which bike

[Jon B]

I'm getting a Hornet at 17, I rode my Dad's yesterday and as long as you are careful on the throttle control it is OK. I believe the Hornet engine is a tuned down CBR600 so not quite so bad, though not sure.

I couldn't use gears until yesterday either, kept mistaking the clutch for the rear brake, hence lots of stalling. LOL.

[ZXR400Lee]

I went from 50cc manual motorcross bike to full power ZXR400 an no problems, the only problem is paying for everything!! At 17 with college and little work not very easy (everyone struggles at one time!). Gav you looking at brand new Daytona 600 or a R6 + insurance + restriction!! The insurance will kill you if you manage to get some.

Hold back and go for 400 sports or older 600 model, well tuneable and if you drop it, nevermind, slap some new cheap plastics on there and keep on riding.

Lee

[TC]

The real answer to this topic would be to get whatever *YOU* want! You'll be the one who will be riding it and its your money

I agree with Age..

It doesn't matter if you are on a 125 or a 1000, You can hurt yourself just as easy on either. I went from a 125, to a 250 and the minute I passed my test I was riding a Suzuki RF900R (937cc) Sportsbike with 130bhp and I was ok.

At 17 though, race-rep sportsbikes might be very costly to insure.
but if you can afford that, and you want the bike then get it and to hell with what others think.

JonB: Yep, the hornet is a detuned CBR600 - sort of. As A_T points out the hornet makes approx 97bhp. The CBR600's of a few years back made about 105ish. I reckon on the road you'd be hard-pushed to notice the difference between either bike (with the exception of the added wind-protection full-fairing on the CBR!)

Whatever you decide on getting, take it easy

[jason]

The rider is in charge of the throttle so if it's a 400 or 600 it does not mater just get on and ride the bloody thing.

true I geuss...

But if your all brakes and throttle (which most of us are when we first start out), when the red mist descends it just means that you arrive at the corners faster, and when you [censored] up (which you will do at some point)....an extra 10mph is alot of speed to scrub off when your heading for the hedge.

Ride a 400 for a couple of years and ring the shit out of it - you'll be a better rider for the experiance of having to ride a decent sportbike to its limit. You can get away with a lot more on a 400. They look good, they are relatively fast and they handle well.

[furry]

i am taking my bike test soon and i dont know what bike to get. i have found two nice bikes, wich one should i get. i am still unsure, so i need to get some coments from you -


YAMAHA - R6
second hand
YAMAHA 1999 T REG R6
IN BLUE METALIC
SERVICE HISTORY
AVERAGE MILES FOR YEAR
IN VERY GOOD CLEAN

or

Triumph Daytona
from new
Engine:600cc
Year:2004 04
Mileage:0m
Colour:Red

Well first of all, forget getting either of the above bikes, for 2 reasons...

1. Both those bikes are beyond a capability of a new rider, which in basic terms, means the handling of the bike is greater than what you can currently cope with, which will lure you into a false sense of security, and eventually make you end up binning the bike and on your arse!

2. 600's and 400's inline-4's 4-strokes need to rev high to make power, a restriction stops this so basically it cuts the testicles's off of them and make them a nightmare to ride...

400's >>> Fine if not restricted, a nightmare if they are (You could always do what I did, get it restricted, then take them out yourself, but if you have a crash and they find out, then you will be well in the shat!!!)

600's >>> Will be way too much for you unrestricted, but will ride like a goat if they are restricted

PS If your gonna get a Daytona, the only one worth getting is the new 650, as the others lack midrange power, and 2nd hand prices don't reflect this (bascially 2nd hand the owners are trying to get more for the bike than what it's worth so stay clear, espically of the TT model it's a piece of crap!)


Ok so all that said, you must be thinking well fook me this leaves me without many options???

Well strictly speaking, thats the whole idea, your 18, and the public at large don't want your parents attending your early death, but fear not, all is not lost...

All depends how much money you got to spend, I get if your thinking of the above bikes, you got say upto around £3000 to spend...

