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vect

Joined:

Oct 12

Posts: 5

vect says:

Commuter/First bike

Hello guys,


After browsing through previous posts about first bikes I wanted to ask for suggestions that are a bit more suited to my situation.

I'm 24, and after Umming and Arring for years about bikes I figured I'd give it a serious look and had a bash with the Get On scheme (brilliant idea btw) and now I'm even more keen to get riding.

I'm going to book a CBT, then a half day 125 hire or two, then have a crack at the DAS. 

My commute is 20 miles and 45 mins by car, round the Leicester ring road and up the A46 dual carriage way, then down a few twisty A roads and through villages. I'll probably be out and up to no good on the weekends as well. 

So I need a bike that can easily do dual carriage way speed and put a smile on my face on the weekend, but as I'm young and haven't had car insurance in my own name (Car licence for 6 years), the insurance is one of my main factors in selecting a bike.

I started out (foolishly) thinking a CBR600rr would be a good choice, cheapest quote was £10,000/year. 

So I had a look at some less powerful bikes. Insurance group 9 seems to be ok, offering £500-800/year but you can't select a bike on insurance groups/horsepower alone, what do you guys think?

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  • Posted 234 days ago (29 October 2012 15:18)

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MarcusMarsh

Joined:

Aug 09

Posts: 2565

MarcusMarsh says:

First bike

Fazer 600, Bandit600, SV650 or the ER6.  All good bikes.  My mate purchased an ER6 after coming to bike late in life and he loves it.  I have ridden it too and its a lot of fun!   

Not sure how it works out insurance-wise for you but the VFR800 has to be recommended. I have a pre-Vtec 800fi which has been a brilliant bike.  Taken me all over Spain on a few occasions - I'll miss mine when its gone :upset:   

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  • Posted 234 days ago (29 October 2012 16:27)
jon66

Joined:

Feb 09

Posts: 478

jon66 says:

ER6F

i bought one 6 months ago and its a great wee bike , easy to ride  fast enough and pleasing on the eye , also pretty good on fuel , best bet for you is get through your test and get some test rides get a bike that suits you .

good luck

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  • Posted 234 days ago (29 October 2012 18:51)
vect

Joined:

Oct 12

Posts: 5

vect says:

Update

Here's an update:


I did my CBT and had a few lessons on an old CB500 before Xmas. I'm loving it, but a few things have cropped and gobbled up my learning to ride money.

In the mean-time, I've had a few thoughts and would like some feedback from people with more experience.

I'm moving to a more urban spot. So I'll be using whatever bike I get to get through town. On the weekends I'll be visiting friends, most of which live in Surrey (2 1/2 hours/130 miles by car, on a good day). So for a long trip down the motorway, what should I be looking at in terms of 2/4 cylinders, fairings, screens?

I love the look of naked bikes, but doing 70+ on the motorway without a screen for 2 hours sounds pretty horrible. But I could be wrong. Also, I'm 6'0 tall, and I was really stuggling with the CB500 as my leg was too folded up, what sort of seat height should I be aiming for here? thoughts?

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  • Posted 144 days ago (27 January 2013 17:00)
domster

Joined:

Sep 12

Posts: 107

domster says:

First bike

You're not wrong, if you want comfort comparable to a car you need a full fairing with a screen level with your nose. You could accessorise a conventional naked bike, which one you must choose yourself. Look at the specs & insurance groups under bike reviews on this & other websites & visit dealers for fitting/ergonomics. If you want versatility look at the Yamaha T Max.

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  • Posted 143 days ago (28 January 2013 17:33)

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