Biking Essentials!

[mason_pb]

I'm looking into buying a 125cc on a CBT as well. I do not have a drive, so the bike would be parked on my small front garden.

I'm looking for advice on essentials needed for getting into riding. I want;

A good motorbike helmet (Fullface)
Gloves that are textile but armoured
Possibly a lightweight but waterproof jacket and trousers
And multiple types of locks to secure the bike, such as a good strong chain/padlock, maybe a disclock, a alarm of some sorts.
A helmet camera.

Any help is appreciated, and preferably on a cheaper budget as I'm only an apprentice so can't afford mega expensive things, but still waiting t good quality.

[Evil Hans]

A ground anchor to chain it to.

Helmet camera is an essential??
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[mason_pb]

[quote="Evil Hans"]A ground anchor to chain it to.

Helmet camera is an essential??[/quote]

Because I'm a young rider and can't afford expensive insurance Is rather have a camera so if something isn't my fault I can prove it. You never know what people are like.

[pepperami]

[Teflon-Mike]

An action cam is the last thing you need.

Helmet? One that fits. Sod make, sod colour scheme, to some degree sod price. You buy a crash hat to save head in an off, and if it dont fit it dont work. Plus, you have to wear it every time you ride; you dont want it to hurt, or you wont be concentrating so well on the road.

Also don't dismiss open-face lids so quick. On a restrictive budget, they have a lot to offer. The sacrifice of that chin-bar, as far as 'safety' goes is often illusionary. You face plant a Scania, that extra bit of unpadded non shock absorbing plastic aint likely to save your life!!! It may save some unsightly gravel rash on your jaw if you have an off, but.... you are usually sacrificing the better periferal vision of an open hat to get it, and you in that all important cost issue, not having a chin-piece and visor means you dont have a visor to fog up and stop you seeing where you are going. You can get brand new approval marked lids for perhaps £30... you need to be looking at closer to £300 until you get full-face lids that have visor mechanisms and venting that actually 'work' and work reliably, and STILL they can fog-up. Open face hats also tend to be lot lighter, and less of a strain on your neck, and have less to go wrong.

They have a LOT going for them, IF you can get past the emotive gut reaction "BUT I don't want my pretty face scraped along the road!" Which is where a LOT of the problems of motorcycle safety start... letting the fear of potential harm over-inflate the real chance you'll have an off to start with, or it will be that bad.

Gloves? Often under-valued, because they seem so small compared to jackets trousers or boots, but they are actually the more intricate and complicated and expensive to make, AND where you NEED the feel and mobility to work the clutch, throttle, brake and steering. 90% of the control of a bike is through your hands.. so again... why 'armour'?

Cheap gloves tend to be cheap gloves. A few bits of plastic on the nuckles aren't going to do an awful lot to stop fingers getting broke, in an off. If they stop you being able to feel the brake lever, or grab it as quick, or throttle though, they may actually 'help' you come off... and like the hat, need to be comfy, and keep hands warm, especially this time of year, cos if you cant feel your fingers cos of how cold they are, you are onto a looser when it comes to feeling how much brake pressure you are applying to stop the wheel skidding....

Water-Proofs are good.... Personally I recommend the cheaper one-piece over-suit. For about £25 you get something that keeps wind and rain out and covers multitude of whateverr you put it over.

Under that? Jacket & Trousers? Not essential. If you come off, padding is good. Cusions the blow, and gives material to be worn away before skin. So, layers are good, and this time of year, also help keep you warm, which also good.

You do NOT need chuck loads of cash at dedicated riding wear or expensive leathers. Common sense and whats probably already in the wardrobe can work wonders.

Good boots? Again, often false ecconomy to buy cheap, and no need for dedicated bike boots. Quality of many cheaper, budget bike boots is rather questionable, and they often have no more crash protection than a cheap pair of tall trainers, and in every-day use normal wear and tear, likely wont last any longer.

On a tight budget, 'sensible' outdoor or work wear is the recommend, and again, bit of improvisation, you probably already have something suitable in the wardrobe, or can get a pair of army boots or catapillar style work-boots off the market for under £30.

Locks and chains..... yup... you need some. Lots.

A small front garden doesn't sound promicing, bvike will be in full view of all and sundry and some-one likely to have a go at it at some point, likely pretty soon after you park it there.

Just as and possibly more important is parking the other end, particularly if, like at home, bike will be left in plain sight, for long periods, such as in the college car-park our outside work.

