Brand new newcomer

[Ipn]

Hello there,
So I've recently just passed my CBT,by saying I'm not the best driver on 2 wheels would be a huge understatement,I was quite struggling in the yard I did quite allright on the open road.
Anyway,I'm looking to swap my daily driver from a 4 wheeler to a 2 wheeler,and I honestly have no idea what bikes I should be looking for - It's like being in a lingerie for the missus.
In the end I want to drive a manual,but I don't feel very confident in my ballance at this point in time so I was thinking of buying an automatic banger untill I get a better hang of it.The bike needs however to travel around 40 miles a day.
So anyone got any suggestions,also maybe some tips on what I should be looking for them when checking them out.

Also I could do with some suggestions about what I should be looking for in a helmet and in a jacket

[pepperami]

Welcome very new member .
Find a helmet that you’re comfortable in , and look for the gold ACU sticker on the back.
That will give you some assurance that the helmet meets a certain/reasonable standard of safety.

I would suggest that whatever bike you buy, get a geared bike.
The reason being is that if you learn how to use gears, the choice of bikes is bigger.
And you can still use an automatic bike/scooter if you want to.
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[wr6133]

If you ultimately want a manual bike then just get one. The controls are all memory maps so will come with practice. If you buy an auto you won't get that practice.

What to buy? ..... How old are you and how much spare cash do you have lying around?

If you are over 24 and have spare £'s then go do your full licence and get a big bike.

Over 19 but under 24 with spare £'s.... consider your A2 licence and a big(ish) bike.

If you are getting rid of the car for 2 wheels then you will end up wanting away from slow 125's and L plates so you may as well if you can afford to just get it done now.

If not and you want the 125 route then you have options 4,

Brand New Japanese - Most expensive option. Least possible pitfalls.

Brand New Chinese (Lexmoto, Sinnis, AJS, Mash, Benelli, etc) - Much cheaper than new Jap. However you are taking a slight gamble on quality control and also how good the service will be atr your local off-brand dodgy dealership. This option works for many people, you probably want to be at least willing to get handy with spanners though. Depreciation can be bad too but with a low start cost it doesnt matter too much.... view the thing as almost disposable.

Used Jap - The best used 125's tend to hold their money so this option can be close in cost to the cheapest new Chinese 125's. However you end up with a used bike that you know has decent parts and support when needed. Also as long as you don't put it in to a tree you wont lose much on resale.

Used Chinese - The biggest gamble but the cheapest by far. Don't do this unless you also have/plan to buy a tool kit and are willing to learn how to fix stuff. Basically the negative points of new Chinese but with the added negative of no warranty or dealer support. Be sure if you do this to buy something that you can get parts for easily. This offers the cheapest (and if lucky/mechanically handy the best value), route in to biking.

Helmet, get your arse to an actual shop and try stuff on. Fit is the most important. They all pass the same standard, a £50 lid that fits well will be better than a £500 that doesn't. You can't test fit online, try on in shop, if shop is over priced then find what you tried online for cheaper

Jackets, trousers, boots, etc. Richa make well priced gear, good if starting out. If your budget is super tight though I've used and crashed in cheap eBay stuff, it works just dont expect to be very dry or warm. Long term it's false economy though, a £200 Alpinestars jacket is still going to be waterproof and comfy a few years later, a £50 eBay special will be leaking part way through 1st winter.

If you want more specific suggestions then really you need to tell us budgets.

[Ipn]

[R_W]

You can book your theory test now.

I am planning that in autumn but had a quick look and when pretended to book I saw quite a few dates available from late July in one centre but very limited slots from August in another one.

[wr6133]

£1200 is not alot. At that budget I wouldn't focus on any model, simply condition of what is available.

To break it down (roughly)

£200-250 on gear (and this is keeping it cheap)

£800 on bike ( example https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YBR-125-Yamaha-Red-2007-with-rear-box/203040441048?hash=item2f462742d8:g:EcUAAOSwU3tfAhgI )

Leaves £150 to insure, tax and sort any issues on bike (at this price point expect consumables to be shagged).

Doable, people have done it for less.

[ThunderGuts]

A 125 with 45k miles on it.

