hey

i'm 21 and am just about to hopefully get my license through the DAS intensive course jobby..

i'm currently trying to decide what bike i'm going to get on once i've completed it..

i was looking at a hornet or maybe a monster but don't know whether it's a good idea to get on a bike with an engine more than 600cc or even more than 250 straight away..

any views??

cheers

carlos

Hi Carlos,

A lot of it depends on the rider. Some people can do it, other find they enjoy themselves more by starting on a smaller machine.

A lot of people will say it's just a matter of keeping your right wrist under control but with that extra bit of power you get with a 600, it can be very tempting to open it up.

Starting on a smaller bike seems to be the best bet by general consensus. A lot of folk start off on 400cc bikes, which are a bit of a compromise. They're neither large nor small.

These aren't too expensive to insure and still pack a hell of a punch. A well ridden 400 will kick the erse of a larger bike in the twisties, it's only on the open road that you'll ever notice the smaller engine.

So that might be an option.

But at the end of the day, it'll come down to you're confidence and how you feel when you do the test. Don't be afraid to critisize you're own riding because it'll mean you know were you have to improve. If that means starting on a smaller bike, then so be it.

You're also asking about it, which shows that you're approaching it sensibly. So you already have a good base to work from. There's a couple of folks on here, who are instructors of a high standard. They're advice is always worth listening to.

Check out some of the articles on the front page. They're good reading for new and old riders alike.

My wife has just passed her DAS, so i know how stressful it is. Good luck to you.
She hass just bought an ER-5, similar to what she took her test on. I must admit all the bikes that we looked at were 500's.
Something else to take into account is insurance. Very expensive for you...


Hope you do well and have a great time biking...

Cheers,

Steve

the best way forward is to decide what you WANT from your bike, then decide which type of bike bests suits the bill. no use buying a pocket rocket if you're commuting all the time. or a commuter if you want to ride the twisties with your m8s every sunday.

b4 you do anything daft like actually buying tha 1st shiney bike you see, check the insurance-it makes me cry the amount of money young uns pay out in ins these days.

if you go for a smaller cc bike, i would steer clear of "unusual/rare" types, (harder to sell when you want to trade up)

the smaller bike will let you learn your craft, while building up some ncb.
when you do your das course, if you started on a 125, then moved up to a 500 i would go for a mid range bike 1st (its the schools way of saying your safe, but not that confident at 1st)

you also have to remember that while a cbr600 & the like is only 100cc more than the training school bike, its a LOT more powerfull, sharper handling, sharper brakes etc.

last bit of advice, once you pass the test, you're only just starting out on the journey, you havent just finished OK? i've been riding 28 years & i'm still learning(see my profile for the boring bits)
last bit -honest ride to your own level, dont give in to peer presure & try to keep up with others-thats where the accidents start to happen, as another well qualified member says "better to arrive 2 mins late in this life, than 20 years early in the next"
HTH & enjoy the journey.

total agree always ride at your limits

i have held my full bike licence for 1 year now but have been on the road from the age of 16..

so heres my $2 on the cc

my first "real" bike is a bandit 600

i have not had much experance with any other big cc bikes but have found the bandit a fantasic learning bike.

its a world apart from a sports bike and just cant be simply described as a commuting bike but more of a general bike that will and can do most things

its forgiving on a run easy to ride and forgiving at the same time all in all it runs how you ride. it will be happy to poodle about the town at 30 will run at 70 - 80 on the motorway all day long.

but then there is the "bandit" part of the bike when you get to them lights and theres a twonk in his red super novia of doom next to you giving the big one.

just drop that cluch and hell you are on a differnt bike...

i guess what im trying to say is i found i liked the retro styling of the bandit and the customablity (i think that a word) and was even more happy to find that when i started to ride it was forgiving when i messed up and happy with me when i just wanted to pop along the road on a hot summers day.

and now i have some more experance its happy to keep up with the other guys in the bike club.

dont know if thats anyhelp but hay i love my bandit

dozer dan

If you're doing the das you will likely be riding an ER5, CB500, GS500 . these bikes are all remarkably similar in performance so if you feel your training bike is powerful then consider buying something similar - a gpz500s is a better bet in my book. Its got a gnats more power than those above but its mainly that it looks and feels bigger and more sporty.

