Becoming a new rider...

[The Pastor]

HES ACTUALLY LEADER OF THE GANG!

http://www.ixion.org.nz/

[StoneY]

Well this guy came to ask the best (and worst) in the NZ biking fraternity so lets give him the UP's for the GOOD sense to ask for expert help

I tip my hat to this young man- and ask him NOT ride anywhere near me for at least 6 months

Get a good instructor and kick off on a 125cc or 150cc roadbike- it will keep you just fast enough to be acceptable on the motorway BUT- Dont go NEAR a motorway on an L license kid- learn FIRST!

Good luck and dog bless

[nodrog:Me]

Get a thou!

and a perm!

[dpex]

hey people! I just joined the forum today to ask you some advice on getting a new motorbike.

I am a 18 years old student at university of auckland living in north shore, beach haven. I currently drive a nissan skyline 1989 with full licence. I normally drive to uni and the parking fee cost too much and i don't want to take the bus.

I found out today that it's free to park your motorbikes at uni so this is the main reason why i am planning to get one. I heard getting a learner is simple. Just have to pass the the basic handling skill test & pass the theory then i should be clean to ride the bike to uni with few conditions.

I never ride a motorbike before but i heard that they teach you how to ride a bike at the basic handling skill test before taking the actual test.

Basically i just want some advice if it's a good idea to get one. My parents told me that bikes are very dangerous to ride especially on the motorway,etc.

Cheers

Firstly, getting a bike is a fine idea. Second, should you choose to maintain contact on this site you will find a range of commentators; some of whom are both sane and hold reasonable views...Ixion is NOT one of those.

Next. Bike size and purchase options. You realise you will be limited to 250CC's. Quite why is a matter yet to be revealed by those who know best, since a performance 250CC bike, hitting something solid at 150K's results in much the same mess as a similar hit on a 600cc bike.

However, limited you are.

Buying second hand, with your zero experience is probably not a great option. Ergo, you could end up with a 250 with some serious sting requiring significant rider skill.

Tame 250's are a good option. The Yamaha 225 Scorpio is a great little bike. It has a bit of zip, but not so much as to cause you learner grief. It also has really good mirrors, which many smaller bikes do not.

Next. To get a L licence is easy. Most bike shops will direct you to guys who do these primary tests, normally on a Sunday morning. If you can ride a pedal bike you can pass this test.

Next. Email Peggy Oneal....peggy.oneal@xtra.co.nz. She's the organiser behind rider training days at Whenuapai air-base. Held every 3rd Sunday of the month. Excellent course.

Next. As soon as you get your bike, ride it, and ride it, and ride it till your arse can ride no more, then ride it some more. You'll soon become quite competent.

Next. While riding keep your mind entirely on the job but keep a log-book and record as much as you see (and can remember) during each ride.

There will be times when dumbarses in cars do silly things. Log what you see, then, at night, just before you go to sleep, spend ten minutes visualising and incident. Take yourself closer to the incident, to the point where you might get involved had you not taken evasive action. That way you start to log on auto-responses to future, similar incidents.

And believe me, they are fairly limited in number and type.

Favourite catchers of unwary bikers are, but not limited to:- Cagers (car/bus/truck/taxi/etc) drivers doing a U-turn right in front of you. Failing to notice you as they pull out of a side-street. Changing lanes without looking in their mirrors. Backing out of, or pulling out of driveways...especially near round-abouts. Failing to notice you on a round-about.

All of these things you WILL experience, sooner or later. The trick is to develop and auto-response plan in your mind before they happen. That way you will react rather than have to think about a response.

As time passes, and you experience many of the above, you will get to join the 'Ten' club. You get there on the day the tenth idiot in a cage, which didn't quite hit you, or your didn't quite hit (cos you had a mind-plan) say, 'Jesus! Sorry mate! I JUST DIDN'T SEE YOU.'

Safety Gear. This issue can take a thousand pages. Full leathers, racing gloves, and racing boots offer the greatest protection, but they're an A-grade pain in the arse when you are using your bike to commute. You have to allow quite some time to get into and out of them, and then, during the day you have to store them somewhere. But, by heavens, you will look real flash when all togged up. A definite girl-puller...till you are forced to admit you are not Valentino Rossi, and your bike is...well...rather small, really.

Your top-half has all the most fragile working bits in it and your hands and feet are fragile. And so, the best and most convenient rig is good old leather work boots, jeans, a leather jacket (easily stored) which will have elbow padding. A good pair of Quasimoto race-gloves. In this rig you get to Uni, divest yourself of the leather jacket, the gloves, and helmet, and go about your day.

Lastly. Get a bike, buddy. Bikes rock, and riding one is nowhere near as dangerous as the ignorant would wish to have you believe.

