New rider. Any suggestions for a first big bike?

[MC Bodge]

Something cheap and a bit tatty would be my suggestion.

Don't be too concerned about "performance"/bragging rights. Something like an SV650 will be fine and a good rider on a challenging road could be quick on one.

I've always thought that the Versys 650 might be good. My old TDM850 was great on bumpy, twisty back roads after some suspension fettling.

Most bike riders are rubbish, don't be one of them.
Read up on good riding technique and ride a lot. Practice manoeuvres, handling and hard braking in empty car parks. (look up motorcycle gymkhana on youtube).

Be smooth. Accelerate through bends. Don't panic, shut the throttle and fall off.

Suspension tweaks can make a big difference.

Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 22 October 09:13

[FNG]

I'd also say avoid any temptation to run sticky tyres.

My z750 came on super slicky sticky hero tyres but I was just starting out, not much lean angle, riding it around at low speed.
Next thing I know, it's not dropping into corners very well and my confidence took a knock.
Unsurprisingly these sticky tyres had worn in the centre where I was using them, not on the edges where I wasn't, and there was a sharp corner to them - I'd squared them off.

Once I realised that I put a set of decent touring tyres on it and the bike was transformed. The tyres were also a lot more tolerant of my nervous upright riding style! And I never once felt like I missed the grip level, but a few times was glad I was on all season tyres not semi slicks.

[V8RX7]

ColonelKurtz said:

I’ve waited just over 20 years to get a bike licence (I’m 46 now - where did the time go?) and am raring to go.

I admit to being torn between buying an older and cheaper bike (up to £3k)

I plan to get some test rides, if possible.

Welcome to my world !

I'm pretty much the same but a year ahead of you - the hard part is getting test rides to see if you like a bike, rather than to confirm it's ok - easy on new bikes but not on cheaper used ones

I've found most large dealers won't allow test rides blaming covid (which is bks)

I haven't got mates with bikes I could try so I've simply bought bargains and then sold them on, making a little profit on the way - now after 7 bikes I'm getting to know what I like (currently own 3)

Good luck there is no right way and any bike will be great fun, I just like to make sure I'm on the best bike (for me)

EDIT - one of the best things I did was to go to a large dealer (call first) to sit on a range of bikes, I found some I thought I wanted - Tiger 955 - were hideous and others - VFR750 - just did nothing for me.

Edited by V8RX7 on Thursday 22 October 09:19

[Dog Star]

ColonelKurtz said:

...advice that I’ll drop the bike at some point

I hate that advice. Unless you are a weakling or midget why on earth would you drop it?

[Kent Border Kenny]

ColonelKurtz said:

Hi All.

I’ve been lurking for a while on the bike forum but I can’t keep quiet any longer. I passed my Mod 2 (2 minors) on 7th Oct (after a v long wait for a test date) and am now excitedly looking forward to getting my first big bike. I’ve been riding a CBF125 since my CBT in May to ensure I get some practice.

I’ve waited just over 20 years to get a bike licence (I’m 46 now - where did the time go?) and am raring to go.

I admit to being torn between buying an older and cheaper bike (up to £3k) to continue learning on, based on advice that I’ll drop the bike at some point, or spending more to buy the type of bike I want (something I can stick the other half on the back and do a bit of touring eventually, but also be fun to ride on my own). Head says go for the old bike, heart says f*ck it and buy what you want now.

Any advice on older bikes is appreciated. I have the Fazer, Hornet, MT-07, SV650 on my list; any others worth considering? If a new(er) bike, I’m considering the Tiger 800/900, GS850, or F900XR. And a wildcard, the Street Triple R as I think it looks cool but the other half would be furious. I plan to get some test rides, if possible.

Thanks all in advance.

Just reading the title, I was going to suggest a GS 850, so definitely give one a try.

I had a couple of years off biking a decade ago, and when coming back in had the luxury of choosing what sort of biking I wanted to do, and what woudl be the best machine for it, and ended up choosing a R1200GS.

That was coming from some faster bikes in the past, but even so, I was very tempted by the F800GS, they did a really nice black and yellow paint scheme that I'd have loved, but I decided I wanted the bigger bike in the end.

This style of bike, and these ones in particular are great for a bit of everything. Fine slipping through traffic, enough power and handling for some fun on a twisty road, and comfortable enough for long distances in the saddle.

I personally find that I am far more comfortable using all of the lean angle and performance of a bike like that than I was on bikes like Fireblades, where I just couldn't get the confidence to crank them over as far as they would go.

[MC Bodge]

Dog Star said:

ColonelKurtz said:

...advice that I’ll drop the bike at some point

I hate that advice. Unless you are a weakling or midget why on earth would you drop it?

Because these things happen.

[Prof Prolapse]

Dog Star said:

I hate that advice. Unless you are a weakling or midget why on earth would you drop it?

Come on, most people drop their bikes, and most of those do it when they're learning. Same goes for coming off in a low speed spill, we've all done it, and most of us did it when we were new to riding.

