Another "what bike" sort of

[MalakiUK]

Morning morning all.

I'm after some advice on my first road bike. This will be my first road bike (I used to ride Moto X but that was over 20 years ago) but im not looking for a 125 or 250. I want something that is reasonably learner friendly but has enough grunt for when i grow.

Originally i was looking at a CBR600RRRRR, but the more i read, the more people say dont get a 600 (even suggestions to go bigger in some cases) since the 600s are basically track bikes with lights. I like both Super sports and Super moto. I was looking at Ninja 400s and a KTM 660. Im put off by the KTM and supermotos in general for not having an ignition key. I know its not a massive deterant having an ignition key but it stops your average yobo messing with it.

Any advice people can offer would be great. Also a question on security, how do you guys secure your bikes (esp the super motos) when you go out for a ride and stop off somewhere? Just carry a great big massive chain and lock around your neck? lol

Oh and a quick note, not looking for new since ill probably drop it. Im quite tall 6'1. Looking to spend no more than 4-5k

[grr666]

Go try an MT09. Your budget will easily get one about a 2015 plate. I'm assuming you have the full licence already?
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[MalakiUK]

[grr666]

MT09 comprehensive test ride

That's a later one with fancy Ohlins suspension, mines a MY2015 so has no traction Control.

https://i.imgur.com/a9fdzsR.jpg

You mentioned obnoxiously loud.....

https://i.imgur.com/blMJnHT.jpg


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[stinkwheel]

There is a lot to be said for an ER6, faired or otherwise. Capable but not too challenging. They also do a version called a versys which is a kind hybrid road adventure thingy which may feel more familiar to yuo from moto-x.

Supermotos are great fun but are quite narrowly specialised machines. They perform amazingly in a sopecific set of circumstances but for general use, the cons very quickly start to outweigh the pros. Hsving been there and done that, I'd probably advise against it.

Imagine you decide you want to go and visit someone 200 miles away on the motorway. On a supermoto you'll be doing three fuel stops, your arse will be numb, your eyes wont stop vibrating for three days and the whole time you'll be thinking about how much damage you're doing to your good tyres. Then someone will steal it from outside your mates house because they are theif magnets. You feel eyes on you the whole time you're out on one. A sports commuter bike like a CBR600F will outperform a supermoto in nearly every road condition you will experience other than those slow twisty, bumpy, gravelly roads where a 'moto comes into its own.

I just got a CBR600F for the wife. I wouldn't call one a track bike on the road, although you most certainly could take one on the track if you wanted to. You could also ride it the full length of the motorway network in a day or do a 2-week tour of the Scottish highlands and it would perform admirably the entire way. The RR varient is more track oriented. However the F will still go fast enought to put you in jail before you've hooked fourth gear.

Do not wear a chain round your neck! Most people would carry a disc lock or a small U-lock when out and about (which generally come with a bracket for attaching them to the chassis somewhere). You can add a cable to a U-lock if you want to lock it to something more substantial. If you want a chain, put it in a bag. If it's a supermoto, get one of those tail-mounted toolbags and keep it in there.

Left of field, you'd get a brand new Royal Enfield Interceptor for that sort of money... I've never ridden one but they are a lovely looking motorcycle. They are not hugely fast bikes but fast enough. Any reports I've seen suggest the riding position, power delivery and handling is extremely comfortable and neutral with a lot of character in the overall experience from the styling and sound. Probably not your cup of tea though if you're looking at supermotos.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ThunderGuts]

There's an almost limitless range of bikes that are "possibles" for you, but I think you probably ought to try and envisage what you'll be using it for. If you're planning any kind of long trips and/or motorway riding, you might want to think about something with a screen. Urban use and squeezing through tight gaps in queuing traffic; something not too bulky.

Personally, I'd go for something like a V-Strom 650 or one of the equivalents; it's powerful (enough) to have fun on, will work as a utility bike but also will handle twisities and fast roads. Not too expensive either and should sell on reasonably well if/when you've done enough riding to realise what it is you really want.

As said above, I'd be wary of choosing anything too specialised, especially if it's going to be your only bike; it'll only frustrate and create bike-hate in the less than optimal environment(s) for the machine.

Carrying a chain; assuming the bike you choose has a pillion seat and you're not planning to put a person on that seat, I'd get a tail pack type bag. I've got one and carry my 7kg chain around in it; it's secure, the weight is low down and central on the bike (as opposed to a top box where it's up and stuck out the back) and any bike with a seat will take it as it's designed to deal with the weight of a person sat on it! My Kreiga one was about £100 for a 20 litre pack; enough for a chain, disclock, cover and a few other bits.
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TG.

[MalakiUK]

Sorry, i forgot to mention it's purpose. It will almost never be used for motorway/long journeys. It's mostly just short journeys to work and to take out when the weather's looking particularly lovely on weekends. Out riding with friends and the like. Nothing too rockstar, as said, small commuting and some weekend play. That's why im leaning more towards the supermoto type.

