Anyone had/have a 50cc bike?
Discussion
I started on an unrestricted Honda MB-5 in 1984. At the first opportunity I put an MB100 engine in it 
. It felt like the fastest thing in the world at the age of 16!!!
I learnt some valuable lessons from it:
1. Falling off any motorcycle hurts.
2. Drinking alcohol on any motorcycle will make you fall off. See point one.
3. Car drivers hate small motorcycles. I learnt later that car drivers hate medium sized motorcycles. Some time after that I learnt that car drivers hate large motorcycles.
4. Showing off on a motorcycle makes you fall off. See point one.
5. The less power you have, the more vulnerable you are. You can't accelerate away, the brakes and handling aren't very good. Low power, poor brakes and suspension and crap tyres plus no knowledge is dangerous. Your life depends on grip vs gravity. Watch road surfaces. Keep off gravel, wet patches, overbanding, manhole covers, diesel, white lines and roadkill. Don't hit the front brakes if your wheels aren't in line. Treat every other road user as the person who is about to kill you. Never switch off mentally and continually ask yourself what the worst thing that could happen might be and how you will extricate yourself from it.
The worst accidents I have had in my 21 year riding career have been on small bikes. Except one, which wasn't my fault. I've had 4 largish crashes - one involved a dog running out in front of me and the other three were all female drivers pulling out in front of me.
Get a 50cc bike. It will get you mobile and it won't cost you a lot of money. It will introduce you to a world that will give you more thrills than you can imagine throughout your life. But treat it with respect, because if you don't it's likely to shorten your life or leave you with injuries that could ensure that you live the rest of it in misery. Get as much training as you can, listen to gray haired old duffers and don't ever be reckless.
. It felt like the fastest thing in the world at the age of 16!!! I learnt some valuable lessons from it:
1. Falling off any motorcycle hurts.
2. Drinking alcohol on any motorcycle will make you fall off. See point one.
3. Car drivers hate small motorcycles. I learnt later that car drivers hate medium sized motorcycles. Some time after that I learnt that car drivers hate large motorcycles.
4. Showing off on a motorcycle makes you fall off. See point one.
5. The less power you have, the more vulnerable you are. You can't accelerate away, the brakes and handling aren't very good. Low power, poor brakes and suspension and crap tyres plus no knowledge is dangerous. Your life depends on grip vs gravity. Watch road surfaces. Keep off gravel, wet patches, overbanding, manhole covers, diesel, white lines and roadkill. Don't hit the front brakes if your wheels aren't in line. Treat every other road user as the person who is about to kill you. Never switch off mentally and continually ask yourself what the worst thing that could happen might be and how you will extricate yourself from it.
The worst accidents I have had in my 21 year riding career have been on small bikes. Except one, which wasn't my fault. I've had 4 largish crashes - one involved a dog running out in front of me and the other three were all female drivers pulling out in front of me.
Get a 50cc bike. It will get you mobile and it won't cost you a lot of money. It will introduce you to a world that will give you more thrills than you can imagine throughout your life. But treat it with respect, because if you don't it's likely to shorten your life or leave you with injuries that could ensure that you live the rest of it in misery. Get as much training as you can, listen to gray haired old duffers and don't ever be reckless.
Mon ami Mate clearly speaks from painful experience!
Having suffered several years of 49cc mopeds, they are most definately the @rse end of the motoring spectrum. But at least you learn some of the basics. And there are some minor compensations, (like grounding out the edge of the stand when cornering on a scooter).
Like so much in life, start at the bottom, learn about the grot and work your way up. At least that way, when you are screaming past some spotty yoof, you will be able to remember when you were in his place.
Having suffered several years of 49cc mopeds, they are most definately the @rse end of the motoring spectrum. But at least you learn some of the basics. And there are some minor compensations, (like grounding out the edge of the stand when cornering on a scooter).
Like so much in life, start at the bottom, learn about the grot and work your way up. At least that way, when you are screaming past some spotty yoof, you will be able to remember when you were in his place.
Well I started on a Honda CD90Z sports in 1969, great it was, clocked up over 15,000 miles before my seventeenth birthday, even took it down to Lands End from Manchester.......
