Advice on what learner bike to get

[TT355CIVSSS]

I have been looking at a Ducati 620ie Monster.. Or a Hyosung GT650R, or a 250CBRR Fireblade

[BLACKWAGON]

What do u mean by learner bike?
L plates or do u have Ps or full liscense?

[TT355CIVSSS]

Sorry I meant L Plates...

[BLACKWAGON]

Forget the duke and that then u gotta go 260 or under.
I had roadbikes, now if I had to go 250 I would probs go enduro.
The cbr's are a farkn joke, 5g for 90ish model! Good lil bikes but the prices are mad.....unless u plan on selling it as soon as u get P's then u will probs get ur same cash back.

[TT355CIVSSS]

Enduro, what is that? Could you list some good models to look at?

[BLACKWAGON]

Dirt bike with lights and reg.
WR 250 Yamaha has always been a good bike.
KTM 250
They are 2 good bikes and plenty around for 5ish in late models.
What do ya wanna spend?

[ACT_Cross8]

Forget the duke and that then u gotta go 260 or under.


Depends what state you are in. LAMS laws like in ACT allow bigger capacity, provided they are under a certain power/weight ratio.

If your state allows, I'd go for a Suzuki GS500 or something like that. You will likely "grow out of" it less quickly. There are plenty of things you can do with these mid-sized naked bikes if you want to make them go faster down the track as well.

[TT355CIVSSS]

I'm in NSW and the Ducati i mentioned is learner legal. I just cant get over the look of them and the sound is so damn nice

[BLACKWAGON]

Mongrels! I never knew that we were one of the only places to get hammered with that law!
Go the duke then!
Just check em out first, few mates had 918s and SS's, said they are great bikes but not reliable, cost them alot of cash in repairs.
That was 8yrs ago though and I would expect that alot has changed since then.
Forget the 250s if u can legally have a bigger bike.

[Satansfist]

Get the Ducati, forget the bullshit stories about them being unrelaible. I've had four, never a problem with any of them

Go here for the good word:

www.ducati.ms

[BLACKWAGON]

Get the Ducati, forget the bullshit stories about them being unrelaible. I've had four, never a problem with any of them

Go here for the good word:

www.ducati.ms

What dukes did ya have?
Any pics?

[TT355CIVSSS]

I'd have to put a Termongi carbon fibre exhaust on it tho

[seedyrom]

sorry mate, the dukes definitely out.
In NSW, learners and provisional licence holders are restricted to a capacity of 260mL or less AND with a power to weight ratio of 150kw per tonne or less (which also means such pocket rockets like the Aprilia rs250 aren't legal)

[TT355CIVSSS]

Says on the RTA site that a Ducati 620Mie is a learner approved bike

[Covert]

Read here for NSW Learner Approved Motorcycles. I'd hate for the wrong info to be given out...

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/tests/motorcycleridertrainingscheme/motorcyclesnoviceriders.html

[TT355CIVSSS]

Am'I correct in what I'm saying? I was going off that list

[DaveHAT]

Based on the list provided you should give some serious thought to these:

http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/roadbikes.html

esp this one:

http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/GT250R.jpg

The GT250R

For a learner these are an awesome value entry level bike that looks the shit and comes with a damn good warranty.

For $7500 ride away the GT250R is a comfortably big bike and they go pretty well for what you pay.

Being a learner, don't get hung up on names and the need to have a Ducati etc etc, sure they're the shit as far as bikes go but if you drop it or fall off (which as a learner is pretty likely) it will cost you a shit tin to replace the broken parts.

Focus on warrranty and good after sales service as proprities.

I can't believe the KTM525EXC is classified as "learner legal" :shock:

I've been riding for years and the last one of these I rode scared 4 consecutive shits out of me and took 5 years off my life. Not a motorcycle to be treated lightly.

http://www.ktm.com.au/files/bikeimage.php?i=809&w=800

[ACT_Cross8]

I can't believe the KTM525EXC is classified as "learner legal" :shock:


Is that because they test them in ADR restricted form?

[seedyrom]

thanks for that link covert.

i went to the RTA site, searched 'motorcycle' and the first result was the handbook (printed oct 2000). That's where my info was from.
Who'd have thought a govt website would have misinformation so readily available? :D

[TT355CIVSSS]

I'm quite nervous about riding, wish there was somewhere to learn before the L's test

[hRTHSV]

What do you want to use the bike for? Try Suzuki DL650 V-strom it's a fuel injected V -twin goes well and very good on fuel 4 to 5 l/100km. Or Yamaha XT660X fuel injected looks great also well priced. Done 14,000km's on mine great bike. If You want to ride in traffic the XT660X is probably the best, really sharp handling and 50hp is not enough to get you into trouble. Both bikes ar on the net.

