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first bike

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  • 25-03-2009 11:21pm
    #1
    ben2k9
    Closed Accounts Posts: 52 ✭✭


    so im 15 and will be 16 in just under a year. im planning on buying my first bike for the summer to practise on and basically clean up a bit. im just wandering can someone guide me through the steps of what i need to do?
    i was thinking of starting on an xr125, something like he trials bike scene or my other option might be an nsr 80. is this a good choice?


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    #2
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,877 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    All you can get at 16 is a Moped (M) licence, this is less the 49cc and restricted to max speed of 45km/h.


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    #3
    Lilliput69
    Registered Users Posts: 255 ✭✭Lilliput69


    Del2005 wrote: »
    All you can get at 16 is a Moped (M) licence, this is less the 49cc and restricted to max speed of 45km/h.

    That info is incorrect, my mates son has just gotten a quote for a 125 and he is 16. I don't have all the details though, but they thought it would have to be a twist and go too till they contacted the insurance companys and checked the licence


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    #4
    Fionn
    Registered Users Posts: 2,368 ✭✭✭Fionn


    here's what it states on the Public Services Information page

    Cat A Motorcycles with or without sidecar Age 18

    Cat A1 Motorcycles with an engine size of 51-125cc and/or a speed capability of over 45km/h, and with a power rating not exceeding 11 kW, and with or without sidecar Age 16

    M Two-wheeled vehicles with an engine size not exceeding 50 cc and/or a speed capability not more than 45 km/h Age 16
    Honda XR 125 is something like 8.5 kW, so you'd be fine with that, dont know what the power output of the NSR is.


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    #5
    ben2k9
    Closed Accounts Posts: 52 ✭✭ben2k9


    thanks guys. which would be a better choice between the nsr and xr? the laws are not planning on changing by next year?


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    #6
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,877 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    Lilliput69 wrote: »
    That info is incorrect, my mates son has just gotten a quote for a 125 and he is 16. I don't have all the details though, but they thought it would have to be a twist and go too till they contacted the insurance companys and checked the licence

    Yeah only realised to late to change it:o Don't know when they changed the age and I've not had to worry about it for a long time.


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    #7
    ben2k9
    Closed Accounts Posts: 52 ✭✭ben2k9


    i was also thinking if i buy new
    a wr125x, the new aprilia rs125 or the yzf 125? what do you guys think?


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    #8
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    ben2k9 wrote: »
    i was also thinking if i buy new
    a wr125x, the new aprilia rs125 or the yzf 125? what do you guys think?

    Read the linked thread below from start to finish is what I think. If you're anything like I was you'll still want a motorcycle. But at least you might enter into it with eyes wider open:

    Are you sure you want to do this?



    Assuming you're still keen then you might begin to read this...

    How to remain keen



    After that?

    I'd imagine the RS pushes out too much horsepower for your licence. A modern 125 2-stroke engine would have to be hitting 20bhp whereas the licence restrictions appear to hold you to 11-12. 4 strokes (the WR125) tend to produce less power for their cc so it would more likely fit the (power) bill. From what I can gather the YZF is a 4 stroke too - so it's probably the same engine unit in a road bike frame?

    As for format? I'd go with the motocrosser every time. It'll have the space to accomodate you and your doubtlessly growing frame and has many advantages for a learner over and above the more restricted race-format. In terms of handling in nigh on all situations it'll beat a race-rep. Depends on where your heart lies I suppose

    New? Not in a million years for a first bike. You will in all likelyhood be letting it fall (all the more reason to steer clear of expensive and fragile race-rep fairings) so it's new looks will rapidly fade (and cost you in depreciation in the process). Better to seek out a good secondhand from someone whose gone off the idea without using the bike too much. You get alot of bike for far less cost that way. You could even pick up the gear cheap too.

    Save your money for your next bike. It'll be arriving sooner than you know.

    God bless


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    #9
    ben2k9
    Closed Accounts Posts: 52 ✭✭ben2k9


    thanks for the advice above, i appreciate it. im very keen on the bike aspect as ive had quads from when i was four and a kx65 when i was 12. i was thinking of the o7-08 model aprilia rs125, from my knowledge their upto 3-4 grand? i could be rong? i was shure they were learner legal as they are factory restricted but i wont doubt your knowledge either? i think ill try and get a spin of an nsr 80 or something from that region to see what i think. the only problem with the motorcross scene with me is im not that tall and i have short legs. the last time i sat on an nsr (a few months ago) i could just get my tippy toes planted to the ground.


