Just about to start my DAS lessons a week on Sunday (already done CBT) with my test on 17th September..

I really wanted a CBR as my first bike but the insurance is slightly insane so I'm thinking of either a CB500 S instead as the insurance is about half the price..

I just wondered if bike insurance was similar to car insurance in that there's roughly a 30-35% drop in price after you gain your first years NCD.

I may be able to use the 500 to 'learn' on for my first year and then transfer to the CBR 12 months later..

Can anyone shed any light?


Thank you.

That's a bit like buying a Reliant 'cause you can't afford the insurance on a TVR. Have you thought about Bandit / Fazer / Hornet / Monster etc? You'll probably get mighty bored stuck on a CB500 for a year...

Probably best to ask your instructor's opinion while you're doing DAS...

The Hornet's more expensive to buy than the CB500 though.. and also the insurance is on average about 100-150 quid less than a CBR so for the same purchase price there's not much point getting the Hornet..

I thought if I couldn't get what I really wanted (the cbr) then I may as well go for a decentish cheap bike for a year or so, sell it on after a year and then go for the CBR..

i've just done myself a laughable quote on a 2000 fireblade.
£1795 fully comp... nurse, pass the defibrilator :shock smiley:

sodom-ask gails advice- a cb 500 is good enough to play with, fast enough to get you into trouble if you want.
use it for a year, then get the cbr, you'll have a year ncb to play with-should be good for about 10 percent.

One good thing is that the bike I'm using for my lessons and the test will be a CB500 so I suppose that'll give me an idea of what it's like.. better than any 30minute test ride..

Well thats a good thing then... if you like the CB5 but decide that it isn't quite as exciting as you'd think you'd want later on then you might fancy getting a slightly larger sized bike like the CB600 (Faired version) or maybe get an older version of a CBR600- as (as far as I know) older bikes tend to have slightly cheaper insurance (plus you won't care as much should the worst happens and it decided to have a wee nap).

BTW- who have you got quotes from?

All of them are excellent bikes. I recently learnt and passed on the CB500's and I found I got on with them really well. I was initially considering a CB600 as my first bike, based on my experiences with the CB5. The dealership I went to tried to sell me a CBR6, but as I'm not into sports bikes in the end I came away with what I wanted - the Hornet - which is essentially a CB600 anyway.

The CB5 is certainly fast enough to provide excitement and experience however, what I was starting to notice was that it lacked a bit of punch when you pass from a 30 into a 60 and your instructor is telling you to "make progress"

To be honest I suspect you'll get bored of a CB5 quickly and will want to trade it in.

When I picked up my Hornet, the differences between that and the CB5's at the bike school were huge - super sensitive throttle, excellent brakes, excellent handling, and it felt like it went like a ballistic missile. (still does !)

At the end of the day if you can afford the insurance for the bike you want, and are willing to cough it up, then it's your choice. Lots of people have CBR6s as their first bike so I guess that must mean something.

Also consider how likely you think you maybe to drop it, come off it, or damage it in some way - if this is likely then factor in money for repairs, or consider buying a bike initally that isn't your pride and joy, and won't gut you so much if it gets damaged. I really wanted a nice shiny (nearly) new Speed Four, but opted for a 2 year old bike instead for this reason.

Hi have you thought about getting a YAMAHA YZF
Thundercat?? im thinking about getting one for my first bike and the insurance seems quite cheaper than the 600 sports! [img]http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/ATD_web/servlet/media?id=99086696[/img]

not bad for a sports tourer i like the look of the 97 version best though

are thundercats any good forum?? i have heard jokes that they are ladies bikes

All I can go on is what I've heard and what I've managed to dig up, when I've had a look around for possible new bikes. The thundercat is certainly one bike I would consider. Great looking and a great engine or so I'm told.


Defo worth a look in my opinion.

I started off with a few places but Bennetts was the cheapest so I'm using them as a benchmark at the moment..




Thanks for that mate - that's exactly the sort of info I need much appreciated..


May be worth checking out a quote for a Thundercat.. I had considered them but presumed they'd be in roughly the same insurance groups as the CBR's/etc.

Ouch... you won't believe this but the thundercat came out about 100 quid more expensive than the CBR with Bennetts!

NB. anyone that wants to try and get an insurance quote online from Bennetts please spell it with two T's... I did not and ended up on Glasgows number one gay club website

well


It all depends how much you want a bike and how much are you prepared to spend or how deep is your pocket.


I was on the predicament just under 2 years ago,,, returning to Bike after a long while......

Some quotes were just to high in my opinion for certain bikes,,,, so since i don't have much time for long riding and my ride to work is not that long,,,,

I went with a 2001 Bandit 600, my best quote was £320 TPFT

After 1NCB

now around £260 - £280 including rescue......


Would I buy a large Sport Bike? although they look so cool, I would not.

Not worth the money taking into account insurance, rist of theft, no garage living in Central London. So I save my £££ and go on holiday......

but that is me ..........I don't care if some people look down at the Bandit,,, in my view is a very nice bike......

At the end , only you know what will make you happier within your budget

Ah, but did u have any luck with them?

hehehe i came across that site too. Funny enough I ended up getting insured with bennets, the insurance people not the nightclub people, and cost me £108.84 plus £25 legal cover. This is for 3rd Part F&T and I also get puncture cover. I found them to be cheaper than others including carole nash. (oh, I just taxed it too, £45 for a year. 2 days til I get it wooohooooooo!!!)

Haha no but they might be worth a try as most other places seem to be trying to a*se rape me for insurance hehe

Just got a quote of £745 from H&R for the CBR.. £500 excess like...

Interesting

One of the guys at work just got his insurance for his R6 sorted. He played the companies off against each other and got the insurance for £500. His highest quote was £2000 from Norwich Union.

have you tried these fellas?

motorcycle direct

they did me tpft on my cb900 £200 no ncd and 6 points on my licence gotta be worth a go eh?

i also found them to be the cheapest for me but for a 125.
bennetts was 3 times as much as them due to me having a claim pending.

I've tried that many different places that all the websites start to look the same!

I'll give them a go..

Big Brother will get back to you...

MCD were £1096

bloody ell, pass the smelling salts..

I'm also a member of the Peugeot GTi Autosports Club of the UK and a while back on our forums a member posted the list of insurance categories each area falls into..

I live in the worst possible categorised area although I don't know why cos my town isn't that bad at all.. I can only deduct that the so called "areas" are very large and they take the highest crime rate or whatever and that is then used for the whole area if you can see what I'm saying..

I'm presuming bike insurance is done using the same categorisation as cars so that clearly doesn't help matters

£1096 plus abitb..

what's "abitb"?

a boot in the bols...

hahaha never heard that one before


Btw - after getting that decent quote of 745 I thought I'd see how much they'd insure my car (106 GTi) for cos that's up for renewal in September. Now, when I did the bike quote the screen came up saying "calculating your premium" and then in big numbers 745 popped up saying "your annual premium will be....."

So I ran through the car questions and got to the "calculating" screen (bearing in mind my renewal price will be about £550-£600)... waiting patiently for the results.. then I just looked straight for the numbers... "181" came up!! I got so excited.. until I read that "your annual premium will be...." had changed to "your monthly premium will be....."

Going back to your choice of bikes - the CB500 can't be all that bad - I know a bloke who uses one for track days!

If any of you folks sign up for MCD using the link from the front page, we get a back hander.. And I'm not talking about a slap..