big bikes

[biker newbie]

hi i am new to bikes, just got back from the states where i got to ride around on a friends harly davidson it was GREAT FUN!
so now i am looking to buy a bike the guy in the shop reckons i would be fine on a honda cbr600 or yamaha r6, they both look pretty powerfull. BUT i'd like some opinions of bike users and not opinions from a guy who is trying to flog me one.
I'm 22, got a cbt and looking to do a das (if necessary) i would not mind a big bike but i saw alot of kids stateside flip up, over and off their bikes, i dont fancy doing the same. I am pretty cautious when it comes to the throttle so that shouldnt be much of an issue. and i am a little bit put off by these 125 bikes, i see alot of kids on them around here, and i am 22.
so would i be safer on a 125 or could i survive (and not damage the bike) on a r6? just wanted experienced rider opinions thats all. hope you can help.
nate

[TiN]

Err...definately a 600, mate!
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TiN
dotgems.net

[chunkielad]

I say go the whole hog but be VERY careful. The NSR125 is a biatch especially when derestricted!!! BUT it's a 125 - if you have the cash and HONESTLY have the common sense then a 600 is a good place to start - enough power for fun but not psychotic like the Firestorm - sorry Zim and everyone else who has one - nice bike but I'd kill myself if I had one!
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Mark Harrison R.I.P - 26th March 2003.
Remember you always and will ride in your honour.
Big revvs up for Mark!

[Phoenix]

Not too much point starting on a 125 if u can get a bigger bike. You'd prolly do find with a 600, but maybe not an R6, perhaps a Bandit or Diversion? two bikes that are easy to ride and not extreme, and you can prolly get away with dropping em (possible if you're learning), you wouldn't wanna drop an R6.

[Bendy]

I was in a similar situation to you - did my das in may and cos I'm 24 i could get straight on whatever I wanted, missing out the whole 125 or restriction thing.

Admittedly, I'm not a demented wheelier - what I wanted was a reasonably big bike that I can haul some distances on, and that can also be fun to chuck around in corners and play with when my confidence gets up to the level. The thing with DAS is you've got your full unrestricted licence and what, 3 or 4 days riding experience

So I decided on a cb500 - it's placid and forgiving of learner ineptitude when that's what you want it to be, but also pokey enough to have some fun on when I feel like it (they did have their own racing series so it's not just a commuter bike!) I went unfaired so there's less to break if/when I drop it.

It should do 125mph and 0-60 in 5 secs according to the spec - that's quite enough for me right now Resale on them is pretty good so when I feel like I've outgrown it, I'll flog it and get my Speed Triple

I honestly think if I'd bought a lairy sports bike straight off I would have either scared myself to bits or had a nasty accident by now. Or at the least, just been paying a lot of insurance money to have something shiny sitting on my doorstop that I was nowhere near being able to use to its potential.

I sound like an old fart. But I don't care :p

Another 2p - the place i did my das had a couple of Diversions as well as er-5s, so they obviously rate it as a decent learner bike.

[G]

You're not gonna flip a 600 unless you're *trying* to wheelie.... zimma flipped his cg125 wheelying so the power sin't allways an issue . The front will come up from the power.... but I've never had it very high accidently (obviously don't go dumping the clutch at 13k-rpm though )
Allthough plenty of experienced riders do stack their bikes it's much more likley you'll do it when you're new to them. So it might be worth considering something a bit cheaper with less fairing to smash.
A r6 is probably quite bad as a *very* first bike... it's got very twitch handling which probably won't inspire confidence. A cbr/zx would probably be better as far as sports bikes go (and you can get older models for a bit less + cheaper insurance). You could also consider a Bandit (cheap) or a Fazer/Hornet (better handling & engine).

[Demonic69]

IMO If you're worried about jumping straight on a 600 go for a 400. Keep it for 6months or so then move up. You won't lose much on the resale value as 400's are in demand at the mo. The 400 will give you more power with more torque than a 125, and the engines won't change *that* dramatically later on.
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Back on a Blade. Just feels so right.

[biker newbie]

Hi, well... it looks like the 600 series will have to wait till I get all that 'embarrasing newbie bike dropping' out of my system.
Eveil bendy, I went and saw some cb500's, which would sell better after I'm done with it, the faired or unfaired? I'm guessing the unfaired aint all that great in the rain?? Whats the insurance like on it? Running costs? Easy to sell??

Looks like a bit of research to do on the cb500, and mybe in a few weeks I'll be jetting around on one.
appreciate any more opinions, thanks!

P.s. are they easy to throw around in traffic? (theres always some idiot who blocks the way at eh last second, and you have to go around them) and possible to get your knee down?

[WildGoose]

well ive ridden with bendy quite a few times through london, and it seems to manage pretty well

definately the kind of bike you wanna be on in town

[Bendy]

I couldnt say on which would sell better.. it's not that much of a fairing so I don't imagine it makes that much of a difference. I just chose the unfaired cos I prefer the look.

