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Guido |
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Guido L Plate Warrior
Joined: 10 Jun 2018 Karma :
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Posted: 17:52 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: This might sound stupid, but I need it clearing up |
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Hi Guys,
Complete newbie here both to the forum and the world of motorcycling.
I’ve got my DA course booked for the back end of July.
Naturally, I’ve always wanted to do this, but couldn’t afford it so I’m stupid excited about finally getting on two wheels.
So yeah, I’ve been looking at bikes to buy for when I pass, I had my eyes on a few with the idea of starting on a small 500cc ish (cb500, er5 etc.) and building up as my skill level increases.
Thing is, i was out among a few bike riding folks and when I mentioned the plan they semi laughed and said “why don’t you get a proper bike, none of that 500 crap” and then proceeded to advise me to go for at least a 600cc (sv650, er6 etc)
I’m quite happy to ignore the ego talk, but I do worry that I’ll either get used to or tired of a 500cc fairly quickly or I at least won’t be able to keep up on road trips with fellow bikers with big bikes.
I don’t want to jump straight on and do 1000 mph, I understand it’s a learning curve and I have enough mechanical sympathy to not just screw the balls off whatever bike I can afford.
I do want to start off on the right footing though and give myself the best chance at learning to ride properly.
I’d be using it for a bit of commuting which is only 1 mile either way, but mostly for A road and B road rides, possibly the odd motorway.
So my question is really, is a 500 actually a big bike? Is it worth going bigger?
Sorry for the essay, any help is much appreciated! ____________________ “There aren’t enough wheels on this car” |
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arry |
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arry Super Spammer
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Wheezybiker |
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Wheezybiker Nitrous Nuisance
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Hawkeye1250FA |
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Hawkeye1250FA World Chat Champion
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The Shaggy D.A. |
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The Shaggy D.A. Super Spammer
Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 18:18 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: |
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It's not what you've got, it's how you ride it. I used to get trounced by a guy on a GPz305 in the twisties when I had my GPZ750/1000RX. ____________________ Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5 |
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tom_e |
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tom_e Brolly Dolly
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stevo as b4 |
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stevo as b4 World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 19:56 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: |
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You should buy what you want to own and like the looks of most. Bikes are good, and 100-200cc up/down makes no difference to that, or how to ride one well.
Personally if I'm honest I'd have learned more about how to ride sooner if I'd had a year or so on a 500 like a CB etc, than I did going straight onto a 600, that I wasn't initially very comfortable on for a whole load of reasons.
Whatever bike you get you need experience and an environment to really learn how to ride it, and push it as hard as you feel comfortable with in every aspect. You ideally want something your not intimidated by or precious about too. Something that isn't a pride and joy but a tool.
You also need loads and loads of road miles, and experience of different situations, identifying risks, other road users probable intentions,planning your positioning and your reactions to hazards, and always looking for a way out of danger or the safest place to put yourself etc etc. |
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Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike tl;dr
Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 20:41 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: |
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When I started riding, a 5 was definitely a 'Big-bike'...
650's were 'LegBreakers' (usually when the points slipped and they kicked back when you tried starting them!) and anything bigger, was a sidecar hauler, and you might as well buy a car.
That sort of gives you an idea how long I have been in the game...
I ride a 750 and a 125.... the 750, is old, and only makes about 75bhp, which is plenty pokey enough for 99.9% of everything on UK roads... in fact, the 12.5 that the 125 probably is too.... it can better 70mph which is as fast as anything else is legally allowed to go in this country, and I face the same idiots on the road on that as I do the 750.. so its just as dangerous.... it IS rather more hard work to ride with so little power though, there's no room for error, you have to rag the crap out of it to make decent progress, and be totally committed.... to an asylum probably.... to things like 'corners' because it just dont have the stomp to make up anything you loose alomng the way...... Others find this 'frustrating'... I find it 'demanding' reward comes from effort... if it was easy, wouldn't be 'fun'... so I tend to ride the 125 a little more like a loon than I should..... BUT... point to point? Cross country, down a typical 6mph lane... I have come back from a meet with a fella on an FX600 getting a bit spirited... and then dispirited that he was hard on the brakes every yellow box and village with a 30 sign..... and not more than a few hundred yards ahead of me when he stopped at the T-Junction at the end... and I pulled aloing side him, before we found a gap, and trundled into the petrol station for supplies....
"Oh you'll get bored of {insert whatever you suggestion was}"
Heard it a million times before, and it is an ego statement, and more revealing of the rider than anything. Forty years at this lark, and I have yet to get bored by a bike... first off, its a mode of transport, not a mode of entertainment... you want entertainment, go tp a theme park or a cinema... of go do a track day or try real racing.... if you do.. playing at it on the road, will very quickly reveal its self to be as masturbation to real sex..... 'cos who cares? there's no [prizes for being the first in an ambulance, only penalties.... on track, you get lap times, you get placings you get result sheets, you KNOW whether you are going quick or doing well or not, not just kwik-frills and a story to brag of in the bar.....
ANY bike can be useful, if you have a use for it... commuting? Probably the most frustrating commuter I have ever had was my VF1000... not being able to open it up, having to hold it up at traffic lights, and scrubbing out expensive tyres and stretching expensive chains at an alarming rate,, when I could have been doing the exact same job on a C9 grinning every time I past a petrol station..... picking something unsuitable for the job can be as frustrating either way.
The FUN isn't in the bike.... its in you..... pick bike that best matc hes intended use, and expect to have to go look for the fun to get any... it aint a play-station that will serve it up on a button for you, you have to go find it.
