big bike??

cantdecide

hello all
i'm 24 years old, prov license and interested in getting a bike.
i know i'm not going to be left near the likes of an R1 or anythng like it and i'm not sure if i'd have that much interest in one anyway.
the only bikes i've seen which really float my boat is a v max or a GSX1400R (goddamn it, i love that bike). my problem is that i'm 6'4", well built and a bit round around the middle as well. in other words, i would want to have no pride getting onto a bandit, much less a 125- i would make it look like a rollerblade.
what bikes are out there for the lanky/ husky gentleman who would be prepared to grimace and pay the insurance for a decent bike.

ps restrictors- do they still allow you to get decent bikes with them fitted or are they no longer accepted, as i was told?

madrab

only factory restrictions are counted in terms of insurance, though you can get any bike restricted

i terms of a bike that would seem suitable for you, a honda transalp 400 would be a good place to start

Idleater

cantdecide wrote:

what bikes are out there for the lanky/ husky gentleman who would be prepared to grimace and pay the insurance for a decent bike.

Honda CBF600 comes in factory restricted guise.

It is a big sturdy bike, you can alter the seat height, and customise it every which way. Goes nice and quick too.

L.

seamus

At 24, with a provisional licence and no NCB you'll shafted on insurance for anything above group 4. Even at that, you'll be paying the guts of €2k (or more) Thrid-Party Only. In terms of 125s, the Varadero may suit, though 6'4" is big for any bike.

Garibaldi

I'm 6'7", and no 125 ever looked right with me on it. However, I gradually got used to the stares/grins, have sold all my rifles, and am barred from entering any church towers for life.
Trailies are your best bet. Other options I've tried, reasonably successfully, in the past: Aprilia Pegaso 125, Falco, Mille R, BMW R1150GS, Yamaha TDR 125. The Pegaso had, by far, the best power output, but it looked like some kind of plum/custard/vomit hybrid. Of course, that's now, I thought it looked sh1t-hot back then (12 years ago).

Oryx

Bear in mind that carole nash wont allow anything for a factory restricted bike, only aon will. A Suzuki DR650 is a nice high bike that comes factory restricted. So do GSR600s, and Bandits. and Yamaha Fazers, I think.

Idleater

KatieK wrote:

Bear in mind that carole nash wont allow anything for a factory restricted bike, only aon will.

I presume you meant to say non factory restricted???

I have not heard of CN or AON denying coverage of Factory Restricted bikes. Well no one told them when I was getting insured in any case.

L.

Oryx

nereid wrote:

I presume you meant to say non factory restricted???

I have not heard of CN or AON denying coverage of Factory Restricted bikes. Well no one told them when I was getting insured in any case.

L.

Nope meant it as it reads.
What I meant was they make no discount to your quote if you are riding one. The only benefit would seem to be they will allow you ride a bigger bike because it is restricted. Aon will allow you a reduced grouping and therefore cost, on a factory restricted bike.

Idleater

KatieK wrote:

Nope meant it as it reads.
What I meant was they make no discount to your quote if you are riding one.

Ok, so they don't give you a discount for driving a factory restricted bike...

KatieK wrote:

Aon will allow you a reduced grouping and therefore cost, on a factory restricted bike.

... but they will charge you less for driving the same bike in a lower insurance grouping because it is factory restricted?

KatieK wrote:

The only benefit would seem to be they will allow you ride a bigger bike because it is restricted.

Isn't that the exact point of a factory restricted bike? That you get to drive "any" bike? Because it complies with the regulation requirements for learner legal vehicles?


I must have spoken to different people in CN than you so. Because I have recieved quotes for both official Factory Restricted (cbf600) and dealer "restricted" (suzuki bandit 600) bikes.

L.

