sister's first bike questions

[ART-ADS]

Ok, so my sister will be 16 in October and has been looking around for what she wants. Unfortunately for me I didn't have the luxury of having full reign on what i bought as i had to pay for my own, nevertheless she has her heart set on this bullit gunner 50cc which is a bullit hero 50cc with some styling changes. Which also shares the same frame as the 125cc variant.

have you got any experience with this manufacturer in terms or reliability, parts availability, customer service etc.

reason i'm asking now not closer to October is i'm moving out before her birthday so I'd rather help her get it sorted beforehand, having said that there's still time for mind changes and such so if you have any recommendations feel free to post them down below

have a good afternoon
____________________
98' RZ50, 92' H100S2, 03' VT125, 59' Jubilee 250, 05' varadero chop,

[Easy-X]

I think you'll hear a chorus of "wait till 17 and a 125" from the choir. Failing that a disposable 50cc scooter just for the year.
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[ThatDippyTwat]

You're also better off waiting until nearer October, prices will be lower. Probably a lot lower. It's a sellers market at the moment, it's summer and sunny. A dull overcast shitty October will give the buyer more leverage.
____________________
'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[Teflon-Mike]

Two grand for a moped, and more in the advert about the finance plan, that lasts factorially longer than the new renter's likely interest 'in' the thing than the financier's interest on it..... does say a fair bit about it, and mostly that its more marketing than motorcycle..... but still...

For 16 year old, style tends to beat sensible every time; for 16 year old girl, even more so.... Ad seems to suggest its a hipster trendy geek-nick contraption of dubious style merit IMO, but what the heck... it's a motorbike, not a scootah... which is where a lot of the creaming is to be had for these marketing wallahs.... but still....

Off the top; start there;

1/ Does she WANT a powered-two-wheeler?
If so, there's help, and there's making a rod for your own back. Bottom line, if 'she' has the enthusiasm to bike, she'll do it, with or without your help/encouragement.... so what's your involvement, and how much of your own 'enthusiasm' and aspiration is being poured into the 'help'.... and when that doesn't quite fit her own enthusiasm and aspiration.... how much of it.. (I can say fairly certainly, here and now it'll be ALL of it... and a bit!) will be YOUR fault.... and how much back-lash will you likely get not just from her, but other interested parties.. like, mum, dad, uncle, aunt, favourite school-teacher, etc etc etc either which way, on top?

2a/ If she does insist she wants a PTW, then does it 'have' to be a geared motorbike? What's wrong with a twist and go scootah? (Well, I could tell you... but we'd be here all year, starting with diddy wheels! But, what is it about a scootah that 'she' doesn't so much like about them?)
2b) If she is set she wants a PTW.... other than 16th birthday..... why a moped?

3/ The Costs

Some-where in all that it comes together; a-n-d, school leaving age is now 18, so does she actually 'need' personal motorised transport, when 'free' bus-passes are on offer. It's a heck of a lot of money for the liberty you probably don't actually get much of... a-n-d a brand new poserified 50, on a hefty and long lasting credit plan, with hefty new-bike depreciation, added to Chinky bike depreciation, is likely to make it INCREDIBLY expensive, even before 'you must be joking' new-biker insurance rates are added on the top; petrol is put in the tank, and service intervals considered....

As barely out of short trousers yourself, you probably have a better idea of young rider insurance than I do... but, last time I checked, almost half a decade ago, when my daughter was in this position approaching sweet 16. premiums for a moped were nie on the same as for a 125.... and at roughly £100 a month on 'the plan'... daughter was too young to take out for herself, and I refused to..... that sort of put the kyboch on the whole deal before it had even got off the kitchen table....

Even over-enthusiastic teen baulked at that one, and agreed that £25 a week, would buy a LOT of bus-tickets, train-fared and taxis! And that's before the must have the matching leathers and helmet and "What about my Hair!" and "But but, cocktail Dress!"....

In my daughter's case; she rapidly decided for herself that a moped was peculiarly a HUGE waste of money for what it is, and that she would be far better off sitting it out for a year, getting her GCSE's sussed, and going for a 125 for her 17th....

Which lead to her grabbing one of my project bikes, scattering bits liberally around the garden, during her 'exam leave' and the post exam long-hol.... then leaving them there, when her interest waned and the prospect of stealing MY car every evening and week-end to go round her mates or a party, loomed as a, well, it was NEVER even close to a 'reality'... but a 'possibility'.... especially as I was paying the tax, insurance and servicing... and she wouldn't get helmet hair or gravel rash in a cocktail frock!!!!

Small aside on that one... I paid about £300 a year insurance on my car... yes, that's a year... it sky-rocketed to over two and a half grand if I tried adding her 17 year old name to the policy.... small consternation over the number "What it goes DOWN from £300 to £200 if you put me on it?!? Well, lets do it!" and trying to explain that no, that's £300 a YEAR for me, or £200 a MONTH for her, lead to a lot of stammering and then talk about black boxes, which were 'only' £1000 to get fitted... and would 'pay for themselves'.... err no... I STILL PAY.. and MORE a LOT more! But black boxes that would pay for themselves in 'only' three years!!!

