I need some bike advise pls....

tk123

hi all - i need some advise pleeze!! I've had my VanVan for a year and a half and had a vespa for 2 years before that. Now I've never had an accident except once on the vespa - but it was my fault for flying around on wet cobbles in work - lesson learnt!! Basically for the last few weeks I've been feeling that I'm not safe on the bikey - not just from people in cars doing the usual bully stuff but that maybe I need a smaller/lighter bike that I would have more control over if I needed it - i'm only 5ft 1 (and a girl )... Can some of you boards-bikers give me some advise pls - Would I be better off on something like a DT125?!

echomadman

the DT125 might be a bit high up, specs say the seat height is 886mm with the suspension uncompressed, thats about 34 inches?
I've never ridden one but any trailey i ever rode was similarly tall.

you're on one of these now yes?
Have you considered a 250 cruiser type bike, a marauder/virago/dragstar or similar, they're quite low-slung and once you're moving the weight in them disappears. (i think the 125s are a bit underpowered, and seeing as you're a girl your insurance probably wouldn't be too bad on one)
I know a girl with a dragstar 650, she's a shortarse aswell and she manages it fine, smaller and lighter isnt neccessarily better, i feel uneasy riding really light bikes, especially in windy conditions.

edit: the DT is a 2-stroke aswell, great fun for tearing around fields but i couldn't put up with the noise of it using one as a daily commuter.

garthv

aye the dragstar 125 is a loverly bike,real low down and a dream to drive
you should have a look at the Honda Varadero 125,might seem a bit high up when u first look at it but once you are in the driving postion its quite low and a very very easy to handle bike. Your best bet would be to walk into a Bike shop and have a look around,see what you like then come back to us and ask us:)

tk123

Thanks guys - I WAS thinkin of changing to more of a crusier type - maybe a maurader or a virago.. And Echomadman - you're right abt a lighter bike if it's windy - i never thought of that! My bike only has 2500 miles on it - so i'd prob get a good enough price if I traded it in..

Doodee

Cruisers are nice if ya like to keep low to the ground.
I have a Virago myself and I find it very comfortable to drive. As said, head into a bike shop and have a look around, find what you like then look towards getting it.
Best of luck.

seamus

There's a VanVan parked at the end of Leeson St every day, I've walked by it a few times. Always looked tiny to me

If you're going for a cruiser, I'd definitely advise a 250. Dragstar is a great bike.

tk123

seamus wrote:

There's a VanVan parked at the end of Leeson St every day, I've walked by it a few times. Always looked tiny to me

If you're going for a cruiser, I'd definitely advise a 250. Dragstar is a great bike.

Why a 250?! I was just going to get another 125 so my insurance stays the same!

echomadman

tk123 wrote:

Why a 250?! I was just going to get another 125 so my insurance stays the same!

The 125 cruisers are just a bit lacklustre, not that the 250s are speed demons, but the extra bit of power/torque makes them more comfortable and in my opinion safer, as you can maintain a constant speed more easily, overtake faster, less affected by headwinds etc. having a little oomph in reserve is nice if you need to get out of trouble in a situation, riding a 125 flat out leaves you no room for adjustment if the need arose.

A lot of the arcane voodoo that irish insurers do to calculate somones premium is based on power to weight ratios so most of the 250 cruisers are in low categories anyway, not having a penis is a big plus in their eyes aswell.
Give your broker a ring and see what they quote you for the 125 and 250 variants of the bikes.

tk123

echomadman wrote:

not having a penis is a big plus in their eyes aswell.

LOL!!!

Alfasudcrazy

Well as a Garda motor cyclist I think a heavier bike is always safer than a lighter one. I had a Honda 100 (2 stroke) once and it was a death trap - no weight for strong braking and again useless in windy conditions. :mad:

My next bike was a Suzuki bandit 600 - bought it new in 2000 and loved it. Its weight gave great braking and was always stable and controlable in all conditions - and the engine sound was a marvel. :cool:

tk123

Hey can I ask you something Alfa!??!
1) Are you allowed to wear sunglassess!?
2) Are the paniers on your cop-bike full of cool stuff like flares and general crimestopping stuff or do you just put your lunch in there!?!?

I've ALWAYS wanted to ask a motorcycle-cop that!!!

seamus

tk123 wrote:

Hey can I ask you something Alfa!??!
1) Are you allowed to wear sunglassess!?

Heh, why wouldn't they be? We're allowed wear sunglasses, why wouldn't the Gardai be allowed?

A more important question is - are those expensive sunglasses given to you free? ;p

tk123

seamus wrote:

Heh, why wouldn't they be? We're allowed wear sunglasses, why wouldn't the Gardai be allowed?

A more important question is - are those expensive sunglasses given to you free? ;p

Ah I've never seen a cop wear sunglassess - thats why I was wondering! :cool:

seamus

tk123 wrote:

Ah I've never seen a cop wear sunglassess - thats why I was wondering! :cool:

I've never seen a speedie *not* wearing sunglasses. Weird.

tk123

It's probably cos it's always bloody raining when I'm out and about!!

a_ominous

@tk123, have you ever taken bike lessons? A few lessons would probably help give you the confidence to ride more assertively. Or take the wind out of your sails if you're doing dumb things I'm only riding 2.5 years now. When I started I had a 125 cruiser. Was nervous of having too much power. LOL! My commute was on dual carriageways so I needed a bit more poke to get away from cagers who seemed to want to use me as target practice. I did a lesson in ISM; 2 hours in their car park which allowed me to get to grips with clutch, throttle, balance, doing figure of 8s. Basic stuff but you don't that on the road.

Next lesson was with an IRTA guy. I had been on bicycles for a few years and was riding on the left of the lane. Was told to ride in centre of lane. Asserts your position on the road and does not invite cagers to try and squeeze by you.

If you haven't taken any lessons, I'd recommend you do some. I've heard good things about Star Rider run by Fingal Co. Council but they don't run year round. Re-starts in Feb IIRC.

On the bike front, I like the different look of the Van Van. It looks sturdy but does that make it heavy? A 125 cruiser wouldn't be the way to go in that case. The DT125 would give you a bit more height and visibitily in traffic. Could your feet reach the ground comfortably on one? I'm 6ft, so saddle height doesn't bother me at all. Mind you, there are quite a few bikes where I'm squatting, so they're out for me.

I've felt uneasy in gales on the M50 on the TransAlp, but I've seen people on 125cc scooters. My bike has a large profile so that helps make it a bit more 'interesting' in the cross winds.

HTH, HAND, HNY, MCE
-ao-