Also, no one, not even Eddie Hall, uses strength or weight to move a bike around, it's all technique. I nearly dropped mine last week, I can assure you it was because I was being a dhead, not because of any strength or height issues.

Would you buy a bike for that reason though? Hmm... Not convinced I would, bike you want and crash bungs/bar ends would seem a fair compromise!

[trickywoo]

jakeharvey63 said:

I’m now on a 765RS. To say I love the street triple is an understatement. It does everything I need of it and does it all well, I can h8ghly recommend one.

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.

[Zakalwe]

Get the bike you want, how long will you wait orherwise? You’ll be no more “ready” in a year than you are now. You might drop it, so what? Nothing is unfixable. My first ever bike was a Panigale, the only 125 I ever rode was on the CBT - I dropped it once when the stand wasn’t quite down, bent the clip on slightly, fixed it and never dropped it since, touch wood. I get a lot more joy from the bike than I would some raggy old Hornet I have to ride because people told me I had to earn the right to ride what I want, life’s short enough as it is

Edited by Zakalwe on Thursday 22 October 11:28

[V8RX7]

Dog Star said:

I hate that advice. Unless you are a weakling or midget why on earth would you drop it?

It's generally unfamiliarity / lack of experience

Once was putting the stand down on gravel as I'd forgotten my ear plugs - it'll be alright it's only for a minute - result was a dented Akra

The other was putting my helmet on, on my Griso, had taken it off the stand as that's what I did with my Duke, but when my Griso started leaning, being far heavier and far lower I couldn't stop it falling with just my legs, result minor marks on bar end and oil cooler guard

I was glad in both cases they were cheap bikes, I'd have been gutted if they were new.

I've seen plenty drop them whilst doing low speed manoeuvres with larger bikes

[hiccy18]

Dropped my current steed pushing it along the pavement after getting a puncture repaired, think it was a bit of uneven tarmac and I lost my footing. Thankfully it fell on top of me!

Not meant as criticism but I never understand the comments about getting something you'll love to ride to encourage you to ride: from budget middleweights upwards they've got the power to piss past traffic and make progress on A and B roads; you'll ride if you want to ride regardless of what you've got.

[MC Bodge]

hiccy18 said:

Dropped my current steed pushing it along the pavement after getting a puncture repaired, think it was a bit of uneven tarmac and I lost my footing. Thankfully it fell on top of me!

Not meant as criticism but I never understand the comments about getting something you'll love to ride to encourage you to ride: from budget middleweights upwards they've got the power to piss past traffic and make progress on A and B roads; you'll ride if you want to ride regardless of what you've got.

Exactly. Scratching around on a slightly tatty middleweight twin will be a great intro to biking and becoming a decent rider.

[Cavey]

Tasmin200 said:

Find something you're really comfortable on. From the riding position, leg room and pushing it about. Then ride as much as you can ??

Agree 100% with this. Get something with a seat height that allows you to comfortably get both feet on the ground without 'reaching', and that you're happy pushing round a car park and up a gentle slope. You will still have tons of options, including things which will require changes of underwear if you want to push it. Adventure bikes are the vogue at the moment and are great things but a tall seat and a 21" front wheel don't make a bike any easier to feel comfortable with doing all the on/off stop/start park stuff.

[ColonelKurtz]

Thanks everyone for the congrats on passing the test and your thoughts and advice; both very much appreciated!. The reason I wasn't out buying a bike the day after I passed my test is because I got decision freeze on what to buy. I also had some issues from dealers where they said their insurance would not cover a newly passed rider; they wanted at least one year as a rider. But I have since found other dealers who are happy to let me test ride. That is happening on Saturday!

On Saturday I am going to test ride a Tiger 900 GT Pro, a 2002 Fazer 600, and a 2012 Honda NC700. Next week, I have booked in test rides on an 850GS, and a F900XR. I'm going to try to have a look at an MT-07 too. A little varied I know but I want to try different types of bikes. For my DAS training I was on a Gladius (I thought that was quite nice and it had 85k on the clock) and SV650 (I liked that too but I found the seat uncomfortable after about an hour - maybe I have a bony a*se).

I'm 5' 8" with a 32" inside leg and, barring the 850GS (not sure how high they are), I am ok on the Tiger 900 with getting feet on the ground (I sat on one back in May) and the other bikes I am looking at should be lower than the Tiger.

I'm pretty sensible these days, having got the need for speed out of my system with cars over the years, and I am planning to get additional training in the future. Touring with the other half is not likely for quite a while as I need to learn a lot more about how to ride the bike before that. I was considering waiting until March next year to buy a bike but I have the bug now and want to build up my experience as much as possible. I also sold my CBF125 yesterday so I now have no excuse not to buy! I don't need the bike to commute and will only be using it for fun and any other excuse I can use to ride it; I am guessing I'll do c. 4k miles in the first year.

After your posts I'm now erring on the side of older and cheaper bike to learn on, and not shell out on a nearly new bike, as I agree with the advice that I may actually prefer a different type of bike to what I think I do in the long run. But, in the lights of the showroom, will I give in...?