Some sort of ground anchor would be good, but again, improvisation goes a long way. Concrete a bit of old chain, into the lawn, so you can lock the bike down to something imoveable, could be useful, and cheaper, and possibly sturdier than something off e-bay screwed to a wall or paving slab with raw-plugs.

Again, improvisation and common sense goes a long way.

Absolute minimum kit? For all weather riding... IF you apply common sense and improvisation, you can probably gear up for under £100, with a £30 hat, £30 gloves, £20 work-boots and £20 water-proof over-suit.

Security? Good chain and padlock, and something to lock it down to IS absolutely essential, and far more effective than an alarm or disc lock or tracker or anything else hi-tech... A-N-D it don't have to be all that fancy.

ANY chain, is better than no-chain... IF you use it.... and the ratings and reviews get very involved in how many seconds it takes cut through with a pair of bolt-cutters or an angle grinder.... bottom line is that if any-one comes along with such tools to have a go.... the difference makes little odds... they will have it one way or another and making it a few seconds more awkward isn't going to stop them.... and if its not chained to something immobile... matters not a jot... they just lift the lot away!!!

So, as far as security goes, back to that common sense and improvisation... pay attention to find your parking spots; LOOK for places that aren't so in plain sight, or secluded, and do have 'something' like a lamp-post you can chain down to...

In days of yore, a lot of the kit that now seems so 'essential' (*Like an effin action-cam!!!!) wasn't even invented. We had to think a bit more about what was really important; make do and improvise and apply common sense.... and try not to bludy crash! No crash, not hurt! Simples! So that's where safety starts. Common sense and applying it.

But... CBT is but the first-lesson... and L-'s is for Learner's not Test-Dodger.... you want safe, learn to ride and NOT fall off. going it alone on CBT and L's is a plan to fall off.... its the school of hard-knocks, and it doesn't tach you what to do, just hurts when you get it wrong, to let you know it!!!

And it only gonna hurt more if you do that falling off in the busiest most hazard strewn time and place of a morning commute, when you are probably hoping not to be late and annoy the boss.....

NOT on your list, and should be at the very top, IS the full bludy licence... means tests, Theory/Haz, mod 1 & Mod 2.... cost £122 at last check... and you can self book and do on the 125 you plan commuting on.. and get that bit of paper that says you are at least competently qualified for that... wont make you anyt safer in itself, but the learning to get it will.... and THAT will do a LOT more to save hurt than crash-hat and gloves and riding suit... AND for a fraction the money.... go ponder.
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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?'

[kgm]

[Teflon-Mike]

[grr666]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GoPro-HERO-LCD-Touch-Screen-Action-Camera-Camcorder-Certified-Refurbished/183458716333?_trkparms=5926%3AKEYWORD%7C5079%3A0

Go pro for under 100 quid.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[Teflon-Mike]

Hmmm... £90 for a 2nd hand, 1080px, tele-tubie-cam... to maybe be able to have something to show insurance assessor from hospital bed....

About the price of both Mod 1 & Mod 2 practical, a good pair of gloves, or half decent pair of boots, or better budget crash-hat, OR a really good pair of actually sticky tyres for a 125....

Sort of puts that in context really.... decent, brand new tyres that grip road so you dont come off....OR a tele-tubby-prop, to maybe get some "Again-Again" action replay to show the insurance assessor, after you have....

Common sense... that's where safety starts.... its in whats in your head not what you put on your head!
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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?'

[M.C]

[Ste]

The worst thing about helmet cams is too many people use them to start vlogging.

If starting out on a cheap budget, a helmet cam would be a long way down my list of stuff to buy.

[M.C]

[Ste]

He won't have made any money from that video.

[grr666]

I already have a couple of cameras. A drift Ghost HD which I paid full whack for brand new about 4 years ago, which still
works great. And a more recently purchased second hand basic go pro which I've yet to have a proper play with. I won't be
buying another one for a while, they are just toys really. Have caught a few interesting moments on the rides where where
I am cammed up, but I'd struggle to fill two minutes of "interesting" footage. I usually wear the ghost on the side of my lid.
The go pro was intended to be rear facing when I do have a play with it.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[M.C]

[Ste]

You need to have 4,000 hours of overall watch time within the past 12 months and at least 1,000 subscribers.

[M.C]

I did say they changed it recently: https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/16/16899068/youtube-new-monetization-rules-announced-4000-hours

CBR wall-riding boy could have earned a decent chunk of change before the... err change.

[RhynoCZ]

You need a knife and get used to drink your own piss. You never know when you get stranded in the middle of nowhere.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor