View Full Version : Bikers, advice please.
I'm thinking of going 2-wheeled for getting to work, it's about 35 miles each way and either Motorway or nice rolling country roads, which even I can tell would be perfect for biking.
The last time I rode a motorbike was when I was 14 along farm tracks on a knackered old Suzuki something or other 125.
So can the bikers among you advise me of A) how much it's likely to cost to get licence, bike, insurance, protective stuff and B) what sort of bike to get. I suppose B) depends on A) anyway.
I want a proper bike not a twist and go, I think a big bugger like me would look a bit daft on a scooter anyway.
Direct Access Course approx. 400-500 quid
Decent gear including helmet anything from £450-£1000
Insurance could be as low as £400 TPFT for a new rider of your age with lots of driving experience with something like a Bandit 600 S which would fit your needs beautifully.
*starts saving*
It can be cheaper - but I tend to not skimp on protective gear, my lid alone cost £300 at the time. My leathers cost me £350 on sale...
FakeSnake
14-01-2007, 22:38
It can be cheaper - but I tend to not skimp on protective gear, my lid alone cost £300 at the time. My leathers cost me £350 on sale...
Listen to this advice... My protective gear is what stopped me being dead in my bike accident. Seriously, protection is paramount. Dont let that put you off though... I would love to be biking again.
Even a 400cc would be ok for just a commuter bike..but you may be left wanting. Do your Direct Access, you usually learn on an ER5 (500cc) which may be enough for your needs.
I paid 400 for my direct access, but I guess it probably will not have gone up that much.
I'm only going to stick my head in a top quality bone dome, it's a tough nut but it's not that tough.
It isn't just the crash hat you need to worry about. Don't scrimp on boots, gloves, jackets, trousers and so on.
It isn't just the crash hat you need to worry about. Don't scrimp on boots, gloves, jackets, trousers and so on.
I used to flat share with a bike rider, he said the same.
He also said that there's 2 very important words in bike clothing.
Water
and
Proof.
Matblack
14-01-2007, 23:46
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9687/old02cz100smlmd8.jpg
MB
Water proofing may or may not be important, it depends. I've got a full set of race leathers which aren't water proof but I've also got a few other sets of leathers which are.
I used to flat share with a bike rider, he said the same.
He also said that there's 2 very important words in bike clothing.
Water
and
Proof.
Paul doesn't ride in the rain. :p
Then again I try not to either, but I do have a nice set of textile kit which I use in the winter months which is warmer and waterproof.
That's true actually, I'm a fair weather rider. Partly because I don't want to get the bike wet, and partly because I bike by leaning the bike over quite far and being a big harsh on the throttle - my riding style doesn't suit riding in the wet.
Oh don't get wrong, I hate riding in the wet - but sometimes I have to.
I don't lean as much as you, but I do love the throttle :D
I wish I'd had a decent set of protection when I came off (pillion) about 20 years ago. Low (or no) speed but it still hurt. Haven't been on a bike since. :/
Most of the stuff is covered above. You can make this as cheap or expensive as you want to regarding the cost of bike and kit. As already said, there's only one you so spend as much as you can on kit.
As for bikes, a GS500/ER5/Bandit 600/Fazer 600 would do you well for commuting, whilst keeping purchase and running costs quite low.
As for riding in the wet...it's the best practice you'll ever get. If you can ride well in the wet, you'll ride better in the dry :D
Admiral Huddy
15-01-2007, 13:00
Decent leathers will save your arse. I have been out a few times with bikers jeans (double stitched with protective pads) but I felt very vunerable. My leathers saved my arse a few years back when I slid into a cow field on my arse. I only had one bruise.
My personal advice is to just go for a CBT first. See if how can get on. If you don't like it then you've only lost the day. If you book for the DA which includes the CBT and tests, then you have 4 days plus a test to contend with.
BTW - Make sure it's something your really wanna 100% do. I'm not being funny, but it is dangerous no matter how you look at it. It might not be you, It could be some dickhead who opens his car door on you, or some nutter who's playing with his phone or stereo etc.. People in cars are oblvious to their surrounding. FACT!
BTW - Make sure it's something your really wanna 100% do. I'm not being funny, but it is dangerous no matter how you look at it. It might not be you, It could be some dickhead who opens his car door on you, or some nutter who's playing with his phone or stereo etc.. People in cars are oblvious to their surrounding. FACT!