Now first thing first, no matter how safe you think you are, all new bikers, and even experienced ones come off, either the road lets ya down, or if your unlucky you get hit by something, so keeping that in mind you don't want to buy a dead gorgous mint bike, but likewise you should put some money in the kitty for good protection gear!

Now you could be manic, and buy full leathers etc, but on short runs to college/uni/work they ain't really practical, and I find leather trousers a pain in the ass, best thing to go for is belfast do some smart jackets and trousers which are waterproof, armoured to the nuts and the price is not too bad either, if you got the extra cash, and can find one to match with the fittings of the trousers, try to get a leather jacket, but like I said I find leather bottoms a pain in the ass I only wear em on long distances! (which I do quite alot btw!!!)

Ok back to the bike, you accepted it will prolly go down on it's arse whislt you own it, but you need a good machine that aint gonna cost the earth but at the same time you don't wanna be fixing the fooker every evening...

A good start would be an SV650, being a V-Twin, the restrictor doesn't affect it as much, as it produces loads of power low in the rev range, so is still very rideable, and if your feeling the need for speed will see you happy upto 110mph

It's hard to justify any inline-4 bike if it's going to be restircted, so stick to V-Twins, other varients are I believe a Honda VTR-400 ??? or if your feeling funky, a VTR-250cc import which look like mini Ducati monsters (cool as fook!!!) I'm sure there are others out there, but I'm mainly into Suzuki's, don't bother touching suzuki 400's or 600's as the 400's are a matainance nightmare, and the 600's are a sack of shat restricted.

Likewise keep away from any 2-strokes, in theory you could get an RS250 without getting it restricted, but you will have the thing apart all the time fixing the bugger, however for a small bike it performs like a dream.

If you got any other bikes in mind, ask away, pick my brains if I don't know I can always ask others who know.

Anyway hope ya pass and enjoy

[DynaMight]

A RS250 makes about 60BHP, So needs to be restricted, They do actually make a SV400 but its very rare, I'm not sure if it makes under 33BHP or not.

My NC30 was fine restricted, It was the same as riding a derestricted one under 9k RPM. Which wasnt that bad at all. A 600 would be silly though.

Your right about V-Twins though, They would be better restricted because it doesnt restrict the torque...But there aint meny small sporty V-Twins though.

[furry]

Yup ok good point about the RS250, but anyway like I said 2-strokes are not a good idea LOL

Getting hold of SV-400's over here is not a problem, it's getting them at a sensible price, and also alot of insurers prtend they don't exist so won't insure you!!! (They produce 53bhp as standard, but I'm sure thats in a already factory restricted form, I've known ones that have been made full race do 80bhp!, in theory I expect tweeking with it should see a sensible 60bhp) (Or you could slap an SV650 engine in it if your a mad modder like me!!!)

Yer Small V-Twins, it's an odd market, which I think will pick up in this country in the next few yrs, espically if the goverment actually pulls it's finger out of it's arse and ditches DAS! I think honda and suzuki are really the only ones who offer sensible bikes in the smaller V-Twin area!

NC30, is that like the CBR400??? (I'm not too up on hondas) I went on one which wasn't restricted, really nice bike, even though I'm 6ft 3" and weigh a ton, it still shifted, again don't know what the difference would be with it restricted, I think the NC30 makes power a little bit lower down, but with any inline-4 unleaded motor the power is from 7k so you only got 7k to 9k until ya balls are chopped off

I went 125cc then 400cc then BIGGER-BIKEcc to be honest I think if I was on anything bigger than a 125 when I was 18-19 I'd prolly be dead by now, but at the same time I appericate than 125cc's don't have enough GO for on the roads these days cars piss all over ya, get something thats at least 250cc unrestricted, 400cc restricted but choose carefully or just be brave and get an SV650 restricted if you can control your right wrist

[DynaMight]

NC30 is a V4, So it does make slightly more low down grunt (but still has more of it's power above 10k). Kelly is getting a CBR400 soon which'll be at 33BHP, So I'll see how that one goes.

