New rider. Any suggestions for a first big bike?
Discussion
trickywoo said:
Its not a beginner bike. My first bike after passing was a V2 Tuono 1000. I got a 765RS about 10 years later and would say the Tuono was the better starter bike, that's how unfriendly I found the Triumph.
I got it straight after doing 30k miles on a GSXR 750 and the 765 felt dangerous to me, and not in a good way. I kept it a few months and 800 miles and haven't been happier to see the back of a bike as much.
I wasn’t implying that the 765RS was a beginners bike, more so the street triple in general. I’d be intrigued to know what you didn’t like about it?I got it straight after doing 30k miles on a GSXR 750 and the 765 felt dangerous to me, and not in a good way. I kept it a few months and 800 miles and haven't been happier to see the back of a bike as much.
But when it comes to bikes, get something that feels comfortable for you. But I still stick with buy second hand, you’ll spend the first year just getting used to biking, finding out what sort of riding you like doing, what sort of speed you are comfortable with etc, and then get what you really want because you’ll know what you like by then.
Capt.Willard said:
Zakalwe said:
MC Bodge said:
Zakalwe said:
I see it the same way as buying a house or a car - if you’re in your 40s buying your first house you don’t let anyone tell you “ooh, you know what, by a studio flat to start with, you need to get used to being a homeowner first”
That's right, because it takes real skill to live in a house. There is a lot of willy waving with owning motorbikes.
Learning to ride a bike well is more important. Few people seem to do it, though.
Zakalwe said:
They have these things called “licences” where you pass a “test” of sorts to obtain one. Look into it
A licence shows you are at least at the minimum legal level of competence, nothing more, and there is a huge amount of learning that comes afterwards.One important piece of learning is fine throttle control, about how you apply it in different circumstances.
It’s far harder on a much more powerful bike, as the same amount of throttle movement generally gives a much larger increase in torque at the wheel than on a less powerful one.
It’s also the case that new riders will tend to ride at lower revs, further below the torque peak than more advanced riders. This means that if you lose rear traction then the engine increases speed and outs even more torque through an already spinning tyre, making a low side more likely,
More experienced riders will have the revs at a point where a slide brings the engine to a lower torque output, making the slide more likely to be gentler even without the right response from the rider.
Kent Border Kenny said:
A licence shows you are at least at the minimum legal level of competence, nothing more, and there is a huge amount of learning that comes afterwards.
One important piece of learning is fine throttle control, about how you apply it in different circumstances.
It’s far harder on a much more powerful bike, as the same amount of throttle movement generally gives a much larger increase in torque at the wheel than on a less powerful one.
It’s also the case that new riders will tend to ride at lower revs, further below the torque peak than more advanced riders. This means that if you lose rear traction then the engine increases speed and outs even more torque through an already spinning tyre, making a low side more likely,
More experienced riders will have the revs at a point where a slide brings the engine to a lower torque output, making the slide more likely to be gentler even without the right response from the rider.
Many people never ride enough, or with the right kind of practice, to become good riders. One important piece of learning is fine throttle control, about how you apply it in different circumstances.
It’s far harder on a much more powerful bike, as the same amount of throttle movement generally gives a much larger increase in torque at the wheel than on a less powerful one.
It’s also the case that new riders will tend to ride at lower revs, further below the torque peak than more advanced riders. This means that if you lose rear traction then the engine increases speed and outs even more torque through an already spinning tyre, making a low side more likely,
More experienced riders will have the revs at a point where a slide brings the engine to a lower torque output, making the slide more likely to be gentler even without the right response from the rider.
MC Bodge said:
Many people never ride enough, or with the right kind of practice, to become good riders.
One of the advantages of having had no choice but to ride year-round was that I got used to all manner of road conditions, weather, traffic, and so on. Do it enough and you should even sometimes be using your sense of smell to help inform you of the conditions, such as when fresh rain has fallen on a previously warm dry road, or when diesel’s been dropped.Kent Border Kenny said:
One of the advantages of having had no choice but to ride year-round was that I got used to all manner of road conditions, weather, traffic, and so on. Do it enough and you should even sometimes be using your sense of smell to help inform you of the conditions, such as when fresh rain has fallen on a previously warm dry road, or when diesel’s been dropped.
I've got a great sense of smell but riding even at 30mph by the time I've smelt diesel I've already ridden some distance on / past it - same with cow s
t around herehiccy18 said:
Pothole said:
Did the respective eras of "greebos" and R1s actually overlap?
I found the definition on urban dictionary complimentary so volunteer myself deserving of the title. Unlike his missus and that R1 
kidding about the R1 obvs
V8RX7 said:
I've got a great sense of smell but riding even at 30mph by the time I've smelt diesel I've already ridden some distance on / past it - same with cow st around here
I’ve occasionally smelled it a bit before the line wandered into my own lane. More often of course you see the slick rather than smelling it.t around here
Definitely recommend some form of advanced training.
I’d suggest Bikesafe as an introduction.
Also consider a bit of track riding training to find out what your bike is actually capable of.
