motorbikes

[ferny]

I passed my (car) driving test in 2002 (and have yet to drive a car since...) and right now can't afford a car so I'm thinking about a motorbike. They're cheaper to buy, right? But I've no idea bout the insurance costs so can anyone help me out there? And, what can I drive? I haven't got a clue. I don't want to have a sewing machine on wheels so I'll have to take lessons and a test before I can drive something which goes faster than 30mph, won't I?

Any info would be great.

 

[Xmetal]

Well for starters you'll need to learn how to ride one from scratch so I'd suggest you attend riding school, Motorbikes aren't as easy to ride as they look. Once you've progressed past your time in Riding school you need to think about what kind of bike you want to ride:

Road Bike:

Pros
- Longer gear ratios, good for Motorway riding
- Extremly nimble, if some goose in a car decides to run you, consider him smoked when the lights change :twisted:
- Wider tyres and bigger brakes, Wide tyres = More grip, Bigger Brakes = Quicker stopping

Cons
- Very expensive to fix if dropped
- Crap turning circle
- Replacement parts can be expensive

Trail Bike:

Pros
- Dirt Cheap to run, over here in Oz: $20 = 250km's
- Take it anywhere, get a set of Hybrid tyres and you can go bush on Sunday and then ride to work on Monday.
- Running costs are minimal
- Tighter turning circle

Cons:
- Short gearing, Dies in the arse after 110km/h :???: (model depending)
- Parts, Not as dear as a Roadie but still enough to hurt your hip pocket
- Some trailbikes don't come with Electric start, How strong are you in the legs?

I'd recommend you get a trailbike to start with so if you drop the bike it won't cost near as much to fix. I'd also suggest you get a bike no smaller than 250cc if you want to keep up with the traffic.

I can not say this enough though: The open road is a very hostile environment if you're on a bike because you're not even half the size of a car so other motorists will not see you as easily!! Be extremely careful out there, they don't call Motorcyclists 'Organ Donors' for nothing.

 

[Rob]

Get a small Japanese car and surround yourself with safety-crash-tested metal unless you really want to be a biker. IMHO it's mostly the people who get a bike for convenience who make the worst riders and subsequently get themselves hurt quickly. As you say, there's levels of passing now, so you'll either be stuck on a sub-125cc or have to spend a small fortune passing all the advanced courses.

A small japanese car with an experienced driver will be much cheaper to insure than a new biker anyway and you get the usual four wheel benefits like living through a low-speed accident.

Many of my (30 ish) friends from Uni were bikers. None died, but they all suffered broken bones and serious injuries as they all had a "minor" accident in their first year. It was never their fault - it usually isn't. Non-signalling overtakes, car drivers who deliberately obstruct you in traffic (seriously), u-turns, wet roads, manhole covers.... All bad.

Get a small car for less than £1,000 that's got a good amount of MOT and tax on it and save up. If you can't afford that, get the bus.

Rob

 

[Artemis]

Just a little warning...apparently docters nick name bikers...they call them "Donars"...scares the willies outa me...

 

[bace]

I wanna get a bike!

I'm really fugin stupid though, so I will end up killing myself at some point.

I'm just glad I haven't had the cash to indulge.

 

[Vmann]

I wanna get a bike!

I'm really fugin stupid though, so I will end up killing myself at some point.

I'm just glad I haven't had the cash to indulge.

I got your back on this one... I'm looking at the Suzuki SV1000.

Probably would have bought one if I wasn't in the middle of finacing when i called to get insurance and they told me it would cost $3500 to $5000 for a year. Im going to wait for the drop after age 25 then pick something up. On a side note though price quates where basied on the lowest full coverage with a perfect driving record. Scary money hungry vultures



My recommendations would be to purchase a twin cylinder engine:
they have a more dynamic range of power so there great for a all around ride. Your inline fours or threes are usually more suited for fast paced riding and have to pushed high in the RPM range for power.

I would also reccomend a smaller CC bike like 600CC or smaller there perfect for daily commuting and well offer a beginning rider more power than they know what to do with.

Good luck and be safe

 

[Vmann]

Also keep in mind there is a very real saying in the Biker community for all thoughs people out there

"There are two kinds of bikers, thoughs that have gone down and thoughs that are going to."

Just keep that in mind.

 

[Meysha]

Oh Pete, please don't get a motorbike. Everytime I see a biker I call them temporary australians. Save up for a ****ty little car - and at least you know you'll live to see next year.

 

[Corry]

I won't tell you what to do, but bikes to scare the crap outta me, and I hope my boyfriend never decides he wants one. (Thankfully right now he has his sights set on a Mustang). My big brother, about 5 years ago exactly, was in a bad motorcycle accident while driving to work, and he is VERY LUCKY HE LIVED. He spent a month in ICU. See...he was driving to work, and he had to cross the other lane of traffic to get to the entrance of his workplace. Well somehow he didn't see the SEMI-TRUCK coming the other way. Yeah. Semi vs. little Harley. Wanna take a guess at who won? Now the thought of anyone close to me on a bike scares the living crap out of me.

My brother almost didn't live to see his daughter born.

 

[bace]

If and when I do get a bike it will be one of these...

or one of these....

 

[MDowdey]

ahhh..a chopper with nitrous. that cant be good.

 

[ferny]

Let's just say that slamming into the windscreen of a car isn't something which bothers me right now and leave it at that.

I found this.
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/learn2dr.htm#2. Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/rdmcycle.htm


So I can't just hop on one and go. If I'd have passed my test a year ealier I could have. Poo.


Thanks for the info.

 

[photogoddess]

Motorcycles are a good alternate form of transportation. More fuel efficient, easier to park and generally just easier to get around. But they ARE more dangerous than driving around in a car. You always have to be alert and yes - you probably will go down on a bike eventually. That said, they are really fun to ride and the enjoyment outweighs the risks for us. There's a freedom in riding a bike. Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth, etc... :mrgreen: If you decide to ride a motorcycle, make sure you take a good safety class and do your homework before buying a bike. A smaller inline 4 will have enough power to get you around town and get you out of a potential jam but usually won't have so much torque that it'll throw you off the back of the bike when you roll on the throttle. Twins tend to have more torque and are usually not suited to beginners.

Malachite's Ducati

My Honda

 

[LittleMan]

A photographer friend of mine here in town has two Ducati bikes.... very nice racing ones...

 

[bace]

If I may, there's a huge difference in European attitude towards motorcycles than to North American.

Roads are much smaller and one lane hoghways are more common. So cars changing lanes at high speeds without looking for motorcyles isn't much of an issue. Also, it's just part of learning to drive there.

There are MANY more motorcycles in the UK because they can, for the most part, be used all year round. It's a matter of just being more concious of riders.

Having said that. It's still the unsafest form of transportation if you suck at driving.