[hsvLS1255]

i am going through this same dilema, am going for my Ls in late july and trying to decide what to get as a started bike. now i am completely new to biking so its abit daunting...

alot of people have said the suzuki gs500 is a good learner bike,, handle well, cheap ti run, very forgiving and been around for donkeys years so is proven.

the hyosung gt650 or whatever gets mixed reviews....but the advantage is you can turn it into a full 650cc.

the ducati, well its a ducati...always had a soft spot for the...here is a nice ducati 620...even has the termi high pipes on it, low ks... seems like a good deal actually. and when u r legal u can just derestrict it and it is a full 620cc bike.

http://www.bikesales.com.au/as/search/sd.do?recIndex=3&makeID=21&page=0&keywords=620&y=21&selectedModelIndex=0&state=2&selectedMakeIndex=20&previousResultPerPage=20&currentPage=1&x=43

To Satansfist...
with regards to servicing costs for ducs everyone says be prepared to pay an arm and a leg... since u have had several what are the servicing costs like, can you give any indications??

[DaveHAT]

Is that because they test them in ADR restricted form?

I'm not exactly sure but even in ADR restricted form I reckon a KTM525 would scare the bejesus out of most learners.

[TT355CIVSSS]

My main worry is going manual, I learnt on a manual car but that was ages ago. There are no courses people can do to learn? I like the Ducati alot, but ppl keep telling me exy to service and allways have gremlins..

[Devil CV8]

The GPX250R kawasaki aren't a bad bike, $6990 ride away at worst, just don't lay it down at 80km/h as there is a very good chance it'll be a write off. Now to await the insurance payout and get another.

[Satansfist]

... I like the Ducati alot, but ppl keep telling me exy to service and allways have gremlins..

*sigh* Have a look at this it addresses all the concerns you are having about Ducatis:

http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=22188&highlight=concerned+member

As it says, like all things you only here about the problems, people who are happy about their bikes don't go out of their way to praise them on a forum or tell all their mates.

As I said before, 4 Ducatis, one from 1976, one from 1982, one from 1999 and my current one is a 2002 model and NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM! Even from the notorious 70's bikes.

I have no doubt the comments you get about gremlins and maintenance are from non owners, Ducatis are specialised machines and as such demand a level of committment from the owner, it's what makes them special.

If you want a Ducati, if you dream of owning a Ducati, at least get a ride on one, you won't be disappointed.

[lee ls1]

Based on the list provided you should give some serious thought to these:

http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/roadbikes.html

esp this one:

http://www.hyosungmotors.com.au/GT250R.jpg

The GT250R

For a learner these are an awesome value entry level bike that looks the shit and comes with a damn good warranty.

For $7500 ride away the GT250R is a comfortably big bike and they go pretty well for what you pay.

Being a learner, don't get hung up on names and the need to have a Ducati etc etc, sure they're the shit as far as bikes go but if you drop it or fall off (which as a learner is pretty likely) it will cost you a shit tin to replace the broken parts.

Focus on warrranty and good after sales service as proprities.

I can't believe the KTM525EXC is classified as "learner legal" :shock:

I've been riding for years and the last one of these I rode scared 4 consecutive shits out of me and took 5 years off my life. Not a motorcycle to be treated lightly.

http://www.ktm.com.au/files/bikeimage.php?i=809&w=800

i ride a 2006 ktm 525 exc on my L's is a bit of a animal, got my P test in 2moro on it. but your right i moved from the UK where you can only have a 50cc for your first bike so when i got a 525exc ktm with L's on it, my mates in the UK thought i was taking the pi*s.
but i have been into the the local RTA and been on the web site and even pulled by the cops (just a random stop) and everyone said it was OK on the L's (in NSW)

[leadfoot]

go buy a second hand tt250,xt250 xr250,dr250,virago250,ect you should pick them up cheap,and when u drop them usally easy to fix..not enough power to be realy dangerous(ps all bikes are dangerous)learn in the bush first..get used to a bike b4 going on the road:smilesandbanana:

[fz1 madman]

personally i would go buy a heap of shit for your first bike as when u get off ure p's which will seem like tomorrow you will want a bigger bike. as you would know the money you will loose on a new bike just doesnt seem worth it! i bought a gpx 250 for $2000 and thrashed it around, lowsided it twice and still sold it for the same price i paid for it. i now have a 1000cc and it is getting to the point that even the fz1 isnt even fast enough anymore. what im trying to say is im always looking at other bikes and wanting a different one each year .personally i would never buy a new bike unless it is something i knew i would keep for ever. after you get your l's go test ride a few and make ure decision then.

