Textbook wannabie

**digs_nz** · 16th December 2010, 14:09

Hi all,

Decided earlier this week that I'm going to seriously look into getting a bike license and a bike.

My colleague (just started a new job) has a bike, and he's been telling me all about it, and it sounds like a load of fun. I've spent a bit of time on dirk bikes when working on a dairy farm, had a great time, came off once or twice in the wet (on clay

) but feel fairly confident to get on it and ride safely nonetheless. Is a dirt bike at all comparable to a road bike?

I am aware of the risks (I am a very careful person in general.. I'll be the person going the slowest at the back of the pack

), my colleague was telling me about his crash, but I know that it's all a matter of caution, experience and self-control, with a touch of luck.

So, at this stage I have had a look at a number of guides etc. totally obvious material for the most part, but no matter. Looked at the test on the aa website, no problems (again, easy stuff).

I intend to go on a course of some sort, there are a couple I have already found around the Wellington area; are there any members on here who can recommend anywhere in particular for Wellington (or Wanganui?)

My biggest question to you folks would be: What bike? I know I need to be within 250cc obviously, and my budget is a little unknown, but likely up to 5k ish, as I won't be buying it for at least 3-6 months anyway. I will buy a jap, best performance/reliability for the price range, I believe?

The first I have looked at is a Ninja 250r (I got recommended it by another set of forums, but not New Zealand based). They look badass; are they suitable for beginner riders?

Any advice would be fantastic

**bogan** · 16th December 2010, 14:40

Ninja's are pretty popular learners bikes atm, I'm more into honda, and the hornet 250 or vtr250 are also a good choice, but just get whichever one feels best to ride I reckon, some of the 250's are quite small, and if you're low speed commuting that can be really annoying after a while.

Sounds like you have a responsible attitude towards it, so that probably halves your risk right there!

We have a few links on our site regarding training schools etc http://www.mag-nz.org/external-links

Dirt riding kind of tranfers over, but there are also a fair few points of difference. Definetely benificial to have experience on dirt bikes, but you'll still have a ways to go

**Juzz976** · 16th December 2010, 14:44

the 250r is, if your looking at a sports style full fairing theres also the older

FZR250, CBR250, ZXR250, GSXR250

The up side to the older ones is they're a little quicker.

The 2 strokes ; TZR, RGV, NSR, RS250 IMHO not suitable for learning on but loads of fun.

A cheaper one may be the way to go, when u drop an expensive bike you loose money quick.

Buying from a dealer may or may not be more expensive as you should be getting a good safe reliable bike from them.

Welcome to KB!

**thehovel** · 16th December 2010, 16:53

Originally Posted by digs_nz

Hi all,

Decided earlier this week that I'm going to seriously look into getting a bike license and a bike.

My colleague (just started a new job) has a bike, and he's been telling me all about it, and it sounds like a load of fun. I've spent a bit of time on dirk bikes when working on a dairy farm, had a great time, came off once or twice in the wet (on clay

) but feel fairly confident to get on it and ride safely nonetheless. Is a dirt bike at all comparable to a road bike?

I am aware of the risks (I am a very careful person in general.. I'll be the person going the slowest at the back of the pack

), my colleague was telling me about his crash, but I know that it's all a matter of caution, experience and self-control, with a touch of luck.

So, at this stage I have had a look at a number of guides etc. totally obvious material for the most part, but no matter. Looked at the test on the aa website, no problems (again, easy stuff).

I intend to go on a course of some sort, there are a couple I have already found around the Wellington area; are there any members on here who can recommend anywhere in particular for Wellington (or Wanganui?)

My biggest question to you folks would be: What bike? I know I need to be within 250cc obviously, and my budget is a little unknown, but likely up to 5k ish, as I won't be buying it for at least 3-6 months anyway. I will buy a jap, best performance/reliability for the price range, I believe?

The first I have looked at is a Ninja 250r (I got recommended it by another set of forums, but not New Zealand based). They look badass; are they suitable for beginner riders?

Any advice would be fantastic

Welwome to the world of 2 wheels. You need a bike that has a sit-up position (so you don't have to look up to see where you are going),both feet flat on the ground when stopped and as little plastic as possible(cheeper to drop and less side shift in the wind) On the farm cows have more sense than most car drivers,know that half the drivers will kill for your bit of road and it will be your fault because you didn't get out of the way. Regards Richard PS In Wellington there is learner rides most weekends No doubt this will be posted. Turn up before you go shopping and milk the experanced brains there.

**digs_nz** · 16th December 2010, 17:46

Thanks for the replies.

Definitely expect it to be a difficult process, but looking forward to it more than anything

. I don't have a slow commute, I travel the opposite direction to traffic to work (out of Wellington city), and I don't know if I will ride to work every day.

Thanks for the recommendations, my colleague said he used to have a Hornet, so I'll check them out. I will be doing a lot of research, and have had an initial look at those models.. Anyone had any experience with trademe? Worth a look at least, but will also check out a few dealers, just don't want to get mugged for being a newb

As for the cows, they are pretty horrendously stupid, but at least they are scared of a dirt bike.. not sure it will work the same on the road. Thanks for the tips, hadn't really thought about posture etc. Hope I can find the ride alongs you are talking about and go check it out.

Anyone have any advice on gears? Need to drop about $600-700 on some initial gear?

**SMOKEU** · 16th December 2010, 17:49

If you can ride a dirt bike you can ride a road bike and vice versa.