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    #10
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    ben2k9 wrote: »
    thanks for the advice above, i appreciate it. im very keen on the bike aspect as ive had quads from when i was four and a kx65 when i was 12. i was thinking of the o7-08 model aprilia rs125, from my knowledge their upto 3-4 grand? i could be rong? i was shure they were learner legal as they are factory restricted but i wont doubt your knowledge either?


    I was considering full power models - a factory restricted bike could be expected to meet requirements. The advantage of the Aprillia in this case is it's potential to be derestricted come the time - in which case you'd extend the life of your investment.

    You won't get anything like the same power from an unrestricted 4 stroke.

    i think ill try and get a spin of an nsr 80 or something from that region to see what i think. the only problem with the motorcross scene with me is im not that tall and i have short legs. the last time i sat on an nsr (a few months ago) i could just get my tippy toes planted to the ground.

    Commiserations. I'm a short arse too. That said, all you really need is to be able to get your right foot to touch the ground. A tippy toe will do. Your left can rest on the peg waiting to knock it into gear. The crosser just makes for more relaxed everyday riding, better view, better control of steering. But it's not critical - all the bikes you've considered are lightweight enough to make them all managable.


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    #11
    Idleater
    Registered Users Posts: 6,236 ✭✭✭Idleater


    antiskeptic wrote: »
    That said, all you really need is to be able to get your right foot to touch the ground. A tippy toe will do. Your left can rest on the peg waiting to knock it into gear.

    Not the soundest bit of advice to be giving to a beginner. Best have him start in the safest manner - covering the brake, especially if he can only just touch the ground. Wouldn't want him flying the bike through a junction because of a slight slip now would we?

    </off topic>

    OP, I'd say the insurance companies will love you for a few years anyway on that bike. I'd advice getting a few quotes on various bike options before picking.


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    #12
    Lilliput69
    Registered Users Posts: 255 ✭✭Lilliput69


    nereid wrote: »
    Not the soundest bit of advice to be giving to a beginner. Best have him start in the safest manner - covering the brake, especially if he can only just touch the ground. Wouldn't want him flying the bike through a junction because of a slight slip now would we?

    </off topic>

    OP, I'd say the insurance companies will love you for a few years anyway on that bike. I'd advice getting a few quotes on various bike options before picking.

    +1 hold the bike on ur back brake and left foot down


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    #13
    Fionn
    Registered Users Posts: 2,368 ✭✭✭Fionn


    i'm a left foot down guy too
    anyway i had a XR 125 and i'm not tall, inside leg about 31" the seat height on those is around that maybe an inch more, but i had no probs putting my foot down - its a nice light bike too about 18 stone.


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    #14
    The_Joker
    Registered Users Posts: 2,422 ✭✭✭The_Joker


    ben2k9 wrote: »
    so im 15 and will be 16 in just under a year. im planning on buying my first bike for the summer to practise on and basically clean up a bit. im just wandering can someone guide me through the steps of what i need to do?
    i was thinking of starting on an xr125, something like he trials bike scene or my other option might be an nsr 80. is this a good choice?

    Buy a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa unrestricted
    Might as well learn on something nice and slow :D

    Buy a Nifty fifty lad, I had one at 16 never mind the plastic bikes buy a nifty it won't cause you trouble. :)


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    #15
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    nereid wrote: »
    Not the soundest bit of advice to be giving to a beginner. Best have him start in the safest manner - covering the brake, especially if he can only just touch the ground. Wouldn't want him flying the bike through a junction because of a slight slip now would we?

    Covering the (back) brake/flying through a junction because of a slight slip?

    I'm trying to imagine what the scenario might be and can only come up with ones which have the rider so inexperienced and incapable as to render him unfit to be on a public road in the first place.

    If a rider unable to properly control throttle/clutch/front brake so as to reliably bring the bike to a safe stop at a junction then I'm not inclined to suppose the presence of mind/skill available to warrant adding an extra control element such as back braking into the mix.


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    #16
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    Lilliput69 wrote: »
    +1 hold the bike on ur back brake and left foot down

    -1

    1) Why do you need to "hold the bike" on any brake when you can generally can hold it with your foot down - most certainly if it's a light bike.

    2) If your left foot is down how do you get the bike out of / back into gear? If it's only by putting your right foot down (and not holding the bike on the back brake anymore) and your left foot up, why not just start out this way? What's to be gained with all this foot switching? And what do you hold the bike with during the time your getting your right foot down and your left foot up to knock it into gear - can I suggest the front brake?

    3) It's easier to stall a motorcycle when pulling off from a back brake hold than a front brake hold. There's more "give" in the drive train/suspension to accomodate less-than-perfect clutch/throttle control than when using the back brake.

    4) Unsteadiness and lurching are a feature of rear brake holds during pull off - due to the cruder control provided by your booted foot

    5) A front brake hold frees both legs to paddle/balance if balance is lost. A back brake hold ties up one leg at that crucial moment.


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    #17
    hi_im_fil
    Registered Users Posts: 889 ✭✭✭hi_im_fil


    antiskeptic wrote: »
    -1

    1) Why do you need to "hold the bike" on any brake when you can generally can hold it with your foot down - most certainly if it's a light bike.

    2) If your left foot is down how do you get the bike out of / back into gear? If it's only by putting your right foot down (and not holding the bike on the back brake anymore) and your left foot up, why not just start out this way? What's to be gained with all this foot switching? And what do you hold the bike with during the time your getting your right foot down and your left foot up to knock it into gear - can I suggest the front brake?

    3) It's easier to stall a motorcycle when pulling off from a back brake hold than a front brake hold. There's more "give" in the drive train/suspension to accomodate less-than-perfect clutch/throttle control than when using the back brake.

    4) Unsteadiness and lurching are a feature of rear brake holds during pull off - due to the cruder control provided by your booted foot

    5) A front brake hold frees both legs to paddle/balance if balance is lost. A back brake hold ties up one leg at that crucial moment.

    Back brake with the right foot is what I was shown when I got lessons and I believe its better.

    How do you start if you are on a hill if you use the front brake? I know its possible by using the front brake, but if you use the back brake it is more manageable (you wont have to control a front brake and throttle at the same time with your right hand)


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    #18
    Idleater
    Registered Users Posts: 6,236 ✭✭✭Idleater


    I'm sorry Anti. We are in a thread entitled "first bike". We are not on the starting grid for the masters in Mondello.

    google the Hendon Shuffle, no wait, let me google that for you: http://tinyurl.com/c3nokf.

    It is widely accepted that you should have the bike in neutral, covering the rear and front brakes in case of an impact from behind.

    In such a case, where the bike is in gear the rider will release the clutch and the bike can travel forward through a junction.

    The Hendon shuffle is taught by RoSPA, IAM and any instructors that I know of. It is practiced by Police riders from any nationality that I know too.

    Just because you don't do something doesn't mean that if others do it they are wrong. Just because you are able to do something doesn't make it right. Just because you think you know more than others, doesn't mean it is right either.

    I believe you should be more into opening your mind to what others have to say than professing what you believe is correct to everyone as fact.


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    #19
    Cuddlesworth
    Registered Users Posts: 13,980 ✭✭✭✭Cuddlesworth


    antiskeptic wrote: »
    New? Not in a million years for a first bike. You will in all likelyhood be letting it fall (all the more reason to steer clear of expensive and fragile race-rep fairings) so it's new looks will rapidly fade (and cost you in depreciation in the process). Better to seek out a good secondhand from someone whose gone off the idea without using the bike too much. You get alot of bike for far less cost that way. You could even pick up the gear cheap too.

    You are going to have to buy locks, chains, bike covers, chain lubricant, gear, insurance and tax for the year. Remember to price for this before hand. especially insurance, price before you buy. We only have three company's here.

    Don't buy a "race" bike as your first. The plastic fairings are always expensive to replace, will devalue the bike if you try to sell it with them broken and you will drop it. Most likely a few times. I haven't ever heard of anybody not dropping theirs at the start(and sometimes for long periods after).


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    #20
    Lilliput69
    Registered Users Posts: 255 ✭✭Lilliput69


    antiskeptic wrote: »
    -1

    1) Why do you need to "hold the bike" on any brake when you can generally can hold it with your foot down - most certainly if it's a light bike.

    2) If your left foot is down how do you get the bike out of / back into gear? If it's only by putting your right foot down (and not holding the bike on the back brake anymore) and your left foot up, why not just start out this way? What's to be gained with all this foot switching? And what do you hold the bike with during the time your getting your right foot down and your left foot up to knock it into gear - can I suggest the front brake?

    3) It's easier to stall a motorcycle when pulling off from a back brake hold than a front brake hold. There's more "give" in the drive train/suspension to accomodate less-than-perfect clutch/throttle control than when using the back brake.

    4) Unsteadiness and lurching are a feature of rear brake holds during pull off - due to the cruder control provided by your booted foot

    5) A front brake hold frees both legs to paddle/balance if balance is lost. A back brake hold ties up one leg at that crucial moment.

    we are gona have to agree to disagree........

    Any bike lessons i have had with a qualified instructor have said that at junctions you hold bike on back brake

    Paddling should not be encouraged , once you get the bite point both feet should be on the pegs, having ur feet down reduces ur stability and control you have if the bike is moving.

    I think if giving advice to a newbie then try not to give them habits that will cause them to fail a test


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    #21
    galwaytt
    Registered Users Posts: 12,761 ✭✭✭✭galwaytt


    Lilliput69 wrote: »
    we are gona have to agree to disagree........

    Any bike lessons i have had with a qualified instructor have said that at junctions you hold bike on back brake

    Paddling should not be encouraged , once you get the bite point both feet should be on the pegs, having ur feet down reduces ur stability and control you have if the bike is moving.

    I think if giving advice to a newbie then try not to give them habits that will cause them to fail a test


    Amen to that.

    Allow me to illustrate why you should not even consider any form of paddling..........when I got my first bike, a 200cc Suzuki, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.......sorry :).......I was in a slow moving queue of traffic. Barely above walking pace. Now, I wasn't long off a bicycle at the time, remember.......anyhoo, the car in front stops. I reacted by putting both feet down. Ouch !! My foot got bent back under the foot rest, against the road - crumbs did that hurt. At the last minute I remembered the brake lever, so didn't hit anything, but I tell ya I never paddled again. Y'see, even a baby 2-stroke Suzuki weighs an awful lot more than a bicycle, and you ain't going to stop it, or hold it, with your feet.

    Ode To The Motorist

    “And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, generates funds to the exchequer. You don't want to acknowledge that as truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at the Green Party, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like freedom, enjoyment, sport and community. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent instilling those values in our families and loved ones. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the tax revenue and the very freedom to spend it that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a bus pass and get the ********* ********* off the road” 



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    #22
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    nereid wrote: »
    I'm sorry Anti. We are in a thread entitled "first bike". We are not on the starting grid for the masters in Mondello.

    I wasn't supposing so. I was trying to envisage what possible benefit there might be in holding down the back brake and leaving the left foot on the peg. I couldn't think of any pros - only cons.

    google the Hendon Shuffle, no wait, let me google that for you: http://tinyurl.com/c3nokf.

    Cheers. I clicked on the first link on Googled page and have copied the first bit of the first article I came across there. Here it is:
    Q: When I did my DAS I was told that I should always stop in the Safety Position - that is with the left leg down and the right foot on the rear brake. But I was told by an IAM observer that I should stop with the right foot down and the left foot ready to change gear. Which is correct?

    A: A good question. The Safety Position has been taught by generations of CSM trained CBT/DAS instructors whose approach is that anything other than left foot down is 100% wrong. Some IAM groups do encourage the right foot down approach and some IAM observers are equally vehement about this. Just to complete the confusion, the DSA's own 'Motorcycling Manual' (page 64) says:

    "with the clutch lever still pulled in

    use your left foot to move the gear lever selector to neutral
    release the clutch lever
    place both feet on the ground"

    So who is right? Well, the only answer must be "none of them"! There are certain circumstances when each of the three methods have value.

    Ho hum...


    It is widely accepted that you should have the bike in neutral, covering the rear and front brakes in case of an impact from behind.


    Rather than argue by link perhaps you could tell me in your own words what possible use to anyone "covering"/holding down any/the back brake is going to be in the case of an impact from behind?

    This...
    In such a case, where the bike is in gear the rider will release the clutch and the bike can travel forward through a junction.

    ...neglects the fact that the bike isn't in gear because the rider is following the advice above regarding having the bike in neutral. :rolleyes:

    It also neglects the fact that the rider who obeys having his foot on the rear brake but disobeys the advice on remaining neutral is going to be rolled backwards by the impact from behind at which point his foot/hand will come off any brake being covered.

    It also neglects the fact that dumping the clutch causes the average bike to stall - not travel across the junction.

    It also neglects the fact that rolling across a junction isn't the focus of concern during a rear end impact. If you're hit that hard from behind then you've other worries altogether.

    This sounds like something figured out by a boffin behind a desk to be honest...


    Just because you don't do something doesn't mean that if others do it they are wrong. Just because you are able to do something doesn't make it right. Just because you think you know more than others, doesn't mean it is right either.

    I believe you should be more into opening your mind to what others have to say than professing what you believe is correct to everyone as fact.

    I call it as I see it. If you can supply something by way of reasoned rational for your view then I'll be all ears. I guarantee you that.


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    #23
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    Lilliput69 wrote: »
    we are gona have to agree to disagree........

    A distinct possibility.
    Any bike lessons i have had with a qualified instructor have said that at junctions you hold bike on back brake
    I'd be interested in hearing the rational behind this piece of advice. Up to recently there was a whole lot of qualified people telling us that the Irish economy was in for a soft landing.

    Paddling should not be encouraged , once you get the bite point both feet should be on the pegs, having ur feet down reduces ur stability and control you have if the bike is moving.
    Agreed. I was responding to someones notion of riders being let out on the public roads with throttle/clutch control abilities underdeveloped to the point where they might be expected to spontaneously "slip" and find themselves "travelling across a junction". If that's the case then better free up both legs for paddling - riders of those capabilities are going to need it.

    I think if giving advice to a newbie then try not to give them habits that will cause them to fail a test
    Which reminds me of the few prep lessons I took with ISM in preparation for my test (I'd been riding years at this stage). I dunno about now but then (1996) you had to signal with your arms in various situations:

    - left arm out for left turn or pulling in to the left
    - right arm out for right turn
    - right arm out and waving up and down to indicate slowing up.


    The instructor tells me that he's going to hide behind a car and when he see's me approaching he'll step out and indicate for me to pull over and stop in controlled fashion at the kerb.

    I see him lurking behind a car as I approach the ISM office and sure enough, he leaps out and gives a signal to perform said manouvre.

    "Okay: pulling in to the left = left arm out. But I'm also slowing down - so that means right arm out and waving up and down" Which is what I did - riding in alongside the kerb whilst slowing on the back brake - with left arm held out and right arm waving up and down like a birds.

    The look on his face...priceless!!

    :pac:


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    #24
    Fionn
    Registered Users Posts: 2,368 ✭✭✭Fionn


    anyone/anything bumping you on your right if you have left foot down, you've a better chance of staying upright also theres more of a chance of someone iin traffic driving over your right foot!!
    :)


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    #25
    seanybiker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,898 ✭✭✭✭seanybiker


    op if I was you I would go for the 125. Them little nsr yokes are seriously no fun.

    When Im stopped I have me both feet down, have it in gear and just take off when lights go green. Although the majority of the time I click her into neutral, put me feet down and plays drums with me hands on the petrol tank. If Im bored ill just put me elbows on the tank and rest me head on me hands.

    How do ye find hill starts on bikes to be awkward. Ya drive the same as normal except your inclined is all. Tis a bike your on not a fecking car.


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    #26
    Idleater
    Registered Users Posts: 6,236 ✭✭✭Idleater


    antiskeptic wrote: »
    That said, all you really need is to be able to get your right foot to touch the ground. A tippy toe will do. Your left can rest on the peg waiting to knock it into gear.
    antiskeptic wrote:
    Cheers. I clicked on the first link on Googled page and have copied the first bit of the first article I came across there. Here it is:

    Good for you, you didn't happen to click on any of the other links did you?
    Ok, so which foot to use?

    Here in the UK, learner riders are instructed to use the left foot to support the bike while the right foot is covering/applying the rear brake. This is a mandatory technique in order to pass the UK Riding Test.
    Notice how many of the Superbike riders did the Hendon Shuffle just before the off?
    I must profess that of all the skills, the hardest for me to get right was the Hendon Shuffle. This is an obscure piece of footwork that ensures the bike is under the control of its brakes or engine, and ready for the off when the lights change.

    Nothing like selective quoting to convey a point.

    Please feel free to express opinions, but do not deride others for expressing differing opinions to your own. They may be correct.


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    #27
    antiskeptic
    Registered Users Posts: 9,555 ✭✭✭antiskeptic


    Nothing like selective quoting to convey a point.

    Indeed. Compare..
    you wrote:
    I'm sorry Anti. We are in a thread entitled "first bike". We are not on the starting grid for the masters in Mondello.

    ...with
    your link wrote:
    Notice how many of the Superbike riders did the Hendon Shuffle just before the off?

    or
    I'm sorry Anti. We are in a thread entitled "first bike". We are not on the starting grid for the masters in Mondello

    ...with
    I must profess that of all the skills, the hardest for me to get right was the Hendon Shuffle. This is an obscure piece of footwork that ensures the bike is under the control of its brakes or engine, and ready for the off when the lights change.

    _____________

    Please feel free to express opinions, but do not deride others for expressing differing opinions to your own. They may be correct.

