New boy with some questions

[DaveS]

Hi guys i'm new to this forum. i'm doing my CBT on sunday and am very new to bikes so go easy

Most of my questions have already been answered by searching but i'm not sure about this one.
After i take my cbt i need to buy a bike, i want to buy from a dealer as i don't know enough to buy private. how do i test the bike?
I know it would be obvious to go for a test ride but how does the dealer know i will come back (as its not like a car where they can sit in with you).

Also, i'm planning to get a cheap 125cc for a few months until i am 21 so i can take my direct-access. I thought that would be better that taking a test now and having to do it again in 3 months or be restricted for 2 years?

Thankyou for the help- great forum.
..DaveS

[Major_Grooves]

You'll probably have to give a large deposit, maybe on your credit card, to do a test ride.

Yeah, wait till you're 21 to do your DAS. No point in having the two year restriction if you're nearly 21.

Welcome to BCF!
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[dainesefreak]

Not too sure about test riding a bike on a CBT, you might not find a dealer that will let you take one out.

What sort of 125 are you thinking of getting, two stroke or four stroke? There are quite different things to look out for between the two.

[DaveS]

[DaveS]

[dainesefreak]

No not really, a lot of people on here started on NSR's and a few on RS's. Both are nice bikes, the Honda probably a bit more reliable and easier to get parts. The parts for the Aprilia are quite readily available from the dealers as long as they have them in stock. If they need ordering they usually ship from Italy which can take a while.

The Aprilia is a bit quicker than the NSR too but there's not really that much in it. I personally like the way the Aprilia looks over the NSR too, I've had RS's in the past but my wife has an NSR. Honda are renowned for their build quality, so they tend to look and wear a bit better for longer if they are looked after.

Two strokes can be a dodgy buy if you don't know what you are looking at, even from a dealer (I know this from experience, not naming names though).

Dealers are your best bet though and you can usually get some sort of warranty out of them. Go with a mate when looking to buy, someone objective, you can get new bike fever and end up buying a heap of shit if you're not careful. Don't just see the lovely paintwork. Make sure it doesn't chuff out blue smoke when warm or make any funny noises from the engine area. An engine rebuild is quite expensive and you can be looking at a rebuild at around 10k - 11k miles. Also look at the tyre wear, tyres can be expensive, if the tyres need replacing point it out to the seller and ask them to knock the cost of replacements off the purchase price or ask the dealer to replace them. Do the same for the chain, make sure there is some adjustment left (the adjusters aren't to the stops) and there isn't a lot of sideways movement in the links.

Right, enough wittering on, there's a few things to look out for. I'm sure someone else will point out a few more things to look out for.

Good luck.

[DaveS]

Fantastic post thanks for your help.
My boss is a biker and i'm sure he would come to look at a bike with me, so that will help for certain.

I was looking at spending £1500 - £1800 on one of the bikes mentioned, but i have looked on biketrader and cant find any reasonable examples of either around my price range in my area. Maybe i should be looking for something cheaper?

[dainesefreak]

£1500 - to £1800 would buy you a decent model of either bike, there are some knocking about. If you're only looking for something in the short term until you do the DAS, then save the grand and spend the £500 to £800. It's only going to be something for you to gain some road awareness and bike control on and you will more than likely end up dropping it, we all do at some point!

Buy something cheap and you should be able to shift it for what you bought it for a few months later. If you buy something faired and drop it plastics are expensive to replace.

An unfaired bike is probably going to be the best bet, something like a DT125 it doesn't break too easily when you drop it and it has a decent bit of power.

[DaveS]

I did consider this at one point, however i may not be able to do DAS as soon as i'm 21 due to the fact that i may be in the RAF by then and wont have the time.
I was hoping to get a 125 'sports' bike and keep it even it for commuting even if i do my DAS, or keep it for longer if i'm in the forces.
Plus i've always had my mind set on that type of bike, and since the main reason i want to ride is for fun (i have a perfectly good car!) i want a bike i'm going to like

I don't think i'll change my mind on this one, but i cant find a decent bike in my price range

[Robby]

where do you live? Chances are someone from on here would be able to look a bike over with you.

