A few questions

[shebee]

Hey.
Back when I got my drivers license, I only did B because of my financial situation so I didn't want to spend the extra money on the A license, however I now face another problem.
I really want some kind of vehicle, but cars are just so expensive to keep, and I asked around some friends and found out that a motorcycle isn't that expensive at all to keep in my country.
Only around 100€/month excluding service costs, but including everything else.
This is something I could afford.

I'm going to do the A license some time this year, or depending on the weather (I don't know if they do driving lessons the whole year round), maybe next year, will see.
But I'd like to look around for gear and whatnot now already.
I read up on a few topics here and there, but all I found were some general guide lines.

I think the accessories aren't as important to think of now, but currently I'm more interested in the type of bike I could consider.
Did some thinking and I think that I have to be getting a pretty cheap bike because of my financial situation.
Thought of something around 2000-3000€ (around 1700-2600£).
What are important points to consider in this price range do you think?
As for the type of bike I'm looking for... well I really only like standard (naked bike, something like that) and cruiser bikes.
I really like driving in a sporty manner, at least with a car, so the dilemma here is, is a cruiser sporty enough (i.e. acceleration, they do have much torque though?) for me, I really like the looks of a cruiser and well the image as well.

I live in the city and the traffic is very crowded here, many traffic jams etc. and we have many narrow streets with tight turns.
So the second problem is, would a standard be more suited in the traffic conditions?

Last but not least, can I even afford a cruiser with that money?
Coming from the car team, I don't know anything about bike manufacturers and models (apart from the obvious), so could you give me some ideas (model ranges etc.) and tips on how to find possible bikes to consider.
I will of course test drive them when I finally have my license.

Thanks

[Andy_Pagin]

Would help a lot if you could tell us which country you live in.
____________________
They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[shebee]

[fatjames]

Hi and Welcome,

Within your price range you should have lots of options. Here we have quite a few 2nd hand website. Do you? might be worth doing a google search for "used motorbikes (area)"
Things to look for can be quite generic, milage and age can help you eliminate some. Then, service history, rust, etc. Then the seller, have they looked after the machine? Garaged? etc.
Is it for a commute? If so, how far? what sort of roads?
Oh, and $100 a month should be fine, depending on millage and insurance.
If it were me, I'd want a 500/600cc, but that depends on your licence.

[shebee]

Hi, yeah I know a few sites for used bikes with good search functions, but the problem is that I don't know what I'm looking for.
And I don't know what is normal mileage for a motorcycle, I'm more familiar with cars, but not with 2 wheelers.
The things I like about motorcycles is that they are cheap, probably very fun to drive (different from a car), and I can get great sound with little money (try getting a car with 3000€ that sounds like a V8).
Currently I prefer a cruiser (note that I've never driven a motorcycle, just based on research) more due to its looks and sound + image, but the cheap bikes I've seen at some sites (I have no idea if they are even worth considering) just don't look that nice from newer/more expensive models, which is kind of a turn down on the other hand. Standard bikes look very nice regardless of the year or price in my eyes. (Not that cheaper bikes can't look awesome).

[fatjames]

OK, as a novice, you're best aiming for a 125cc.
Have a look at;
Suzuki GZ125
Yamaha SR125
Honda Rebel (CA)125
Or my fav, Yamaha YBR125 Custom

Age and millage..2k per year is light use, probably not for commuting. More than it might be. This is awkward, a summer only driver may thrash is and not look after it, but the bike will have lower millage.

Within your budget, if your market is like ours 'should' be able to get you a 125 that's about 3 or 4 years old, ideally with under 10k miles (or less..obviously)
I'm quite new, so anyone with more experience, feel free to step in..

[shebee]

Thanks.
Why do you recommend a 125cc bike for a beginner?
I have a couple of friends who got a 600cc and 250cc for their first bike and they had no problems.
Just asking out of curiosity hehe.
What is the real difference? Lower torque?
Also I assume you mean 2 miles/year. (Sorry if it seems stupid but I say mileage even though I mean kilometers).

[Bendy]

[fatjames]

125's are slower and have less power. They're a good intro to biking. 250cc too would be good. I just don't think it's a good for a novice to jump straight onto something with too much power, because you'll kill yourself.

My aim was to ride a 125 for a year, then upgrade to something bigger. I've been riding a few months, and want more power already. But you need some experience first.

Miles I meant 2k = 2,000 miles = 3,200 kilometers. Keep in mind, that my guess, and as said in plenty of previous threads, a bike with high millage, well serviced and looked after, could be much better than a low millage bike that hasn't been looked after.

[shebee]

Yeah I figured most of you are, prices and laws might differ a bit, but this was the biggest community I found so I figured this would be the right place to as.

But as for the laws and license.
It works this way in Austria, you do your theory and driving lessons (first you have a few hours on the parking lot/space, and then on the streets) and after that you have your "exam" in which you have to do a few exercises on the parking lot (braking, slalom if I remember correctly, stuff like that), the second part of the test is on the streets where they evaluate your driving. Which should be pretty easy for me as I have the B license and I'm familiar driving a car, the only thing I need to learn is handling and getting used to a motorcycle.

When you pass the test, you'll get your license (a temporary A4 sheet of paper, until you get the plastic card), which has a few limitations.

Until you are 21, you are limited to drive bikes with max. 25kW of power and 0,16kW/kg as far as I know there aren't any other limitations (shouldn't be, at least my friend is driving a 600cc hornet which is rev limited to 34hp/25kW).
Basically I could buy myself a Harley Davidson and limit it to 25kW and be fine.
Are there any other reasons why to consider a 125cc?
I mean, I'd need to limit my bike anyway so I wouldn't have "too much" power for a novice.

[fatjames]

[shebee]

Are there any other tips you can give me?
For example, buying a car, I would know that a BMW engine can run for over 300k miles, but I wouldn't bet that same mileage on a Hyundai for example. Any difference with manufacturers on the bike side?

[fatjames]

I've not owned one myself, but people say to stay away from Chinese bikes due to the build quality. Somebody at work has one (lifan) and it's very rusty for it's age.

With brands, most makers do a bike or 2 in all classes, then some makers specialise in certain bikes, like KTM. Most makers do a custom/cruiser.

And about engines, longevity etc., Jap bikes tend to have good rep, but again, it comes down to how it's used and looked after.

Do some research, decide on a few bikes, then search the forum for the model and you'll get a shit load of posts about them and peoples experience.