New Member Here :D

[sabian92]

Hey,

New guy here. Just thought I'd introduce myself - I'm Andrew, 20, got a full car licence but too skint to run one, so looking for something to commute on next year to university although I literally know nothing about motorbikes apart from they have an engine and two wheels.

Cheers!

[andy_uk]

Welcome along.
Have a look on https://www.geton.co.uk/ and see if there are any in your area...
In the meantime...look on here for a member called 'teflon mike' and read the links in his signature block.
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Aprilia Classic 125, GS500E, ER5-A1, ER5-C4, ER6 & an XJ6 project frame...

[sabian92]

[U_W v2.0]

all you ever need to know about motorcycles

1) cheaper than cars
2) more fun than cars
3) you will feel more exposed at first
4) once your used to it you dont feel as exposed anymore and start enjoying 2 wheels alot more

of course there is far more to it than that, but its all you need to know at this stage.

also, a 125 is pleanty fun and great for learning on.

done over 1000 miles on my 125 in a couple of months and loved every mm of it.
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BCF's biggest cunt list: Cansa, Pits, Rob

[sabian92]

[Zen Dog]

[sabian92]

[nowhere.elysium]

It looks like you've done all the right sums, certainly. Bear in mind that bikes, although cheaper to run, are quite often more expensive on consumables; tyres are particularly bad for this, although it's less of an issue with 125s.

VED on a 125 is (IIRC) £16, and you're likely to only spend about £10 on fuel a week tops, even if your mileage goes over the upper bounds of your suggested distances. I used to get around 180 miles for just under a tenner on my 125, but that was a couple of years ago now.

If you decide that biking is for you in the longer term, I'm happy to inform/warn you now that although bike prices and insurance costs diminish inversely when compared to the size of the bike, consumable costs increase exponentially. Of course, that's not worth worrying about in the here and now, though.

Riding through winter, as you will be if you start off now; the best advice I was given was to layer up as much as possible. I wouldn't recommend buying a ton of expensive winter and waterproof textile gear until you're positive that you're going to stick with it for a while, because it's a total money sink. Get a decent jacket, (should be less than £200), some kevlar jeans (try looking at this thread), a pair of ex-army boots, and some warm gloves. Once you've got all that together, start piling on layers. For waterproofs, Regatta do some very good stuff, for not much money; farmer's waterproofs are also excellent, and cheap. All in, you can get away with spending ~£300 on gear, minus the lid.

Longjohns and thermal vests will be your best friends for the winter months.
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'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[wots]

[gfrancisdev]

just recently got up and running on my 125, here's what it cost:

helmet:100
jacket:50
trousers:50
gloves:50
boots:already owned some combat boots, they were 80 a while back
bike:1325 (2007 ybr-125)
insurance(third party only): 360
cbt:125

i was debating going for a car, but the insurance was the main factor, along with being able to hop on a bike within a week, and needing a couple of months to get back into practice in a car/take tests etc.

[cornish]

Hiya,

You're in the exact position i was many years ago. I got a bike having never even sat on one before because it was the only way i could afford to travel between work and uni quickly enough. One of the best things i ever did. I'm old so my costs were a lot less for tests etc than all the new fangled stuff now but imo it's still well worth it.

The above advice about gear is good. Being dry and (relatively) warm will make a lot of difference so invest in some good stuff as as soon as you can. When i started out i had carrier bags inside Doc Martens, marigolds inside gloves, waterproofs over jeans (and skateboarding knee-pads ), horse-riding wax jacket over leather etc. Each piece of proper, decent gear i got made loads of difference

Good Luck
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smile and be happy. . . .it gets right on everyone's tits!

[sabian92]

[nowhere.elysium]

[gfrancisdev]

[U_W v2.0]

for your helmet, check out lids direct sale section. some good bargains to be had.
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BCF's biggest cunt list: Cansa, Pits, Rob

[bikertomm]

[Rogerborg]

Yup, bigger bikes are more stable, more visible, and stop better. They're inherently safer, and the rest is entirely dependent on your right hand.

That said, 125s are a laugh, and you'll likely feel more comfortable on one if coming from a pushbike. That's great preparation, you'll know that nobody can see you, and if they could, they'd try and mow you down anyway for having the temerity to use their road.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[sabian92]

[wots]

Doesn't matter when you do your CBT, but you can't ride on the road without one!
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[Skudd]

[sabian92]

[cornish]

hehe! It's not hypothermia it's 'brisk and invigorating'

[Lord Percy]

I dunno why people always seem to get a little high and mighty when someone says they want to ride a bike for economical reasons.

My 125, even after replacing the carburettor, exhaust, rear tyre twice, oil, filters, carb rubbers, and other stuff, is still adorably cheaper than a car. Oh and tax was about £16

I think the main thing to consider is the availability of spare parts, and the reliability of the bike. Old tried and tested Jap models seem to be the way forward. Mine is a Suzuki GN125 and, as well as being bulletproof as it is, it has 4 or 5 'sister' bikes with EXACTLY the same mechanics nested in the frame, so I'll never have problems with fixing it on the cheap. In fact I can say now the price of the main parts

exhaust - ~£50
carburettor - £30+
fuel tank - ~£70
engine - £200+

And how often is it that those might need replacing, apart from maybe the exhaust if you're unlucky like I was?

Also tyres, filters, oil etc, but they're just general collateral really.

[Teflon-Mike]

From another thread:-

starting places:-

I want to Ride a Motorbike - Where Do I start?

Most newbie FAQ's are tackled in there:-

All the things you might ask

This is a good starter for question of costs:-

OK, so how much is it all going to cost me?

Now, specifically, yes, bustfare beating wheels on grant cheque budget, 125's are doable, and very useful. I rode a 125 for half of my uni-life, even though I had a full licence.

HOWEVER:- watch that insurance. You get a quote from mummy & daddy address; it is NOT presumed that the bike will go to uni with you these days. SO, add cost of loading for kept at different, and likely to be higher risk student accomodation address without garage or anything else; THEN use a big chunk of your budget for good hard security for the thing, becouse it WILL sure as eggs is eggs get nicked elsewise.

Licences? Just becouse you CAN ride a 125 on provisional licence dont mean its a good idea. See new laws coming in January, that give us three licence groups, a 125 only licence, an A2 45bhp restricted licence and a full power unrestricted licence.

You will only get the 125 only licence testing on a 125 from January, but you may be able to test on a 500 for an A2 restrict if over 19, other wise you will have to do 125 only and hold that for two years before you can upgrade, or wait until you are 24 to test on a 600 for unrestricted licence.

Its a ball-ache, but there is still good reason to get trained and get tested, and make sure you ARE a competant rider, for your own sake. Size of bike makes bog all odds to how likely you are to be hurt on one. 125's have two wheels and an engine just like any other, and they are often just as fast as any bike is legally allowed to go in this country; yes they are slow, but not so slow that you cant hurt yourself. You ride a push bike, even falling off one of them hurts, and falling in front of a truck? You get the idea.

But, do NOT try and bluff the insurance, or take changes with it, do NOT underestimate the importance of security, or getting your riding up to scratch and getting qualified to dump the L's.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Polarbear]

Well, if you get the bike and enjoy riding it, I wonder if in a year or so, after passing your test, you will be back asking 'how do I tell my motorbike hating wife I have just bought a Gixxer/blade/daytona/R6 and it's the sensible option
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition