Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of getting a bike for both fun at the weekend and commuting to work in central London from Woking (if I can build up my confidence enough). I'm a complete novice and my CBT's booked for the weekend!

Questions :
1. What would be a good all round bike for commuting plus weekend fun for a novice? I want something that gives a good mix of touring comfort / practicality and sports fun. At the moment I'm thinking of a Yamaha Fazer or second hand Honda CBR600...?

2. What's the cost for parking a bike in central London? Do you pay via parking meters? Any advice on good locations near St Pauls and general do's and don'ts?

3. Has anyone used the Pinewood motorbike training centre near Wokingham? Any good?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the reply TC. Sounds like Pinewood is a good choice then.

I looked at a Bandit and it looked good but maybe a bit bulky for me, as I'm a bit of a short-ar*e (5'8") I'm going to need something with a low-ish seat and preferably low weight. I'll try sitting on a few different bikes once I've had a couple of lessons to get a feel for them.

Are bikes like the Bandit and Fazer ok on the motorway with their more upright sitting position? I guess there's a bit more wind resistance, but I've been told they are more comfortable on your wrists etc on long journeys than sports bikes - I'd be interested in people's views on this.

Good point about the budget as well (which is definately an issue). It might be a good idea for me to get a second hand bike to start with if I'm likely to drop it, and especially if it's going to be parked in London... What should I budget for all the extras - maybe £500 for kit and £500 for insurance? (I've already got a lid)

ive said it before and ill say it again

SV650S!

Kit can be bought to suit any budget but to an extent you do get what you pay for. My advice would be to go for as best stuff as you can afford. Helmets can be had for well under a ton for instance but the cheaper they get the less long theyll last and the worse the fit will get over time. HJC make good lids at reasonable cost as do vemar and a load of others. DO NOT EVER BUY A SECOND HAND LID!
Best option for trousers and jackets are usually textile ones and their are usually lots of offers on trouser and jacket combos( check mail order and ads in mcn etc but never dismiss the local bik,e shops as some have some good deals at times). Dont skimp on gloves and dont buy winter gloves from woolies - buy proper bike gloves - heine gerricke do good own brand products ( with the exception of the pathans I bought!).

If the timing is right take advantage of shows like the famous bmf - lots of good gear at way less than list if you spend a day trudging in and out of the tents looking for them!

Just bought a little fazer myself and can say it is a light bike with a low seat and narrow seating area so would likely suit a shorty. Try before you buy is the key with bikes.

Ask yourself why you want a bike and what you expect to get from the experience and then buy a bike to suit. If all you're after is a cheap commuter say then buying a gsxr 600 or an R6 would not make much sense! ( insurance would kill an elephant as well).

I am only 5'7" and I rode a Fazer for the first time last weekend, yes it was only for about 100yards, but I did find the height to be ok. I too am thinking about getting a Bandit poss an SV650 ( if not only to keep micromouse and essex biker quiet )
You mentioned Wokingham, whereabouts do you live then?
Welcome by the way.
Lis

As TC said it really depends what you want from the bike.

My wife Sandy is only 5"1 & we have just brought her a zephyr 550 she can reach the floor no probs & she says it handles really well.



I am 5"5 & i have got a GT550 great lil bike not the prettiest or fastest on the road but reliable




As a ex courier i spent years riding up & down motorways & found myself to be more comfortable on a bike with a upright sitting position than a "frog" riding position

How do the french ride then womble?


5'5''???? standing on a box mate!!!

Love zephyrs! Other than the xjr 1300 they have to be the best looking naked bike ever. to mrs womble and heres hoping she enjoys the bike mate.

I'd agreed the zephyrs looks the dogs bollocks. I've thought about get one myself. The also seem to be reasonably priced.

I completey agree!!!... BTW does anyone know what has happend to www.sv650.org????

MM

Just because you have 3 helmets!!!! SV650 Rocks!!!!. I live slough, just up the road from Wokingham... maybe we should all get together, well at least when Spicy gets her bike.... just dont mention the Caravan to her (unless you want to buy one), or chocolate, or cooking....... shes completly

MM

hey Mouse- and here's me thinking your a sweet, kind and nice young man.

Spicy's not she's an






Well, maybe a Hell's

I'll be up for a get together, and I make a dam fine pillion ya know. So bike or no bike, just you try keeping me away.

i'll take l.i.s for a ride anytime hehe

essex_biker Posted on Jan 8 2004, 10:19 PM



again?

Eh? He never tells me anything..................

Sv650s is a great bike for a newbie but it does have the 'sports bike' riding position. The naked one has higher bars but no fairing...

GT550 is a great bike for travelling but not as much fun for weekends.

Fazer is a pretty good allrounder.

But don't forget the Yamaha 600 Diversion. Lowish seat, easy to ride, shaft drive so you don't have to keep oiling and adjusting the chain - and there's lots of fairly cheap ones around.


I don't know anything about where to park in London, but I know you have to use a fecking great chain and fasten the bike to something solid!

Thanks everyone. I'll definately add the SV650S to the list. I'll let you know how my CBT goes tomorrow - it should be interesting as I haven't even been on a push bike for 10 years! I reckon I might need an extra day but we'll see (please please don't rain!!!)

I spotted a second hand Thundercat 600 for sale the other day - what do people reckon to these? It looks good but maybe a bit more bulky than the CBR, SV and Fazer...?

Lots of good tips from everyone on the bikes but has anyone out there got any experience of parking in London?

I park the bike in london - occasionally and not in the City.

ABSOLUTLY to BG's need big chain and something solid to lock it too - we have had 3 bikes taken from the bike bay behind our office in the last couple of months. One of which was found again.

When I take the bike in I park it where I can see it from my office or where security can see it from reception... and do all the big chain stuff too.

If you are commuting regularly then consider a scruffier example than you would normally have to reduce its desirability... Or if you can afford it buy a cheap 10/15 year old trials bike - XT350? (manouverable, quick enough of the line in traffic and high bars to miss the mirrors) and keep the nice bike for real riding.

Hope all goes well for your CBT tomorrow, just try to relax and it enjoy it. Let us all know how it went.

Im afraid she dropped the bike last night.

( i take her down to a local industrial estate so she can have a lil ride around to get used to it befoe she takes her test, yes i know it's naughty but at 1am there is no one around so i dont think she can hurt anyone & she is a natural )

taking it out of the garden just lost it i spose snapped the clutch lever.

the only other thing damaged was her pride ( she been sulking all day )

Ouch!

Hope she's OK?

Tell her not to try so hard - I know from experience that it's when you're being too careful it happens!

I dropped my cg only a couple of days after i'd got it, when I popped up tothe supermarket with dan + berry! Was parked bit too close to dan, so wheeled it back, overbalanced a bit +dropped it! well embaressing!!!!!!
taught me to sit on it + paddle with my feet to move it around tho, rather than wheeling it!!!

Gardens are dodgy, I did that on my MB5, when I was a yoof and just starting out. I hadn't turned 16 yet but I was allowed by my mother ( oh the shame of it, don't tell anybody by the way.. ) to ride around the carpark at the back of our house.

It was a kind of pre-CBT type CBT thing devised by her. Anyway, it started to pour down and I decided to put the bike back in the garden and go and read the Beano or watch Blue Peter..

It was then that I discovered the road tyres don't grip to well on wet grass and ended up pinned between the clothes pole and my powerful MB5.

So if it can happen on my throbing machine, there's no embaressment having it happen on a zephyr.


There was also the day I spent polishing the XBR a few years ago. I'd just finished and stepped back a bit to admire my handy work. Little did I know that one leg of the dodgy at the best of times centre stand, was on a rocky paving stone.

I stepped back and admired it, as it fell on its side on the grass. bugger...

gardens .. and cats.. dont talk to me about them! i still remember dropping my 6 month old tt600..

Yippee, I passed my CBT! It was really good fun and the guys at Pinewood were great and offered some really good advice. I should have tried this years ago!

It took me quite a while to get the hang of controlling the bike at low speed as I've never ridden one before and haven't even been on a push bike for maybe 10 years, so my balance was all over the show! Everything felt really strange at first (e.g. two controls for the brakes, foot operated gears and slipping the clutch all the time was tricky) but I eventually got the hang of it. I struggled a bit with the emergency stop and hill start too. We had a good drive on the public roads around Wokingham at the end of the day as well and that's helped my confidence quite a lot.

I'm a bit tempted to buy a little second-hand 125 to get some practice while I'm learning - the depreciation may even be less than the cost of hiring a bike....?

Well done, first step taken. If you do decide to find a 125 then please don't tell Leon when you do. He's been looking for ages and found nothing.

yeah, it's a good idea if u can get hold of one!!
I had the same plan, but am also having trouble finding one, as there doesn't seem to be much around at the moment!!
I've managed to get myself a tzr, but it needs tons of work +will be ages before i get in on the road!

Well done Bedazzled! Ian's right though, if you do get a 125 then Sssshhhh don't tell Leon.

Well done Bedazzled, good on you!

puts Instructor hat on a 125 to potter about on is a great idea if you think you need the practise/& or wil be waiting some time b4 doing the das course. the problem is finding a decent 125, as others have said not an easy option.
if you enjoyed your cbt (& it sounds like you did) & dont have long to wait til you do the das, then i would advise waiting.reasons for this are, although cbt is all well & good, it is BASIC & if you're left to your own devices for a few months, you could well pick up some bad habits that wil need puting right later. and why re-learn how to ride a bigger bike when you're already receptive now?
The DAS bikes are easier to ride-honestly.
Each pupil is different-(i've taught enough to see some incredible things during CBT) so make your own mind up. on average MOST peeps get through the test with 10 hours tuition- & thats peeps who couldnt control a twist n go scooter on the cbt!
HTH

Well Done!!!!

I completly agree with DP. Speaking as someone who has only just passed DAS (1 month ago) the bigger bikes are easier to ride, esp for the slow speed stuff and the slightly higher speeds. I found doing the CBt and then the DAS, a total of around 6 weeks all I was thinking about was passing the test...I even started driving my car thinking as a bike... 'if I was a bike where would I be - road positioning, shoulder checks etc. The CBT gave me some pointers, but I do feel if I had just gone one from there with no further training I would have probably been a squashy mess by now.

I wouls also suggest dong it now rather than waiting for the nice weather. I feel more confident from riding in the rain as I know how my bike is going to behave in crappy conditions... so what.... you get wet and cold... buy some decent wet weather gear and enjoy it!

One month on I think my bike licence experience is the best thing I have done for years.. I passed my car test 15 years ago and found freedom... freedom to go where I wanted, when I wanted...well traffic jams, congestion charging and parking preoblems hit all that on the head...how I have it all again!!! I can ride where I want, when I want and dont really have any serious problems parking.

Friday nights I trundle up to London to see other SV owners and sit around and chat about bikes .... excellent time!!!! How many car owners (not ncluding the teenage owning hot hatchers) do you know do that???


Good luck enjoy it and remember...Riding is FUN!!!!

MM

Thanks everyone... I'm now spending my evenings in front of the telly moving my hands and feet whilst riding down an imaginary road to try to programme the controls into my head! My girlfriend thinks I'm completely bonkers. Next time I get in a car I'll probably expect the clutch peddle to put me in first gear....!

I had a look at a couple of bikes at the weekend and I really liked sitting on the SV650 - it feels a bit lighter than some of the other 600s - I was told this is due to its smaller V-twin engine...?

I also got the theory test CD and have done a few practice tests (how keen is that??) - it's amazing what I've forgotten since I did my car test 13 years ago, but most of it is common sense though.

Next lesson is on Saturday - what a pain to have to do a week's work before I can go out again!!

Glad you're enjoying it Dazz - just to put the other side, I always think it's a great idea to get a little bike to practice on, and anyway, little bikes are fun to ride and confidence building cos you can ride to the limit but the limit isn't very fast - and you can throw them round bends faster than the bigger ones!
I rode my 100cc 2-stroke for three years cos I enjoyed it so much!

Blimey, I had my first near miss at the weekend. It was completely my fault too. I approached a roundabout and braked too late using only the back brake (oops) and I slid across the round-about right in front of someone! Luckily he saw me and stopped, so I got away with it.

I'm still getting used to the controls and basically I got confused and wasn't in control of the bike... I think the instructor following behind me was more scared than I was and he quite rightly gave me a bit of an ear-full afterwards!

Still, I've now learned in no uncertain terms what the front brake is for, and I'm now approaching junctions a bit slower. My practice session the next day was much better.

What a muppet.

I wouldn't worry about it too much Dazz, I did much the same thing after my 3rd lesson 6 months ago (read inexperience, windy road and too close to edge) locked up back brake, scraped a hedge and bounced down the road on my shoulder oops! Completely my fault and felt a complete w*nker afterwards hehe! Anyway I thought I'd let you know you're not alone!

No, ur definately not alone. I had a couple of moments where I would think, oh my god oh my god oh my god, eeeeeek, phew

Glad u had a lucky escape.

AND it doesn't only happen to learners!

I know it has taken me a while to reply to this

but ok no buts just did not read the bloody thing again lol

our back garden is all concrete ( because of the dogs )

the dogs can not get near where the bikes are because of the fact they are in a big cage basicialy.

Sandy dropped the bike outside the garden
it was pissing petrol out all over the place & she must have wheeled the bike thru the petrol so back tyre had the same amount of grip as a bowl soap bubbles.

clutch lever replaced
carbs cleaned out tank filter cleaned

needs new ht leads & plug caps now to get it to run properly.

Sandy had a few bruises on her leg other than that she was fine.
I think the thing that annoyed her almost as much as dropping the bike was my reply ( once i knew for sure she was ok ) " well darling that is the joys of riding a bike "

Dazzle congrats on the CBT

maybe i will see you at a lil rally i go to up in thatcham in july

Did someone say SV650????? Voooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmm!!!!

Congrats on the CBT!!!!

MM