£1200 is peanuts for getting going; you want to be spending that on the bike really to get something that shouldn't need constant attention (you may be lucky with something cheaper, but it's more of a gamble). Gear - up to you, some will advocate just wearing a helmet and heavy jacket/jeans, but to get "proper" motorcycle gear you'll be looking at a good few hundred for boots/gloves/jacket/trousers. If you're commuting/using as a functional vehicle (i.e. irrespective of weather) you'll be wanting waterproofs too. Insurance . . . who knows, depends on how old you are, where you live, how the bike will be stored etc., but with a CBT only you're higher risk straight away as you've had bare minimum training - expect at the least a couple of hundred quid for that, perhaps quite a bit more.

Realistically as a minimum (and this is bargain basement stuff);

Bike £1000
Helmet £50
Jacket £50
Gloves £20
Chain £60
Ground anchor £20
Disc lock £20
Insurance £200
Tax £20 (?)

£1440 ish. If you can afford it, up the security measures and get yourself some proper boots and trousers; you'll be thankful if you ever come off.
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TG.

[slowside]

£1200 is just about doable, I think I came in somewhere around that for my YBR125 and gear, but you'll have to be prepared to do some eBay sniping.

You can get a lot of barely used, brand name gear on the used market (mostly from the affects of middle-aged spread, so if you are of a slimmer build you are quids in).

Decent used Jap 125s shift very quickly, but if you get one at a fair price you will lose nothing if you come to sell it on later.

I hated my first couple of weeks riding after the CBT. You will get better with experience, don't worry about it, just suck up the first days as character building.
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Triumph Sprint RS 955i - Sold
Triumph Street Triple R 675

[Ipn]

[Riejufixing]

[ThunderGuts]

[wr6133]

[ThunderGuts]

[Riejufixing]

If someone's going to look up a bike for the OP it would be good to know roughly where he is....

[wr6133]

[ThunderGuts]

There's a kickstart-only CG going on the bay at the moment for under £500 with an hour to go. Needs some TLC. I'm seriously tempted to bid and get it as a project (no, restore, not turn into some ridiculous cafe racer), but I think I'd need to find money for divorce paperwork if I did . . .
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TG.

[Ipn]

[Easy-X]

If you don't mind a little wrenching I managed to start off with a lot less budget than you mentioned.

IMHO 125 = taster bike especially for a 40 mile commute. I've only really got a 15 mile commute most days and I got sick of a 125 in a month.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[carbon90]

Welcome! I personally had a hard time choosing my first bike. I visited a couple of dealers and try sitting on their bike to feel the comfort, you will eventually feel it "this is the bike".

[Chuffin Nora]

[Ipn]

[Easy-X]

I started as cheap as possible (wrecked Chinese bike) and thought "well, how hard can it be?" whilst simultaneously humming the Dr.Pepper tune My thinking was that bikes sounded like a fun idea but would I really like them? Hence as cheap as possible. I also had a car as a backup.

From there you can either view it as a hobby - where you don't so much get upset about your bike going wrong as see it as an opportunity to learn more - or take things a bit more seriously and buy a "Big 4" bike for reliability.

That being said I think most people here are "I'll have my f*cking cake and eat it!" and keep 2 or more bikes on the go

I spent most of my time going a few miles to the office but once or twice a week end up heading into the City and a bike definitely transforms what was a chore into a pleasure!
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Andy_Pagin]

[Teflon-Mike]

CBT is your intyro lesson to diding a bike. A vehicle around 5x more like;ly to kill you than your car?
Did you worry about a ferarri vs a limo and getting to woek in rush hour trafix in suich after just a few hours being told where the clutch was?
Me thinks yopu should take a step or three back here, and think about what you are about.
You really don't need ANY bike right mow, let alone new way to work...
You is a LEARNER, that's what CBT and L-Platyes qualify you for, sp wporry about the learning, and if, at solme point down the line you have learned enough to use that know;ledgfe instead of a car to get to anmd from work.... then worry bout what may or may not be the more suitable vehicle for the job... dont try and run before you can walk, and RUSHNG, wghichg is what you are up tpo right now, is ~FAST way to get hurt on a motorbike... it really is... take it steady and one step at a rime, and START by learning to ride properly.
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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?'

[Ipn]

So yeah,I've got most of my gear for now
Have not bought pants yet,but for now got an
HJC FG-ST helmet
Richa waterproof jacket
TCX Gore-Tex boots
Alpinestar Santiago Drystar gloves.

As for bike I'm gonna go and checkout a Zontes Panther motorbike
today.
I've looked it up online and it seems to have good reviews the only thing being some bolt that you should tighten like every 1000 miles.
Anyone got any suggestions on what I should be looking out for when I go and check it out?