Looking At Buying A Bike

[ktford]

what about one of those new Triumph 3cyl jobbies, look pretty mean and don't have the cat through a ban saw screech of the jap crap fraternity

[myblueprintxr6t]

Hi all,

I hope my past experience with bikes helps. About 3 years ago in brisbane I bought my first bike which was the honda CBR 250RR with twin front disk brakes. It was a fantastic entry level bike that handled braked and performed perfectly. However, it only took about 2-3 months of rideing until I got sick of larger capacity bikes including the very quick Aprilla 250RS spanking me from every set of lights and weekend group rides.

The rules in Qld let you apply for a big bike license fairly quickly so I traded my bike on a kawasaki 2001 ZX6R and this was the best thing I did it cost me a fortune with the trade in, regular serviceing every 5000 Km's and tyres but the feel of power that the big bikes deliver is infectious.

With bikes I found that it cost 5 times as much as I expected, with insurance and rideing gear the budget can quickly go into the red. my advice would be to get your learners permit on a hire bike and wait until you can get a big bike permit then invested in at least a 600 cc.

Hope this helps.

[xrdreaming]

My mate just picked up an 06 GSXR-600 just released. It is a very nice piece of kit, goes like sh*t of a shovel and is still light and nimble, I love the look of the short pipes too.

[ninetysix]

mmmm.... 250's suck ass

[JB]

I would go the Aprilla overthe honda any day of the week, not just for power but also handling. The only issue is if you have not riden before a 2 stroke on the roads is asking for trouble. So many inexperinenced riders have accidents not due to outright speed but powerbands and the way the 2 stroke delivers it. Not the ideal package for city riding.

Just make sure you get all the right gear, and don't buy cheap because you will get what you pay for.

I miss riding on the road, however am constantly reminded why I don't anymore by the licence in a week bix package drivers out there.

Still enjoy enduro racing though, just got to wait for the knee reco to heel.

Yes bikes are fun, and dangerous, good to see we have a few more riders on the forum.

[ninetysix]

if you have never ridden before, then a RS250, RGV250, TZR250, or derestricted NSR250 are all bad bikes to learn on... not very user friendly and terrible for commuting... it would be good if victoria adopted the LAMS scheme which goes by power to weight not just a flat 260cc limit... which means the 2 stroke sports bikes are no longer learner legal, but 600cc dirt bikes and most 500cc twins are legal... so is the RVF400 afaik, but they go for rediculous prices... a nice motard would be fairly forgiving though, and loads of fun... but not a 250cc single

personally I think a pre 2000 cbr600 or yamaha thundercat is an ideal bike to learn on if you have a few years of roadcraft up your sleeve and are not too ham fisted

people say you learn more on 250's, but I learnt more in the first month on my 750 than I did in the 12 months on my 250... and I learnt even more on my 900 in the first ~5 weeks

[neo_nick]

If its yoru first bike dont buy something so expensive - garunteed you will drop it!

Buy a cheap sh*tter like a zzr or something that way if you drop it or slid eit its no biggy!

tehn you can get a nice Gsxr when your off your p's!

[b_vass]

go for the ninja 250. I had one and there pretty quick, not as quick as the 2 stroke but they require less maintenance. You do wanna spend too much on your first bike coz in a years time youll be upgrading to a bigger bike