Geared or T&G

[gunner4life18...]

Hi all
im 16 and looking to get a 50cc bike i want to get a geared one but dont know the first thing about gears
1. is it hard to learn gears?
2. if u think i should get a geared bike which one?
3. if u think T&G which one?

Many thanks, Harry

[pinkyfloyd]

Gears take a little bit of practice along with clutch control. If you do a CBT then the bike school may well let you do a geared conversion on one of their 125cc bikes. Obviously, for legal reasons, they cannot let you on the road but they may well let you go through gears in the yard. I know our school will accommodate.

The trouble you will have is always shifting gear though. Little 50's are non stop gear changes.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[bugeye_bob]

Why not pop along to one of these hire and ride MX tracks, you can get to grips with gears while having fun.

[wr6133]

Cheapest shittest 50cc scooter you can find that has close too 12 months MOT.

You'll want a 125 in a year so spend the absolute minimum on a 50 you will own a year or less.

[Rogerborg]

And at least with a twist-and-go the variator will keep you near the top of the "powerband". With gears you'll always be in the wrong one, or at least it'll feel that way - I felt this pretty strongly the last time I rode a 125, let alone a 50.
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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

[gunner4life18...]

[andyscooter]

May as well buy a fireblade then

Offence will be the same riding not in accordance with licence
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[gunner4life18...]

[Teflon-Mike]

Priorities:
1/ Provisional Licence... approx £30 + cost of photo-booth mug-shot to send with form.
2/ Compulsary Basic Training course; aprox £125.
Should teach you all the basics needed to get you out on the road, and on completion, give you a DL196 form to 'Validate' the provisional entitlement of your licence, so you can ride, on the road on L-Plates.
3/ You will need 'basic' riding apparel; at the very least a crash helmet; gloves, sensible footwear; and some water-proofs (unless you like being cold and wet!) Probably some more dedicated 'protective' wear. road Legal Helmets start from about £30 and go up to many £100's. Gloves start at about £20. Water-Proofs from about £20. Propper bike boots, from about £50. Budget about £100-£150 for riding 'gear' to get yourself started.
4/ Before Buying a BIKE buy a BIKE LOCK or you wont have bike for very long. Budget about £50 for security at the very least.
5/ Still not near looking at bikes yet, I'm afraid... boring bit first INSURANCE... you must have basic 3rd party cover as a minimum. Insurance policies last for a whole year, like tax, and have to be paid for up-front. If you see a 'monthly' price, that is for a years insurance and a credit agreement to pay for the years insurance, it is NOT a monthly policy. AND you are too young to legally take out credit in your name. so you are likely to need to pay for your insurance in full up-front before you can do anything with a bike. AND at 16, you will be doing very well if you can find an insurance policy on ANY 50, geared or auto, of any style, for under £500 a year. the newer, the more valuable, and the more you want a particular 50, so the more expensive your insurance is likely to be. So be sure you have the cash to cover that, before you go looking for one.
6/ NOW, with thick end of £1000 pledged to get you on the road.. what might you have left to go shopping for a bike?
7/ AND how you going to do that? How far and wide are you prepared to go to look at bikes? How will you get there? When? and if you do a deal on one, how will you get the bike back home.
8/ What to go for? - For all your ideas of what sort of bike might suit; you can only buy a bike that's is actually for sale; AND you can get to it, AND you can get to it before some-one else keen to buy one.....
And this can be a far bigger 'problem' than what specific make or model of machine you think best suits your needs and wants and the cash you have left after above list.....
ALL motorcycles of ALL capacities only make up 1% of road transport; Half of them are over 125cc, and more than half of whats under 125cc is over 50cc. and then Most 50's on sale, and sold in the UK are twist and go, by a very very large proportion.
So, unless you have the money to walk into a shop and buy a brand new geared 50, the chances are you are going to be searching long and hard to find one at all; and you are likely not going to be getting one all that 'cheap' unless its a complete wreck.
Which is to say, WHEN you get to the point you might actually go shopping THIS question, 'geared or T&G' may be made for you, not by what you might want, but by what is actually on offer, that you can actually afford to buy....

So, right here, right now, not REALLY worth worrying too much about. Start at the top of the list and work down; worry about all the other stuff you need to sort to get to where actually shopping for a 50 is a possibility.

As for the learning gears issue; yeah; its something you have to get the hang of; its not that hard; and in fact its not so much the gears that vex most people, its using the clutch. However; it IS something that is covered and taught on CBT, as said, that is designed to teach you all the 'basics' to get you on the road, relatively safely. It's likely that doing CBT on a 50 will mean doing it on a Twist and Go, though. Because they are so uncommon, few schools have geared 50's for students to use. SOME do though, so may be worth asking when you check out courses; and you can do your CBT on your own bike, and if that has gears, they would obviousely be able to teach you how to use them. But, chicken and egg issues of getting a bike and getting insurance before you have a CBT cert to say you can ride it can make that one awkward; as can getting the thing to and from the school when you cant ride it. Easier to do the course on a school bike, probably T&G then IF you get a geared 50 after, go back to the school for a lesson on geared, perhaps on one of their 125's 'off-road' as Pinky suggests, or on your own geared 50 if you can get it to the school. ALL stuff to talk about when you call them to get prices and course dates.

Other thing is whether they will expect, or reccomend you have your own riding gear before you do it; some may have gear you can borrow for the course; but most will reccomend you have your own helmet and gloves at the least; and offer advice on what is deemed 'suitable' riding wear when you turn up. Also ask about lunch and snacks. CBT can be a long day, and you are likely to have to take a packed lunch and refreshments.

So that's where you should be starting; talking to CBT schools, and sorting your provisional and CBT course, and worrying about budgeting for everything you need before a moped, and the logistics around making that happen, not stuff that may or may not be a big issue ways off down the line to getting on the road.
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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?'

[josh95]

If you get a geared 50cc, when you do your CBT tell the instructor you have a geared 50cc at home and thus want to learn clutch control ect... they might let you on a 125cc. after all the CBT is not a "test" it is just training for the road:)

[gunner4life18...]

[Baffler186]

[gunner4life18...]

[Teflon-Mike]

[gunner4life18...]

[Teflon-Mike]

[andyscooter]

What are the bikes you are looking at

Let us know this and we can then tell you the best one

And as much as I don'tagree with the law about de rdistinction it is law so its best to stay on the right side of it
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[gunner4life18...]

[andyscooter]

Are these bikes for sale close to you

Piaggio are OK but finding one that hasn't been messed about with will be difficult

Aprillia will be the same
Also will be expensive to insure as they are highly nickable
Possible choice would be a vespa et2 or lx50


Never owned a kymco so can't comment on them
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[Teflon-Mike]

[josh95]

To be honest I would just get a Yamaha 50cc scooter (thats what i had) dont bother with the geared bikes. I know scooters arnt as cool but they get you from A to B, and is it really worth risking your future license to derestrict a bike to get what? 3-4 horsepower lol?

I had a JogRR, was a nice little scoot.

[Doovy]

[andyscooter]

The Yamaha neos is a good little scoot as well
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[andyscooter]

The Yamaha neos is a good little scoot as well
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[gunner4life18...]