[StoneY]

Get a bike, buddy. Bikes rock, and riding one is nowhere near as dangerous as the ignorant would wish to have you believe.

Agree with all you said but especially this bit

[Pedrostt500]

Ok welcome to KB, now let me kick you up the Arse twice, first what the fuck were you thinking when you chose that name, secondly 18 yr old twat that drives a sky line then thinks it would be cheaper to get a bike, FFS book in with a funeral director, then kiss ya family and friends good by.

Now if you want to live and have me remove my boot from your arse, buy yourself a cheap trail bike, and learn how to ride it, before you make yourself a grease mark on the tarmac, ride your dirt bike for at least 6 months, before doing basics skills, its a softer landing in the dirt, and a lot of skills cross over to the road riding, once you have done your basics get a Suzuki GN 250, get an older one with spoked wheels they are Jap made against the later chinese junkers, cheap to run cheap to fix, and a good platform to learn some basic bike maintenance on, this will save you some money in the long run, keep the GN for at least a year before trading up to something better, make use of the KB mentors, good blokes and blokesess.
There are worse things than death, one is knowing every thing you know now, but being a complete vegtable for the next 30 yrs and having ya mum have to wipe ya bum every day of that 30 yrs.

[enigma51]

and a perm!

Your looking awesome ladies

[modboy]

I agree 200% with Pedro, trail bike, around 125cc - ride it for a year. Fall off it, bash it up, hurt yourself (but live) and learn how to survive on a bike. If that's not possible - first take out a good insurance policy and then...

Get a scooter... One that does 100k with the wind behind you, absolute max. Ride it on the road for 2 years minimum.

Get some decent protective gear so that when you fall off it you won't have to have your legs amputated.

Spend more money on your helmet than your scooter (but only if you consider your brain more important than your bike)

Come to a (very fast) realisation that you cannot behave on the road on a bike, like you can in your boy racer cage.

Any attitude that a Nissan Skyline instilled in you - you're gonna have to lose very fast. Otherwise your wife and family will be crying over your coffin, pretty soon.

Finally - believe what everyone here is saying to you.

Having said all that - if you are careful and do what everyone recommends, your life will change and you'll love that change.

Be careful bro.

[StoneY]

Any attitude that a Nissan Skyline instilled in you - you're gonna have to lose very fast. Otherwise your wife and family will be crying over your coffin, pretty soon.

Finally - believe what everyone here is saying to you.

Having said all that - if you are careful and do what everyone recommends, your life will change and you'll love that change.

Be careful bro.

Also very true- amen

[Metalor]

Firstly, create a new account with a better user name than "I Love My Wife"... seriously, what the fuck is with that?


Don't listen to these nanas saying "oh, do this shit for 2 years.. blah blah blah." That's just not reasonable.

Just get a good learners bike, don't go buying brand new cos chances are you're going to drop it at some stage of the game, just get a good reliable 250 (not a 2 stroke!) and get someone to teach you the basics and maybe take a couple of skill developing courses.

[Boob Johnson]

6 strikes. You're going to die. Your parents are right. Every reason you have listed is the wrong reason.

No, it's not a good idea. Unless you have a very large insurance policy with me as the beneficiary.

Forget it.

LMFAO!!! As funny as Ixion's post is there is some truth to that, but seeing as you are 18 you will highly likely ignore his advice. Hell I know I would of at your age

Do take what he has said into consideration though (ie: take it easy) if you have your heart set on this motorcycling thing. Tis a terribly dangerous pass time where a simple mistake can easily cost your life or life long disabilities, this I can speak of from first hand experience & it was a cage drivers mistake not mine.

I'm not saying don't do it obviously, just saying keep ya wits about you, do lots of reading, attend courses etc & don't become a statistic.

Worst name for a biker site ever.

Since he is 18, im gunna take a wild stab & suggest he isn't married & the name is rather tongue n cheek

[2wheeldrifter]

Firstly, create a new account with a better user name than "I Love My Wife"... seriously, what the fuck is with that?

What 18year old uni student "love's his wife"?!........ only a

GAY one

[TOTO]

AMEN to dpex

Quality advice man.

[DIN PELENDA]

What 18year old uni student "love's his wife"?!........ only a

GAY one

2'nd that!:

[smoky]

6 strikes. You're going to die. Your parents are right. Every reason you have listed is the wrong reason.
No, it's not a good idea.
Forget it.

Actually I have to agree with his sentiment, I've never met you of course, but based on what you posted I would suggest you don't get one, you fit the high risk demographic
You have to have certain respect for a bike first, just buying one because it's convenient - is an attitude that may set you up to fail
Generalising of course - but I just get the feeling it wouldn't be a good idea

Hope I'm wrong