Saying hello and asking some questions please!

[panaceasaurus]

Hi everyone!

I'm very new ... so new I've not completed my CBT yet, but fingers crossed for Saturday!

After my CBT, my intention is to buy a 125cc bike and hopefully get out a bit locally over winter on milder days. I won't be commuting yet as there's quite a bit of motorway involved.
I'm hoping to start DAS lessons around April / May (I have exams in April, gonna need to concentrate on those first).

My local dealer seems to stock RST clothing and will offer a 20% discount, although they don't stock women's gear as standard so they'll need to order in. So I'm gonna look at RST, assuming these are suitable quality.

Things I'm looking at buying - happy to receive any comments and advice!
In case it matters - I'm 29, female, living in South Wales (UK), about 5ft4 (160cm), approx 9 stone (57kg)

Bike - Yamaha YBR 125: https://tinyurl.com/pz4zqq4

Helmet - HJC IS-17: https://tinyurl.com/o2fhd2g
Q - this is a Polycarbonate shell, should I be looking at Carbon Fibre?

Gloves - ??
Q - any recommendations for ladies gloves which will be suitable over winter and have palm sliders?
From my reading it sounds like palm sliders are important and possibly more helpful in a crash than knuckle protection, but also rarely included in gloves?

Boots - RST Raport II Ladies - https://tinyurl.com/p32kpa4

Jacket / pants - ?? (looking at RST)
I'd ideally like something which will zip together, has level 2 back armour, be suitable over the winter, where I can add hip armour
The Paragon V range (https://tinyurl.com/owkkldn) seems to tick all these boxes, but I just don't like the style so was hoping I may be able to mix and match items from other ranges, but here I start getting confused...
Q - How do jackets and pants zip together? Do all jackets and pants have these zips? Do 360 zips just make things easier / give extra 'coverage'? Could I zip together a jacket with 360 zips with trousers that don't?
In case you hadn't guessed, these zips are confusing me!


Thank you all for any help and advice you might give

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[J0Al1]

Zip Together; Same brand Jacket and Trousers should zip together.

If your mixing brands you will need to check, because some have chunky zips and some have finer ones.

Most Jackets/Trousers accomodate for different zip lengths, but again, check.

However, anything that doesn't match (length or thickness) you could get althered for probably not too much.


Gloves; never found any decent winter ones that don't cost whey more than I could ever afford! Plus, I stick to the same brand/size that I know fit quite well.

I'd rather not wear really think gloves (like to be able to feel what I'm doing) and have heated grips and or muffs if winter riding.


Helmet; The fit is the most important thing.

Bike; Looks nice

I didn't know what to get either and also came on here for advise. In the end I took my instructors advise and got a Honda Hornet, which was never my cup or tea! In heinsight I'd have rather had an SV. Go for what you fancy, what your comfy sitting on, what's in your price range and is in good condition.

I wouldn't bust your bank on a first bike, your not likely to stick with it if your doing your DAS. Save the money for what you 'really' want once you have a full licence

Perhaps look into which bikes hold their value, but of course, now is a good time to buy

[Rogerborg]

Hello and welcome and all that.

Buying a 125 is perfectly reasonable and the YBR is a decent choice. However, that one is out of warranty - ignore any dealer warranty on a budget 125, it just gives you grounds to wrangle with them. I'd suggest looking out for a 3 to 4 year old private sale with a fresh MOT on it, and aim to offer about £1K.

Be aware that your insurer may not let you switch the 125 policy to a bigger bike when you pass, so you may end up flushing the premium and any partially earned NCB.

InB4 Tef, waterproofing and warmth should be your priority, rather than crash protection. You spend a lot more time on the bike than sliding down the road. A separate set of two piece waterproofs or a one piece suit can make the difference between mirth and misery.

RST gear is decent mid range stuff, my 'Enduro' jacket is 5 1/2 years old and still basically intact. Leaks a bit at the elbows now, but if you want guaranteed better quality you'd be looking at Gore Tex and a lot more money.

That said, used motorcycle gear can offer substantial savings and there's plenty of barely worn stuff on eBay and Gumtree.

Polycarb lids are fine (there's some evidence that they protect marginally better in survivable impacts) and cost doesn't equal safety - some of the highest scoring lids are the cheapest polycarbs.

The HJC IS-17 is independently 5 star rated. However, the most important factor is fit. A helmet will do you no good if it rotates off. Try on several, leave them on for as long as possible and check that they don't pinch.

Gloves, again I'd suggest trying if you can. Finger length and width can vary a fair bit. Over winter you'll want waterproofing and warmth over impact protection. Can't help you there though, I'm a muff man.

Back armour comes as removable inserts and you can buy CE 2 inserts for about £25, so I wouldn't be too fussed about whether it's in the jacket that you like.

I've zipped my gear together maybe twice, ever. I couldn't even tell you if the jacket and trouser I've got with me today would zip together. It's fiddly and time consuming and the less I have to do at either end of a trip the happier that I am.

tl;dr version - it'll come reet, don't stress or spend too much on your first set of gear. You'll need to find out what you like about it and you can replace it as you go. Experience is the best teacher.
____________________
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

[wr6133]

[panaceasaurus]

[wr6133]

Gumtree & Ebay for private sale. Gumtree tends to have lowest prices but also offers a higher % of retards to deal with.

inB4 Tef means getting a sensible answer typed before a lumbering dinosaur known as Teflon mike spots your post and copy, pastes a massive boring essay filled with shit grammar, causing you to get bored and never return.

[panaceasaurus]

[wr6133]

[Kidjal]

Now you've said it!