Dealers are bastards, and will sell you anything at any price. Also bear in mind that if you are buying a 2 stroke, half the engine is seen as a consumable.

[G1_]

It seems like everyone has there heart set on a sports bike when they starting out. Slowly everyone wakes up to the fact that naked bikes are the bestest. Join the dark side...

[Shaun]

Nonsense, sports bikes own, although I do wish that I didn't spend £3000 on my RS 125, within 6 months I'd sold it and gone for my test. Less than a year later I have my ZXR400 which I picked up for just over £1000.

[biketeacherda...]

waste of time and money just do your DAS or you will lose money on the 125 you buy and run for a while better to just do it properly in the first place and buy the big bike you want
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[DaveS]

[DaveS]

[Kickstart]

Hi

The RAF is not a prison sentence. They do let you out occasionally!

I would say go for a cheap 125, and you should be able to find an older RS or NSR quite easily (think there was an early one in a bike shop in Stoke for £1500 a couple of months back, just as an idea of price). Ride that for a while to get some experience and then do your DAS. If you can bring yourself to ride a CG125 then that would do the job just as well, but would not be anything like as much fun.

While a sports 125 might seem cheaper, in reality it will not cost you much less to run that a large bike. For example my RS125 does about 55mpg, while my 1200 Bandit does about 47mpg (but the RS wants super unleaded). The chain on the RS does not last as long (but then is half the price). They both need oil changes regularly, but although the Bandit has about 3 times the oil capacity and needs a filter it does not require 2 stroke oil which more than makes up for it. Tyres costs are very similar, and tyre life is quite similar as well. The Bandit needs the valves adjusting occasionally, the RS requires new pistons / rings occasionally. There are other costs, but to be honest overall they both cost a remarkably similar amount to run.

OK, insurance and road tax are cheaper on the small bikes, but that is not really relevant if you are going to have both.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[DaveS]

[biketeacherda...]

ok heres one for you then

if your joining the RAF then all you need to do is after a little while once you have passed out and been posted go and see the MTO officer who can arrange for you to do driver traaining including motor bikes, the military have there own instructors and can put you threw for your test


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www.dgridertraining.co.uk

[DaveS]

[biketeacherda...]

well not any body it does depend on a lot of things, where you are posted , what sort of bloke the MTO is what your job is in RAF etc etc, best thing is to make friends with some one in transport buy them a beer and mention it to them
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[DaveS]

[dainesefreak]

Dave - Sounds like you have already made your mind up really. If you do go out and buy a Sports 125 then you really need to keep it for a couple of years to make it worth while. The problem is, if you do go and do the DAS you will be gaging to get rid and buy something bigger (Even if you don't after a few months the same thing may happen). By keeping the bike for a couple of years you won't lose as much money, but it will still depreciate a fair bit.

If your boss has got a decent sized bike get him to take you out for a blast and you might change your mind. I know a couple of lads who thought of sticking with 125's for a couple of years, but after being taken out for a quick blat they went out and booked the DAS asap.

Why don't you use some of the money you have saved and just do the DAS straight away then consider your options? You might regret it if you don't.

[stevo as b4]

Yeh i agree that is usually unlikey and unfeasible that you waould want a sports 125 now, and then take your DAS, another test fee, and look for a decent 500cc+, whilst keeping the 125 sports bike as a commuter. I think you need to make the decision now on if you want to go for a DAS test, and then look for a nice bikein your price range, as for £2000 you can buy a hell of alot of choice in secondhand machines of 500cc or above, as there are more cheap big bike to choose from than there are sporty 125s. If you get a nice 1st big bike and then you decide that you dont want to use it in winter, you could always then look for a cheap 2nd bike like a CG125, RXS100,GP100 etc, as a hack, but to set out on getting a nice 125, and then a nice big bike would be a costly mistake i think. A mate of mine got a CG125 4 years ago and did his test on it, it was fine for about 8months, but then he decided he needed a bigger bike. He was deliberatlely looking for a 33bhp machine as he didnt want to restrict a more powerful bike, which i also cant see any point to! He never found a decent bike, and in the end he brought a GPZ500 and had to do another test, just to ride it. He admitts that he should have done the DAS in the first place, but he didnt have the cash at the time.

[Irdawood the 2nd]

[Mr C]