Newbie Biker

kingtercel · Post by **kingtercel** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:40 pm

G day
ive wanted to get my bike licence for a while now and its finally come the time wen, i have money to spend on my first bike ( because come 2 weeks and i garantee it gone)

if there is any good advise out there for decent ( cheaper) beginner bikes it would be apreciated.

im looking for an older 250 road bike, just a safe low power putter (the bike equivelant of a tercel) i actually bought an 82 GSX 250 the other week for 200
but realised that it will cost way over 600 to get licenced, let alone running

should i stick with the gsx for parts and buy another gsx or similar in good condition?
does anyone have any good beginner bike recomendations? i will just be commuting on it, so offroad is not too imprtant
(although i also said that before i took my terk offroad)

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:36 pm

I ride a Honda Rebel 2001 model year along my street until I get my liscence (bike provision). It has maybe 18 horses, is a 2-cyl 243cc, and in my constant stop/go I got near 80mpg. Thats just assuming based on filling to the neck from a can after running all the way to reserve.
Only issue with the 250's is user height. I'm 6'1". The Rebel is a kiddy bike for me. Forward controls are available though, which would add a couple inches of comfort.
We also have 2 Honda Magna's, which are V-4 powered 750's. Twin-Carbies, my moms is a 96 and my dads a 2002. Almost nothing different though... I'm half-convinced Honda secretly put VTEC in these things though... They have 96 or so peak horsies with a red of 8 or 9k. But they go from roaring to death-scream at about 5k RPM. These bikes are monster-fast, but are fully-capable road-warriors. My dad has made 1000-mile trips on his comfortably.
BTW, it gets about 55mpg with my dads riding style, which is about medium on the throttle. We've seen 64 out of it, but we also saw 37 out of it (demon-screamin' riding)
Another cool bike is the 81 Yamaha Virago 750. They had some starter issues, but they ran smooth and had punch when you asked for it. We have one that is currently suffering from dead ignition.

Just make sure you get a 4-stroke, and also DEFINITLY make sure to get a full suit of body armor. Whether that be leather or new-age plastics, just do it. and NEVER, EVER ride without your helmet. EVER. PERIOD. NO FRIGGIN EXCEPTIONS.
I lost a cousin and almost lost an uncle to helmet-less-ness. Nobody should have to die over such a simple thing.

Oh, I also highly recommend you buy this book; "Proficient Motorcycling" by David L. Hough.
It has a few stories and statistics in a pretty reader-friendly layout. Its a good read, and can give you some massively helpful tips.

For instance...
Multivehicle Collisions constitute 74% of collisions
28% from Left-Turners
29% from Angle Collisions
18% from Other

Single Vehicle accidents constitute 26%
17% Rider Error
2% Surface Hazards
6% Animals, Blowouts, etc.

They even have a nifty chart telling the distribution of impact locations on the helmet.
Would you believe that 15-19% of the impact occurs to the chin? While only .4% is the top of the head, with 8-10% the forehead? So much for skull-caps eh?

Proficient Motorcycling even breaks down into what to look for in gear (in terms of insulations, cooling, water-proofness, etc) and what to look out for when you are feeling hot or cold. Wet-road tactics, how to avoid the random angry dog, etc.

Hope I don't sound too preachy. Ride safe with whatever you choose.

sacwac · Post by **sacwac** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:42 am

Don't limit yourself to only 250cc and less. If you control yourself, resist the urge to join the organ donor racers, you should be able to handle a larger bike. I started on a Laverda 650, I've seen others start on a Kawasaki ex500, just take it easy. If you just want to ride around town, getting your feet wet, any small bike will do. The rebel is nice, very easy to ride. I like to recommend the ex250, and ex500 to new riders. Both models have been around for years, with little changes. I've ridden the ex500 many times, light, decent power, cheap, good gas mileage, simple. The 500 can take your skills as far as you ever want to go.The sv650 is a great all around bike too, can be expensive. If you are tall, you could look into something like the klr650, or klr250, also very robust. You don't need to take them off road either.

I would also highly recommend the proper riding gear. Full face helmet, riding gloves, boots, and a suit of some sort. I have a dainese leather suit, as well as an aerostich, both with armor. Well worth the price. Just take a look at those motorcycle injuries on rotten.com, it's not worth being a squid.

Oh, and one last piece of advice. Never try to "get back" at a cager for something stupid, any motorcycle stands zero chance against a car. Just let them go, it's not worth the trouble. I've had cars try to run me off the road before, scariest thing ever.

kingtercel · Post by **kingtercel** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:25 pm

thanks a lot for all the posts and advise
the safety advise seems to be posted and preached whereever i go, i think it has sunk in though; being a commuting bicycle rider for a couple of years has taught me a few things about careless drivers, and mainly; how to save my own skin.
i can imagine the combination of bicycle visibility, car speed and other roadusers just takes motorcycles to a whole nother level of risk.
I have to prove to parents that im cautious enough so dad will teach me, but more importantly i need to prove to myself i can be cautious enough to bike around (as i used to pull some stupid stuff on my racing bike- tell myself off, then du it again next time)

thanks TYPRUS i like the idea of the rebel, its quite a nice looker 250cc would be my game as that is the law in Western Australia for the first two years of licence, then it moves to 500 etc.
The only problem is im at 6'3 but i suppose i fit the tercel fairly well (at full seat extension) wat are the early 90's rebels like? 2001 sounds like kinda steep pricing as there is whole heap of other gear and prices to consider. im also a big fan of starting on the older machines, learning/rebuilding then moving up to more complex things
There is a 94 rebel in the paper for AUS2400 - i might check it out

