Getting in to biking

[Toastfrenzy3]

Hi all,

 

I'm 19 at the moment and I'm looking at getting in to biking and doing my A2 licence

I have no experience riding a motorcycle so, Personally, I think getting an A2 restricted bike is out the question!

The style of bike I'm looking at is a naked bike like the Triumph Speed 400, Yamaha MT-03 or Honda CB500F mainly due to insurance costs as for Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Honda CBR500R they were wanting around 2-2.5k for fully comp and about 1K for the naked bikes. Is this the right price or is it a bit high?

I think 4k there abouts get me a decent newish bike with some miles on or should I be looking at a cheaper alternative as I recognise that this bike will definitely be dropped!

For training, I've been looking around this includes CBT and I've quoted around 1-1.4k for a weeks course (Some are a bit longer than others)

In terms of gear, for a decent full face helmet looks to be about £300 ish, looking at the HJC RPHA-1, Shoei NXR2, Scorpion EXO-R1 Air Evo.

Gloves about £90-£100 looking at Alpinestars SP-5 Gloves.

Jackets I cant really find a decent one that has good reviews with out being a bit pricey. cheapest one I could find that offers decent protection was the Rev-It! Jacket Eclipse 2 at £140 but some of the Alpinestars are upwards of £300.

Trousers I don't have a clue as some people say to get protected motorcycle jeans but others say get the textile trousers but look to be around the £200 mark.

Boots I think I'm set on getting the Alpinestars Faster-3 Rideknit at £170

 

So, all in all I'm looking at about 7-8k in total.

Is this too much? is there certain areas I can afford to get the cheaper gear or cheaper bike perhaps?

 

Many thanks,

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Hi, I wouldn't worry too much about the latest and greatest gear - best thing would be to have a look at Sportsbikeshop (there's a click through from the forum) or popping into somewhere like J&S.   All the kit they sell will be safety rated, so it sort of depends on what you want to spend, and what kind of riding you'll be doing. Great gear is definitely a plus, but if you're going to be a fair weather rider, the latest goretex Rukka suit is not a must. The key thing (especially with helmets) is to try them on and make sure they fit well. Snug all round. Not painfully tight. And the right shape for your head. I must have tried a dozen before I settled on mine.

 

As regards dropping the bike, it does happen, but it doesn't have to be a big issue if you've got some sort of protection (crash bungs etc.) so it becomes a choice between having something new, shiny and hopefully reliable, or cheap, less to insure, maybe higher maintenance costs.

 

Training varies. I booked CBT then just weekly lessons ad hoc until I could get a test date. YMMV.

 

Have fun and take it a step at a time.

[KiwiBob]

What is a "decent" helmet? ... Loads of helmets around the £100 mark at Sporstsbikeshop. They all meet the standards .. Like Fiddlestick says just make sure you get the right fit.

 

Jacket and trousers .. why not look at second hand? .. Plenty known brand stuff on facebook marketplace.

Edited July 6, 2024 by KiwiBob

[Toastfrenzy3]

Hi,

 

Ah ok so for helmets best to go and try them on in store.

Well I watched bunch of yt vids and read articles and they all said helmets around that range as their 'budget option'

Just get midrange 2nd hand  summer gear to start with seems like a good shout!

 

Thanks!

Edited July 6, 2024 by Toastfrenzy3

[Blackholesun]

Do the CBT and see how you get on. Lots of good stuff on places like marketplace so no need to spend a fortune other than helmet

[Capt Sisko]

I think you could easily half that cost. You don't need either a new bike or the all singing & dancing gear to get you going, that is if you're not buying all the gear just to impress your mates. If in six months to a years time and you find yourself really getting into biking, then great, go out and splash the cash, but you'll have at least learned by then what works for you. If you find biking is not for you, well yes, it's still cost you, but not as much.

[Dombo]

Some of the peripheral kit can be sourced on eBay. For example I got a pair of leather Alpinestars Sp-1 gloves for £25, Sidi Black Rain boots for £50. Bullit armoured Covec jeans were £60 in the sale from a big online store. Armoured jacket - I got a summer Revit one and can wear waterproofs or warmer jackets over it.

As for helmets you have to try them on in a shop. I find HJC fit me very well so got their C10 model and a pinlock visor, about £120 total. I also have their i30 half face model with a sun visor but found I never use it. The C10 has no fancy features but is the latest EC 22.06 standard, and fits perfectly.

CBT and A2 lessons are about right at £1k total, I did a 5 day DAS course. Insurance is down to your age and with luck it’ll come each year down with no claims discount. As an example I am 60, got full licence a month ago and was quoted £500 for standard 400-500cc bikes, Hondas, Royal Enfield etc, second hand value around £3-4k. I had no prior bike experience, even 125 on L plates.

Edited July 6, 2024 by Dombo

[muldoon74]

I bought my cb125f brand new from two wheels honda in edinburgh.

 

As such I got 20% off in the shop.

 

LS2 Scope helmet (flip face, flip down sunvisor, pin lock)

Oxford armoured jeans

Richa ankle length boots

Oxford gloves

RST Jacket

 

All for under £400. 

 

Would have been around £450 ish had I not got the discount but still at that would have been good value. 

 

I'm 49 and decided to buzz about on a 125 for a bit before undertaking DAS. 

 

DAS will be under £600 as I intend to do it with the place I done CBT, so again bit of a discount. 

 

Shop around for better deals, don't just jump in getting the most expensive stuff, afterall, you might actually like biking! 

[RideWithStyles]

Price is about right.

Dont even look at a new bike, only buy used!
kit buy on fit and useful features you require first, doesn’t always mean the most expensive, most of the time middle is the best.

[AstronautNinja]

I got most of my new gear just by ordering the pages online by lowest cost and grabbing sales items. Put myself a decent outfit together for £260 and paid £250 ish for qa helmet. COnsidering hte cost of some riding gear, a full, good quality set for £500 all in is great IMO.

 

Also for refference I found a BMW F900R far, far cheaper on insurance with Lexham. Definatley worth checking Lexham out (I get the example bike isnt within your licence catagory as I'm doing DAS at 37)