How hard is it to ride a bike?
Discussion
If you are going to keep him legal (28mph restriction) then go for a scooter. You need to change gear every couple of seconds on a geared bike, which makes them quite a bit slower.
As for yourself, do a CBT and decide what you want to do from there.
50cc bikes are slow, but you just have to be sensible about where you ride. Much like riding a bicycle.
125s are fine if you have any kind of road awareness.
As for yourself, do a CBT and decide what you want to do from there.
50cc bikes are slow, but you just have to be sensible about where you ride. Much like riding a bicycle.
125s are fine if you have any kind of road awareness.
Good spot with the RS4 OP, my lad had one as a first bike. He had a year trouble free but the next owner has found it becoming pretty unreliable as it got to the 10,000 mile mark with lots of silly problems..
I had a go and thought it was fun so decided to do something about it. Took a CBT on a 125 then quickly did Mod 1 & 2. Bought a £500 Kawasaki 500 to play with then couldn't resist an 1150GS which is now my regular. All that in less than two years.
Be warned, two wheels are addictive!
I had a go and thought it was fun so decided to do something about it. Took a CBT on a 125 then quickly did Mod 1 & 2. Bought a £500 Kawasaki 500 to play with then couldn't resist an 1150GS which is now my regular. All that in less than two years.
Be warned, two wheels are addictive!
sleepera6 said:
It’s nearly my son’s 16th birthday and he’s begging for a moped. I was originally going to spend about £500 but saw a used Aprilia RS4 50cc that I like and that got me thinking, maybe I should start riding..! However I haven’t really riden a bicycle in years, let alone sat on a motorcycle.
Is it hard? I do want a midlife crisis, maybe start on a puny 50cc that I can share with my son, and trade it in next year for a Ninja
I’m not knowledgable in bikes but I want one!
Prove me wrong.
Its not very hard. If you can handle a bicycle, you can handle a motorbike, essentially. Some people would have you believe its some sort of black magic because it makes them feel special. Road sense is a bigger issue because the stakes are high if you cock-up. Is it hard? I do want a midlife crisis, maybe start on a puny 50cc that I can share with my son, and trade it in next year for a Ninja
I’m not knowledgable in bikes but I want one!
Prove me wrong.
I’m a bit worried about him on a moped. He has generally poor coordination, he is frail (>50kg) and skinny, and is tiny at just under 5ft 6in.
He is going to get a job after his GCSE’s in June and saving up already for a new Polo. If he can trade in the moped against the Polo that’s all well and good, besides, RS4’s seem to have very low depreciation.
All I’m worried about is that the moped is actually too slow to be safe... he knows a mate who rides it to school (Piaggio). But while my son lives 4 miles away and has to cross the M25 to school, the mate lives 500m away.
He is going to get a job after his GCSE’s in June and saving up already for a new Polo. If he can trade in the moped against the Polo that’s all well and good, besides, RS4’s seem to have very low depreciation.
All I’m worried about is that the moped is actually too slow to be safe... he knows a mate who rides it to school (Piaggio). But while my son lives 4 miles away and has to cross the M25 to school, the mate lives 500m away.
I turned 16 in '94 and my Dad rode my DT50 back home 2 miles from where I'd bought it, then 3 miles to the CBT a few days later . . . twice in the event as it's indicators failed on the first attempt!
He enjoyed himself. He took his 72K BSA 250 off the road 13 years before that and has never put it back together. I guess there isn't that much performance difference between the two.
It didn't seem to result in renewed enthusiasm for the Beeza rebuild or a desire to get onto two wheels though. I expect you'll enjoy it OP, but I can't imagine you'll always want to go out on it.
Awesome thing for your lad to have though. Those and Derbi Sendas were items of desire for me back in the day.
He enjoyed himself. He took his 72K BSA 250 off the road 13 years before that and has never put it back together. I guess there isn't that much performance difference between the two.
It didn't seem to result in renewed enthusiasm for the Beeza rebuild or a desire to get onto two wheels though. I expect you'll enjoy it OP, but I can't imagine you'll always want to go out on it.
Awesome thing for your lad to have though. Those and Derbi Sendas were items of desire for me back in the day.
sleepera6 said:
All I’m worried about is that the moped is actually too slow to be safe... he knows a mate who rides it to school (Piaggio). But while my son lives 4 miles away and has to cross the M25 to school, the mate lives 500m away.
Crossing the motorway (assuming a roundabout) will be fine. I used to cross the M60 regularly on a bicycle. Driving standards in this country are among the best in the world, despite what you read on here. Even on a 50 he will probably be one of the fastest things on the road around London, so I wouldn't worry too much about slowness.
Donbot said:
Crossing the motorway (assuming a roundabout) will be fine. I used to cross the M60 regularly on a bicycle. Driving standards in this country are among the best in the world, despite what you read on here.
Even on a 50 he will probably be one of the fastest things on the road around London, so I wouldn't worry too much about slowness.
Slip road on to roundabout. Then down some country lanes.Even on a 50 he will probably be one of the fastest things on the road around London, so I wouldn't worry too much about slowness.
As said above I’m going through the licence process now but there’s no way I’d want my son on a bike until he was at least 30, assuming he is anything like me. A combination of a lack of general road craft and having little sense of danger. Other folks may be very different however, just my 2 cents.
Jag_NE said:
As said above I’m going through the licence process now but there’s no way I’d want my son on a bike until he was at least 30, assuming he is anything like me. A combination of a lack of general road craft and having little sense of danger. Other folks may be very different however, just my 2 cents.
But what age were you when you started riding a bike? Don't you think your parents were bricking it every time you went out on one?Late teens/early 20s we're all invincible - I know I was!
But I'm still here 40+ years later (even if some wish I wasn't).Let your son do what he wants - it's his life, not yours!
308mate said:
That’s a really valid concern and deserves plenty of consideration. Going slower than the flow of traffic will get you hurt.
It would be interesting to find some good stats for 50cc bikes on this. I can only find an old telegraph article saying 'Three quarters of injuries occur where the speed limit is 30mph or less and two thirds happen near junctions,' but doesn't make any comment on speed of the bike itself being a cause. From personal experience, neither myself or anyone I know has been involved in a crash directly due to being slower than traffic.
Edit - It seems bigger bikes are much more dangerous https://www.iamroadsmart.com/docs/default-source/r...
Edited by Donbot on Friday 19th October 09:57
Edited by Donbot on Friday 19th October 09:59
Mr Tidy said:
Jag_NE said:
As said above I’m going through the licence process now but there’s no way I’d want my son on a bike until he was at least 30, assuming he is anything like me. A combination of a lack of general road craft and having little sense of danger. Other folks may be very different however, just my 2 cents.
But what age were you when you started riding a bike? Don't you think your parents were bricking it every time you went out on one?Late teens/early 20s we're all invincible - I know I was!
But I'm still here 40+ years later (even if some wish I wasn't).Let your son do what he wants - it's his life, not yours!
in the South East (at least) roads are massively more congested than when I was young. Vast 4x4s are driven with confidence by the drivers who are surrounded by airbags and are basically safe whatever they do.
Your survival is good news that we all rejoice in. I'm glad it was a laugh, but it's hardly statistically significant. A mate of mine jumped out a 2nd storey window in his teens and he also said it was a laugh - but it remains an activity I would discourage.
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