First Bike

[Kaneda80]

Hi all

Doing a guaranteed pass DAS over June/July with Bikewize, the idea is to be ready to ride for my commute in time for moving house.
My wife and I will be moving to Ashford in Kent, I work in chiswick so it's quite the commute!

To save on fuel I'll probably do about 40 miles on the motorway then go through London. But if I find the London part too bad Ill just stick to the motorway. I'm half terrified and half so excited I could pee.

So I was after a bit of advice on my first bike, ideally I'd have bummed around on a 125 for a year or so to really get comfortable but alas I just don't have that option because of how far the commute is, so going straight to medium/big bike as so much of my commute will be motorway driving I'd like something with enough grunt to maintain a steady speed and overtake easily when required.

The two bikes that have really stood out to me are both triumphs, the speedmaster and the street triple. I like naked bikes and cruisers. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The weight and lack of manoeuvrability of the speedmaster worry me a little but it doesn't look like it will fly out from underneath me. Alternatively the street triple is lighter, more nimble and by all accounts an excellent bike but a bit too much throttle could see the front wheel lift up and I'm not sure if the riding position will be comfortable for three hours a day on either bike.

I'm 34, 12.5 stone, 5.11 height and been driving for 18 months

As I don't get the option of test riding I'd be really keen to get some advice.
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[MC]

Howdy, did my DAS with bikewize a couple of months ago. Why wouldn't you get a test ride before you buy? Once you have your license you should be alright with getting test rides, if not go to another dealer.

That's one hell of a commute Someone at work has a street triple for a 50(?) mile commute from Milton Keynes to north London, reckons it takes him an hour. Haven't heard him complaining
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Kaneda80]

Hi MC,

I was told I wouldn't get a test ride until I have had my licence for 2yrs

How did you find bikewize?
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[MC]

I've been offered a test ride from a dealer (who knew I'd just passed), have heard some aren't happy doing this, but just find one who is.

Bikewize got me through my tests first time, and I was only on a 3 day course so things were a bit rushed, but a few things I wasn't that impressed with.

For example when practicing the high speed mod 1 exercises (swerve & emergency stop), we went to an industrial estate, with a dodgy road surface & high curbs. Once & a while a car would come along & run over our cones I didn't expect to be practicing on the test centre pad, but I did expect somewhere safer than that tbh.

Also they were a bit disorganised, led to some arguments beforehand and them being a bit funny when on the course. Saying that the instructor was nice. Not trying to put you off
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Kaneda80]

Indeed I have been finding them a bit disorganised, been quick to take my money but a bit of a struggle to get any confirmations from them. They've been nice enough on the phone and email but the office staff just come across a bit unprofessional. I just want to get stuck in to be frank and structured responses from them would help to put my mind at ease. I think it's the owners wife and daughter running the office so it's not like they needed to pass an interview for the job or face performance reviews etc. like I say, they have been nice enough so far, just a bit disorganised so I'll give them the benefit of doubt.
I have basically no experience of riding so doing a five day guaranteed pass which means I only have to pay the test fees if I fail.
It's good to hear you were able to pass first time and got on with the instructor.
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[MC]

Yeah its a family run business. Had to give details multiple times, then the training days were moved, and test dates etc. My mate had a proper go at them at one point, but they seemed most offended when I tried to get our tests moved to a closer test centre (40 mile journey first thing seemed a bit much) but it turned out alright in the end

So the guaranteed pass includes further training if you fail? £15 for mod 1 isn't bad & that's the more difficult/most likely to fail on, but £75 for mod 2 could get expensive. Anyhoo good luck, lots of people pass their tests with no experience, just have a big breakfast and take your time then you'll be fine.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Kaneda80]

Sadly no extra lessons just don't have to pay bike hire or any other gubbins. If I fail ill book a couple of hours to practice whatever it is I failed for. I opted for that as the risk of having to retake is quite high with my lack of experience.
I have heard that mod 1 is the tricky bit.

Lol I just want to get started now
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[Nexus Icon]

One thing I would say, you're not going to save much on fuel with either of those bikes - if, as you say, that's your main objective.

Street Triple owners see high thirties to mid forties MPG and you can beat that in a car that'll cost you less than the Triumph.

I'm not saying the ST isn't a great bike, just that it might not be the one you're looking for to meet your criteria.

There are quite a few bikes out there that'll see MPG in the sixties with little effort.

Whatever way you go, best of luck with the DAS.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[Kaneda80]

Thanks Nexus,

It's not my main criteria, but I do need to be mindful of costs due to the frequency and distance. As I'm going to be clocking around 25,000 a year, servicing and tire wear are not just an occasional inconvenience but a regular cost I need to consider on top of fuel
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[Rogerborg]

Prepare yourself for The Lecture from Teflon-Mike.

I'll do the lite version:

I make that about 4 hours a day travelling. Comfort, comfort, comfort. If I were contemplating putting those hours and miles on a bike (and I wouldn't) I'd be looking at a Pan European, or at a minimum a Deauville. I might even - gulp - consider an R1200GS.

All shaft drive, all known to do those sorts of miles. That means that you can buy a low mileage used example with some confidence that it'll last you a couple of years, or buy new and still have something that's got some retained value by its first MOT (although I'd check the warranty terms for mileage limits).

Depreciation is not an academic point, as there are plenty of low mileage garage queen bikes out there. You could buy a new Speedmaster or Striple and put 50,000 miles on it over two years, pouring money into it all the way, then find that it's worth sweetie money and has cost you £3K a year just in depreciation, if you can find anyone who will even touch it.

tl;dr version - get whatever Marmalade recommends.
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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

[Kaneda80]

Hi Roger,

i hear ya, indeed i know i should go for a tourer. They tick all the right boxes apart from one...

do they turn me on?

sadly the truthful answer is no, the same is true of the bonnevile which is by all accounts supposed to be pretty much perfect for what im after.. just to me it has the sex appeal of anne widdicom

cruisers and nakeds really... REALLY do turn me on alot and i have heard several times that if i get a bike that i dont really want i'll regret it and end up spending more in the long run in fixing the mistake. ironically my budget could probably stretch to a sensible used commuter and a used fun weekender but justifying two bikes with a one year old rugrat and another in the oven to the missus just isnt going to happen. perhaps a year or two down the line if i choose to buy a new one and keep the old one, well thats another matter.

I have just had a mate walk past my desk, look over my shoulder and say
"ooh street triple, amazing bike but a bit much oomph for your first ride"
i said i am fairly discaplined lots of people have been telling me its fine for a first bike, to which he replied
"its like giving a kid a playstation and saying i want you to ONLY play educational games. im just going to leave grand theft on the side here and im going out for ten hours"

*sigh* as amusing as his analogy is i am torn. i keep hearing very conflicting views on the suitability of the street triple as a first bike.
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I like turtles