Hi everyone (WanderBird)

[WanderBird]

Nice to meet you all

I'm just about to buy a bike after a 25 yr gap - very excited!! Not sure what it will be yet, but something up to 650cc. Suggestions welcome on this, - something I can cruise on comfortably and do things like the Nevis, Danseys Pass, pootling around the back roads exploring. I haven't been entirely out of touch all these years - I usually hire a bike in Bali, and own a DiBlasi scooter from my motorhome days. (not quite the same as a real bike, but it has to some extent kept my skills up
Feeling both confident and cautious about riding again - things have changed considerably in terms of the road traffic. I will do the next skills day that comes up in Otago - I believe they are excellent.
This forum is great, so much excellent information and advice.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Welcome, The dunedin crew ride your way regularly, more than welcome to join in... I am assuming you are wanting an adventure dual purpose style bike, which I know nothing about, but suggest just taking a couple for a ride to see which is the most comfortable, and the one that will meet your needs, riding style, height, and reach etc

The Ride Right Course is good, my other half just finshed one yesterday and learnt heaps)

[Warr]

Welcome to KB WanderBird. sO u'r out there looking for a suitable bike. good luck on that one, theres a huge varity. Riding position and your height will dictate your comfort level and if its been a few years I'm guessing you wont be standing in line to be taking out too many sports bikes. They will traditionally have the bars lower meaning you have more weight on your hands at slow speeds. Whereas a tourer will have you in a more up-right position and a cruiser laying back even more.
Sports-tourer or cruiser just need to shop around, perhaps some on the Dunedin guys can recommend a friendly dealer down your way. Best idea is to not make up your mind too quickly

[WanderBird]

Your are correct about the sports bike -
It is about what fits for me, and there is an overwhelming amount of possibilities!
Great fun narrowing it down though, - anyone in the Dn bike shops today keep an eye out for a confused woman scratching her head. There is no hurry, it has to be right, no matter how impatient I am to be back on a bike - and I have to buy all the gear as well

[NZsarge]

Welcome, try a new 600cc Honda Hornet, being a Yamaha man it sticks in my throat a bit but they are supposed to be quite a sweet ride, I don't know if the new model has hit NZ yet but you can but ask.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Great fun narrowing it down though, - anyone in the Dn bike shops today keep an eye out for a confused woman scratching her head. There is no hurry, it has to be right, no matter how impatient I am to be back on a bike - and I have to buy all the gear as well

Don't take this wrong, but how tall are you and also the length of your legs, also depends on how comfortable you are when sit on the bike with feet on ground do you mind the tippy toe thing or you must have feet flat.

Cruiser seats tend to be wider, so the larger ones even though the seat height maybe with in your region, the widness of it can make a difference.

[sels1]

Welcome aboard the site Wanderbird.
The BMW F650 could be a good bike for you if it fits your height - a comfortable road/touring bike that is quite competent on gravel. New ones are expensive but there has been several older models (the "Funduro") on Trade Me lately.
Also check out the Kawasaki range - they have a 500 twin adventure/tourer that could be to your liking.
Or you could go retro on a Triumph Scrambler or Bonneville (the new ones)

[WanderBird]

Re feet on the ground, - I checked out a Trans alp - it felt like it was too much as I was on real tippy toes. It just wasn't a good feeling at this stage. A pity, as it was a really nice bike. I will check out the other suggestions, thanks. I will know it when i find it I think, it will just be 'right'

Please, keep the suggestions/questions/advice coming
Re gear, leather or fabric? I know leather offers best protection, but it feels like a bit of a $ stretch on top of everything else. I hear good things about Cordura?

[Warr]

Riding gear, Send a PM to Quasi, his gear is value 4 $.
And yes you need to try out the BMW 650, good all rounder and opens up adventure reail options options of which there are heaps down your way

[H00dz]

Welcome, try a new 600cc Honda Hornet, being a Yamaha man it sticks in my throat a bit but they are supposed to be quite a sweet ride, I don't know if the new model has hit NZ yet but you can but ask.

I'm with SARGE If ya Gonna Buy.....Make sure its a Yammy!!!!

Norfland WELCOMES you

[Zukin]

Hi there and welcome back to riding

Well I agree with what the others have said.
Take your time and have a good look at all the bikes

I would consider the following bikes - (there are lots to choose, these are just 2 that I have used/owned)

BMW F650GS (I own one of these now)
They are great on the road, and good on the gravel roads, but not much good anywhere else where the going gets rough.
Very cheap to run, I can get 350+kms out of a tank of gas (17 litres)
They are comfortable bikes, but heavy, so if it falls over they are a challenge to pick up, so technique is important here.
Also has accessories such as heated grips etc

Suzuki DR650
A good dual purpose bike, plenty of modifications that can be done (and cheap to do)
These include lowering it too if need be
Good on the road (the seat is perhaps not as comfy as the BMW), good on gravel and can also tackle harder trails too with relative ease.
Reliable too
Lots of guys on here have them so they can comment more on the pros and cons

In regards to gear
If you are thinking of gravel and adventure riding, then I would go with Codura gear.
This is only my personal experience

They often have liners that can be added or removed depending on the weather conditions
I have a Dririder Rallycross Jacket and pants.
Whilst they are pretty waterproof, it is very hard to find gear that is 100% waterproof, but the thermal linings keep you warm
On the other side is the heat and dust, I love the gear I have because I can take out the liners and feel the breeze going straight through, but not compromising the safety features.
Get something with elbow and knee pads if you can.
I cant comment on leather, but I understand that they offer more protection to the skin in the event of a skid onto the tarseal.

Get a good helmet, it is a life saving device, spend the $$ and get a good one. Many have cosmetic features (like mine has a flip lid which is great).
Think about sun visors and fog in wet weather, anything with a Pinlock system stops fogging in cold or wet weather, and anything with air vents helps keep the head cool in hot weather.
Also check you can open the visor and the vents with gloves on
My helmet is a Nolan N102, it is great, but there are others out there that are equally good

Equally important is gloves and boots, get good ones to start with and they should last a while

I hope this helps

Cheers Scott

Links
Helmet topic here on KB - Here
Dririder Website - here

BMW F650GS - an example of one Here

Suzuki DR650 - here

[WanderBird]

Thanks heaps for the suggestions & advice - I really appreciate it.
Of the bikes I checked out yesterday, the BMW F650 is the only one that really did it for me. It just felt great!

MCR have it, it's in mint condition - comfortable, my feet are (mostly) on the ground, handle bars, - everything is a great fit.

I don't want my first ride to be out of the shop & into the traffic, so I have a biker friend checking it out for me today. I'm sure it won't take long to get a feel for riding again
It's quite heavy, don't know what I will do if I drop it - I imagine anything of that size will be heavy enough to see me struggle.

I will most likely go with Cordura gear, this stuff didn't exist when I was riding, I was amazed at the protection that is built into them. This is a good thing! I will get a good helmet, it could be the best investment I ever make.
Scott, great tips, thank you, the reminder on the fogging thing - I wouldn't have thought about it. Thanks too for the links

NightHawk - I will be up for some cruising as soon as I get myself together - it would be great to have people to ride with. I am also looking at some of the upcoming Rides - esp the Sth Island passes A friend of mine did the Ride Right Course on Sunday, she also said it was great, so I will do the next one.

Dang this is exciting!!! Thanks again to all of you - I will certainly keep you updated - I'm pretty sure I am going to buy the BMW. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo....htm?key=25649

No offense to the Yamaha people

Cheers
Lynda

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

No offense to the Yamaha people

Thats okay... I use to the Honda jokes... it doesn't matter what you ride, as long as if you enjoy it

[NZsarge]

........It's all good, at least you're not gonna buy one of those icky GSXR Suzuki thingies....

[WanderBird]

Scott you have sold me on the Nolan! A different seller has a Nolan 102 pivot chin street helmet for $143.95USD - they ship internationally, but I don't know the difference between this and what you have...whats a pivot chin?