There;s an awful lot MORE to this one, and most of it is BIG [size=24]£ signs scrolling past the eyes....

A-N-D.... until she has tried it.... whatever enthusiasm you perceptive HAS to be taken with a big pinch of....

CBT is the first step... she cant do that until after her 16th, and until that is done, and she has the DL196 in her pocket to ride anything, and we hope, a grin on her face suggesting she may want to.... it's all very very speculative and academic...

I used to teach CBT, and it is astounding how many turn up, bright eyed and bushy tailed, fired with enthusiasm, many having spent way too much 'kitting up' on matching hat and gloves and leathers before hand, 'cos cos cos... only to be looking for the bus stop come luch-time, 'cos it aint a walk in the park, and the reality is NOT like the dreams they had, and a wet-miserable play-ground is about as far from the Rebel-Without a Clue fantasy they had in thier head... let alone any pain i the bum they have either from spending two hours actually in the saddle.. or as likely falling out of it trying to go round cones....

There is absolutely NO grantee that they will even want a bike after that... especially if they don't get the DL196 on thier first attempt....

Middle Bother, is just such a case in point; saw me messing with bikes my whole lifetime, near enough, and thought "oooh yeah!" and at 16 starting an apprenticeship, and having to start work every day at sparrow fart before busses; a moped seemed like a great idea..... Reality was, that after CBT, it wasn't and within weeks he was hiding the ped in the shed, so Dad wouldn't see the wasted money.... and walking accross town to get a 'lift' from a work-mate.. he REALLY didn't get on with a bike.... And It happens to even the most aparently sensible and least flakey of them, let alone a typical 16 year old girl, with other things on her mind.....

SO... would you be doing ANYONE, least of all yourself, let alone your sister, getting in on this little project?

As said, if they have the enthusiasm, determination and perseverance to do bikes; then little will stop them., they dont need much if any encouragement, let alone 'help' least of all yours.... if not? Who are you actually likely to 'help' and how big a rod for your own will you more likely be making?

IF ME... yet a-blinking-gain..... I would reel in a little; the bike is the last thing really needed, and its first bike, not once and for all time, must be the idial for everything one bike.... CBT is top of the list.... and I dont even night-mare at the thunk of teaching one of my own sprogs to ride... and the contension that can bring... SO, who do I know, who do I trust, and make the kidling THEIR problem for a while.... they might even listen to a stranger!! They'd just 'argue' with me! So... find a decent CBT school for them; help them book a course; maybe help them choose a suitable helmet and some suitable footwear for the course.... make sure they have a packed lunch, help where needed with travel to get to the CBT school... and back... and NO MORE at this stage!

IF after CBT, they do get the DL196, and DO still have the enthusiasm for more of this masochism... THEN a moped 'may' be a possibility... b-u-t... back to top... its a HECK of a lot of money for not a lot of bike... and FWIW whats the imperative for a geared motorbike style 'ped, rather than a twist and go scootah? And in the greater scheme, is that really a useful bit of 'spend', for what you get from it... and with proper motorbikes and car licences a potentiality in the NOT so distant, IS a 'ped likely to last the course or be a useful stepping stone to anything?

Think long and a hard... 16 is a 'problem'.. you have been there, had your problem, and probably still having them... do you NEED to make her 16 problems yours too?

And there's help.... and there's making back-rods.. be clear about what YOU are doing, before you try and get it clear what SHE is up to....

But.. from the provided link? Meh! Its not something I would particularly recommend... but then I would be pretty loath to reccomend vert much... and brand reputation here IS pretty neither here nor... just the idea of "Fifty" has to be considered fist.... and brane new vs second hand, if you go hunt its not whats in the brochures its whatr in the adverts, and largely hobsons choices... which put even more dampner on the topic....

Think hard....
____________________
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?'

[Teflon-Mike]

[linuxyeti]

Looks alright, worth looking at he Mash 50cc range as well. My daughter has the Roadstar 50, nice little bike, and should you want to, easy to derestrict
____________________
Beware what photos you upload, or link to on here, especially if you have family members on them

[Easy-X]

Just to play devil's advocate...

After fixing up my "turd" scooter (MoT should be interesting next week!) and doing a few laps on the green outside my house I can honestly say it was a horrible experience. A motorbike, even limited to 28mph, has to be more fun.

Okay, so I'm biased but stepping down from the 125 to that... thing was like falling off a cliff If you need to get from A to B and you really don't care how you do it then fine... go for it!

That being said the cost of a new 50cc motorbike is eye-watering compared to a 125; almost equal. You could, I suppose for a new 125, justify cost over the 2 years of valid CBT (and another and another... a guy on my CBT course was on his 4th!!!) but I can't see more than a year's use from a 4-stroke 50cc bike. 2-stroke on the other hand...

I trawl through eBay from time to time looking at "project" old 50cc bikes because... idiocy... and you really don't see that many. Scooters a-plenty though. And 50cc "modern" bikes? Almost never. So either they don't sell that many or ppl keep hold of them. My money's on the former.
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter