Getting my first bike

[conpants]

hey, i'm 16 and i want to get a bike...
the bike i am wanting to get is an aprilia rs50
im going to get one brand new ( about £2200 pay £195 per month) i'm pretty sure i can keep up these repayments myself if i can get a job which pays around £300 per month...

to me .. buying a brand new bike for £2200 seems like a much better deal than buying a x registered one for £1500.. how much money will i loose in depreciation within this year until i can get the rs125?

[Demonic69]

To be honest mate you'll probably lose a fair bit, and if anything does happen (which most likely will with a new 1st bike) then you'll lose even more and never be able to afford the RS125.

My advice would be to get a cheap 50, save money for your test and lessons, then when you reach 17 do your test and get something bigger than a 125. That's what I'd do if I could go back to being 16.
____________________
Back on a Blade. Just feels so right.

[conpants]

well im pretty sure im not likely to have an accident seeing as i have been cycling for many years around cities and country roads.
also i recon i would keep the bike for over a year because if the 50 can do 60-65 derestricted, and the rs125 can do 80-85 derestricted ... where am i going to be able to do 85mph on a cbt ... i will not be able to ride it at that speed legally, so i may as well reap the benefits of being a 50cc owner for a little longer .. low fuel,low tax, low insurance

i like your idea of doing the full bike test (restricted to 33bhp of course) thats what i will do, i doubt i will bother with a 125 at all go straight to a 250 or 400

thanks for your help

Alan

[Demonic69]

[conpants]

:'( i dont want to crash lol

are there any different 50cc bikes that are cheaper than the rs50 and not a bad boy scootae

[priller]

[conpants]

still, where can i do 100mph on a cbt?
cant get on motorways
not going to do it on a dual carrigeway am i

[priller]

[Wave2k]

find a nice quiet A road for the thrill of a lifetime

____________________
Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Keith]

[Robby]

There are lots of cheap peds. If you must get one, get the cheapest, oldest geared one you can.

Trails style is probably preferable - you could actually enjoy a 50cc bike if you were riding it around a field, you couldn't enjoy it on the road.

Get one of them for under 400 quid, insure it for 250 or less, get yourself some gear.

New 50s are just as bad as old ones, but paying 2.2k for a moped is just idiotic, particularly if thats 60% of your wages every month for a year or more. You still need money for insurance, protective gear, petrol, 2 stroke oil, servicing, tyres....


Oh and you will crash it. Hands up everyone who bought a brand new 50/125 and crashed it within 3 months.

[priller]

[Keith]

[priller]

[Demonic69]

[Dazed]

[jimbo]

I bought a brand new RS50 when i went back to university 4years ago, as I couldn't afford to insure the NS125 anymore. Had it for three good and fun years, did 38,000km, including several 500km journeys. Dropped it 3 times, never at speed. (learnt about not falling off on an NSR75 and NS125)
The cost of buying the RS was equal to 2 years insurance on the 125 so it was a reasonable trade-off.
Buying new isn't such a bad idea, especially for 2-strokes. You get to run it in yourself, and if you look after it properly it will be pretty reliable (especially don't leave it out in the rain). I had three second-hand bikes before it, and you never know what's going to break next. On a brand new bike there are fewer problems, and you're not buying someone else's mistakes. Even simple things like running it on fully synthetic oil from brand new are worth it. The piston rings were like new after 22,000km, and the bore was in excellent condition.
(WARNING: Running in an RS50 from new is a serious pain. 300km at half-revs = 30mph for a week! Best to do it in a few long 100km runs on quiet twisty roads)
The RS50 does 60mph max from stock, 55mph is normal. It handles well, although the front suspension is a little soft and can usually do with a change to 20w oil. It's not much fun on straight, open roads, but on bends, roundabouts and in traffic it is great fun. One of the things to get used to is NOT braking for corners. Because when you've got all the way to 55mph there's no way you're gonna slow down for a piddly roundabout...* Riding a 50cc bike to the max is not easy to do, and takes a lot of skill. You'll know when you've maxed it out when you're grinding the footpegs, and believe me,that takes a long time to get to. When you eventually get to 100%, it's still below the national speed limit!
The other side of the coin is that you have to be pretty self-assured to own a 50cc bike for a long period of time. You have to be able to handle the big-bike assholes who feel the need to walk up to you in bike-shops and point out that their bike is a 125/250/600/900/1500/car and that your bike is 50cc/crap/small/slow/not-a-bike (strange, but it happens very often, probably because they have pitifully small genitals). If you're determined to ride your own race and get the best out of your bike, the RS50 will give you plenty of fun.

Things that went oval on the RS50:
1. Clutch lever: Snaps as soon as the bike falls over (has a get-me-home notch on it). Cost €15
2. Gear and rear-brake pegs: Snap as soon as the bike goes down. (Didn't bother to replace the gear or brake levers, an 8mm stainless steel bolt fits perfectly) Cost €0.00
3. Front brake light switch. Got water in it and corroded after 2 years. €25 from Aprilia €0.50 from Maplin. Cost: €0.50
4. Sprocket-side wheel bearing is under-sized and went regularly, every 8,000km or so (probably even sooner if the chain is overtightened or the wheel misaligned). Cost €12 per set.
5. Fairing Screws: Spin out and jump for freedom with no notice. Bolts that had never been touched headed for the hills, especially the vertical one on the rear hugger (3 times, even with thread-lock). A little thread-lock is useful.
6. Mirrors: Not the worst design, and surprisingly robust,but the plastic mounts aren't very strong and break when the bike goes down. Cost: €5

Niggly things:
1. The exhaust pipe has to be removed to change the gearbox oil. Only 2 bolts involved, but still a bit of a pain. Exhaust manifold seal was a bit temperamental and needed extra sealant.
2. The aluminium washer and steel bolt on the tank collect water and go poohy looking.
3. The only tyres i could find were Pirelli MT75s. They're generally crap, but the RS gets away with them because it's so light. They're also predictably crap. It got to a point where i could tell exactly when the bike was going to go sideways, and both front and back tyre would slide at the same time so everything was controlled and rather enjoyable. Still it would have been nice to get some stickier stuff.
4. Gearbox is a bit notchy and had a false neutral between 3rd and 4th. Got used to it and it wasn't a problem. The RS has a nifty adjustable shift lever.

Hope this is of some use

*Technique probably not reccommended by the IAM or RoSPA, but none of those chaps ride 50s

[izzi81]

unless I was feeling pretty rich I don't think I could ever buy a bike new. They will always depreciate, whereas if you shop around and get a good second hand one there's a good chance you can sell it on for what you paid for it.

As for no accidents, an accident doesn't necessarily mean a big crash. Just having the bike fall over while stationary can break things, scratch things, and mean repairs/loss of value. And Keith is right about the other twits on the road!

Good luck though, 2 wheels are more fun when there's an engine involved

[mrchips]

A boy up the road from me bought a TZR50 brand new in the region of 3k. He's been paying it off and the thing is wrecked, he is selling it and only getting 900 for it. That's the reason I wouldn't buy a new bike, especially a 50. Get an at least 5 year old geared bike if you can find it, or make do with a scooter. Anyway - anything over 30mph is illegal.