[Teflon-Mike]

Err.... Do you have a licence yet?
Have you actually ridden a road-bike... like, on the road?
I had a decade of off-road particularly trials under my belt before I did, and it was, a BIT of a culture shock, NOT looking at the front wheel in my peripheral vision... might have been pretty good at gears and stuff... B-U-T...

First bikes are just that, FIRST bikes.. not your once and forever until death do you part life partner... thank gawd! You want to chop'em in, they dont try taking your house, or stuff like that, even better.. you want more than one? They dont go all sulky and remind you about it for the rest of your life!

B-U-T... you want to ride bike on the road, legally you need a LICENCE (like getting married... but far better VFM!).

Getting a licence, a FULL licence, begs taking tests, and that, generally begs taking some training... that begs getting some learning along the way... A-N-D apart from getting to ride a road-bike, on the actual roads, and wonder what the front wheel is up to.... you ALSO get something more than a fancy paint scheme and a bunch of brochure specs to judge it by,... and anything else you chance across when it actually comes time to buy your own.....

You are, here and now ABSOLUTELY positive you DONT want a 125.... err... why?

I have had a full licence far too long, and there's a bunch of bikes sat out there for me to ride on that licence; like the old Cota trials, that 'is' sort of a life-partner, having acquired it when I was 15, and only just eligible to go ride it in competition... and it possibly takes some umbridge at the attention its stable mates get... but I can ignore it of I want to.... amongst the rest of the flock then are a significant number of 125's... I LOVE them.... you dont have to take a tiddler 'seriously'; you can take a lot of liberties with it, and what the heck... its as fast as anything else is legally allowed to go on this countries roads, & having to work a bit harder to make it, its as much or more fun than bigger bikes that basically go as fast as you want them to with no more a big fist-full of gas, & usually top out long before your bottle, and risk loosing hard won licences and fines a lot sooner still.

DONT diss the tiddler, on pure prejudice, and probably misguided alternative experience... they are just as much a motorbike as anything else with two wheels and an engine.

BUT... back to the top.... until you have a licence to ride anything, what bike is pretty immaterial, and we are playing fantasy legue football, trying to work out what might be best, for an as yet indeterminate actual use or interest or skill level, from what is in the brochures and buyers guides... rather than 1/ getting the licence 2/ getting some know-how of road-riding along the way to that licence 3/ looking at actual real bikes for sale, on the street in the real world.

When it comes to ANY bike... what the buyers guides may say matters bludger all... they could be never run-in garage trophies or thrashed and crashed to death scrap-heap survivors, and wheat the buyers guide says about how many MPG they do or how long the cam-chain lasts or how difficult it is to check the tappets, IS pretty irrelevant to what a specific bike, on teh street might be like, what condition it may be in and how easy it may be to lice with, or how suitable it might be for your aspirations and or actual use.....

START at the beginning; Go get a licence. Get some learning along the way; THEN, when it is near an actual possibility rather than a mere ambition, judge what is actually on offer....

The bike, is the last thing you need and need worry about, and its the first bike, not the only, once and forever bike.
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[Sister Sledge]

The advice above about supermoto - it's all true. I ride supermoto and it isn't practical. Sure it's great for short blasts and creating grins but there's a lot of downsides. Range, numb arse, vibration etc. Yes you can actually feel those eyes watching you!! It's mad. Even the mention about tyres - all true. I'm obsessed about the tyres and wear patterns.
Security? It's not enough, ever. Takes longer to unlock the thing at home than it does to put all my kit on. When out I carry a disc lock and never leave the bike out of my sight.
Like motorcross a supermoto makes you feel like jesus nailed to a cross and doing 100 mph. Wind battering is common.
By all means try riding a supermoto but there's a huge difference between having a go and owning one.

You're getting some good hints about other bikes here - you need to take it all in.
Get the tests sorted first though. Having training is of utmost importance.
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[grr666]

If supermoto is your thing, then maybe a MT09 Street Rally is more your style.

https://www.bikesdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Yamaha-MT-09-Street-Rally-Street-Rally-the-player-temperament-of-the-MT-09.jpg

In budget too.
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[stevo as b4]

I try to avoid getting involved in these kinds of threads, but I've been thinking about getting a new bike for a while, and it'd be a supermoto bike I'd get definitely.

Go and sit down and think long and hard about what you really want a bike for, and what you want to do with it in terms of when, where and how you'll use it and with whom etc. This could (not guaranteed) help you narrow down what you do and really don't want in a bike.

Of course there's a valid argument for forgetting the above and buying something you like the look of and that's a good deal at the time. Right time/place scenario etc. The reason for this is the often right logic that as a new rider you won't know what you want or how much or when and where you'll end up using it. Some say you need to go through up to a handful of bikes before you know what is right for you and what you like best.

My own situation that I think suits me to a supermoto is:

1, Off road background, and a like for the riding position.

