GS500, but the Breva isn't LAMS, being a 750.

Pluses: It's Italian
Minuses: It's Italian

 

Pluses: It's Italian
Minuses: It's Italian

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Post of the week!!!

Fraser

 

because it is a good post, or it is the only post for the week?

mh

 

Or maybe he misspelt "weak".
(listens to the WEEK WEEk WEek Week week empty echo fading.....)

 

Hyosung is definitely good VFM and their specs and dynamics seem generally
to be improving every year. However, I'll add another vote for the GS500.
Add a sheepskin, some luggage & a tankbag to the F and you've got the
makings of a bloody good cut price tourer into the bargain. Friend up the
road is still having a hoot with his and his 2nd last bike was a 'Busa!
(He's only about 5'6" in the old money though.)