If i ride one of these bikes now it feels underpowered and easy to ride but i remember the days when a 250 seemed almost uncontrollable to me. Basically im agreeing with DP here - buy with your brain and not your eyes. Dont go for shiny rocket just coz magazines reckon they're user friendly - the people who write that sort of thing have years of track riding and road riding behind them and arent really commenting from the point of view of a novice rider.

Give some thought, once again as DP says, to the resale val;ue of any bike you buy - all the above if kept in good nick are easy sellers giving you the chance to get back most of what you paid when you decide to trade up. Looking after the finish is crucial though, cleaning your bike and keeping things loobed should be looked at as an essential maintenance issue - its often when cleaning that i notice nuts that are vibrating loose or rubbery bits that are starting to perish etc.

Finally, as has been mentioned many times in this thread Im gonna say ride for yourself and not to impress anyone else. 'Keeping up with one's mates' and riding out of one's abillities is a sure fire way to get messed up. Who cares if youre a bit slower than others? TAKE YOUR TIME TO LEARN WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT/WRONG AND LEARN FROM MISTAKES YOU MAKE. ALWAYS BE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO TAKE THE ADVICE OF OTHERS AND TO ADMIT TO YOURSELF THAT YOU MADE A MISTAKE. IF YOU DONT YOU WILL ALWAYS MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES. TAKE IT EASY!

Finally i would also tell you that any muppet can go fast - it just takes a good twist of the throttle - but few people can truly ride fast safely. Work on your slow speed skills ( boring figure of eights at walking speed in car parks etc) as this will teach you balance and throttle/clutch/brake control much more than trying to get you knee down ever will. Work on observation as this is probably the single most usefull skill in driving anything. Racers arent fast coz they grab handfulls of throttle - they're fast because they plan ahead and are smooth and coz theyve put in years of practise.

Mostly ENJOY your riding and keep it rubber side down!

Oh and welcome to Ukbikeforum - there are other forums but this ones moderators are all filmstar handsome!

Yeah B movie horror films is their speciality.

Yeah, I noticed the simalarity between you guys and the cast of Mars Attacks

oi i resemble that remark.
welcome carloos, listen to what the lads say on here m8 and you won't go far wrong.
these blokes have helped me get back into biking after a long stint away and i'm thoroughly enjoying myself.

UWL - how dare you post a pic of me in the morning without permission? Ill sue I tell ya!

So that'll be you AND D.P after my blood then?

Bring it on!!!

Just to add to whats been said Carloos - I'd recommend a naked ie unfaired bike to start with as there will be less to damage if/when you drop it!

One of the members in my club has an XJR400, it looks just like its bigger brother and goes quite quick but much lighter to handle - some your choice depends of course on how tall you are, see whats available in your price range and sit on them to see how they feel, sometimes you just KNOW when you sit on a bike that its for you!

Enjoy your riding and take your time - speed isn't everything, I've ridden all round Britain (well some of it) and never been a fast rider!

Thanks for your help everone...

i'll let you know what i decide..you've given me a few good ideas.

cheers again

carlos

Carloos, Ive been riding for 2 years now, I had a cbr 400 for the first year then got an Aprilia falco 1000. Love the power of the falco but i enjoyed riding the cbr more. I felt as if i had more control on the 400 it wasnt slow but it handled great. I am thinking of getting a smaller bike as I feel it is just too easy to break the ton and get yourself into allsorts of trouble, feck the image and just get what you feel you can ride the best, test ride as many as you can.

Never a truer word spoken.

Ging

big mouth-small boy..........................................................................................

it not THAT far to peterlee or wherever

My water pistol is filled and ready!






:note to self- make "The Rock" smiley

Just a small addition

My first bike see avatar, lovely bike but not for me....I think I went more for the fact that i thought it looked great rather than what i really should have started with. Hard to admit but very true.

Second time around will be different.

Got my eye on a classic Honda 400 4.low insurance too and something to enjoy and build up my confiendence and skills again.

I reckon you want a 1975 H2 Kwacker 750....