First Bike Dilemma

Poor old Crispey, you can be sooooo cruel at times DD

 

Ive only looked at cat d's out of interest. I cant say Ive seen one that adds up, Wjth the price of parts and panels. Even with doing all the labour yourself, the price seems so close to standard used prices, as to not make it worth anyones while

 

Surprised the old lad hasn’t jumped in by now.

He must be playing that mugs game,,,WORKING

 

I see you’ve already met DD in the flesh then

 

London, Street triple for your first big bike mmm! Not sure about that for a number of reasons. Very popular with the stealing scum, insurance will be expensive (1st big bike etc) and far more of a handful for a new biker. In your situation I would go for a Street Twin and learn to ride it.
Good luck.
Regards, Pete.

 

I rest my case! How much was the excess on the Striple?

 

I'd pass my test first !

 

Let me start by saying that I am in no way an expert but 3 years ago at age 50 i was in the same position as you. I did my cbt, in the "practice makes perfect" thought process, i bought a cheap 125 to ride for a couple of months rather than rent. My observations are this, a 125 is sufficiently different to a 600+ to make any practice gained on a 125 useless for MOD 1. If you have been driving for many years, the natural road smarts, combined with being careful as you are on a test plus the fact that the bulk of the test is on low speed roads means that riding a larger bike is not really any more difficult for MOD 2. I found MOD 1 difficult because the control on a 600 was difficult compared to a 125 but 10 minutes into MOD 2 i found i actually enjoyed the ride out as it was careful relatively low speed riding.

After you pass your test, I bought a cb500, 2015 which was actually a2 compliant. That was a good move as nearly a year riding that gave me good foundations and when i bought my ST3 i was ready because the Honda was limiting my learning progress, not my exuberance catching me out.

Hope this helps.

 

Greater London DD, Greater London!

 

He'll probably do his training and test on one - like I did!

 

Hi Repooh and welcome in,
I love Street Triples but not sure if I would advocate one so soon after passing your test, I think there are some very sensible comments in this thread about ER5/CB500 etc, this sort of bike is less intimidating for a new inexperienced riders.
I also can't stress enough that any further training will make you a safer, smoother & ultimately faster rider, you don't have to go full IAM.
Most Police forces do a very reasonably priced 'Bike Safe' (other names may be available) course, these are run by Motorcycle traffic officers and offer an insight into how they are taught, this will give you a better idea of road positioning & introduce the concept of anticipation and planning, this is what will smooth out your riding, at the end they give you a certificate which will impress your insurers and some points to work on going forward. Depending on how the officer marks your ability should steer you toward the next purchase.
Cheers
Billy

 

I only looked on ebay and theres no savings in any of them there

 

You pays your money and takes your choice!
Think the biggest issue, for a first year rider in London as well, will be insurance costs. Get a few quotes on machines, value of bike will make a huge difference as well. I live 20 odd miles outside London, and the variance on insurers is vast!

Be lucky - ride safe!

 

Bit late but I’ve been up to the eyeballs in work. Your right about savings, there ain’t any and not worth buying these days as too many middlemen take the cream from the proper bargain it should have been .

 

Buy a cheap 2nd hand bike, doesn't matter what, you'll love it. You'll drop it, you'll learn how to look after it, you'll make mistakes, but you'll have fun doing it.

If the bike bug doesn't bite, you've not lost a pile of dosh. If it does, you got something to trade in and you can buy that shiny new bike.

Go for it, and enjoy yourself. Best thing I ever did.

 

That sums it up best way

 

Firstly as I wrote this it turned into a wall of text but please bear with me!

Don’t buy a bike with a view to “I’ll Drop It!”, because the ultimate aim is “Don't Drop It!” but do get one that won’t hurt you too much in either the heart (or wallet) should the worst happen!

I have an F800ST (2011 model) and your first post makes sense. It’s a good first 'big bike' in that it is a comfortable bike to ride, there is no chain maintenance, it’s kind manners make it user friendly for the inexperienced but it has enough performance that you can ‘grow’ with it and ride it to your ability. I’m 5’8” with 30” inseam and it’s not too tall for me with the standard height seat. You get good mileage from it I’ve a power commander on mine which sorts out the fuelling (it’s not a BMW thing but a general malaise of manufacturers lean fuelling to meet emissions regs at the cost of both power delivery and engine stress) - make sure that the valves have been checked - the early ones had rear bearing and breather hose kinking issues but these were rectified at production by 2011. Expect the belt needing replacement at about 30k miles (BMW say 24k but just keep a weather eye on the condition) yes it is expensive to replace but think of it in terms of numbers of chains and sprockets and the amount of chain lube and time you’d have spent on a conventional chain drive bike in the same number of miles.

While the BMW would be a good choice there are cheaper alternative ‘workhorse’ bikes that would require more investment in terms of maintenance and time. Look at the bikes the schools and couriers typically use for a guide since they will generally be easy to ride and reliable if maintained well.

Coming off a CBT you may find it cheaper to buy a 125 hack to use until you do your DAS course rather than rent. Renting a bike is 100% lost money and if you do drop your own you won't lose the excess that you would on the rental, you can just pick it up without worrying overly. Worth repeating though, the idea is to not drop it in the first place!

You won't really lose money on it since you'll be selling it on to another learner once you have passed your A license and you'll have something to ride until you find yourself something more appropriate, which will take the time pressure off you in two ways - firstly the pressure to pass the DAS before you are ready for it; if you have your own, you can delay until you are comfortable - and secondly the pressure to buy a bike immediately on passing your A license and risk getting one that is not right for you. If you already have a little hack there is no need to dive headlong into maybe making the wrong choice.

Get a bike to develop your riding before heading to the bike you really want (and want to keep unblemished). You'll sit easier in the saddle while gaining experience if you're worrying more about the road ahead than about the bike. Also, you'll learn from the 'disposable' bike about what suits you best. Leg position, reach to bars, seating position... Armed with that experience you may find that the bike you fell in lust with is just wrong for you which will help you make the right decisions (and perhaps prevent expensive mistakes) later! .

I know it's not the exciting option, and once you have the full A you'll be like a kid in a sweet shop.... We've all been there!