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

[thehos]

Marf said:

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

get both, i did!!, m3 and a gsxr 1000, first bike was a gsxr750, last year

[Marf]

If only

[jimladin]

Marf said:

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

Have you tried just third party fire and theft quotes? If you're just buying a cheap first bike i'd be tempted to go down that route. A cheap way of building up some NCB.

[R1 Loon]

Bikes have much higher maintenance costs than cars though. Don't forget the need to replace tyres every 600 - 5000 miles (depending on your style of riding, eh BN ), chains, more frequent servicing and all the protective gear.

They aren't cheap by any stretch to start with.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

I've been full time commuting for 4 years now. When I started it cost £14 to fill the tank which lasts 200 miles. It now costs £26!!

I doubt you'll regret going for your license and getting a bike. You'll laugh at how you thought your car was quick

[Otter Smacker]

What about doing an insurance check on a Aprilia Tuono?


Best of luck fella Got mine planned out for booking the DAS next month!


Can't wait!

[andyroo]

I did it and it was great until a SDSYM put an end to that one

[thehos]

You'll laugh at how you thought your car was quick
[/quote]


+1, I thought my e46 remapped m3 was quite quick, then i got the bike, different league, saying that went in a corvette 750 bhp, i think that could cause a little trouble for a bike

[darkyoung1000]

I got rid of the Corrado and now only have a bike for day to day transport as I can hire a car when I need one (which isn't that often) or use the Morris in the summer.

I've gone for an SV650 2001 model with no fairings, and the insurance was only a couple of hundred a year. I took the 33hp route for 2 years and it was still massively rewarding, so much so that I don't miss the Corrado - every ride on the bike is fun.

Servicing isn't too bad although I've just found out I need new brake disks which is going to be relatively pricey....

Enjoy, Get on and don't look back!

Cheers,
Tom

[Willy Nilly]

The only thing I have against my SV is that it's not very comfy. It's OK for an hour or two, but I have a badish back anyway and it does nothing to help. My 8 hour stint a couple of weeks ago needed breaking up a bit. But it's nice to stop and look at stuff too.

For the benefit of the OP. The SV is not the fastest bike in the world, but it doesn't need much encouragement to get into 3 figures

[bamberwell]

thought from the thread title you were thinking of dressing up like a and appearing on kids tv....

[Grommit]

Marf said:

£600 for a GSX-R 600.

What else should I be looking at?

Have you considered the Kawasaki ER-6, highly recommended as a first bike that you can still have some good fun on. There are plenty of reviews on line.

[Rawwr]

As others have said, the bike, petrol, tax and insurance is generally the cheap bit.

I won't attach figures to this but you can use your imagination: This year my Fireblade will have two services (one minor, one major) and probably two rear tyres. I've bought a new gimp suit, gloves, boots and helmet in the last few months. I've paid for tax, insurance and a few other bits.

In comparison, I put the Mondeo through its MOT and bought insurance.

[Marf]

How many miles have you done on the fireblade?

[Rawwr]

Marf said:

How many miles have you done on the fireblade?

6,200 since July 2009...

[robstvr]

Rawwr said:

As others have said, the bike, petrol, tax and insurance is generally the cheap bit.

I won't attach figures to this but you can use your imagination: This year my Fireblade will have two services (one minor, one major) and probably two rear tyres. I've bought a new gimp suit, gloves, boots and helmet in the last few months. I've paid for tax, insurance and a few other bits.

In comparison, I put the Mondeo through its MOT and bought insurance.

Did you NEED the new kit, though? The other thing is that for a bike at 1-2 grand you can do the servicing yourself and save loads (assuming it's out of its warranty and high miles) and a new rider is not going to rip up tyres like someone with a bunch of miles done and a Fireblade.

[VB]

Yep, went for my test in 2009 & haven't really been interested in cars since.

I never thought I'd lose interest in cars like I have- although, I still get the odd raised eye brow when I see an old Cosworth, or classic 911.

RE the engine size, don't be put off by a big motor. Just buy what you want & you'll
soon learn when you can and can't take the piss with it- some are easier than others to learn on.

When I bought my 7R- 2 months after passing my DAS, I felt as if I had to put more trust in the bike at slow speed. Mainly because the position feels quite un-natural to begin with- you're leant right over the tank & it doesn't have much of a steering lock. Once I got over the trust issue at slow speed, it's been nothing short of frigging awesome!

[Rawwr]

robstvr said:

Did you NEED the new kit, though? The other thing is that for a bike at 1-2 grand you can do the servicing yourself and save loads (assuming it's out of its warranty and high miles) and a new rider is not going to rip up tyres like someone with a bunch of miles done and a Fireblade.

No, not at all but a new rider will need to invest in kit. Really my figures (excluding kit) are a reasonable stab of an average supersports owners' costs. If someone is moving from performance cars to bikes, it probably won't be all that long before they find themselves on a Blade or something of that ilk

[aidan8888]

I would keep looking at 400's, they are great first bikes, they are a lot smaller than modern 600's so I think it would be easier for you to get used to the weight, and the power can still get you in trouble if you want it to, but again with the reduced size and weight I find them more controllable. 2k wont get you the mintest example of a 400, but it will get you a nice one.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-VFR400-NC30-FULL-TYGA-...

A bit long in the tooth perhaps, and needs some work-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vfr400-/230599921310?pt=UK_M...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1991-Honda-VFR-400-Repsol-Mo...

Alot newer, and comes in just under budget.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-KAWASAKI-ZX400-L9-BLACK...

[Sossige]

Rawwr said:

No, not at all but a new rider will need to invest in kit. Really my figures (excluding kit) are a reasonable stab of an average supersports owners' costs. If someone is moving from performance cars to bikes, it probably won't be all that long before they find themselves on a Blade or something of that ilk

Indeed. OP, you might like to start buying kit gradually - I started to buy some kit before my DAS and during the lessons/tests. This saved having to buy it all in one go.

At a minimum, I'd say helmet, gloves and boots are what you'd be looking to start with. Then get some decent leathers or textiles, depending upon the type of your riding - pleasure only, you could go for leathers initially. For commuting and all weather riding, go for textiles initially.

Find a bike shop and explain that you are just starting out, look for any kind of deal they can offer. When I bought all my kit over a short period of time, the shop did a good deal on everything as they knew it would lead to repeat business.