Questions from the completely overwhelmed

CorriganJ wrote:

DaveWilby88 wrote:

Afternoon Everyone!

after a short time of thinking, sleeping, eating and especially drinking on it, I have decided to take the jump and get a bike. I have my CBT booked in for next month and have been practising on my father in laws scooter in the large field behind the house.

Now, I live in the outskirts of Cheltenham and travel around 16 miles round trip to work and back (but not in town), and maybe want to do a bit of riding in weekend (but nothing major)

Since the idea was put in my head, I have gone from being determined to be green and go for an electric scooter, to a electric cafe racer, to opening up to 125cc's, but then do i want a scooter? or one of the many new chinese cruisers or scrambler like the Hanway Scramble or the Keeway Superlight or WK Legend?

Or do I follow some advise i have heard and go for an older model since they hold their value? do i invest in maybe project or a barn find that needs minimal work?

basically, my mind is a minefield of questions. I have a budget around £2000 to £2500. I am also going to sell my car so this is going to be a long term sort of commitment, so i am not keen on settling with a scooter, and I love the idea of owning a scramble or cruiser, and I am honestly not fussed about sticking to a 125cc

one other thing...which might sound weird. I suffering from time to time sciatica in my back, so comfort would be a high priority to me

I know this is a lot of questions, but I need someone just to straighten it all out for me. I know it can be down to personal preference, but if that was the case i would end up having nearly a dozen bikes! Laughing

I appreciate all your help on this guys, and I am sorry for the mess of questions Laughing

My advice - I love the idea of fixing my own bike up and customising something cool, BUT, I was really glad I got my first bike in working order. As a new rider there is a lot to learn and a lot to think about, and the last thing you want is a technical issue.

I had one small mishap on my second ride - I set off with the choke on because I wasn't sure which way it was meant to be. Going along a dual carridgeway I give it a handful of throttle and the bike just stalls at 50mph. I'm free wheeling in the fast lane losing speed, trying to get the bike to start again, and can't pull over to the left because I'm being undertaken by impatient drivers. I had to pull into the right hand side of the road, feeling really really vulnerable, flip the choke switch (down on the engine, couldn't find it while moving) and start off again, with cars coming up fast behind me. It was not a nice experience at all, especially as a new rider. I'm glad it was something minor. But imagine if there was a more serious engine or carb issue, or a badly set up chain, or a wheel that starts wobbling because it wasn't tightened properly. Basically, those are things you don't want to have to worry about as a new rider, so its best to get a bike you KNOW is going to work, worry less about potential mechanical problems, and more about learning rider skills.

Also, when building a bike, you really need to know how it is supposed to feel. If you have never ridden before, how do you know what is right? Is that level of handlebar vibration normal, or is it a symptom of a problem? If you have no reference point for what a moto should ride like, you have no idea if you fixed it properly. Also, its a waste of money restoring a 125. So my suggestion - buy an older 125, get some experience on that, pass your test, then buy a cool bike and restore that if you still want to.

EDIT: For your back... maybe riding isn't a great idea? But try different seating positions. Personally my Honda XR125L is really comfortable to ride, and my Hyosung GT125 is much less comfortable. So maybe look for a dual sport?

Thank you for the advice!

In fact thank you everyone for the advise given.
My next step is to visit a couple of bike shops to look around, sit on a few, just to get my bearings and a better idea.
My father in law will be accompanying me since I believe his input would be valuable Smile

I will let everyone know i get on!