Good starter back after Direct Access

[drumlegend]

So I am taking my Direct Access in January and I am going to buy a motorbike in March.

I am 24 years old and I have ridden bikes in the past.

I started on a 50cc hair dryer and then moved onto a Aprillia Futura (Died of old age)

Then I bough a Rieju RS2 which I sold when I went to university. I taught myself to ride a 125 geared bike so I do have experience but it's the insurance I am worried about. I want a bike that isn't too expensive to insure and would be a bike that has a nice pull but not too powerful. (I'd rather work my way up, too many people get a big bike straight away and come off it)

Any help would be great thanks

[peteO]

people will prob say fzs600, tt600, cbr600 things of that nature. people will also say dont worry about building yourself up as 'the throttle goeas both ways', which althought massively patronising is also true!..

i'd never ridden before. did my test then bought a 636 ninja. was it a little overpowered for my 1st bike, yes. did i regret buying it, no. find a bike you like the look of that fits your budget then test ride it read reviews/ask opinions.

asking such a broad questrion is like saying ive just passed my car test, what should i buy? every man and his dog are gonna have a diff opinion.

[drumlegend]

I don't believe it's too broad of a question, I'm just asking for advice on a decent bike that's cheap to insurance. I'm sure there are quite a few people in this forum that have been in my position and I am just asking for an opinion really.

I have seen bikes I like but the insurance is very expensive.

Thank you by the way

[drumlegend]

I've heard the Kawasaki Ninja 250 is cheap to insure but it is small. I don't mind about a bike that is extremely fast but I would love a bike that does have decent acceleration and it would need to be a sports bike. I don't like sitting up.

[peteO]

what engine size you looking for. also in regards to insurance if you go on the mcn website the bike reviews have the insurance group at the bottom of the page. i know it doesnt give you a figure but still some sort of indication if you have 2 or 3 you want to choose from

[drumlegend]

Oh ok thank you.

I will probably go for a 600 as I couldn't find any nice 400cc motorbikes I liked the look of.

http://www.mandsmotorcycles.co.uk/used_bikes_detai...

I fell in love with this bike, but the insurance was about 700 and the excess was 1000

[peteO]

drumlegend said:

Oh ok thank you.

I will probably go for a 600 as I couldn't find any nice 400cc motorbikes I liked the look of.

http://www.mandsmotorcycles.co.uk/used_bikes_detai...

I fell in love with this bike, but the insurance was about 700 and the excess was 1000

the 400's tend to hold their value more than 600's as theres fewer of them... yeah an r6 is gonna spank you for insurance. you'd be better looking at sports tourers as opposed to sports bikes (600 fazer, thundercat)... but no doubt someone else will be along in a min and say something diff

[drumlegend]

I know the tourers are cheaper to insure but I really don't want a tourer if I can avoid it.

[peteO]

sports tourers, not tourers... but yeah, no worries.

[drumlegend]

I knew what you meant :P

I guess if needs be, I could get a sports tourer and just have it for a couple of years until I have some no claims.

[peteO]

also nakeds are cheaper to insure than fully faired bikes... so people say

eg bandit, hornet, monster

[drumlegend]

I will check them out, I guess it would be a good idea considering my parents live 100 miles away, but they require a lot of work don't they? Lots of polishing and preventing from rusting.

[peteO]

drumlegend said:

I will check them out, I guess it would be a good idea considering my parents live 100 miles away, but they require a lot of work don't they? Lots of polishing and preventing from rusting.

100 mile ride on the bike sounds like a good excuse to see your parents every sunday!..

stokes and folks mate. ive just got rid of my ninja and gave that a wash about every 6 months. if your commuting in winter prob a good idea to rinse it off every week or so to keep the salt off it but theyre not gonna disintegrate if you dont.

[Bluehawk]

How about a Suzuki Sv650s, fully faired

Great pull due to being a v-twin, top end isn't great, but certainly pulls well
Should be very cheap insurance too

[drumlegend]

peteO said:

100 mile ride on the bike sounds like a good excuse to see your parents every sunday!..

stokes and folks mate. ive just got rid of my ninja and gave that a wash about every 6 months. if your commuting in winter prob a good idea to rinse it off every week or so to keep the salt off it but theyre not gonna disintegrate if you dont.

Well I used to go down on a weekend on my Rieju but that thing was slow and it took quite a long time.

It's a lovely ride in the summer with your head down but it does hurt my back over time. Would be a nice idea getting a sports tourer. What have you got instead?

[peteO]

right now i have a fazer in pieces in the garage (18 months after crashing it). ive moved so lost my garage so am just looking for a cheap stty 125 to commute on as its takes between 45-90 mins on the bus, depending on the time, to get to and from work. took me 25 on the bike

[caduceus]

I bought a ZX6R Ninja after passing my DAS and it was a great first bike. Comfortable, quick and user friendly. Obviously it all boils down to how well you've got your head screwed on. Treat the bike with respect and expect car users to do the dumbest things, and you should be fine.

[peteO]

caduceus said:

I bought a ZX6R Ninja after passing my DAS and it was a great first bike. Comfortable, quick and user friendly. Obviously it all boils down to how well you've got your head screwed on. Treat the bike with respect and expect car users to do the dumbest things, and you should be fine.

yeah as long as you remember that car drivers are idiots and everyone wants to kill you you'll be fine

[upsidedownmark]

Kawasaki ER6 if that hasn't already been mentioned..

[Jonjo91]

husqvarna nuda 900!

Bags of fun!