I suppose you'll get a bit wetter on the unfaired than the faired - pouring rain you get soaked either way and in normal kinda rain I don't really get any wetter than I used to on my scooter. A pair of plastic trousers and you're sorted

Insurance... ok - I'm 24, 2 years no claims and living right in the middle of London. Bike's a 2001 model, quoted the value as £3000. I fitted an insurer-approved alarm, but my bike's parked onstreet. Bennets did me £670 TPFT, actually through Honda's own insurance scheme. The majority of that is address, cos I got a quote for my old place in Aberdeen and it was about £200. It's got a sensible image and it's not that tempting to the bike thief, compared to a sports bike.

Running costs... I get 180 miles to the tank if I push it, and it's about a tenner to fill. Haven't had it long enough to worry about parts or anything, but it's a common commuter/courier bike so I'm sure you can find bits pretty cheap. I believe they sell pretty damn well cos they're virtually indestructable, so if you look after it it'll hold its value. And they don't change that much, so it's not like they become an 'old model' all that easily.

Doddle to throw around in traffic - that's why the couriers all have them!

Knee down? *I* can't yet... but a lot of people have...

https://mysite.freeserve.com/hbr4849/images/2-picture4.gif?0.28813493258345346

I'll dig out a few sites I found and throw them your way. Whereabouts are you anyways?

[Bendy]

https://www.biketown.co.uk/Bike_Reviews/Honda/CB500/CB500.html

https://www.dooyoo.co.uk/product/15199.html

[biker newbie]

Hi, thanks!
I'm pretty damn close to central London, wouldn't mind hooking up with some other bikers once I've got the cb500.
in a rush, gotta run, be back later.
Thanks again!!

[batman]

lunarcreek-an r6 or cbr 600 are both quicker than a firestorm :)
new ones anyways-have more bhp less weight

[chunkielad]

batman- fair comment but I was trying to get at the fact that a SENSIBLE 600 is a really good place to start - Bandit, Fazer, Hornet etc....
____________________
Mark Harrison R.I.P - 26th March 2003.
Remember you always and will ride in your honour.
Big revvs up for Mark!

[G]

batman: a GSXR750 has more power and less weight than a Duke 996.... the vtwin is still generally considered to be the better bike.
It's not allways how much you got, but how it's made.
While the 600's should have better handling, that doesn't allways mean the rider can use the extra 10%.

[TiN]

[chunkielad]

I think that at the end of the day, this is a preference thing.

Yeah, sure Korn and Zim are experienced but a thou for a novice would be stupid!!

As long as your sensible tho', most bikes are rideable by a novice.
____________________
Mark Harrison R.I.P - 26th March 2003.
Remember you always and will ride in your honour.
Big revvs up for Mark!

[newbie biker]

Yeah the 125's did put me off a little, you really had to throw the throttle back to get it to pull off from standing!
You can do a DAS with a cbt and little training right? took the cbt when I was 20, going on to 22 in a few months (it wont be two years till next August!).
Anyone know what the DAS course entails?? Reckon someone with relativly little training and experience could pass it??
I cant get the cb500 till I pass the DAS right? I've been reading up on the cbt and das thing, its getting confusing.

Is this right? I get the cbt at 20, hit 21 (only been a year) then I can ride any bike over 33bhp (ie the cb500)?
OR do I still need to get a DAS?

Thanks!

[batman]

i was just sayin the cbr and r6 have a higher top speed than the firestorm, and id say the firestorm would be less of a killer for a newbie than the other 2 because of the v-twin engine and its smoother power delivery
the gsxr6000 is supposed to be especially violent with its sudden power surges

[TiN]

[Bendy]

DAS is what you do when you want to go straight onto a full and unrestricted licence. You can do this once you're 21 - you miss out all the restriction stuff and go straight to whatever size bike you like.

The training is part of your DAS course - a few days training finishing with your test on the final day.

You can do it intensively over a few days (like I did) or spread out the lessons further, doing a few hours here and there. Usually you'll have one instructor to 2 pupils and you basically ride around learning how to do your system, the manouvres for the test and so on.

If you've had a bit of experience before, and intensive course should be no bother to you - it's just a case of knuckling down and learning how to do everything the way the examiner will want you to.

[Rob]

I was in a similar situation.. I decided in the end to buy a NSR125 (new) which I took my cbt on, but then the problem was to do DAS I had to keep hiring a CB500 which ended up costing a fortune.. the only advantage of having the NSR was that I was able to use it every day to commute to work on so I got a lot of experience that way.. But as soon as I passed my DAS I went out that day and bought my R6.. (lost shit loads on the NSR but hey ho!).
Having the R6 as my first bike after passing my test was ok.. took it fairly easy whilst running it in.. but as I found out everyone has a few accidents to start of with.. If you are willing to do the repairs yourself you can get bits cheaper but with my first accident it didnt do too much damage to the bike - fairings n stuff but cost £2500 to repair - so moral of the story - you may be able to afford the R6 to buy, but the insurance and any repair bills will cost you LOADSAMONEY! So on that basis I would have to say its probably a lot more sensible to start on a slightly lower spec 600 that wont cost so much to insure/repair - but I still **LOVE** my R6 - so sod the sensible option!!!!
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Love is 1050cc

[batman]

just got a firestorm quote
22 1 years ncb dublin 8000 euro

[Korn]

You could buy two vtr's for that

[Demonic69]