SV400 does produce 53BHP according to motorbikes.be, It also says the SV650 makes 72BHP. I think in standard form the SV400 will be making more like 45-50BHP at the rear wheel. I might be wrong.

I went from RS125 > NC30 too and dont think I would have done it any other way now, when you first start riding you make so meny little mistakes, Which on a faster bike could quite easily turn into big mistakes.

[furry]

Thats very true, I'm glad I had most of my "offs" on my 125, only off I've had on a bigger bike was on a gs500e, lucky for me I came off when it happened but I rolled about 10 times straight into a kerb, still manged to walk, emmmm limp away LOL

I did find I got pissed all over on 125's by other road users though, these days even if I get on my old gsx250 it's still got enough go to get on with it all, but not enough power to land me in the shat and loose body parts...

It's diffcult because there are not really any bikes out there that are either 33bhp and a decent ride, or decent when restricted, V-Twins being the exception, but then I think to myself is it still a bit too much for a new biker to handle??? depends how responsable they are

NC30 to me is the VFR then??? as shown in your sig pic, never been on one of them, but like you said it's a V4 (bit like two V-Twins slapped together) so restriction won't affect it as much, anyway be good to find out what kelly thinks of the CBR400 restricted...

I do agree if your doing the 400 thing, honda prolly best route to go, I got two gsxr400's, and they have sucked my bank account dry just in parts alone to keep it on the road, likewise ZXR's it's hard to get one in good condition most have been ragged to death, or if slowly dying, the seller will cover it up with something like "oh they all sound like that!" LOL

CBR400 I would imagine if anything needed doing to it, is the easyist to work on, then the VFR400, which are going cheep these days, but remember the less you pay for the bike, the more it's gonna cost in parts n labour!!! and then worst of all apparently is the RVF400 which is full on race.

Like I said I don't know huge ammounts about honda, whats the differences between the VFR and the RVF ??? (A small voice in the back of my mind tells me to buy an RVF, I'm going mad )

[A_T]

A good start would be an SV650, being a V-Twin, the restrictor doesn't affect it as much, as it produces loads of power low in the rev range, so is still very rideable, and if your feeling the need for speed will see you happy upto 110mph

And don't also forget a restricted Hornet 600 has all these benefits too (and doesn't ride like a goat ).....

[jason]

Good points furry.

Keep forgetting that you have to go with the 33bhp restriction first these days.

Whats the penalty for riding with your restrictors removed(im presuming they must be simple to remove/install things)? how would they ever check? for that matter do the police ever spot check?

[A_T]

Keep forgetting that you have to go with the 33bhp restriction first these days.

Whats the penalty for riding with your restrictors removed(im presuming they must be simple to remove/install things)? how would they ever check? for that matter do the police ever spot check?

The 33bhp only applies if you take the restricted test (A2) which limits you to 33bhp for two years after your test. If you take the direct access you can jump onto any size bike.... (but you have to be 21+ to take this test)

I don't know anyone who has took out their restrictors and got caught.... mine cost £175 to be installed (you get a certificate as proof), at the end of the day if you decide to remove the restrictors that's up to you but they are there for a reason

[jason]

at the end of the day if you decide to remove the restrictors that's up to you but they are there for a reason

Yeh Im not advocating that anyone removes them. Just wondering.

Being the bastion of all things legal, if I was under 21 I would never dream of removing them once I had the certificate. <cough>

[Jewell]

Whats the penalty for riding with your restrictors removed(im presuming they must be simple to remove/install things)? how would they ever check? for that matter do the police ever spot check?

its impossible for them to check.....unless they catch you doing 130+ on a bike which is supposed to be restricted...then they can give you a producer which askes for your restriction documents.....and thats it really....they do have more power but most cant be arsed....

and if your insurance says about your bike being restricted and you dont have your restriction documents.....then your riding your bike with no insurance which aint good as its not valid.

[Jon B]

I don't get what furry is going on about low power on inline 4's and stuff when they are restricted. If it's restricted to 33BHP thats it, it still goes 90-100MPH.

I know a few Hornet owners who say that it takes 33BHP restriction very well and thats an inline 4 isn't it?