2, I don't have any need for a bike that can commute, do distance work well, tour or adventure. I don't need a bike for work, A-B or for my social life. I don't ride more than 30miles or so on average and I might do 30-1000miles a year or none at all.

3, I've owned and ridden sports bikes and plenty of bikes between 500-1000cc. I know that I don't want or need any bikes in this category from experience and from not being able to justify their use.

This is just one persons criteria and opinion forming on what's right for them, but it might give you an idea of what to think about, re-consider or dismiss outright.

Two things;

1, Pass DAS first on a school bike before you buy anything, as just doing the training on someone else's bike will leave you almost constantly changing your mind through the process, as will talking to instructors, experienced riders, and other people doing DAS in your position.

2, Stinkwheel is right that a middle weight Street bike faired or naked would almost certainly keep you very happy as a new rider for quite some time and be a good value purchase. It'll get you out there riding and learning what is right for you and allow you to form experience and then opinions based on experience.

[MalakiUK]

Wow. Thanks for the feedback guys

My theory is booked in for Wednesday and I'll be booking the CBT as soon as i get home that day, if i pass. I'll keep you guys posted. If anyone else also has some words of wisdom, feel free to share. It's all going in.

[Sister Sledge]

[Ribenapigeon]

As much security as you can afford. That means a dedicated tracker at the top of the budget down to a good heavy disc lock at the bottom end. I like the Oxford Patriot as it looks like a bu##er to get off and has a handy fixture supplied with it to attach to the bike when not on the disc. Almax are the best chains by reputation and you will faint at the price (£230 ) but worth it. From time to time i deal with the kind of gentlemen who engage in the liberation of others property and the Almax will put off the casual or low skilled thief. Nothing will put off the professional organized type looking to export that shiny new BMW GS1200 to Latvia.

The thing with security though is not to tell your insurance as the saving on the premium will be small compared with the loss on that one time you forget to use the security and the bike gets nicked. Tell them where you park it overnight and that's about it.

It's worth as Tef has said to put some time in on a smaller capacity bike but not essential. I spent nearly a year on a 125 before getting on a 600 but six months on the 125 was probably more than I needed. Less power means more skill learned in managing that power and that pays off when you ride a bigger bike. Many disagree with this though and you can get a Hayabusa in your budget range.

Best thing to do is once you have your license then just go round the dealers and test ride stuff. It's fun and you realize its not about just CCs but about what feels comfortable and under your control. I'm wanting a bigger capacity bike these days but more for torque than HP. Enjoy drooling over bikes on the interwebs though as it's half the fun of having that license as you feel like you can legitimately fantasize about how you will spend your lottery winnings.

[MalakiUK]

[Ribenapigeon]

[Kentol750]

Supermoto... who apart from ktm make them now. Forget the pretend ones that are just nakeds made to look that way. As for the ccm/drz... it's a trip to the shops look good bike that doesn't really cut it with the real ones... full on enduros with road wheels. It's liķe customs/bombers.... the real ones are works of time and love, not bought off the shop floor.
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Some bikes.

[struan80]

[stevo as b4]

[Kentol750]

That's kind of my point... there aren't a lot of 'supermoto' bikes left under 10 years old. The new naked is the successor, and a worthy one. A decent seat and tank range, with all the mentalness of their predecessors. An all day or now and again blast!
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Some bikes.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

https://media.giphy.com/media/uhUK9lsLgJSZG/giphy.gif
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Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[stevo as b4]

The new nakeds in the street bike class, hooligan bonkers class, sports bikes with the fairings ripped off, adventure bikes on 17" wheels etc well they are all better daily all round bikes than any supermoto ever was. As I've said before proper supermotos are very compromised bikes that are crap for most situations.

But if it's a motard you want then none of the above will do. An MT07 or a Street triple or a KTM Duke are all far better road bikes for 99% of situations. But if you want a trail/enduro or MX bike with lights 17" wheels and a tall seat/ upright really wide bars riding position where you sit over the front wheel etc, then none of em will impress like a supermoto.

For me it's the riding position, lightweight and the look/style of a motard I want, and I couldn't care how they ride compared to a funky Street naked with wide bars, as I'll never buy one.

[grr666]

[kgm]

[MalakiUK]

Just a quick update. Did my Theory, Passed. Did my CBT, all good (tight uturns can suck my nay nays thought lol)

Think for now i'll get a 125 to get some experience on then see how i feel in 6 momths - 1 years time.

CBT was fun except, as said, the tight u-turns were really awkward. The training guy asked if anyone had rode before, so i told him i had done some moto x 20 years ago. He then proceeded to use me as the guinea pig for the rest of the day....I dont like being watched lolol

The on road stuff was fun, except for when i was at the back and the guy i was following from our group was doing 20 in a 40...Had some numpty in a car sitting on my back wheel...that was fun..... /s

All in all, it was a good day

Now looking for a decent 125 to use as a semi - daily