Motorcycling in NZ/ Aus?

cantdecide

I drive bikes here and I've been thinking about doing the NZ/ Aus thing. I was thinking about how I'd get around. I was wondering if biking was viable as a mode of transport for the semi-settled/ semi-backpacker lifestyle? I must say at this stage, I'm leaning more toward the NZ idea...

Many thanks

The Sweeper

Biking is viable. OH bought a Suzuki GSX R600 last year. Normally both the weather and the roads are highly amenable to biking - straight, dry, sunshine, not full of potholes, plenty of space for cars and bikes.

Aussies are as bad as everywhere else in terms of actually watching out for bikers, so they flatten a standard amount every year by pulling out without looking and so on.

OH paid about $12,000, I think, for a new GSXR and a full range of gear, including armoured jacket and trousers, boots, gloves, added heated handgrips to the bike, and bought a really good lid.

To get your licence (if you don't have one) you can do a riders course over two days - insurance companies smile on that. You have to buy rego every year ($360 or thereabouts) and fully comp insurance is about the same as the rego for your first year.

Other than that, petrol is cheaper than it is in Ireland or England, so yeah, bikes are popular, there are a lot of places for you to buy the gear you want (and HAGGLE if you're buying a full set, they WILL take money off!) and they're a good way to get around if you assume you're invisible to all motorists.

rondemole

i was in NZ last year for a month on a touring holiday, in a van with a few mates, all i could think of when there was "i wish i had my bike" the roads were fantastic, smooth and windy! and there were plenty of sights to be seen down tracks/service roads that would be far more accessable by bike!
ita an amazing country with great people and amazing views, there is something to see around every corner!

cantdecide

The Sweeper wrote: »

...To get your licence (if you don't have one) you can do a riders course over two days - insurance companies smile on that. You have to buy rego every year ($360 or thereabouts) and fully comp insurance is about the same as the rego for your first year....Other than that, petrol is cheaper than it is in Ireland or England...they're a good way to get around if you assume you're invisible to all motorists.

Thanks and don't worry- I already do everything possible to stay visible apart from wearing a clown suit!

Do you know if there's maybe a main Gumtree type website where used bike crop up? Do you know if they tend to cost more or less than here? I've looked at a few cars and they seem to cost more, pro-rata, to buy.

rondemole wrote: »

i was in NZ last year for a month on a touring holiday, in a van with a few mates, all i could think of when there was "i wish i had my bike" the roads were fantastic, smooth and windy! and there were plenty of sights to be seen down tracks/service roads that would be far more accessable by bike! ita an amazing country with great people and amazing views, there is something to see around every corner!

At this stage, I think I'm focusing on NZ, actually. Thanks for the above replies. I'm struggling to decide how to handle my trip. I was thinking I might spend a period of time traversing Oz by bike and ultimimately finish up in NZ.

The Sweeper

cantdecide wrote: »

Do you know if there's maybe a main Gumtree type website where used bike crop up? Do you know if they tend to cost more or less than here? I've looked at a few cars and they seem to cost more, pro-rata, to buy.

Hey - sorry, can't help you on these questions. I know there are used bike sale websites, but don't have the listing and you'll google them yourself as quick as I would. As for comparison prices with Ireland, no idea - it's too long since I lived in Ireland (10 years) and I really can't do like for likes on the cost of living stuff any more coz I've no idea.

Transport vehicles here generally hold their value more than Ireland, but a lot of that is because they don't get the climate abuse they get in Ireland. The single biggest difference I've noticed in buying old used cars is no rust. The roads don't freeze (unless you're up high) down here, so they don't get salted. Rainfall is less (MUCH less depending where you move to), and a combination of no salt and less rain means no rust on vehicles that are upwards of 10-15 years old.

cantdecide

The Sweeper wrote: »

...Transport vehicles here generally hold their value more than Ireland, but a lot of that is because they don't get the climate abuse they get in Ireland. The single biggest difference I've noticed in buying old used cars is no rust...

As a card-carrying petrolhead, my understanding has always been that running a *proper car here is so expensive to own that most of them depreciate like perishable foodstuffs after they're a few years old. I see very decent cars going for scrap here every day because of their day to day running costs alone (mostly because of taxation but that's a different rant!).

Some proper cars here, in perfectly serviceable condition, might cost a grand, say. The equivalents in Oz that I could find could cost about €2,500, needing a few jobs done <having cost significantly less when new>. With that in mind, I think my biggest concern at this stage is figuring out what the shrewd move is. Also, do these principles carry across to used bikes? ie, are used bikes also overpriced compared to here?

Thanks for the help






*A proper car to me is like a 2.0+ family/ exec saloon or estate like a Holden Commodore (or Opel Omega here) or decent Ford Falcon (?) type thing. My brother bought a near perfect 1998 Avensis here for €650 over the weekend :rolleyes: