Looking for a practical solution to a painful problem!

[aronthomas17]

Good evening ladies and gents,

I just passed my test, and am now looking for a new bike (I'm restricted to 33bhp), please carry on reading, this isn't a simple what is the best bike post.

I am in full time work, however have bills to pay and even sold my car to learn to ride and buy my YBR, which i love (selling it is out of the question because I'm giving it too my mum who just passed her CBT!! Go mum)...

But i want more from biking and for the time and money i have invested into what has grown to be my passion... I'm not going to lie i want a sports bike, full fairing and everything, and i know these are pricey and have insurance premiums to match. However £2000 insurance for a ninja 250r or a cbr 250 + the finance to buy one is wayyyy out of my price league and about half of my months wages, and the bigger i go the worse the money gets!.

So simple question, i can just about afford to insure a 125 sports bike like the Yamaha YZF - r125 or Aprilia RS4 125 and i intend to ride it for 3 years or so and build up my no claims, i need to use motorways and probably do about 2 long trips a year for holidays with my friends, i also use my bike every day for commuting to work and back, in all weathers, and then with my dad for rides out at the weekends and around to see my friends, so question is (finally!! i know i waffle and i apologise) is this a practical answer to my problem, will a 125 give me everything i need, and more importantly the laughs i desperately want from biking.

Thank you if you have read this far, and I will appreciate any and all advice you guys have

Kind regards
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Current bike - Honda FMX 650

[iooi]

[aronthomas17]

[_matt]

gotta ask how old you are on this?
have you tried Go Compare or similar insurance comparison websites?

I'm 24, passed my test 7 months ago, have held a provisional licence for 7 years and am a student (this is what my insurance form reads).
*This is based on me living in Staffordshire, ST19 postcode

I'm currently paying £142 a year for TPF&T on the Virago (1990 - 535cc) and £81 on the Texan (2003 - 125cc) & £62 on the Piaggio Zip (1992 - 125 cc scooter) a year with Hastings.
Cheapest i could find anywhere, apparently Hastings are bastards when you need to claim though, but i can't understand why your prices are so high

then again, cruiser insurance is cheap as hell cos it's physically impossible to ride them at a tonne & 50
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1990 Yamaha XV 535 (Alive Again!) / 2007 Jinlun Texan 125-11 (formerly 2k3, wrong details, now going rusty in the back garden )

[aronthomas17]

[numpty2]

You may find that some of the less glamorous 500s have low insurance, such as the Honda CB500 & Suzuki GS500. It might be worth trying an online check on these. You may also find that some of the lower powered 250s are cheaper to insure, CB250 & CBF250, but these won't be much faster than the 125s you propose. They will have more torque and give a more relaxed ride, as well as lasting longer.

Or how about looking at the new Suzuki 250 that has just been released. They might offer a finance + insurance combined deal.

One other thing to consider is to take out short term insurance until your next birthday. One of my workmates was getting stupid quotes for car insurance, so he took out insurance for just a few months just until he was 21 at which point his premium plummeted. I think 21 is a magic number.

[waffles]

If you want to do "long holidays with friends" then you don't want a 125 of any sorts. Over 2 grand for insurance for any bike is madness, have you entered your licence details correctly? Give one company a bell and find out why your quote is so high!

As for a bike, go for one of the holy trinity of news licence bikes; hornet, fazer or bandit. Buy a sports later when you have some no claims under your belt?
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[Slacker24seve...]

[aronthomas17]

Thank you all for the replies, i've now got an awful lot to mull over!! ... I've always liked bandits, my dad had one a few years ago might try that and see what its like price wise

I have to admit, I'm lacking in knowledge! i assumed the small engine size of the 250cc's would have meant small insurance premiums. Thank you all i will look into the hornet/bandit kind of bikes tbh id never even considered a hornet till you mentioned it
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Current bike - Honda FMX 650

[Rogerborg]

Try a GS500F. Fully faired, will restrict well, low insurance group.
____________________
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

[Teflon-Mike]

You said a 'painful' problem?
Am I missing something; I presumed you had a bad back or something that would make riding a sports-bike you like the idea of physically painful?

As for the post test 125 Idea.... yeah..... there is some merit in the notion, but NOT with the bikes you have suggested.

Two that spring to mind, that might offer a bit more of what you are looking for are the Yamaha TZR125, which is the 'Safe Bet' 125 sports on a budget, and post test could be de-restricted to be moderately exiting, and not cost an arm and a leg. Other is the Aprillia RS125 or Caagiva Mito... full on sports tiddlers.... but more expensive and demanding of expensive maintenence and a mine-field to find a decent one to begin with... but a lot more bang for your buck than the four-strokes you suggest.

Personally I dont like the RS, I do have a soft spot for the Mito, and as a 'toy' on a second bike policy stuck in the back of the collection for sunny days something I could live with.... but as an everyday bike, though older and probably more tatty, TZR would get my money, if I went down that route, as it is that bit more all-round useful... at least the earlier duel-seat models; later full race rep ones I think probabloy a bit of a half way house between RS & early TZR, and neither-nor.

Fun little bike you could easily and cheaply live with, that could earn its living as every day commuter without costing an arm or a leg and being forever in bits with your pouring over pistons and little ends.

NOT a great long haul bike... BUT you are only 20.... these days I'm a little less 'supple' than in my youth, and fifty miles on a tiddler is about my limit...... at your age, though I had AR125 and though 'daunted' was not deturred from attempting more ambitiouse rides like Manchester to Plymouth!

Spent an entire summer 'touring' on that bike, and did a fair bit of it 'two-up' as well....

