Aged 16, Yes or No?
Discussion
LuS1fer said:
the 50cc race replicas are a terrible idea. Horrifically expensive, massive depreciation and hard to sell on. It's like having a Lamborghini Countach with a 1200cc Ford crossflow engine. Comical.
It's not really though is it? I bought my son an Aprilia RS50 for his 16th.£2000.Not really horrifically expensive.Depreciation was around £50.Not at all massive.And we sold it within two days of advertisement.Lads around my sons age know they can't afford a proper bike,and compared to the mopeds that are offered at the same price,these are more desirable.In most cases,the 'race replicas' are bought by kids who would like to progress to 'proper' bikes,and are usually geared as opposed to the rev and rip mopeds.They're not comical at all,when with the right tyres,they can out-corner a lot of sports bikes on the twisties.Edit- out-corner a lot of so-called sportsbike riders on the twisties.
Edited by Drew b on Thursday 4th November 22:19
I had a 50 when I was 16, it was the best thing I ever bought.
I lived in the middle of nowhere so the freedom it gave me was incredible.
Peds were out of the question (hate them) and all the race reps I saw were a bit too small for me (6ft1). So I ended up going for a fullsize enduro style bike.
The only thing I would say is dont buy new or nearly new, otherwise you will end up losing a lot of money.
This is what I had.
I lived in the middle of nowhere so the freedom it gave me was incredible.
Peds were out of the question (hate them) and all the race reps I saw were a bit too small for me (6ft1). So I ended up going for a fullsize enduro style bike.
The only thing I would say is dont buy new or nearly new, otherwise you will end up losing a lot of money.
This is what I had.
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 4th November 22:21
Jasandjules said:
Surely safer to wait until he's 17 and can have a car - that's a helluva lot safer than mopeds etc
Dont think major accidents happen that much on mopeds, it will help themm learn to be safe and considerate when they pass there car test.TBH if he was fussy then eff it, you're trying to get him something nice and he's winging like a lil school girl! When I was 16 I would have loved anythinig with 2 - 3 wheels for a sense of freedom. TBH if i lived in city centre or close to work/uni i'd probably quite happy get a vespa. Cheap running costs and could easily weave in and out of traffic.
But I'm not allowed two wheels unless I move out, so at 16 i just worked and saved my ass off for my first car for my freedom!
king spakker chariotWhen I was 16 I was driving around in one of these:
You have to take a driving test but it's really simple- the examiner isn't allowed in the cab with you so tells you what to do then stands there watching.
Once you pass you get a 'full' license (as in not a provisional, no needs for 'L's on the tractor) and are allowed to drive around doing farming type stuff. Obviously at 16 'farming stuff' was quite a broad church, including a regular spot of ploughing at the girlfriends house and little bit of drought-busting in the pub.
You have to take a driving test but it's really simple- the examiner isn't allowed in the cab with you so tells you what to do then stands there watching.
Once you pass you get a 'full' license (as in not a provisional, no needs for 'L's on the tractor) and are allowed to drive around doing farming type stuff. Obviously at 16 'farming stuff' was quite a broad church, including a regular spot of ploughing at the girlfriends house and little bit of drought-busting in the pub.
Drew b said:
LuS1fer said:
the 50cc race replicas are a terrible idea. Horrifically expensive, massive depreciation and hard to sell on. It's like having a Lamborghini Countach with a 1200cc Ford crossflow engine. Comical.
It's not really though is it? I bought my son an Aprilia RS50 for his 16th.£2000.Not really horrifically expensive.Depreciation was around £50.Not at all massive.And we sold it within two days of advertisement.Lads around my sons age know they can't afford a proper bike,and compared to the mopeds that are offered at the same price,these are more desirable.In most cases,the 'race replicas' are bought by kids who would like to progress to 'proper' bikes,and are usually geared as opposed to the rev and rip mopeds.They're not comical at all,when with the right tyres,they can out-corner a lot of sports bikes on the twisties.Edit- out-corner a lot of so-called sportsbike riders on the twisties.
Edited by Drew b on Thursday 4th November 22:19
The 50cc motorcycles (that's what they are, rather than being mopeds that look like motorcycles) differ from mopeds in that they are geared and that they handle/ride completely differently from a moped. They're also a fair bit faster, plus there's loads of tuning options for the RS50 (not that you'd ever derestrict it from 50 that is).
You can easilly tune a scooter to be faster than an rs50
my piaggio nrg left them for dead...
If you are getting a scooter stick with a l/c piaggio engine i.e. nrg or a l/c yamaha engine i.e. aerox
Both de-restricted and with a sport exhaust will hit around 55 - 60 clock speed on the flat and about 65 down a hill with the right rollers. This would be more like a real 50 on the flat as the speedo's are very optomistic. They give around 4bhp as standard. However I spent about £600 (silly I know) on the engine off mine and got it dynod at 13.7bhp. This sounds pathetic but it actually made it rather fast I gave up at 82mph clock down a hill (lost my nerve they are not built for that speed lol) and it would do a true 65mph on the sat nav quite easily on the flat thanks to the gear-up. Downside however was it made it far too loud video below shows it when it was running at around 8bhp and when I got it setup properly and changed the exhaust it just got worse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTrpz9XeWf8
Personally I believe geared 50's are a waste of time you are swapping cogs far too much to stay in the power band and they are no faster than a scooter with a lot more hardwork.