SACWAC i would have liked to get a 500cc sleeper for the bikes sake, but i dont think starting lower is a bad idea, it will only educate and help in the long run.
The ex250/500 is the style ill look for a bit later, i like the nakeds at the moment, and i dont think i would trust myself on a sports bike
that klr is an offroad bike isn't it?? wat r the benifets of the on/offroads, i like the sound of a "4x4" bike but wouldnt the whole suspension be a bit hard to begin on, onroad??

sandshadow · Post by **sandshadow** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:34 pm

Hey King,

If you're 6'3, you won't like the Rebel. I'm 6' even and my knees came above the gas tank on the Rebel I took my motorcycle test on (way back around '87).

I'm partial to Yamahas (had 6 so far), but I've long thought the Honda Nighthawks from the mid-80s were the best used bikes. They had self-adjusting valves, shaft drive, and rev-limiters so you didn't have to worry about previous owners over-reving the bike.

Unfortunatly, if you're limited to 250cc & under that takes the Nighthawk series out.

If you can find a thumper (single-cylinder) you won't need to worry about sync'ing carbs.

And a 6 speed will make highway riding a lot more pleasant. My first bike was a 250 with a 5 speed, and 62 mph was at 7000 RPM. Pretty buzzy.

Yamaha made a lightly faired 250 single, SRX250, in the mid 80s that's pretty well regarded. Here's an example:http://www.thumperpage.com/articles/srx250/index.html

I know you said you were more interested in naked bikes, but fairings make a big difference in comfort. When I was 19 I took my 400 from Seattle to Tijuana and back. I dropped the bike in sand in the desert and broke the fairing off. The ride down with the fairing was a lot more comfortable than the ride back north.

Have fun - let us know what you get.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:21 pm

I can't make a full-lock turn without smacking my knees repeatedly. They stick a fair bit above the tank as well.
The Rebel is a 2-cyl, 1 carb.
Mine is pretty darn basic..... Just a bike with a rear cushion.

Another reason I like the Rebel is because the one time I dropped it I picked it right up off the ground, no issue. Can't do it so easy with a bigger bike.

You can buy forward controls which will give you a higher comfort level. Pretty easy to install, if they are like the ones we did on my dad's Magna.

http://www.motoleather.com/mapam-honda- ... -1067.html

Either Mapam or Jardine was the brand we used on my dad's.. They look nice and function well.

sacwac · Post by **sacwac** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 11:05 am

kingtercel
I would say that the klr is an on road bike that is off road capable. How off road capable? That depends on your skill level. The advantages and disadvantages of dual sports tend to be a somewhat religious topic. I will only say that if you intend to beat up your bike on the trails, ride over or into deep ruts, down trails that are too narrow to stand in, or right through the brush etc, you are better off with an actual dirt bike. The suspension on the klr is not too hard. I have a friend who just started motorcycling on one, and he loves it. I have seen some guys riding them up and down the twistys in the hills, and fast too. Just have fun, and don't worry about what others think of your ride, unless you ride the Honda Big Ruckus.

sandshadow · Post by **sandshadow** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:40 pm

Another advantage to a dual-purpose bike:

If you drop your street bike, you devalue it. If you drop your dual-purpose bike, you prove that you use it

I should probably say "when you drop your bike" because it'll happen.

lllmoparlll · Post by **lllmoparlll** » Mon May 15, 2006 3:38 am

ive been stunting for for 2 years now. Been riding bikes since 5.

Soutthpaw · Post by **Soutthpaw** » Mon May 15, 2006 7:13 pm

Oh, I also highly recommend you buy this book; "Proficient Motorcycling" by David L. Hough.
It has a few stories and statistics in a pretty reader-friendly layout. Its a good read, and can give you some massively helpful tips.

Good book, I got that book too when I started riding years ago.

excellent street bikes that I owned
1991 Honda ST1100
1989 Honda Pacific Coast (PC800)

Ok bike, but handles and rides like crap compared to the above that I have owned was a 1995 Kawasaki KZ1000 police model.

Good runabout and fun learner bike, also low seat height is a Yamaha TW200... has a huge big wheel rear tire.

I also have some riding gear on sale on ebay right now as I quit riding Cuz I promised my wife that no motorcycle once we have a child...
search for Tourmaster cortech or GX air on ebay I have the same user name there

Finder349 · Post by **Finder349** » Fri May 26, 2006 11:11 am

I do not have much to offer in the 250cc range but the Honda CX500 is a great bike. They can be had pretty cheap, water cooled, shaft drive, crazy reliable. There are CX500's and 650's out there with over 200k miles. It went with the Turbo version of the 650 though... for the CX there is a pretty active forum that is based in AUS. Check it out. BTW the 500 and 650 are very different looking bikes and both come in many trim levels.

Calvin