I will keep you all posted. Watch this space. And thanks again everyone.

Edited by ColonelKurtz on Thursday 22 October 13:22

[Krikkit]

hiccy18 said:

Not meant as criticism but I never understand the comments about getting something you'll love to ride to encourage you to ride: from budget middleweights upwards they've got the power to piss past traffic and make progress on A and B roads; you'll ride if you want to ride regardless of what you've got.

I think it's a personal thing - I found something as my first bike that I absolutely loved. It made the right noise, fit me like a glove, and suited the kind of riding that I wanted to do.

If I'd bought what I'd learnt on (a 500-mile Z650) I wouldn't have taken to it anywhere near as well, as it wasn't something that tickled me in almost any aspect.

[carinaman]

Krikkit said:

If I'd bought what I'd learnt on (a 500-mile Z650) I wouldn't have taken to it anywhere near as well, as it wasn't something that tickled me in almost any aspect.

Why didn't the Z650 tickle you? I almost bought one earlier in the year. I like the dinky size from a manual handling and single track lanes perspective.

[hiccy18]

Krikkit said:

I think it's a personal thing - I found something as my first bike that I absolutely loved. It made the right noise, fit me like a glove, and suited the kind of riding that I wanted to do.

If I'd bought what I'd learnt on (a 500-mile Z650) I wouldn't have taken to it anywhere near as well, as it wasn't something that tickled me in almost any aspect.

100% it's personal and I'm probably in the minority. In my teenage years I think I'd have "got it" as I definitely obsessed over particular bikes but by the time I came to do DAS and got my licence I wasn't particularly fussed, I just liked bikes. For some reason the interest in particular models has never kicked in, just like I don't have it with cars either, I'm just interested in what I can do with them. But if you ask me what bike I love it's definitely the one in the garage. On that note....

OP an '02 Fazer 600 could be a Mk 1 or a Mk2 and you can distinguish between them by the shape of the headlights and fairing. The Mk1 (wot I had) had squarer lines and rectangular headlights which are utter st, even after the headlight mod (mainbeam with dipped head) and fitting the brightest bulbs I could find. The Mk2 is nicknamed the "Foxeye" and the far superior lights are, well, foxy cracking bike in all other respects, I did 11k miles on mine from October to March so lots of nightime riding....

SV650 is infamous for having an uncomfortable seat but there are lots of aftermarket options. I have an '18 X model which some people say has a comfier seat, all I can say is I am all day comfortable on the bike, but then I'm the same with my FZ1-S and people used to moan about the seat on that too so could be a personal thing, or perhaps I have above average padding in that area.

[Iminquarantine]

Zakalwe said:

Get the bike you want, how long will you wait orherwise? You’ll be no more “ready” in a year than you are now. You might drop it, so what? Nothing is unfixable. My first ever bike was a Panigale, the only 125 I ever rode was on the CBT - I dropped it once when the stand wasn’t quite down, bent the clip on slightly, fixed it and never dropped it since, touch wood. I get a lot more joy from the bike than I would some raggy old Hornet I have to ride because people told me I had to earn the right to ride what I want, life’s short enough as it is

Edited by Zakalwe on Thursday 22 October 11:28

Totally agree with this. Life is short, buy what you want to buy and use it. Although I think it isn’t a bad thing to spend 6 months on a 125. Just because they are so carefree more than anything else so they make you relaxed and confident. Buying an SV650 as a first post test bike because it’s mid powered and recommended sounds boring.

Also I think must bikes get carpark dropped by most people, esp if they are more than summer weekend toys.

[thatdude]

As you've seen OP, you get a lot of suggestions.

Rather than us tell you what you want, tell us what takes your fancy and we can help you with the pros and cons. Mostly pros, I dont think there is really a bad bike, just the wrong bike for a given intnetion (so no R1's if you want to go greenlaning often!)

[Krikkit]

carinaman said:

Krikkit said:

If I'd bought what I'd learnt on (a 500-mile Z650) I wouldn't have taken to it anywhere near as well, as it wasn't something that tickled me in almost any aspect.

Why didn't the Z650 tickle you? I almost bought one earlier in the year. I like the dinky size from a manual handling and single track lanes perspective.

The one I was using was a 2018, never been dropped or anything so it wasn't bent!

It was lots of little things really, but the main criticism was the engine - no zing, no character. It went OK, and the gearbox was good, but it just didn't tickle me at all. Maybe a pipe and a remap would've perked it up a bit, but I think I'm just not fond of parallel twins. I tried a KTM 790 Adv last year and found the same thing.

For the rest the switchgear was a bit cheap-looking, lots of exposed wiring and plastic fixings and stuff. It didn't fit me well at all (5'10" and 32" leg) - despite being an upright seat, the bars were too far forward for me to reach without holding myself forward kind of half-off the seat, which itself was super slippy.

Good bits though - nice throttle, really smooth at low throttle openings. Great dash, lots of info and clear to read. Ride quality was nicely judged.