[VB2VT]

i would agree with fz1 madman dont waste your money on your first bike,buy something cheap and reliable like a honda cb.i started on an FZR250 wich was given to me by my brother and it served me well for the first 10mths of riding,except for a few trips to the mechanics.i went straight on to the 98 r1 with 2 mths to go,its a bit scary at first,but always fun.

[TT355CIVSSS]

I might just get a cheap kawasaki GPX250.. Then save for a Hayabusa when i get unrestricted liscense? Does anyone on the forum own one? Can anyone tell me anything about them?

[Makybe05]

What model are the 250cc all purpose bikes for Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki?

[Devil CV8]

I might just get a cheap kawasaki GPX250.. Then save for a Hayabusa when i get unrestricted liscense? Does anyone on the forum own one? Can anyone tell me anything about them?
I own one which my son had an incident on last week. As soon as the insurance comes through I'll be getting another. They are a very easy bike to ride and by all accounts top out at 170-180km/h (about how fast my hand moved to clip son around ear when he told me) so are very capable of keeping up with highway traffic. Very good on fuel and there are reports of over 400km on a tank (18L tank) although 350 is a safe bet.

[paul05]

I might just get a cheap kawasaki GPX250.. Then save for a Hayabusa when i get unrestricted liscense? Does anyone on the forum own one? Can anyone tell me anything about them?
two of the guys i ride with have busa's ,wow great bikes but heavy around the twisties compared to mine anyway.good strong engine but try and get one that has'nt been moded,they have a tendancy to chip small pieces of pistons under high revs.but so can any bike i spose.good idea to stay away from the duc's if money is not in abundance.
service costs are high and to repair is horrendous,we ride in a small group of riders once a month and there are duc's in our group,they seem happy with reliability but complain about the price of parts and labour costs.

[BLKVYSS]

I was talking to a mate the other day who is heavily into motorcycles.. and he was saying that the laws might be changing soonish.. to more of a combined weight instead of power restriction..

Ie. someone who weight's 65-70kg can ride a bigger (and more powerful) bike to compensate for strong winds.. as a lighter rider on a small bike can be tossed around more..

and a heavier person is restriced to a lighter/smaller bike for the same reason..

I'd check with your local road and traffic authority to see if it will change in your area..

Like for Example.. I weight 68kg.. so Theoritically from what I've been told.. I would be allowed to ride a 600cc on my L's.. as combined weight of bike and rider would prove safer in strong wind situations than if I was on a 250..

Dunno.. Check it out?

[VB2VT]

I own one which my son had an incident on last week. As soon as the insurance comes through I'll be getting another. They are a very easy bike to ride and by all accounts top out at 170-180km/h (about how fast my hand moved to clip son around ear when he told me) so are very capable of keeping up with highway traffic. Very good on fuel and there are reports of over 400km on a tank (18L tank) although 350 is a safe bet.

it must have been a very steep hill to get 170-180km/h.it would be a good bike for a learner

[Devil CV8]

it must have been a very steep hill to get 170-180km/h.it would be a good bike for a learner
official top speed is somewhere in the 160 range for the GPX250R..

[Gteeez]

Just get something at the cheaper end of the scale that is easy to learn on. From the sounds of it, you've never really ridden bikes. Sorry, but for someone in your position(having not ridden), you simply can't beat dirt bike experience. You can't slide the front and back tyres around on the road and live, in the bush you can. If you don't mind the image thing, go the trail bike set up for road use. You'll have two bikes in one with a second set of wheels. When you drop it, becasue it will happen, bugger all repair bill.

If your heart is set on a road bike, something like a Honda 250 Spada or other fairing-less bike. They hold their value and again, low repair bill if it falls over. But please don't be another statistic and jump on a 300kph+ bike (busibike) before you are an experienced rider. You'll never ride the thing properly and keep cracking the sh1ts everytime some chick on a 400 leaves you for dead each time you hit a corner. Riding isn't about power, it's about holding corner speed. Once you can do that, bring on the power!

[Mozzie]

I've ridden heaps of different bikes over the years and if you want a super forgiving easy to ride 250 that you can keep for a little while, look at the bandits. They are reliable, cheap as to maintain and generally won't hassle you. I'm not 100% on your laws down there as far as LAMs is concerned.