**Cayman911** · 16th December 2010, 20:24

wait a tiny bit, get the new CBR250. it will destroy and rape the ninja in ways the ninja didnt know existed

**Latte** · 16th December 2010, 20:53

Originally Posted by Cayman911

wait a tiny bit, get the new CBR250. it will destroy and rape the ninja in ways the ninja didnt know existed

It's a 250 single........... there be no raping going on.

**bogan** · 16th December 2010, 21:03

Originally Posted by hiss

It's a 250 single........... there be no raping going on.

It shames me that honda desecrates the CBR line with such a POS

it certainly appears the golden age of motorcycles (well, internal combustion ones anyway) is over, I must now buy as many late 80s and early 90s hondas as possible

**Cayman911** · 16th December 2010, 21:22

Originally Posted by bogan

It shames me that honda desecrates the CBR line with such a POS

it certainly appears the golden age of motorcycles (well, internal combustion ones anyway) is over, I must now buy as many late 80s and early 90s hondas as possible

it looks great, and its packed with the latest tech out there. id much rather have that than the IL2 pos, what the hell is a IL2? it'd no doubt cost an arm more than the ninja, but it'd be worth it

**Latte** · 16th December 2010, 21:41

Originally Posted by Cayman911

it looks great, and its packed with the latest tech out there. id much rather have that than the IL2 pos, what the hell is a IL2? it'd no doubt cost an arm more than the ninja, but it'd be worth it

IL2 = 1 more cylinder than the new CBR. Typically for the same CC rating having more cylinders will have more hp. Althought the CBR has FI so that could level it out. Single front brake, conventional non adjustable forks. It's prob a great bike for what it is, but you're kidding yourself if you think it's going to be a step above the EX250, it's designed as direct competition (Kawasaki are selling a lot of the Ninja 250's).

**Berg** · 17th December 2010, 06:39

Originally Posted by digs_nz

Thanks for the replies.

Definitely expect it to be a difficult process, but looking forward to it more than anything

. I don't have a slow commute, I travel the opposite direction to traffic to work (out of Wellington city), and I don't know if I will ride to work every day.

Thanks for the recommendations, my colleague said he used to have a Hornet, so I'll check them out. I will be doing a lot of research, and have had an initial look at those models.. Anyone had any experience with trademe? Worth a look at least, but will also check out a few dealers, just don't want to get mugged for being a newb

As for the cows, they are pretty horrendously stupid, but at least they are scared of a dirt bike.. not sure it will work the same on the road. Thanks for the tips, hadn't really thought about posture etc. Hope I can find the ride alongs you are talking about and go check it out.

Anyone have any advice on gears? Need to drop about $600-700 on some initial gear?

Be careful with buying off Trade Me. Pays to have somebody in the know check you prospective bike out. I would second the "upright" type bike for a learner. They also tend to be kinder to the wrists and sholders.
As for gear, check out TSS in the Lower Hutt. They often have a specials rack that has some good pinches. Also look at 1 tonne gear. I have some of it and find it very comfortable as well as being warm and waterproof. Second hand gear is ok as long as it fits but don't skimp on a helmet. Buy yourself a good new one. As for rider training, Andrew Templeton is very good and then the prorider courses held at Manfied are well worth it.
Have fun

**Slyer** · 17th December 2010, 08:25

Originally Posted by Cayman911

it looks great, and its packed with the latest tech out there. id much rather have that than the IL2 pos, what the hell is a IL2?

Parallel twins are great. Just barely larger than a single but with a fair bit more power.
They're also lighter and more compact than a V twin with pretty much identical performance.
Only thing is that they don't have the V twin look that many seem to crave.

The Bonneville and many other triumphs are parallel twins, you may have heard of them?

**zmlam** · 17th December 2010, 08:54

I can highly recommend the VTR250, I heard so much about its reputation and suitability for learners (forgiving, good performance). Haven't been disappointed at all since I decided on it. It a big bike (for me), vtwin, and its got enough grunt for me. My only past experience is the GN125 from the basic handling test (which doesn't really count as I was doing at low speeds), so I dont' have much to compare to. But I had decided not to get a sports bike to minimize the temptation as I'm learning (knowing myself).

Got my gear for around $600 - all from local shops. I did look around the online shops (1tonne, etc), but when I found some great specials at the local shops (Suzuki, Anza), the specials were too good. I bought a 4-star sharp rated helmet (Shark brand), gloves, synthetic jacket and pants. May be worth looking at some gear now at the christmas season with all the specials on.

Then there's insurance to consider, and registration its pretty expensive (double that of cars). Also one thing I didn't think about is the aftermath cost - all bikes have a schedule of recommended servicing (oil, chain, etc), so that adds to your cost too.

Bought my bike off Trademe, went to see it before I started bidding. Don't have a motorbike background and had no bike friends to bring along, but prior to the viewing I did look up all the things to look out for when purchasing second hand bike. I think I bought a good bike - only thing I had to change after was a back tyre (nail was found), and back sprockets which wasn't too expensive but did add up. All up, with gear, bike, insurance, registration, it was all under $5k.

Other bikes which I came across when I was looking for my first bike - hyosung 250, suzuki bandit (more powerful). There's also the gn125/250 but the newer ones have a lot of rust issues, plus I didn't like its look.

Hope that helps!

Enjoy looking around and all the best with your first bike!