Regarding which bike I’d say something of a decent size 700cc+ and reliable (so probably newer).
You’re not likely to want to be trotting around in the wind and rain on a rusty nail that leaves you stranded every other journey and practice makes perfect so no tucking it away between November & April.
I’d suggest Bikesafe as an introduction.
Also consider a bit of track riding training to find out what your bike is actually capable of.
Regarding which bike I’d say something of a decent size 700cc+ and reliable (so probably newer).
You’re not likely to want to be trotting around in the wind and rain on a rusty nail that leaves you stranded every other journey and practice makes perfect so no tucking it away between November & April.
Edited by Nick928 on Friday 23 October 18:38
I was in your shoes a few years ago, passed my test aged 40 having dreamed about bikes for decades but couldn't do it for various reasons. Similar way of thinking to yours - could have pushed the boat out and bought something I really wanted but decided to be sensible and went for an old Fazer 600 for £1300. While it truly is a good bike that took me all over UK as well as Picos region in Spain (bliss!) if I had to do it all over again I'd go with my heart and go for something I can't help but to look back at after parking it. Something that makes you feel funny things in your trouser region.
I'm throwing my lot in with Zakalwe&Co - get what you want. You may drop it or decide you want something else, so what? It's easier to get over making a mistake than silence the nagging doubt of 'what if I went for it'.
I'm throwing my lot in with Zakalwe&Co - get what you want. You may drop it or decide you want something else, so what? It's easier to get over making a mistake than silence the nagging doubt of 'what if I went for it'.
I passed my test last October at 62 years of age. Due to winter and lock down I eventually bought a Triumph Street Twin 4 months ago, which for me is ideal
I would suggest you test as many bikes as you can and get what is within budget and what feels right for you.
I have only done 1500 miles but already there are things I love about it and others not so much. With more experience perhaps I would get something different but whatever you get it is a steep learning curve without someone giving instructions constantly in your ear.
I love it by the way, you cannot be worrying about anything whilst riding other than the task at hand
I would suggest you test as many bikes as you can and get what is within budget and what feels right for you.
I have only done 1500 miles but already there are things I love about it and others not so much. With more experience perhaps I would get something different but whatever you get it is a steep learning curve without someone giving instructions constantly in your ear.
I love it by the way, you cannot be worrying about anything whilst riding other than the task at hand
If you are serious about taking the mrs on the back for any great distance Then you should really let her pick what she is most comfortable on. In your shoes I would just buy whatever you fancy to get some experience on, then either change it for something to tour on, or have 2 bikes
ColonelKurtz said:
The weather tomorrow is not looking good for a newbie to test ride bikes!
What do you all think about a 2002 Fazer 600 with 14k miles for £2200? Has a full history, all MOTs, low number of owners. Too old a bike?
Congrats on the test pass mate, you sound fairly similar to me and my mate who have just both passed our full bike tests (me december last year and him september this year) both around 35 (your a decade on) but got a lot of that high speed stuff out of our system owning various healthy amounts of performance cars over the years, we was always interested in bikes but it was 100% the right decision to do it on the + side of our 30s! What do you all think about a 2002 Fazer 600 with 14k miles for £2200? Has a full history, all MOTs, low number of owners. Too old a bike?
I think you need to decide what sort of riding you want to do, the good thing with bikes is they are very accessible as in..
1, fairly cheap to buy a half decent bike.
2, cheap to insure & tax.
3, because of the above two reasons you can own 2 or 3 at once!
I have already been through a few bikes - started with a yamaha fzr 600, nice bike - quick enough but i found it a little narrow. I quickly bought a zxr750 which was going cheap to go with the yamaha. I ended up selling them BOTH to the same guy but in the meantime i had bought myself a zxr400 (have a thing for 400s great bikes in the twistys with enough poke on the road!). I ended up getting a Honda CBR900RRX fireblade to sit alongside the 400, they compliment each other so well!
Im quite happy on sports bikes and intend to add a zx7r to the garage before moving on to buy something like a triumph thruxton-R for a bit of a classic style bike to bomb about on and then a tourer/adventure something i can do long distance euro ventures on!
Where abouts are you located? IF its in the northwest you are more than welcome to come out for a ride with us!
Leave you with a couple of pics of mine...
Kent Border Kenny said:
One of the advantages of having had no choice but to ride year-round was that I got used to all manner of road conditions, weather, traffic, and so on. Do it enough and you should even sometimes be using your sense of smell to help inform you of the conditions, such as when fresh rain has fallen on a previously warm dry road, or when diesel’s been dropped.
More like ‘give that vehicle plenty of space, the tt driving it is stoned.’ColonelKurtz said:
The weather tomorrow is not looking good for a newbie to test ride bikes!
What do you all think about a 2002 Fazer 600 with 14k miles for £2200? Has a full history, all MOTs, low number of owners. Too old a bike?
If the chain, tyres and brakes are near the start of their service life it sounds ok. If not it sounds expensive.What do you all think about a 2002 Fazer 600 with 14k miles for £2200? Has a full history, all MOTs, low number of owners. Too old a bike?
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