Twenty three bikes later I still look back fondly to those days, just remember the engine is only 50cc, don't ride everywhere flat out, the engine won't take it, I remember seizing my engine up on the Chester/Manchester road trying to keep up with a 200cc Lambretta SX, mind you I was going nearly 60mph up a hill 2 up......
Anyhow, have fun if you get one, but ride carefully, you only live once.....:-)
Twenty three bikes later I still look back fondly to those days, just remember the engine is only 50cc, don't ride everywhere flat out, the engine won't take it, I remember seizing my engine up on the Chester/Manchester road trying to keep up with a 200cc Lambretta SX, mind you I was going nearly 60mph up a hill 2 up......
Anyhow, have fun if you get one, but ride carefully, you only live once.....:-)
Been there, & enjoyed it, very useful learning and 50's can be fun, (certainly better than walking or cycling), second most of what Mon ami mate said, especially re the drinking/falling off (I had an 18th birthday to remember! - well it would be, if I could remember... 
) but above all enjoy and progress to bigger & better. The best thing about riding a 50 at a young age is that you learn (the hard, but best way) much better about road use, vulnerability etc which will ultimately help you to be a better rider and driver.
I firmly believe ALL bikers/car drivers should spend at least 6 months on a moped just to learn some road sense.
I've since moved on to better bikes but still recall my early biking days as some of the best of my life.
>> Edited by catso on Friday 29th July 23:07
) but above all enjoy and progress to bigger & better. The best thing about riding a 50 at a young age is that you learn (the hard, but best way) much better about road use, vulnerability etc which will ultimately help you to be a better rider and driver. I firmly believe ALL bikers/car drivers should spend at least 6 months on a moped just to learn some road sense.
I've since moved on to better bikes but still recall my early biking days as some of the best of my life.
>> Edited by catso on Friday 29th July 23:07
I started on a RD 50 when i was 15 used it over some waste ground where i use to live great fun! but not really designed as a field bike!! had to remove the chrome front mudguard as it kept getting clogged up with earth...
I Then progressed to a AR 50 at 16 for the road i would say i learnt most of my road sense from that bike then it was the on to a TZR 125 un-restricted which use to get to the magical 100mph figure untill one day went in to the back of an old Cortina estate OUCH! lessons learnt there about being more observant.
All in all 1 would say Go for it! its a great way to get a round and beats riding around on a mountain bike like your mates.
I Then progressed to a AR 50 at 16 for the road i would say i learnt most of my road sense from that bike then it was the on to a TZR 125 un-restricted which use to get to the magical 100mph figure untill one day went in to the back of an old Cortina estate OUCH! lessons learnt there about being more observant.
All in all 1 would say Go for it! its a great way to get a round and beats riding around on a mountain bike like your mates.
I remember my first bike it was a Suzuki TS50ER it was a 1980 "W" reg I paid £100 for it.
I thought it was the pups nuts on it (1982 and 16 yrs old) when I bought it it had a 16 tooth gearbox sprocket on it which meant I was able to sit at 40mph flat out on the level (15 mph uphill.
I bought it without checking it properly and after 3 months I noticed the exhaust started blowing at the head while I was riding it.
I thought I will ride it home then the frame snapped in two underneath me. It transpired that the frame had been snapped by the previous owner and welded very badly under the tank.
Lucky to get away uninjured with that one.
I thought it was the pups nuts on it (1982 and 16 yrs old) when I bought it it had a 16 tooth gearbox sprocket on it which meant I was able to sit at 40mph flat out on the level (15 mph uphill.
I bought it without checking it properly and after 3 months I noticed the exhaust started blowing at the head while I was riding it.
I thought I will ride it home then the frame snapped in two underneath me. It transpired that the frame had been snapped by the previous owner and welded very badly under the tank.
Lucky to get away uninjured with that one.
m1spw said:
Quick question about 50cc bikes - I thought that once you had passed your CBT you can ride on L plates and are restricted to 30, but I have just been told that if I pass my test (which I can take now) I can (legally) derestrict the bike. Is this true?
Thanks
Not true -
www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=94
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