Seconded on RST stuff, I've got water proofs, some "resistant" note not proof - boots, and gloves. None of them have failed me yet in a years use.
____________________
Still going strong - Triumph Street Triple '08

[wr6133]

Are you 101% fixed on a YBR? If not a quick glance at gumtree within 10 mile of Bridgend I'd look at these.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/sachs-motorbikes/sachs-xtc-racing-125cc-learner-legal-2004/1142878438

https://www.gumtree.com/p/honda-motorbikes/cbr-125-cracking-bike-mot-til-06-16-selling-due-to-not-using-it-since-bought-a-car-£1200-ono/1141138125

https://www.gumtree.com/p/honda-motorbikes/honda-cg125-2005/1142144731

[Rogerborg]

Oops, broken links in my reply, that should be them sorted.

[panaceasaurus]

[Rogerborg]

Pikeys' little rat brains are wired to shape recognition, so a cover over the bike will offer a bit of out-of-sight as well as weather protection.

YBR is fine, just pay as little as possible for a good runner as you won't be keeping it long once you've tried a bigger bike. Paradoxically, bigger bikes are easier to ride.

If you've got a tight back passage steady then you'll definitely want to go naked oh god as the steering lock is significantly better than on something like a CBR.

In extremis, you can actually buy or fettle up a turntable to spin the bike in place.
____________________
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

[panaceasaurus]

Ok - slightly revised shopping list!

Helmet: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/197383

Gloves: go try some on, look for waterproof, consider muffs

Jacket: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/191201
plus back protector, such as: https://tinyurl.com/pgtad2q

Trousers: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/191258

Boots: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/191597


Security - not looked into these much yet, will do when I'm home tonight:
Ground anchor (which I can hopefully use in wall / paved floor as none of my garden is concrete)- https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/74307
Chain: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/55986
Bike cover: https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/46433

Bike - take a look at the links from wr6133 when I get home tonight

Thank you everyone - I think this has been really helpful

[Evil Hans]

[Rogerborg]

Tucano have the most accommodating muffs. Oxford frequently results in buyer's regret.
____________________
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

[talkToTheHat]

Try the helmet on before you buy. If it's too tight you will get a headache, too loose and it wont be any good. IS17 is a good midrange lid, but the wrong shape for my head, the girlfreind wears one though. The pinlock fits well, visor closing mechanism is easy to operate and the vents are sturdy.

As an aside, glass fibre is often better for helmets than carbon, some use a mix of fibres or have a carbon top layer. Carbon looks nice and a really light helmet is luxurious. I have a shark speed-r carbon and HJC fg-15 (light, simple, vents are flimsy and swapping visors with a pinlock is annoying) and a retired IS16 (useless vents, heavy, now sold as the tr1). Shark gave me a loaner speed r, when my carbon needed a warranty fix. It felt heavy as hell after wearing the carbon.

Girlfriend wears stuff from the rst ladies' range, i think the diva jacket. Came with an rst back protector, but only ce level 1 like the redt of the armour. Pockets are too small to easily fit a smartphone and wallet into, and trousers lack much in the way of adjustment, some days they are tight, other days she steals my oh-so-flattering bike braces. Pargon might just be the most useful rst have to offer. I have rst leathers and will likely get rst textiles when my current set wears out.

Ground anchor you have there will bolt to a wall if required. I have a friend weld me something up that i can set into the ground with a little concrete.

tucano urbano r333 muffs are awesome. You can get away with summer or 3 season gloves rather than wearing giant winter gloves you can't feel the levers through. Better than heated grips on a small capacity bike.

goretex and xtrafit are features to look for with gloves. Sweaty or wet hands feel awful, goretex is proper good. Xtrafit bonds the layers together so the innerds don't move separately to the outer, or even pull all the way out. IXS narius are really nice, but are a little thin for the winter without muffs or heated grips. You will eventually have several sets of gloves if you ride lots, but something similar will see you through the majority of conditions. Try gloves on, grip a handlebar or similar, make sure your fingers dont press against the ends when gripping something, and that they dont feel too tight when squeezing something handlebar sized. Your hands are so easily damaged and this is your primary control interface with the bike, so you will notice most extra monies spent here.
____________________
Bandit. does. everything.

[Copycat73]

another vote for RST.. seems to be very popular from what i`ve seen.
this may be of interest..
here is a link to
https://www.essexbikerscentre.com/

this is their e-bay site ... if you ring the landline 01376 562906 or direct line +44 (0) 777 3125354 and order over the phone they dont charge for P&P and you can use a credit card.

https://stores.ebay.co.uk/ebcleathersmotorcycleclothing?_trksid=p2047675.l2563&clk_rvr_id=937180077378&rmvSB=true
____________________
Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[panaceasaurus]

Weather forecast for CBT tomorrow
https://imgur.com/U5MNkDc
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-- Avatar by DestinyBlue: https://destinyblue.deviantart.com/ --

[Rogerborg]

Welcome to biking in Britain.

At a minimum you will want to be waterproof head to toe. Did you manage to get any gear yet? If not, any sort of waterproofs will be better than nothing: hiking, builders, whatever you can lay your hands on today.
____________________
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

[Kritanta]

You'll be fine! Wet weather just makes it THAT much more interesting.

[Kidjal]

I learned to drive in snow and thick fog, alternating with monsoon level rain. I did find it gave me a good standard to start on

My CBT was in lashing rain too, its all an education!
____________________
Still going strong - Triumph Street Triple '08

[Polarbear]

Lids Direct will supply that helmet cheaper and are a good company to deal with IF you know the correct size for you. If not, get it fitted properly and pay the extra few quid.

https://www.lidsdirect.co.uk/hjc-is-17-spark
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Evil Hans]