Some people have also said go a dirt squirter. The benefit in this is as has been said, is that you have a dual purpose bike and if you get something like an xr250 honda, the engine has been around since 84 and hasn't really changed that much. Cheap as to maintain and run and cheap to buy. Plus the added benefit of that if you drop it, not gonna hurt much and the bars are generally wide enough to stop most bad falls. Tires are cheap, parts are readily available and cheap and as long as you give her fresh oil now and then you can thrash it to your hearts content to learn on it.

The other thing is, what is your budget?.. and have you looked and budgeted for the ongoing costs of ownership and gear?.. you can't just buy a bike and then expect it to just run. You have costs like servicing, oils, chain lube, chains and sprockets, brake pads etc etc which, while some are a little bit longer over time than others, will still need to be accounted for in your plan for a bike. Then you have your riding gear which you will want to spend a decent amount of cash on, especially your helmet. We have a saying that is "cheap helmet for a cheap head". Get yourself a good helmet, gloves, jacket and boots and if you can afford it at least a set of draggin jeans that have kevlar woven into them.

Also, if you are not confident yet, or just starting. Don't buy a bike just yet. Consult a learn to ride school and use their bike which will most likely have crash bars on it so if you drop it it doesn't really matter, and they will teach you all the fundamentals. And i also know where you are coming from with the manual gear thing. When i first started learning i thought i could never use my hand for the clutch and my foot for the shifter.. didn't make sense and felt backwards. About 15mins of doin it and i had it down pat and i learnt on a honda cb250.

Just take your time, consider all your options and remember to keep the rubber side down. I'll hold back no words now, its dangerous but, if you keep your head and learn properly and don't ride like an arrogant tool, you'll live to ride another day and enjoy the hell outta it like the rest of us.

[B-rad GTO]

Get the cbr bro good resale my first bike was one paid $5.000 had it 4 2 years & sold it 4 $5300.

[Fezz]

Get a motard, best fun to ride. :smilesandbanana:

[Nawdy]

Just get something at the cheaper end of the scale that is easy to learn on. From the sounds of it, you've never really ridden bikes. Sorry, but for someone in your position(having not ridden), you simply can't beat dirt bike experience. You can't slide the front and back tyres around on the road and live, in the bush you can. If you don't mind the image thing, go the trail bike set up for road use. You'll have two bikes in one with a second set of wheels. When you drop it, becasue it will happen, bugger all repair bill.

If your heart is set on a road bike, something like a Honda 250 Spada or other fairing-less bike. They hold their value and again, low repair bill if it falls over. But please don't be another statistic and jump on a 300kph+ bike (busibike) before you are an experienced rider. You'll never ride the thing properly and keep cracking the sh1ts everytime some chick on a 400 leaves you for dead each time you hit a corner. Riding isn't about power, it's about holding corner speed. Once you can do that, bring on the power!


I've ridden heaps of different bikes over the years and if you want a super forgiving easy to ride 250 that you can keep for a little while, look at the bandits. They are reliable, cheap as to maintain and generally won't hassle you. I'm not 100% on your laws down there as far as LAMs is concerned.

Some people have also said go a dirt squirter. The benefit in this is as has been said, is that you have a dual purpose bike and if you get something like an xr250 honda, the engine has been around since 84 and hasn't really changed that much. Cheap as to maintain and run and cheap to buy. Plus the added benefit of that if you drop it, not gonna hurt much and the bars are generally wide enough to stop most bad falls. Tires are cheap, parts are readily available and cheap and as long as you give her fresh oil now and then you can thrash it to your hearts content to learn on it.

The other thing is, what is your budget?.. and have you looked and budgeted for the ongoing costs of ownership and gear?.. you can't just buy a bike and then expect it to just run. You have costs like servicing, oils, chain lube, chains and sprockets, brake pads etc etc which, while some are a little bit longer over time than others, will still need to be accounted for in your plan for a bike. Then you have your riding gear which you will want to spend a decent amount of cash on, especially your helmet. We have a saying that is "cheap helmet for a cheap head". Get yourself a good helmet, gloves, jacket and boots and if you can afford it at least a set of draggin jeans that have kevlar woven into them.

Also, if you are not confident yet, or just starting. Don't buy a bike just yet. Consult a learn to ride school and use their bike which will most likely have crash bars on it so if you drop it it doesn't really matter, and they will teach you all the fundamentals. And i also know where you are coming from with the manual gear thing. When i first started learning i thought i could never use my hand for the clutch and my foot for the shifter.. didn't make sense and felt backwards. About 15mins of doin it and i had it down pat and i learnt on a honda cb250.