I dont recall it being significsantly 'uncomfortable'.... though I suspect youthful exhuberance probably dismissed many aches and pains, and rose tinted specs of age have dimmed the rest!

BUT... all part of the adventure and no reason why you shouldn't!

And bike like TZR would be that bit more 'do-able'... being able to use forcoart two-stroke and not having to worry that if you go away for a week, you would have to do a full engine rebuild before you go, and be worried whether you would crank up so many miles you need a new piston before you get home again!

Old TZR, pay a grand for a good one, it will be 'cheaper' to buy & insure than modern four-syroke sports 125, and could deliver a lot of thrills for the money.

But, think you would tire of being on a tiddler and not utilising your full licence fairly quickly......

Ten years ago, the 'sports' 400's would have been top tip for post test newbie wanting 'cheap' sports bike.

I have a tough time recomending any of them these days; the market is a nightmare, and so many being unofficial imports with 'patchy' parts availability, many have become untenable, or money pits, or simply rediculousely over priced.

Though there may be a couple of googlies in there; ZXR400 was officially imported and a 'cute' little sportster..... but long term I doubt much cheaper to run that a 600.

600's you have suggested, are the very sporty ones, and pretty new.

I suspect limit of your horizons may be whats pricing you out of your budget. Plenty of older 600's around and they dont always command such prices, though insurance IS loaded on the class.

Commuter twins are obviouse choice, but few of them seem to meet your sense of asthetic.... BUT its all about compromises.

GPz500S is a very good all-rounder with some sporting pretensions

SV650, is slightly bigger and more expensive, but likewise.
____________________
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?'

[Rogerborg]

I'd not suggested the GPZ 500 because of the weird fairing gap, but you can buy infill panels to cover the gap if you want that fully faired look.

I'm loving mine, it's just the right bike for me at the moment. Economical, easy to manage, wakes up sharply at 7K. The soft rear shock isn't great, and the stock exhaust will rot through at the link pipe, but you'd be hard pressed to find any that haven't been replaced by now. Brakes are reportedly poor on the single disc models, but mine is the dual disc and feels fine.

It's significantly more satisfying - and easier - to ride than my smaller bikes, including the GPz305 which rides much like the Ninja 250 that I tried.

As for insurance costs, it was a £0 swap from a commuter styled 125 (on an eBike multi-bike policy). You can't argue with that price.
____________________
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

[Bomberman]

[wayne.p]

[aronthomas17]

[aronthomas17]

Guys!! I managed to get an xj-600 for less than 1k!! also a gs 500 for the same and the bandit and fazer come in at just over 1k and not so expensive to buy used !! Thank you all for your help, now just need to get one restricted, run it till it dies then get a sports bike!! My problem seems solved for now!
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Current bike - Honda FMX 650

[P.]

1k to insure an XJ.

Do a quote on thebikeinsurer.co.uk

I paid <£100 for an XJ to insure it fully comp Its a slow and dull bike but its got more go go than a 125

[Patriot180]

[_Iain_]

confused.com insure my GS500 for less than what the bloody YBR costs to insure!

They do a GS500F which'd fit the full sportsbike part of the breif. And a shedload of aftermarket fairing kits if you're mechanicly inclined - one went on Ebay a few weeks ago for £75. Restrictors also availible for £40, but am currently working on a solution to that..

Went out riding with a few of the sporty four strokes. Give take 10mph on the top end there's no difference to the YBR. Accelerations more or less the same. Wont do the job unfourtunately, one of the hotter 2t's might, but it'll blow up every 30 seconds.
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Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[mysterious_rider]

I'm going to add my 2cents..

I like budget bikes, I bought myself a zzr600 for £100. It's been running me about fine, and don't worry about not 'looking the part' because you can always become a better rider than your friends..

Nothing says awesome like beating a friend at kneedown against a zx6r than throwing down a zzr600 boat as low as she will go!

My beat up machine has earn a lot of respect.



It's not too bad price wise, you can pick up good bikes for about £600ish if you are mechanically minded. Other than that its just insurances etc. My zzr was only £450 a year and I dont have any no claims (20yrs old)

[Bomberman]

[wayne.p]

yeah, it works differently insurance...

when i first passed my test, i transfered my 1 year bike no claims to my car, they didnt give me 1 year car NCB, i only got 30% discount, not 35%.

then they sent me a full 1 years back on end of policy... new insurance company wouldnt take it, as i hadnt had full drivers license... (first year was with direct line)

but even then aviva was a lot cheaper than direct line with the discount...

so i had a years ncb to use, but couldnt put it back on my bike, because it stated it for a car...

but sadly had a crash, so lost my NCB, then used it on the second year with aviva, after much arguing, because they claimed it wasnt valid because i had an accident, but as i hadnt used it, it was valid for two years from date of issue (from direct line), i could still use it on renewal

stinks a little, my brother has got a new car, in wifes name, and she managed to clone her full ncb to his car. and it classed as two seperate sets now (think that was churchill)

[Richtea]

Shame you're so far away, you could of tried my GS500 F out for size, as it's restricted.*




*its also in the For Sale section
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2005 Honda Varadero 125xl > 2005 GS500F > 2007 DRZ400 SM > 600 Bandit & Yamaha YP250

[_Iain_]

[aronthomas17]

Just went down to look at a gs500F (restricted)... God compared to the YBR it's a totally different machine, feels alot more planted on the ground aswell, couldn't believe the difference. Been haggling with my insurance company and with multibike discount it's down near the £800 mark all in all i can't really complain ... plus reviews say they're built like a tank, so i think i know which direction i'm heading in
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Current bike - Honda FMX 650