Proper bike but for a beginner. restrict a larger bike?
Discussion
Ok, so I did my cbt a while back, I intended to do the full test straight away but I couldn't wait and went out and bought a ktm 125 enduro r.
My god I f
king love it! I cant believe I have spent all these years messing around with cars when I could have had a bike!
I have done about 1000 miles now on the 125 and am really quite confident and feel good on it. originally I bought it for green laneing but tbh its a little bit boring for me and im actually enjoying the road more.
So proper licence is now under way with mod 1 next week.
But what bike do I get?
I had a brief go on my uncles hornet 750 and my god what a thing compared to the 125, but I will say I know what im like and I know ill soon be riding it above my skill level.
So what id like to do is get something with around a2 licence power for the first few months/year or so.
I really want a naked bike. either a Aprilia Tuono 660 or a Ducati Monster. Based on not a lot more than looks and videos I watch. but at around 100hp I fear too powerful for my first proper bike.
question is am I right in thinking I could have these restricted down in power? is this something I could use? says up to 24 reg.
https://rawpowermotorcycles.com/product/electronic...
I know about the Aprilia tuono 457 which is cheaper even brand new but after reading some posts on here why not just get the 660?
although for similar money I could get the 457 brand new and px my bike in and get a new 390 enduro r as well .....which may be a great combo.
what I like about the enduro r is the high position, ability to go off road, ability to just ride over massive potholes. will one of these naked bikes be too stiff for the stty roads we have? I am a beginner but I think the enduro r handles well, or it at least feels good anyway.
My god I f
king love it! I cant believe I have spent all these years messing around with cars when I could have had a bike! I have done about 1000 miles now on the 125 and am really quite confident and feel good on it. originally I bought it for green laneing but tbh its a little bit boring for me and im actually enjoying the road more.
So proper licence is now under way with mod 1 next week.
But what bike do I get?
I had a brief go on my uncles hornet 750 and my god what a thing compared to the 125, but I will say I know what im like and I know ill soon be riding it above my skill level.
So what id like to do is get something with around a2 licence power for the first few months/year or so.
I really want a naked bike. either a Aprilia Tuono 660 or a Ducati Monster. Based on not a lot more than looks and videos I watch. but at around 100hp I fear too powerful for my first proper bike.
question is am I right in thinking I could have these restricted down in power? is this something I could use? says up to 24 reg.
https://rawpowermotorcycles.com/product/electronic...
I know about the Aprilia tuono 457 which is cheaper even brand new but after reading some posts on here why not just get the 660?
although for similar money I could get the 457 brand new and px my bike in and get a new 390 enduro r as well .....which may be a great combo.
what I like about the enduro r is the high position, ability to go off road, ability to just ride over massive potholes. will one of these naked bikes be too stiff for the s
tty roads we have? I am a beginner but I think the enduro r handles well, or it at least feels good anyway. m3jappa said:
, but I will say I know what im like and I know ill soon be riding it above my skill level.
Without wanting to sound like a dick it's much cheaper, easier and more educational to ride within your skill level than buy a bike and reduce the power output. Which, tbh, I don't think makes that much difference, bike accidents are not (largely) caused by people applying too much power, but going into a corner too quickly or making bad decisions about lines etc. It's just as easy to misjudge a bend with 50hp as it is with 150hp.
Buy the bike you want, respect it, take things slowly to start with and increase speed as you become more experienced. If you're buying something modern you'll find it has ABS, anti-wheelie, traction control, and all sorts of other things which learner bikes never used to have!
I had a CB750 Hornet for the last 3 years, i wouldn't worry about it being too much as a first bike.
I had an SV650S as my first bike and the hornet isn't much of an upgrade in power.
As mentioned above it has traction control and anti wheelie, ABS. You have to provoke it in 1st to get the front up on the power and the TC chops it.
Wont be long before you have it pinned in 3rd getting bored waiting for it to wind up.
I had an SV650S as my first bike and the hornet isn't much of an upgrade in power.
As mentioned above it has traction control and anti wheelie, ABS. You have to provoke it in 1st to get the front up on the power and the TC chops it.
Wont be long before you have it pinned in 3rd getting bored waiting for it to wind up.
I went from a 125cc scooter to a Hornet 600 as when I passed my test back in 1999 at 18 years old I had to do the restricted licence and then when I reached 21 it automatically upgraded to unrestriced. It was a big 'jump' but as others have said, the throttle works both ways, so I'd just buy what you want (and can insure!) rather than restricting.