    I can't remember derision being a part of points made. I'm of the opinion that;

    a) "Covering" the rear brake (which is an akward and uncomfortable thing to be doing during a traffic light wait) is a pointless exercise if offsetting the effect of rear end collisions is your concern. Ditto applying the rear brake.

    b) Combining rear brake/clutch/throttle control is a harder skill to master than throttle/clutch control if pulling off from a hill start is your goal. Your selective quote above seems to agree with me. Hill starts hardly form the bread and butter of everyday riding so I wouldn't be getting my knickers in a twist about it in any case.


    I can give and have given something of a rational for this position. A rational based on ease riding a bike not whether or not...
    This is a mandatory technique in order to pass the UK Riding Test.


    I don't know whether rear braking is a mandatory technique in the Irish Riding Test - I sincerely doubt that it is. But even if it is, there is no more ridecraft reason to retain it's common use than there is for retaining the mandatory* removal of your hands from the handlebars in order to signal other motorists about every left/right/slowing maneouvre you intend to make.

    *when I sat my Irish riding test in the mid nineties


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    #28
    galwaytt
    Registered Users Posts: 12,761 ✭✭✭✭galwaytt


    antiskeptic wrote: »
    I don't know whether rear braking is a mandatory technique in the Irish Riding Test - I sincerely doubt that it is. But even if it is, there is no more ridecraft reason to retain it's common use than there is for retaining the mandatory* removal of your hands from the handlebars in order to signal other motorists about every left/right/slowing maneouvre you intend to make.

    *when I sat my Irish riding test in the mid nineties

    ...and there we have it........you don't know. I, and others here, do. Sit at a light, both feet down, or covering the front brake and you fail your test.

    And you are factually incorrect about hand signals tool. It is only mandatory where the vehicle does not have indicators.

    Therefore, your advice is moot, and OP would be well advised to treat it with caution.......

    Ode To The Motorist

    “And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, generates funds to the exchequer. You don't want to acknowledge that as truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at the Green Party, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like freedom, enjoyment, sport and community. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent instilling those values in our families and loved ones. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the tax revenue and the very freedom to spend it that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a bus pass and get the ********* ********* off the road” 



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    #29
    bladespin
    Registered Users Posts: 7,334 ✭✭✭bladespin


    Simple: get a bike you won't mind dropping (just about everyone drops it starting off even the ones who won't admit it).
    Look at a few before you buy, find one that you're comfortable with height, bike weight etc.
    Get lessons from someone with experience, professional or not, they'll give you the basics.
    Bikes are very safe if you treat them with respect, remember to err on the side of caution, it's your bum that'll hit the ground.

    BTW cover the brake, either one is fine as far as I'm concerned.


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    #30
    leitrim lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭leitrim lad


    well lad i started on the bikes years ago, firstly the old reliable honda 50, that packed up and i invested in what i taught was a real bike a suzuki rg 80
    it was almost new in 1997 lovely bike, handled well,until it started to give electric problems, so i parked it and bought probably the best bike i ever owned a yamaha rxs 100 ,not very sporty looking but fast, left every other 80 -100 sitting and could keep up to the 125s,
    sorry i sold that rxs 100, i put a rg125 engine into the rg80, and that was fast ,then bought a tzr125rr, crashed it and bought a fzr250rr.
    i dont have any bikes anymore i grew out of them, but the best way to start off and the majority of bikers will tell you is small on a 50 or something like that then work your way up, and if you make too big of a jump you will crash.
    the nsr 80 is probably the best bike to go for but keep an eye on it for two stroke


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    #31
    Idleater
    Registered Users Posts: 6,236 ✭✭✭Idleater


    Since we are now into selective highlighting:
    antiskeptic wrote: »
    Notice how many of the Superbike riders did the Hendon Shuffle just before the off?
    antiskeptic wrote: »
    I must profess that of all the skills, the hardest for me to get right was the Hendon Shuffle. This is an obscure piece of footwork that ensures the bike is under the control of its brakes or engine, and ready for the off when the lights change.
    antiskeptic wrote: »
    I can give and have given something of a rational for this position. A rational based on ease riding a bike not whether or not..
    I have never disagreed with you rational, however you seem intent to disagree with my (and others') rational.

    Ease of riding is selective and personal. The quotes I gave were from motorcycle trainers, Advanced riders and race bike riders, all from different walks of life and professions, and each of them noting how they do use the shuffle.

    Get over it that others have a different opinion to yourself and stop telling everyone how they are wrong.


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