An rs125 on the other hand makes a lot more sense these are actually very fun to ride albeit with a lot of maintance I owned one of these and they really were a laugh but however you do have to be 17 by which time a car can be had. Handling was to me seemed superb and they are very quick for what is essentially a 125.
In summary just get him a cheap 50cc scooter such as an nrg, aerox etc... do not buy new they retail at £1800 and within a year you will struggle to get over 1100 for one no matter what such is the scooter game. For example I will be selling my nrg soon as a de-restricted 50cc I have rebuilt the whole thing and only want around £650 which is a good way of getting some road experience for not a lot of money. Personally I believe it made be a lot safer driver and I pay a lot more attention to bikes on the road as well as I now have far more respect from them after experiencing it myself.
my piaggio nrg left them for dead...
If you are getting a scooter stick with a l/c piaggio engine i.e. nrg or a l/c yamaha engine i.e. aerox
Both de-restricted and with a sport exhaust will hit around 55 - 60 clock speed on the flat and about 65 down a hill with the right rollers. This would be more like a real 50 on the flat as the speedo's are very optomistic. They give around 4bhp as standard. However I spent about £600 (silly I know) on the engine off mine and got it dynod at 13.7bhp. This sounds pathetic but it actually made it rather fast I gave up at 82mph clock down a hill (lost my nerve they are not built for that speed lol) and it would do a true 65mph on the sat nav quite easily on the flat thanks to the gear-up. Downside however was it made it far too loud video below shows it when it was running at around 8bhp and when I got it setup properly and changed the exhaust it just got worse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTrpz9XeWf8
Personally I believe geared 50's are a waste of time you are swapping cogs far too much to stay in the power band and they are no faster than a scooter with a lot more hardwork.
An rs125 on the other hand makes a lot more sense these are actually very fun to ride albeit with a lot of maintance I owned one of these and they really were a laugh but however you do have to be 17 by which time a car can be had. Handling was to me seemed superb and they are very quick for what is essentially a 125.
In summary just get him a cheap 50cc scooter such as an nrg, aerox etc... do not buy new they retail at £1800 and within a year you will struggle to get over 1100 for one no matter what such is the scooter game. For example I will be selling my nrg soon as a de-restricted 50cc I have rebuilt the whole thing and only want around £650 which is a good way of getting some road experience for not a lot of money. Personally I believe it made be a lot safer driver and I pay a lot more attention to bikes on the road as well as I now have far more respect from them after experiencing it myself.
I had one of these in 2005... while all my friends were riding speedfights,piaggios,aprillas etc
Slowest in the group on the road but I didn't mind as when I took it down the green lanes they either bottled it or something rattled off thiers
Edited by petrolsniffer on Friday 5th November 03:10
I suggested a 50cc 3-wheeler to my sister when she was 16. She was having none of it (either a Piaggio or the 3-wheeler buggy type with a moped rear wheel engine)
Now she is 18, struggling to pass her driving test and only wants a blue 206.
Kids these days don't care for anything other than fashion or facebook trophies. I would have killed for a moped/bike/3 wheeler at 16 , but without the funds or vision of my parents to make the investment it wasn't possible.
Now she is 18, struggling to pass her driving test and only wants a blue 206.
Kids these days don't care for anything other than fashion or facebook trophies. I would have killed for a moped/bike/3 wheeler at 16 , but without the funds or vision of my parents to make the investment it wasn't possible.
Back in 1993 when I turned 16 I had a 1991 Suzuki TS50X. I wasnt allowed a big bore kit as it would invalidate my insurance but did have a pipe and did as much as I could. I would do an indicated 42-45 on the flat and 50 with a tailwind. Close to 60 down steep hills and we wont talk about uphill + headwinds. I did 16k miles on it in a year and loved it. I had some great fun on it, when it used to rain me and a few friends would spend the nights hacking round the multi-story car parks as they were always dry and empty. Gave me a superb amount of freedom.
Peds shouldnt be restricted to 30mph as it makes them dangerous on the main roads, 50 should be the limit.
Peds shouldnt be restricted to 30mph as it makes them dangerous on the main roads, 50 should be the limit.
I used to have one - albeit an early version I found in Brussels.
The problem you will have, in the UK, is getting insurance for sensible price. Even a 2 wheeled moped is dear but the little Piaggio three wheelers for a 16 year old on L plates is going to be horrendous - I seem to remember seeing around £1500 what a lot of people pay.
Paul H
The problem you will have, in the UK, is getting insurance for sensible price. Even a 2 wheeled moped is dear but the little Piaggio three wheelers for a 16 year old on L plates is going to be horrendous - I seem to remember seeing around £1500 what a lot of people pay.
Paul H
Compo_Simmonite said:
Even a 2 wheeled moped is dear but the little Piaggio three wheelers for a 16 year old on L plates is going to be horrendous - I seem to remember seeing around £1500 what a lot of people pay.
Really? It's only ten years since I was buzzing around on my DT50 (the 'MX' version no less...) for £120pa. Have they really gone up by more than ten fold since then? 
Actually, based on what we know about insurers it's not of the question.
You never know, though, being so damn unusual might mean you get some strange flat rat policies or something - a bit like you sometimes do with classic cars or kits?
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