Oryx

I dunno, Im not being clear today. You ride a restricted bike on a prov lic. There are two types, factory and aftermarket restrictions. Aon will allow you a reduced quote for factory restricted bikes. CN make no reduction for factory restricted bikes, quote will be the same as a full power model, afaik. Neither give any reduction for aftermarket restrictions.

cantdecide

KatieK wrote:

I dunno, Im not being clear today. You ride a restricted bike on a prov lic. There are two types, factory and aftermarket restrictions. Aon will allow you a reduced quote for factory restricted bikes. CN make no reduction for factory restricted bikes, quote will be the same as a full power model, afaik. Neither give any reduction for aftermarket restrictions.

thanks for all the help everyone, one question though. as a prov. lic. holder, would i be able to insure a bike i wouldn't normally be able to, if it has an aftermarket restrictor? The quote may be extortionate and undiscounted but i would love to start with the right bike.

what about a tdm 850???

(my brother has been suggesting the trans alp for a while but i just can't warm to them)

Unfortunatley you must forget about a tdm 850 - they are group 11 if i recall right. Unless you get a full licence and get a year under you belt and get a classic one then you will not be able to afford the insurance.

cantdecide

baz8080 wrote:

Unfortunatley you must forget about a tdm 850 - they are group 11 if i recall right. Unless you get a full licence and get a year under you belt and get a classic one then you will not be able to afford the insurance.

Are you saying i couldn't get inurance or are you saying i couldn't afford the insurance

Well i think someone would be obliged to insure you however when you think about it it would be crazy money. If you have loads of money (way more than 2-3 grand anyway) then consider it but the TDM is brute of a bike - not something a provisional holder with no experience should just hop onto.

Oh yes Even bigger than the TDM -

DR800
http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/440844/

I would need a stepladder to get on that one

Idleater

cantdecide wrote:

Are you saying i couldn't get inurance or are you saying i couldn't afford the insurance

Ring them (both AON and CN) up and ask them for a quote. They will do it.

I have done this several times (every time I think about getting a new bike). AON have been very nice to me about switching bikes around. I am insured on two and recently asked for a CBF600 and they switched me from one bike to this for €0.

I have recieved quotes for the CBF (Factory restricted) and a Suzuki Bandit 600 (dealer "restricted"). 28 full licence RoSPA etc

You may be plesently surprised. A TDM is not as "desireable" a bike as an R1 so they might be nice to you. Try something like a Triumph Tiger (750/900???) or something like a big cruiser too. Maybe a BMW?

L.

psicic

@ cantdecide: Have you actually ridden a bike before? I can't tell from your post and would be interested if you have a bonafide reason for knowing you need the power of 500cc or more.

I'm no expert, but back before I got my bike last year (same age/situation as yourself, though probably heavier and shorter then you :eek: ) I was convinced that I'd need a 'big bike' and that I'd want to max out the cc's as much as possible. A powerful bike handles very differently from a less powerful one, and a few mm on the throttle can literally mean life-and-death if you need to react to Dublin traffic. Remember, a bike doesn't have the overhead of a car's frame on it, and bikes are quick to react to your input.

In my opinion, skip 125cc as they do tend to be underpowered, but 250cc and over can be fairly nippy and have good torc.

One of the baby cruisers, e.g. Dragstar, would be fairly forgiving for the hefty, as would the serious tourer bikes.

I listened to the advice my instructor gave me - even though he disliked cruisers - and ended up with a 250cc Dragstar, btw. Trade-off on manoeuvrability and top-speed, but has good acceleration and is easy(-ish) to work on. And great insurance (at only €2500 :rolleyes: ). Handlebars don't sweep low and, to casual passers-by, looks like a bigger bike then it is because of the long wheelbase.

Love the V-max myself - when I get off restriction, I hope to get one. That bike has had the same design since the mid-80s, is the most powerful production bike ever made and still looks fantastic. Given the handling flaws (or unique attributes) people describe on the intarweb, I think a starter would have to look elsewhere. It could be a spectacular - but terminally short - first ride. Saw one in Mac's Motorcycle Warehouse about 5 weeks ago for about four grand - almost broke my heart to see it there and not be able to buy. (Think it's gone at this stage, so I'm not really shilling for them! )

sutty

Or you could just get a 650 A Class Dragstar. Its a nice big feel bike, and due to its size/waight, it doesn't need to be restricted on a A license.

Hotblack Desiato

psicic wrote:

V-max... is the most powerful production bike ever made

Pull the other one

psicic

ninja900 wrote:

Pull the other one

I'm pretty sure that's what I read, that it beat out even production models of racing bikes. Though it was a few years ago. And perhaps I should have said that that's most powerful accleration on a street legal production bike.

Or maybe it was just all fluff for a bike mag.

Stats I remember are v4 engine - 140 HP and 1198cc. Burned into memory. Until I can own one. :rolleyes:

Oh...leave me alone. I'm riding a 250cc Dragstar - these are all just impossibly high numbers to me!

sutty

hehe.. sure thats nothing. Some BMW's have 160 at the crank and the new Ducati RR has 240 at the crank

cantdecide

psicic wrote:

@ cantdecide: Have you actually ridden a bike before? I can't tell from your post and would be interested if you have a bonafide reason for knowing you need the power of 500cc or more.

I'm no expert, but back before I got my bike last year (same age/situation as yourself, though probably heavier and shorter then you :eek: ) I was convinced that I'd need a 'big bike' and that I'd want to max out the cc's as much as possible. A powerful bike handles very differently from a less powerful one, and a few mm on the throttle can literally mean life-and-death if you need to react to Dublin traffic. Remember, a bike doesn't have the overhead of a car's frame on it, and bikes are quick to react to your input.

In my opinion, skip 125cc as they do tend to be underpowered, but 250cc and over can be fairly nippy and have good torc.

One of the baby cruisers, e.g. Dragstar, would be fairly forgiving for the hefty, as would the serious tourer bikes.

I listened to the advice my instructor gave me - even though he disliked cruisers - and ended up with a 250cc Dragstar, btw. Trade-off on manoeuvrability and top-speed, but has good acceleration and is easy(-ish) to work on. And great insurance (at only €2500 :rolleyes: ). Handlebars don't sweep low and, to casual passers-by, looks like a bigger bike then it is because of the long wheelbase.

Love the V-max myself - when I get off restriction, I hope to get one. That bike has had the same design since the mid-80s, is the most powerful production bike ever made and still looks fantastic. Given the handling flaws (or unique attributes) people describe on the intarweb, I think a starter would have to look elsewhere. It could be a spectacular - but terminally short - first ride. Saw one in Mac's Motorcycle Warehouse about 5 weeks ago for about four grand - almost broke my heart to see it there and not be able to buy. (Think it's gone at this stage, so I'm not really shilling for them! )

food for thought. i've driven my brother's shadow 1100 and he says i'm still a little tall for it (my knees are almost level with the top of the tank) so size and power are not my no.1 priority. concealing my lankiness, having adequate power for an L-driver, and having a bike worth washing on a sunday are top for me.

Hotblack Desiato

Cruisers are built low and suit the shorter rider, because the pegs and bars are way out in front of you ALL your weight will be on your butt. If you're very tall you'd be more comfortable on a big long hypersports bike like a ZZR1100/1200 or of course the super-trailies like the Triumph Tiger.

Bikes like this cost a fortune to insure and keep in tyres, and are totally ridiculous when restricted, and tbh are way OTT for someone starting out.

Most of us started out on little bikes due to neccessity, you get used to your knees being in your armpits after a while but seriously, don't ever buy your shiny dream machine as your first bike it WILL get dropped, then dropped again, I think we've all been there.

Yep My TDR had a kerb shaped dent in the exhaust which always pained me to see

cantdecide

i understand. i don't mind going for something a little rough around the edges. the way i see it, i may as well get the correct type of bike even if it is long in the tooth. i am very much aware of my complete lack of experience and i have no desire to get the fastest or newest bike i can. i think for now i should just stump up for the insurance but i don't want to have to drive an rxs.
not to go on about it but if the tdm wasn't so fast, i think i would go for one.