Re: Insurance, well I'll be 32 this summer and can my accord tourer is less than £250 per year.
Probaby would like some kind of sports/tourer bike. There is a large Hodnda Bike dealer not to far from me.
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I would be test riding 3 bikes then:
Kawasaki ZZR600. Still performs as well as a current 600 sportsbike, but a couple of insurance groups lower, all day comfy and £2k upwards will get you something quite decent. Insurable with no NCB too.
Downpipes rot and are expensive to replace, cush drive rubbers go (cheap and easy to do), and front discs can warp if the calipers aren't cleaned regularly. Other than that, they're bombproof. One in our club has racked up 130,000 miles and is still used on a daily commute with very few problems. I've had mine for four years now and I still love riding it. Quick enough to see off all but the most exotic of car, yet capable of 50 mpg when ridden gently, and a total pussycat at low-medium revs. Low seat, high-ish bars and a generous fairing make it very comfy.
Yamaha Thundercat. Cruelly underrated when new (the R6 stole its thunder), so available at sensible money. A little more sports than tourer compared to the ZZR, but still comfy enough to do long distances on. A much better bet than an R6 for general day to day beginner use as it's comfortable and tractable. The R6 is neither.
And of course the Honda CBR600F. Trouble is, they hold their value. You'll be looking at older / higher miles for the same money compared to the Kawasaki and Yamaha.
Don't worry about the finer points of handling in the mag reviews. It'll be years before you can even tell the difference. Our rideout groups comprise all manner of machinery, and on the road they're all pretty evenly matched. The rider is a far bigger factor in the equation than the bike, and road / traffic conditions are a far bigger factor than outright performance.
600's are a nice compromise. Unless you've owned a top end Caterham or similar it will still be the quickest acceleration you've ever experienced, yet it will still be insurable as well as not intimidating at slower speeds.
Cheers
DP
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I would be test riding 3 bikes then:
*cough* Suzuki Bandit *cough*
;-)
Frivolity aside, I second what DP says about 600s. Can't stop grinning about mine - cost me £1,500 (£250 to buy the bike and the rest to overhaul it and generally sort it out) and at 79 bhp slightly over twice the power of my first car. Power to weight and acceleration (even with my 6'6"/16.5 stone unaerodynamic frame on board) phenomenal compared with any car I've driven.
In terms of kit, I did all this last autumn and spent as follows:
Helmet: Arai Astro J, reduced in sale, £230.
Jacket/trousers: Racer Vento waterproof armoured textile jacket with detachable lining, £150; Racer Adventure trousers (which match the jacket and zip to it) £130.
Boots: Oxtar Matrix, leather with Gore-Tex lining, reduced in sale, £98.
Gloves (winter): Richa Ice Storm with removable lining, £44.
Total £652.
There are cheaper helmets around than Arai (or Shoei, depending on the shape of your head - it is said, with some truth, that you will fit either one make or the other) but I have yet to find one that ventilates as well as my Arai.
The most important thing of all is: enjoy!
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Ah, interesting thread cos I've toyed on and off for years with the idea of doing some two-wheeling. I've never got round to doing anything about it because of 'too busy' and 'stepping into unknown/too difficult'. Now I've got some more time, so maybe...
What training/learning options are there for a COMPLETE novice? How does the CBT work? Ditto Direct Access?
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There are three aspects to it. CBT, theory test, and the main test itself. You have to complete the first two before you can do the main test.
The CBT is great fun. It's very informal, and has no particular "pass or fail" mark. You basically spend a day on a bike, learning how they work and how to ride them. In the morning you'll be in a school car park (or similar) and in the afternoon you'll go out on the road. The morning session involves learning the controls of the bike, how to start and stop it, how to do basic safety checks and then how to ride it. You'll wobble in and out of cones, learn how to change gear and so on. Once you've got this, you then go out on the road in a group, under radio contact with the instructor. There's no pass or fail as such, but the instructor will be looking for a basic level of competency in riding the bike, as well as being satisfied that you're not a danger to yourself or anyone else. Once this is complete, you get a certificate which is valid for 2 years.
The theory test works on the same principle as the one for cars, just with more bike oriented questions. It's multiple choice and done on a computer. When you pass this you get another certificate.
The Direct Access Scheme (DAS) allows you to learn, and take your test on a bike of at least 46.6 bhp (35kW) and then ride anything you like once you pass your test. These are usually packaged by training schools into a week's intensive course with a test at the end. You pay a pre-agreed sum and they throw everything in, including use of the bike, fuel, insurance and the test fee itself. I had a 3 day course with the test first thing in the morning of the 4th day. I managed to do the test with no faults, and felt pretty comfortable with it. A good instructor will assess you early on and recommend how long you will need. 3-5 days is pretty standard. I've never heard of anyone doing it in less than that.
After your test (about half an hour), the examiner will ask you a couple of safety related questions which, if your instructor is good, will have been communicated to you on Day 1 of the course - there are only a few they ever ask. You will then need to present your driving license, and your certificates for the CBT and theory test to the examiner who will complete and sign a test pass form. From that moment, you are the holder of an unrestricted category A license. Congratulations!
To get it physically added to your license, you need to send that completed form off to the DVLA together with your license (and a fee), and your license comes back a week or so later with the new category on it. Job done. Get out there and enjoy it.
Cheers
DP
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Brilliant! Thanks, DP. I'll investigate further.
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.>> Brilliant! Thanks, DP. I'll investigate further.
No worries :-)
Do the CBT and take it from there. As I said, it's a laugh, very informal, and gives you a good feel for whether you'll enjoy riding bikes or not. If not, it's a good day out and a good experience, and you can potter about on an L plated 125 for two years if nothing else. If you do enjoy it, you've got one thing out the way to be able to get your full licence.
I used the CBT as a "trial" session. I only booked the rest of my course afterwards once I decided I enjoyed being on a bike.
Cheers
DP
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To get it physically added to your license, you need to send that completed form off to the DVLA together with your license (and a fee), and your license comes back a week or so later with the new category on it. Job done.
They do even better than that, now - I handed mine in to the examiner and the DSA people sent it off to the DVLA for me. Couldn't see the point of doing it myself - it's not as if I needed the licence straight away.
In terms of insurance once you have got yourself sorted out with a bike, give eBike a look (this is who I use - sensible cover at what I thought was a pretty reasonable premium).
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