i know there are a few bikers out there amongst you so i'm after some advice/opinions

 

i'm 24 (very nearly 25) and about to take my bike test. i had a 50cc mean machine when i was 16 and have done a bit of riding on trail bikes since then - biggest was a 250cc - so i am not entirely new to bikes, but neither am i valentino rossi. i want a bike to commute to work on (just moved to london and the tube is already doing my head in) and for a bit of fun at the weekends but i'm not sure what sort of thing i should be looking at. i want something that looks good and has got a bit of grunt (no skinny pizza-cutter tyres) but i don't want something thats likely to put a relatively inexperienced rider in hospital.

 

what do you reckon?

 

thanks,

 

ste

http://www.bikerclub.co.uk

Steve

 

A lot come down to money.

 

600/650 single cylinder trail-style bikes are great in town, easy to ride, cheap to run and fun.

 

500cc twins (cb500, er5)are decent all round first bikes.

 

600/650cc twins/fours (hornet, fazer, SV etc) are even better, faster and ok for a novice as long as they're confident and have the money.

Well I did my test and went out and bought a GSXR 750 WP. Lovely bike but a bit of a handful for a first timer...then I got a ZX9....WOOHOO

As your first real bike I would suggest a Suzuki 600 Bandit. powerful reliable easy to ride and comfortable economy is good and it will have a cheapish insurance group and they are quite easy and cheap to buy.

 

HTH

Vince

Or a CBR 600f...they are very nimble, light and anyone can ride them...even women!!!!

 

PMSL..

thanks for the tips.

 

i think i'd prefer a road bike, plus i'd be tempted to throw myself of some huge jumps if i had a bike that was capable of it. i've just walked past a black kawasaki gpz (i think) 500s which looked pretty smart. anyone know anything about them?

 

i'd love a ducatti but i've been getting insurance quotes of 1200 smackers for 750's (got an sp20 from two years gao and had a car stolen almost 3 years ago which isn't helping) but people have told me that insurance drops a bit after 25.

 

my mate has an r1 - he says he is still grinning for an hour after he gets to work!

GPZ 500 is bulletproof easy to ride and comfy , but if you can geta honda cbr 600 they are nuch beter built and will handle the daily comute much better .....also the kwaka has a habit of the carb iceing up and leaving you stranded for an hour while it settles down .....

Virtaully any Ducati would make a terrible first bike.

 

CBR600s can be great but there's two different sorts - the F which is nice and the RR which is a bit too much for a first bike.

 

The GPz500s a great first bike - facelifted in 1994. But as Steve says, they can carb ice. It's only something that happens when the temp is between about 1 and 4 degrees and the air is moist so it's not an every day problem. Some may have a heating system to prevent it which takes coolant to the carbs - these have a filter which often blocks. If you clean the filter they shouldn't carb ice any more.

yeah, i know a ducatti isn't a sensible move. sounds like the cbr600f if a good place to start looking.

 

i've been using the bennets site to get some quotes, but they seem pretty high. anyone know any other ones?

 

if only i didn't have that bloody speeding fine! can't complain about it though - i got caught red-handed, so to speak. an unmarked car got me on a twisty a road at abuot 90 in my mum's 106 of all things. made me sit in the back and showed me a police-camera-action style video of myself overtaking loads of people. he was quite decent about it all - said i wasn't putting anyone in danger and was actually was driving quite well but it was too fast to let me off. he almost seemed impressed when i told him my mums cars was only a 1.0 litre

CBR600F is group 14

 

If you go for a Suzuki SV650S it's group 10.

 

Carole Nash and Footman James are typically the best but it's always a case of phoning round loads...ZZZZZZ

 

 

The CBR's quite a racy riding position - if you mainly ride in town something more upright would be better. Honda's CB600 Hornet, Yamaha FZS600 Fazer, Suzuki GSF600 Bandit, Suzuki SV650 are all exellent upright bikes and group 9-12 for insurance. It depends if you're buying for the looks though.

have to admit that looks are quite important - practicality and i have a pretty poor track record to date.

 

thanks again for all your advice, suppose i should try and find a friendly dealer who will le me take a few out for a spin and see which i like best

ccm r30 mate , loads torque for funand easy to get wheel up if you want too , easy to ride around town and sounds amazing !! never fails to get the looks.

 

defo cbr 600f for first bike.they have honda reliability and they are very stable on the road and have a nice smooth power.they are quick but not to in yer face.ccm is a great bike but for a great deal the 660 mz is hard to beat in cost ,its ultra cheap and has a yamaha engine so is superb and looks the nuts. hope its some help mate.