Passed my bike test! What next??

[lukewhiting]

Passed my full bike test today!! with only 1 minor for saying the wrong tyre tread depth nearly had a clean sheet. Now wanting to ditch my yamaha xt125x for a big supermoto! Anybody by anychance had any experience with any of these??

Suzuki drz400sm, KTM 690 lc4, honda fmx650 or hursbergs or husqvarna's??

im drifting towards the honda cause its cheapest but cheapest isnt always best!

[martini]

Used to have an LC4, nice bike. Nothing ever came close to the grin factor of my old yammie IT250 tho ))

Sent from my portable speaking device using Rib.net

[Aries]

I've got a Husky 510TE for green laning. Think the supermoto one is similar - but a few more cc's. Make sure you have long legs..I don't. Goes like a rocket and wants to lift the front in the first 3 gears.

[Aries]

Meant to say of those the LC4 would be my choice.

[Seabay]

Well done. Always a great feeling. Drz400 for me.

[paul tilley]

Luke i race a honda cr250 and my son races a yz250 both converted to supermoto spec in speed hillclimb events , i also have a ktm 640 supermoto on the road and my son will race a 450 husky next year .all great fun bikes BUT only buy a supermoto for road use if it is a second vehicle /toy they are bloody uncomfortable unless they are the bigger less lairy versions .the honda or suzuki would be best allrounder the others more intense and more fun

[Dan Gurney]

Well done from here too. And well done for going the supermoto route; the most fun I ever had on bikes was on my old CCM 644 DS.

This info is a bit out of date cos i got out of biking about 5 yrs ago but for what it's worth: Huskies and Bergs are too temperamental (though I stand to be corrected on this by Aries) and the Honda is really a commuter dressed up like a SM. The LC4 is a great bike but pricey and the Suzi would be cheaper and slightly less 'lairy' but easier to throw around. Be wary of 'proper' motards (YZF400s et al) they need rebuilding a lot if you use them hard; it's essentially a race bike. If you see a good looking CCM 404 then you could do worse; it's the same motor as the DRZ and they got very good reviews when they came out. Some people will tell you to avoid CCM due to build quality but mine was great. The 644 was cast Iron and you could throw it down a lift shaft and it's keep going.

Oh and make sure the first things on your shopping list are a short front mudguard and bark busters if it doesn't already have 'em .

All this has made me quite nostalgic... I'm off to cry into my tea. Have fun!

[lukewhiting]

cheers guys!! Definatly wanna stay 4 stroke.....mostly because of the sound! Been trawling through some websites & these are a few ive found...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201244490647910/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/body-type/super_moto/price-to/3000/cc-from/400cc/page/2/radius/1500/postcode/bh192ns?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201141421220251/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/body-type/super_moto/cc-from/400cc/page/1/quicksearch/true/postcode/bh192ns/radius/1500?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201240486956415/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/body-type/super_moto/price-to/3000/cc-from/400cc/radius/1500/postcode/bh192ns/page/2?logcode=p

The KTM is definatly my favourite from what you guys have said, this ones in my price range, after market exhaust.....& just looks great!!

Anybody wanna buy a yamaha xt125x?

[John Kennett]

What you really want is a KTM Superenduro - puts the Oooh back into hooligan!

And a donor card.

[lukewhiting]

well that cancels out the KTM SMC....over 2k for fully comp, and 1.7k for third party fire & theft insurance!!! would be cheaper to get a car then. So far ive had quotes for the husky & suzuki for 1k 3rd part fire & theft. The honda fmx is 1.2k to insure but is the cheapest bike.

Im only going to have a bike till i can afford to drive, so trying to keep things cheap! So should only have it for a year then sell it again. Think it norrows it down to the honda & suzuki

[Boats&Outboards]

Why not stick with the 125 and put the saving towards a car ? Especially during the winter months when the extra speed could be lethal!

Peter @ Boatsandoutboards4sale ~ askboatsandoutboards4sale@sky.com ~ 07930 421007

[ppenman]

Go for the Suzuki and buy a set of off-road wheels and tyres., that way you get to play in the dirt which is great fun . I know quite a few people who've taken their bike licence as a stepping stone to getting a car, all have ended up keeping the bike in addition to the car.

