Hi there! New to biking and such. Help appreciated

[bomma]

lol "...and with swords drawn and tempers flailing, the two warriors stand facing each other on the field of battle. Cache raises his sword and takes stance while Hungus calmly draws his back and takes a deep breath. As they gaze intently into each other's minds trying to read what the other will do, Bomma breaks the tension with a witty joke.
The two drop their weapons in sheer and uncontrollable laughter and thus peace reigns, for now, over the KB nooblet thread" i crack me up

play nice boyos!! everyone is entitled to their opinions (but perhaps shud be more constructive in how they are expressed in a public forum)

[bomma]

oh and a big welcome to osiris!!! congrats on realising that cages are the bane of all that is righteous!!

pity bout ur disqualification but like everyone has said, you will need to change your mind set if you wish to survive and enjoy yourself on a bike.

do the BHS but as mentioned it is no gauge of how skilled you are as a rider. it is not everyday that you will be needing to weave through set cones while people stay clear out of your path on your ride home....

i started off on an fxr and it was great. Was really helpful in getting me used to riding, controlling the clutch, getting used to turning and riding at slow speeds as it was really light and was forgiving for most mistakes.

hope you get your licence back real soon and to see you on the back of whatever bike you decide to buy.

[scumdog]

Welcome to the site Osiris.

Also worth noting is that your driving experience is worth little, if anything, when riding. You may be a 'legend' driver, but that wont make you a legend rider. Also remember that your driving attitude (which apparently is questionable as evidenced by your disqualification) should not be carried into your riding. We need a totally different attitude than drivers to stay alive.

Welcome to riding mate. Stay alive.

What he sez.

Riding a motorbike in traffic is like being a balloon in a room full of porcupines.

Ya gotta think defensive-defensive-defensive ALL the time, but it is fun and you meet great people, more great people than in the rest of the non-bike-riding world.

[sweetp]

I to would like to put a plug in for the FXR's. Own one, love it. It is a really easy bike to learn on. I was able to do the cone weavy thing in the BHS test on it, but apparently that is not an easy thing to do (maybe it is because I like to lean!) My partner has a Hyosoung and i have riden it, to me it comes down to what you are comfy on. My little FXR can hit 130 ok and is brilliant for commuting (nice and small for lane splitting).

As I plan to upgrade as soon as I am allowed to then it works well - easy to ride, great to learn on and excellent resale market.

But really the advice I would give is go with what you feel comfortable with.

[HTFU]

Welcome to KB.

As someone that had been driving cars, trucks and tractors for 15 years and riding MTB and BMX for longer, I found riding a motorbike was still a challenge. Spent a few weeks cruising around the back lawn getting used to the bike and was fine from then on.

As to bike choice I purchased a GN 250 single cylinder bike new for $3300 used it for a year (20000km) and sold it for $2100. Under powered and a bit boring to ride but bloody reliable and fast enough around town. Just a bit of a pain trying to pass anything on the open road and a small tank and range was also annoying.

If I was too do it all again would I have purchased the GPX first. Hell yes . The hyosung looks fine just low in the handle bars which will make it a bit twitchy at low speeds with balance, but something only a few weeks in a carpark would fix.

When I got my full last week I actually tried a honda hornet 900 (awesome fast, high bars and comfortable but I would kill myself acting 16 on it) and the hyosung gt250 (racing position, so too low in the front, but great if you are taller). But it was the GPX that I liked (would only recommend if you are 175cm or shorter). Fast enough on the open road to pass safely and cheap to run and huge range with a big tank. Plus $6000 new at the moment (was a big factor for me).

Will be great to see a bike listed in your profile in the near future - happy hunting.

[delusionz]

As to bike choice I purchased a GN 250 single cylinder bike new for $3300 used it for a year (20000km) and sold it for $2100. Under powered and a bit boring to ride but bloody reliable and fast enough around town. Just a bit of a pain trying to pass anything on the open road and a small tank and range was also annoying.

If I was too do it all again would I have purchased the GPX first. Hell yes . The hyosung looks fine just low in the handle bars which will make it a bit twitchy at low speeds with balance, but something only a few weeks in a carpark would fix.

I agree GPX makes a great first bike for someone considering a GN250 as a starter, I think anyone who could jump straight on a GN250 and ride it should be able to do the same with the GPX. Second time round I could see myself going with the hyosung for size even though at the yard when i tried to jump on and maneuver both bikes i failed miserably at the hyosung but found the GPX easy to handle and move, small and light so it was the GPX i ended up buying. It just takes a couple weeks of solid all day riding for the GPX to reveal itself to be too small for me and that the hyosung needed to be given a chance. I'm 6'0, 65kgs for reference

[EJK]

whatever bike you buy, you should join the Auckland Wednesday Night Ride