Too many motorbikers are dangerous and pull stupid stunts off around me to ever feel safe with one anywhere near my car. It's probably just me being unlucky but with the number of near misses bikes have had overtaking me when I'm driving at the limit on country roads its a miracle my hair isn't white. At least half the incidents were caused by drivers in front not being aware a bike was whipping around; however the biker should really have accounted for this in their riding. Whenever I get a biker behind me I usually pull over the left as far as is safe and ensure there is a good enough gap between me and the car in front to allow the biker to get passed safely. I don't do that out of courtesy but because I want the biker where I can see him, not weaving between my rear and wing mirrors.
Admiral Huddy
15-01-2007, 16:22
...
I agree with you that there some serious nutters on bikes, but then there the same share of those in cars. I'm refering to just car drivers in general who are incapsulated in their own little world oblivious to every thing around them. The hazard perception of a car driver is a lot less than that of a general motorcyclist.
tbh I see more twats driving like cocks in cars than i do bikers. Most bikers tend to have more skill than most car drivers anyway. The only thing with bikers are the show offs, which there are a few - as there are in cars, but the problem is it's a lot more dramatic when something goes wrong on a bike than in a car. It's more noticeable too I guess because bikes are less common on the road.
tbh I see more twats driving like cocks in cars than i do bikers. Most bikers tend to have more skill than most car drivers anyway. The only thing with bikers are the show offs, which there are a few - as there are in cars, but the problem is it's a lot more dramatic when something goes wrong on a bike than in a car. It's more noticeable too I guess because bikes are less common on the road.
Indeed. More often than not I see the cocks on bikes on a sunday heading to or from church along the A272. In part that has more than a bit to owe to the bikers café on the road down between Cowfold and Henfield though :D
I adopt the policy that everyone on the road is an idiot, its safer that way! Having a bike behind me just makes me even more twitchy..
edit: On my way back home Sunday lunchtime I had an idiot in a BMW nearly hit me, but sods law says it would go in his favour. There is a mini roundabout in Ansty on the A272. Coming from Cowfold you can see clearly down to the left, but only about a car or two's length down to your right. On approach I slowed right down to almost stationary. Nothing coming from the left, and nothing visible to the right, so I started to move. Zoom straight past me comes a BMW who didn't slowdown for the roundabout. Sure he had right of way and he could have seen that, but he shouldn't have come up to the roundabout without slowing down. *shudder* Almost as bad as the Sainsburys lorry driver that decided to drink from his water bottle whilst heading up the road that I came across not 5 minutes later. His lorry was halfway across the road before he lowered his head to its normal position from "tipped back getting the last few drops" and realised what he'd done.
I just let the kamikaze drivers or riders be on their way. If they want to behave like lunatics I'm not the police, I just let them do it, even if it means pulling over to let them past or slowing down to make their over take quicker. I'm not going to be responsible for any crash or infuriating drivers who want to behave like idiots. If people want to drive or ride like a plonker then so be it, who am I to be high and mighty - it's their problem not mine. Then again I can drive a bit too fast, ride a bit too hard and be a bit of a showboater at times - so I can't really talk. However I tend to choose my moments more carefully than most. :) You can't bully a biker, they are so vulnerable - it's not worth the risk of doing something foolish.
Admiral Huddy
15-01-2007, 18:07
...but the problem is it's a lot more dramatic when something goes wrong on a bike than in a car....
This is what i mean when drivers are incapsulated in their own world. It's like they infalliable, protected in a shell so they are less aware of the hazards around them, and the danger they are causing to others. Of course, a bike is a different story.
Fatain, we don't mean to put you off, just want you to be 100% sure.
Bikes also make for safer over taking, skipping traffic and are just SO fun on a nice sunny day. So much freedom. Furthermore it's so much more FUN! :D
I firmly believe that being a biker has made me a better car driver. On 2 wheels I'll quickly end up dead if I don't have good observational skills and those skills get carried over to when I'm in a car.
Admiral Huddy
15-01-2007, 18:37
I firmly believe that being a biker has made me a better car driver. On 2 wheels I'll quickly end up dead if I don't have good observational skills and those skills get carried over to when I'm in a car.
haha It's made me the oposite.. Sounds weird but I'm more aware therefore conscious of what's around me which isn't a bad thing except but it has effected my driving.
I've also lost my "space" awareness when parking cars. I used to be really good at getting into tight spaces (whey-hey!!!!) but since I've been riding bikes, parking is awfull.
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