~looks left, looks right~ Thinking of become a power ranger

[Marf]

So after 8 years of performance car ownership I've started to "Think Bike" as it were.

With both insurance and fuel costs rising rapidly I'm thinking about selling off my daily driver 300hp MR2 Turbo, buying a diesel slag to run daily, and then doing my bike test and getting a weekend toy.

There's a place nearby I can do the Get On scheme free ride to see if its really for me or not, and I'm blown away at how little the insurance would be!

Thinking about a 400 for my first bike. Insurance on say a CBR400RR is £283 for my first year which really surprised me.

Am I nuts?

Keen to hear from anyone else who has ditched performance cars for some 2 wheeled madness!

Edited by Marf on Monday 21st March 14:30

[Marf]

Efbe said:

have you ridden before?

No, never. Not ridden a pushbike in years either.

Hence why I want to do the Get On scheme to see if it's really for me.

I guess you're getting at my choice of bikes? What cheap (£1-2k) bike would people reccomend as a first bike?

Bearing in mind I'm 30 and have got all my "drive like a tw-tiness" out of my system.

[Marf]

Sossige said:

I always fancied giving motorbikes a go - when I was a bit older (35 now) - but I knew for sure that it was for me when I was on my CBT - I "opened up" the little 125 on a NSL twisty and beamed from ear to ear

That's what I want to get back, as fun as my MR2 is, its a bit detached and not as raw as my previous cars, I want to get the adrenaline rush again!

Sossige said:

I'm sure you'll notice the difference at the petrol pump, if nothing else!

That would be most welcome!!

[Marf]

Thanks for the advice so far guys. I need to do some research into the kind of bike I want I think.

R1, definitely want to go the whole hog to avoid any limitations on the kind of bike want.

[Marf]

Chilli said:

Rawwr said:

Chilli said:

Remember if you're spending say 2k on the bike, you'll end up spending another grand on all the assless chaps and lube.

Sorry, that's what I MEANT to say. You WILL end up admiring the fitting of other power ranger's leathers.

Wait wait wait, so you're saying I wont be able to wear my assless chaps to ride a bike?

Good to know the costs though, I had in my head £800-1000 for the gear.

Willy Nilly said:

Yes it won't have a major service everytime, but the service interval is half what the car is and needs much labour, the cars major service was cheaper then the bike. But I guess cheaper than a 300 horse MR2.

The MR2 isnt that bad really, I do it all so it's just parts costs.

Oil change twice a year £100 total
K&N gets washed and oiled once a year £15 for the refurb kit which lasts 3 or 4 cleans
set of sparks once a year £20
leads/dizzy cap/rotor arm each year(bit excessive but ignition bits aren't known for lasting on a Two). £150

With regards to servicing a bike, what's involved over and above a car?

I do most mechanical work on my car myself, so I'm not afraid to get stuck in.

Willy Nilly said:

Just a point, as you talking fuel costs. My SV ranges between 44 and 66mpg

Nice. Really with the MR2 it's the fuel costs that are stinging. 24-26mpg on the commute at £1.44/l is becoming frustrating.

Edited by Marf on Monday 21st March 18:11

[Marf]

muhuha said:

As mentioned above if your set on a sport bike image skip to the 600's most fo the 400's are a little small

See I'm not sure on bike type, that's an area I need to research more. The CBR400RR was just something I found when looking at 400s.

• goes off to get insurance quotes on some 600s

[Marf]

Willy Nilly said:

£210 fully comp, 5999 miles/year, brother as named rider on a K6 SV. Might need to up the mileage

Just got a quote of £263 on a 2001 SV650, 0NCB, fully comp, 5000 miles and one at fault accident. I don't get bike insurance

That seems really really cheap!

[Marf]

£600 for a GSX-R 600.

What else should I be looking at?

[Marf]

R1 Loon said:

In a nutshell. Bikes are a minority vehicle, insurers lack the expertise to underwrite this effectively. Overall, the costs of compensation on bike insurance expressed as a percentage of premium income is lower (but comparable to cars), but in sheer pounds, shillings & pence is a fraction of the overall Motor book for insurers. For that reason it's not getting the scrutiny that car insurance is, but it is still rising albeit much more slowly.

Don't complain, eventually cost will rise nearer to those of car insurance. For info, the quotes you're getting are probably 10 - 15% higher than they would've been last year though

Interesting thanks, definitely not complaining! When I did the first quote this morning I thought I'd entered something wrong on the quote.

[Marf]

R1 Loon said:

Marf said:

£600 for a GSX-R 600.

What else should I be looking at?

Not that for a first bike.

Heh ok, only reeled that one off because a friend of mine recently got one as his first bike.

R1 Loon said:

You're better off with getting something that isn't so revvy to start with. Super sports bikes are all a bit dull under 8,000 revs and you'll never really learn to ride properly unless you get something that won't tear your arms off above 8,000 revs.

SV650S, Bandit S, Hornet, CBR600F, Fazer 600 are all good starter bikes and you can change them ater a year if you get bored.

SV650S £294.76

Bandit S £283.85

Hornet £283.85

CBR600F £413.44

Fazer 600 £280.42

I think theres a pattern here

R1 Loon said:

If you get a fully faired bike and drop it, you'll be in for a shock!

Fairing parts expensive to replace then?

[Marf]

If only

[Marf]

How many miles have you done on the fireblade?

[Marf]

Go Go Power Ranger Jim!!

Don't tell me you've ditched the XX?

[Marf]

Haha collecting motorised stuff like its going out of fashion eh Jim??

Yeah if you could list the costs that'd be cool. The SV looks like a nice bike, few around at the £2.5k mark

Do I miss the 3pot? Yes, quite alot actually. Kinda wish I'd never sold it.

Had I known that a year after selling it I'd have been made redundant and had £6k shoved in my pocket I'd have kept it and bought a diesel slag with some of my payoff. Ah well, hind sight is always 20/20 eh!

[Marf]

Thanks Jim. Was your DAS course intensive or over a few weeks?

[Marf]

JimGTxx said:

Doh! well there's a red one on here cheap, with a decent looking body and a few mechanical gremlins (which I'm sure would be a doddle to fix)

Must admit I've been tempted but it'll never be the same as my XX. I'd want PAS and another Diff from Aus and they don't have any left now. Ah well. Have also had thoughts about a Starbo. 200hp is easy meat and theres plenty of aftermarket bits about.

JimGTxx said:

for colder riding, a pinlock is a must in my opinion - very simple idea and incredibly usefull!!!!!
when it's cold and wet you will want to clamp your visor shut.... and then the visor only centimeters from your eyes will fog up and you'll need to open it to clear again.

pinlock is essentially just a water absorbant plastic suspended away from the visor by a silicon gasket, effectively making it like double glazing. bloody brilliant!
When you go helmet shopping, make sure it's got one/is pinlock ready/or has pinlock ready visors available.

Cool thanks for that

JimGTxx said:

My DAS course was intensive but split.

ok, story coming up....

Edited by Marf on Tuesday 22 March 15:17

[Marf]

Thanks Jim. Did you have any bike experience before doing your DAS?

[Marf]

botophucket is blocked at work. will have to look when I get home

[Marf]

Maybe a good thing that I've not ridden a pushbike in over 15 years then!

[Marf]

JimGTxx said:

Hey Marf, what's the plan then?
Have you booked your theory yet?
Best get on with it as soon as poss, so you can enjoy the best of the good weather!

Hehe pushy pushy pushy!

This probably won't happen until next year, first the MR2 needs to go, then I need to get my boring daily beater, then the bike!