As a point point of interest, what do you intend using the bike for ? Super-motors tend to be sold as hooligan town bikes but their wide handlebars make it difficult to filter through traffic at rush hour, they usually have small fuel tanks limiting range and their narrow hard seats and lack of a fairing limit their cruising potential.

I've owned a dr and a Yamaha xt660 both as trail bikes and loved them both. Have you thought about the Yamaha xt660. It seemed to buck the trend in that it had a more reasonable range and was quite comfy. The only reason I don't have it now is because it was written off when som scumbags tried to steal it.

[lukewhiting]

Boats&Outboards"]Why not stick with the 125 and put the saving towards a car ?

Cause my 125 is so slow. Willonly trundle along at 60!

The longest journey i do is 30minutes to college the rest is 5 minutes to work, 20minutes poole or just blasting round country back roads! Lookimg for more speed 1. For the fun & 2. For the dual carriage ways to colllege & poole. Looking for something thatll atleast do 80mph

& love the idea of having a set of off & on road wheels!

Definatly top 2 are the drz & honda from looking at insurance

[martini]

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

cheers guys!! Definatly wanna stay 4 stroke.....mostly because of the sound! Been trawling through some websites & these are a few ive found...

The KTM is definatly my favourite from what you guys have said, this ones in my price range, after market exhaust.....& just looks great!!

Anybody wanna buy a yamaha xt125x?

Had a Akrapovic system on my KTM 640...one of my favourite pastimes was making small children cry when I came past them

I need to stop reading this thread before I do something stupid like buy another one!

Sent from my portable speaking device using Rib.net

[willk]

Originally Posted by martini

...one of my favourite pastimes was making small children cry when I came past them

And this stopped when you sold the bike?

[Dan Gurney]

Originally Posted by martini

Had a Akrapovic system on my KTM 640...one of my favourite pastimes was making small children cry when I came past them

I need to stop reading this thread before I do something stupid like buy another one!

Sent from my portable speaking device using Rib.net

Hehe. I remember rolling through the lake district on a Visordown rideout. 15 big singles on open-ish pipes make a fantastic noise (mine had a baffle that made it <ahem> street legal, probably). Twas a great day until one of the YZFs seized solid.

As for useage: I think I agree with ppenman on everything other than the fact I never had any trouble filtering on my motard. You can waggle it from side to side in a way you can't with a 'big' bike to get past wing mirrors etc.

[Dhf]

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Boats&Outboards"]Why not stick with the 125 and put the saving towards a car ?

Cause my 125 is so slow. Willonly trundle along at 60!

The longest journey i do is 30minutes to college the rest is 5 minutes to work, 20minutes poole or just blasting round country back roads! Lookimg for more speed 1. For the fun & 2. For the dual carriage ways to colllege & poole. Looking for something thatll atleast do 80mph

& love the idea of having a set of off & on road wheels!

Definatly top 2 are the drz & honda from looking at insurance

Congrats on passing, but I agree with B&O yer better off savin fur a car, yule b able 2 tow that RIB you wanted then. a series 3 landy would probably only cost a couple hundred on insurance, and loadsa fun when to choppy to go RIBin. the 4stk bikes do sound wicked though.

[lukewhiting]

Originally Posted by Dragonhawk ficht

Congrats on passing, but I agree with B&O yer better off savin fur a car, yule b able 2 tow that RIB you wanted then. a series 3 landy would probably only cost a couple hundred on insurance, and loadsa fun when to choppy to go RIBin. the 4stk bikes do sound wicked though.

Sensible thing would be to save i know...but few of my friends have bigger sports bikes & i get left behind!

[martini]

Originally Posted by willk

And this stopped when you sold the bike?

Ah but I thought that subject was banned on Ribnet

[martini]

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Sensible thing would be to save i know...but few of my friends have bigger sports bikes & i get left behind!

Slow and steady wins the race. Many of us are only here by sheer luck or some divine intervention.

Give it 10 years and see how many of your friends with bigger sports bikes are no longer with us. Sorry but thats the reality of it.

I've lost more friends to motorcycles than any other single cause. I'm sure others will concur.