Insurance will probably be a limiting factor unless you’re willing to spend more than the value of the bike on cover. I got an MT07 as my first bike and it’s been a good experience. A year in now and wouldn’t say no to a bit more power. That said, I’m glad that I started with this and not something much more powerful - it’s a bit like cars, sometimes there’s enjoyment from having to work it a bit and not just fly off into the distance too easily!
Thanks for the comments here, I will say after reading another post on ph last night that insurance may well be the limiting factor.
I can only assume an insurer looks at this as a first bike? even though ive had the 125 on a cbt for a few months?
Maybe I'll stick to the original plan of just getting the 390 enduro r. as I say I love the riding position, the off road ability (I know I said green laning is a bit boring but there are a couple of good ones nearby to be fair). I just know it's not going to sound that great, but theres always a compromise somewhere. It will also be a really cheap upgrade and I would have thought insurance on these a2 type bikes would be much kinder.
As said above, and it's the same as cars. theres enjoyment to be had from thrashing a smaller engine. The 125 I have got now provides massive pleasure, its obviously slow but its still massive fun. Can easily keep up with traffic and the fun down our battered lanes and b roads is something I have never experienced in nearly 30 years of cars.
I can only assume an insurer looks at this as a first bike? even though ive had the 125 on a cbt for a few months?
Maybe I'll stick to the original plan of just getting the 390 enduro r. as I say I love the riding position, the off road ability (I know I said green laning is a bit boring but there are a couple of good ones nearby to be fair). I just know it's not going to sound that great, but theres always a compromise somewhere. It will also be a really cheap upgrade and I would have thought insurance on these a2 type bikes would be much kinder.
As said above, and it's the same as cars. theres enjoyment to be had from thrashing a smaller engine. The 125 I have got now provides massive pleasure, its obviously slow but its still massive fun. Can easily keep up with traffic and the fun down our battered lanes and b roads is something I have never experienced in nearly 30 years of cars.
Ghs said:
GSX-s 950 , think a2 is apx 50 hp , 90 standard , then you can take it to a tuner and get 150 hp I believe .
Strange bike. I see they are still selling them new but there are only a total of 7 new or used listed on AT today. They can’t sell many.It’s probably not a bad bike but at the money there are a lot of better options.
_Rodders_ said:
It comes up all the time. Just get the bike you actually want. You can get yourself into trouble on a bike regardless of the power and weight.
Doing the progression thing costs time and money and what's the point in riding a bike you don't really want.
This. Doing the progression thing costs time and money and what's the point in riding a bike you don't really want.
You are clearly not a kid OP, and probably have the maturity to ride according to your experience and the condition. Peak power is just that - the peak, and even big bikes can be ridden in a perfectly sensible manner.
It's going back a few years now but I went straight from a 125 on L plates to a 200kg, 100bhp+ V-twin with zero issues.
Two things:
Why are you talking about A2 etc? You're old enough to do DAS and get an unrestricted licence.
Secondly yes "buy the bike you want, throttle goes both ways" is a view, but it's not the only one. Buy the bike you're comfortable riding and won't break your heart when you break it, but will shed a tear when you sell it. SV650 has sat in that area perfectly for very many, MT07 etc also. A good cheap middleweight bike is a great place to refine your craft and offers all the performance we actually need on the road. A couple of years of cheap insurance, dirt cheap running costs and modest loss come trade in is a wonderful way to start biking.
Why are you talking about A2 etc? You're old enough to do DAS and get an unrestricted licence.
Secondly yes "buy the bike you want, throttle goes both ways" is a view, but it's not the only one. Buy the bike you're comfortable riding and won't break your heart when you break it, but will shed a tear when you sell it. SV650 has sat in that area perfectly for very many, MT07 etc also. A good cheap middleweight bike is a great place to refine your craft and offers all the performance we actually need on the road. A couple of years of cheap insurance, dirt cheap running costs and modest loss come trade in is a wonderful way to start biking.
hiccy18 said:
Two things:
Why are you talking about A2 etc? You're old enough to do DAS and get an unrestricted licence.
To be fair I think OP is only referencing A2 in terms of power and then insurance implications, with the assumption an A2 bike will be cheaper to insure than a non-A2.Why are you talking about A2 etc? You're old enough to do DAS and get an unrestricted licence.
I'm pretty sure a new A2 bike will cost more to insure than a used bike with a chunk more power.
As others have said pretty much any power will be fine if you are sensible but I think below 100bhp will be absolutely fine and also pretty decent on insurance.
I did direct access and went straight onto a 2018 Street Triple RS with 120bhp and it was fine. Naked bikes are good at keeping the speeds sensible....ish and all bikes only go as fast as you make them. You'll soon be wanting more power if you go for something less than a 600 as a first big bike.
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