And as said, being paranoid about GATSO boxes or plod hiding in hedges, worrying whetyher a herd of fresians have left a trail of enviromental waste round the next bend, as you try and get 'kneedown'... isn't really my idea of fun... just frustration...... Taking a day out to go see stuff, and NOT turn that into a blurr, stopping to take a photo, or have a coffeee, chat to some-one on another bike, or watching a band at a rally, or or or... that to me is 'fun'.... and dont require big cubes to do it.....
Neither actually does racing..... And folk in that game, oft say the same as me vis the 125's and other tiddler classes, the 'fun' is in thier LACK of ultimate performance, not thier excess of it... and some of them can get round a race track as fast as the bigguns... go check lap times!! Whilst ,my perversion for umpety decades has been on dirt, and 250cc has been more than adequete, even an old 250 with less than learner-legal horse-power!!!
Its ALL in what your aspirations and expectatiuons are, NOT the bike.... if you expect the bike to serve up fun on the button, it wont matter how big it is, it will only do it for a short time, and you'll hasve to find something different to serve up the drama you expect as you aclimatise to what it can do, and NEVER be happty with anything....
BUT here and now... all accademic... Bike is the last thing you need.... you need a licence first.... go do the learning, go get a licence, THEN maybe you can wporry about what may or may not be the better bike to go for.... and do some more learning...... probabvly that you WANT a bigger bike... cos cos cos..... whatever reason you convince yourself of.... and maybe after enthusiasm has lost its shine, you will get it, and understand that the 'fun' isn't proportional to the 'cubes'... but perhaps yopu have to go through the progression to get the apreciation... in which case, skipping teh progression and leaping straight to 600'fours or litre bikes, you will probably not get it, missing so much of it along the way....
But here and now?
You need a licence....
You DONT need fret about much else.
Dont ride your bends before you reach them, and dont rush... rushing be fast way to hurt on a motorbike.... one step at a time; go do the lessons. ____________________ 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?' |
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Val |
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Val World Chat Champion
Joined: 03 Nov 2012 Karma :
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Posted: 21:13 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: Re: This might sound stupid, but I need it clearing up |
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Guido wrote: |
So yeah, I’ve been looking at bikes to buy for when I pass, I had my eyes on a few with the idea of starting on a small 500cc ish (cb500, er5 etc.) and building up as my skill level increases.
Thing is, i was out among a few bike riding folks and when I mentioned the plan they semi laughed and said “why don’t you get a proper bike, none of that 500 crap” and then proceeded to advise me to go for at least a 600cc (sv650, er6 etc) |
Ignore them as already said here, there is great difference in riding experience between 600s too. Twin cylinders sv650 is completely different experience to inline four CBR600. Nothing wrong to have 500cc. Not to mention 500cc easily can give you 70 mpg.
Not to mention that classic motor but new bike Moto-Guzzi V7 has the power of modern 500 and is 750cc.
cc is irrelevant here you need to decide what you like to ride and how.
Enfield is 500cc and 27 bhp only, pretty sure you can enjoy that despite KTM 390 will eat it for breakfast anywhere.
Which reminds me try KTM 390. And few light off road bikes like HONDA CRF250L before you commit to pure road style bike. Who knows you may like dual off road/road or supermoto style riding more?
You will try few 600cc on the DAS training then you can compare what is to ride bike that weights 220kg vs one that weights 110kg.
Unless you try you'll never know.
Unless you really want to have long motorway trips or long adventures try avoiding heavy weight lumps over 250kg - they are fine for long trips where the weight makes them more comfty, but not my kind of bike. ____________________ Adrian Monk: Unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not...
Yamaha Fazer FZS 600, MT09, XSR 900 |
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Nobby the Bastard |
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Nobby the Bastard Harley Gaydar
Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
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Posted: 21:51 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: |
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^^^ Wot he said ^^^ ____________________ Triumph Trophy Launch Edition |
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 22:41 - 10 Jun 2018 Post subject: |
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You'll be doing your training and tests on a 595cc+ bike making at least 40kW.
In practice this means a 600 IL4, or more likely a 650 twin.
After you've done that, you'll be used to that size of bike and its power-torque-gearings. There's no reason not to get one.
You can drop down to a 500 or lower. They're perfectly usable. I worked my way up through the ranks, and currently run a 250 and a 20-ish hp 500 for giggles. But I also have a 70hp+ 800 in the garage which I don't ride any faster than the other two most of the time.
It's all good. You do you.
Just don't get a moderne supersportse 600 - too dangerouse. ____________________ 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 |
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Guido |
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Guido L Plate Warrior
Joined: 10 Jun 2018 Karma :
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el_oso |
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el_oso World Chat Champion
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Ste Not Work Safe
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pompousporcup... |
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pompousporcup... World Chat Champion
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DrDonnyBrago |
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DrDonnyBrago World Chat Champion
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G |
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G The Voice of Reason
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bacon |
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bacon World Chat Champion
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Posted: 10:18 - 11 Jun 2018 Post subject: |
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I had a cbr600f sport as my first bike, I wobbled about like a granny for a few weeks, a hornet would have been a better buy at that point, the riding position is nothing like the training bike I did my DAS on, a gs500. It was the riding position I struggled with to begin with more than the power.
If I was to do it all again, I'd buy a naked middleweight bike as a first bike, mt07, sv650, hornet, bandit, fazer, KTM 690, striple, that sort of thing, budget dependent.
Edit: yes I'm aware that list is a mix of a single, twins, triples and 4s. Test ride a few and go with what you prefer. Triple or twin would probably be where I'd go. |
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stephen_o |
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stephen_o Spanner Monkey
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Guido |
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Guido L Plate Warrior
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Pjay |
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Pjay World Chat Champion
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 282 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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