Just take your time, consider all your options and remember to keep the rubber side down. I'll hold back no words now, its dangerous but, if you keep your head and learn properly and don't ride like an arrogant tool, you'll live to ride another day and enjoy the hell outta it like the rest of us.

These two gentlemen know what they are talking about (I'm not saying the others don't, it's just that what they advise makes real sense). And before looking for bikes, you need to get your licence, and discover if riding bikes is what you really want.

My suggestion is get something like an XR250 first for the reasons already mentioned; it will also give you a chance to do a bit of dirt riding. The logic behind this is you will learn what it feels like to

* have the bike moving around beneath you
* control the bike in a slide
* how to deal with wheelspinning
* and it will sharpen your reflexes

All this will help with riding on the road, and keeping safe, if something like this does happen to you (and it will). And on top of it all, it's huge fun!!! And look at what most of the top motorcycle racers of today do as a part of training regime - ride dirtbikes for these very reasons.

And I practice what I preach - I have an RM250 for these very reasons, and I ride a CBR1100XX on the road every day.

One other consideration - bikes can be written off just due to fairing damage.... drop a bike with a fairing, and expect to pay for repairs.

Unless you have lots of riding experience, I would recommend you stay away from 'Busa's, GSX-R1000's, R1's and the like - they look schmick, and offer awesome performance, but can also be a fast lane to an early grave for the unwary.

[mr.D]

im going for my L's soon, hopefully...

what do u guys think of cruisers, i always liked them and what they stand for, im not geetin the bike for the rush or speed or fast corners

can u guys recommend any for $4K ish? reasons not to get a cruiser?

im new to this so dont know much about the bikes

cheers

[Gen-erous]

I spent my L-time on a CBR250RR Mini Blade, but only because I wanted something fully-faired... and this was back in the days of the 250cc restriction (think Vic has changed to pwr/wght also now?).

The Duke is a great bike, but I've heard that servicing can get pricey.

If i had to do it all over again, I'd get somethinf like the KTM ... you can just do anything on a registered dirty.

GE.

[Gteeez]

im going for my L's soon, hopefully...

what do u guys think of cruisers, i always liked them and what they stand for, im not geetin the bike for the rush or speed or fast corners

can u guys recommend any for $4K ish? reasons not to get a cruiser?

im new to this so dont know much about the bikes

cheers

Mr D. The problem with learning on a cruiser is that you won't pick up the skills that may later save your life. They don't counter steer very well ie fast change of direction to aviod impact with solid objects and their brakes are less than inspiring with lots of suspension travel and weight over the back wheel. Sure they feel comfy, that's because they have a very low centre of gravity as your arse is close to the ground. As far as a good bike to learn on, pick any of the 250's you've probably read about here. Just find one you like, you'll only be riding it for a couple of years anyway.

If you think you want a Harley once you know how to ride, then get one! Their owners are passionate and love them, must be a reason why even if I don't 'get it'. But their are some very good Japanese bikes good for cruising, Honda Blackbird comes to mind. Will do a hell of a lot more than cruise to. Generally speaking, a bike with a bit of a sporting tilt will far out perform classic cruisers the likes of Harleys and other chrome shod thunder pigs. But it's your money and your choice, so just look around at what you like. Just don't think you'll learn how to ride on one of these things, you'll learn how to be a menace, that's about all.

[Nawdy]

im going for my L's soon, hopefully...

what do u guys think of cruisers, i always liked them and what they stand for, im not geetin the bike for the rush or speed or fast corners

can u guys recommend any for $4K ish? reasons not to get a cruiser?

im new to this so dont know much about the bikes

cheers

Most 'L'-platers I have known who have bought a 250 Harley clone have regretted buying them after a few months. While they sparkle and shine, and look very Harley-esque they are pretty much about showboating and not much else.

The dynamics of these bikes aren't very conducive for people who are learning, and there are quite a few 250's on the market that are very capable motorcycles and perfect to learn skills with.

If you are looking for a V-Twin and no fairing, I would suggest a Honda VTR 250 - they sound horn with a pipe, go and handle quite well, and have bit of a Ducati look about them.

[mr.D]

thanks for the advice fellas, it makes sense,
i do like that vtr honda nawdy, cheers

[bytemaxnmann]

A learners bike is for Learning, so keep yourself out of trouble and be sensible about buying something that you can ride safely. We want you to ride, & live to ride again. get something modest that won't kill you from inexperience/exuberance/testosterone overdose. Forget the economic losses of a resale of a 250, enjoy learning to ride, and ride well, not just tear-arseing around. BTW Always ride sober, without illegal drugs, it helps a lot. If on prescription meds, inform police and get official permission to ride whilst medicated-it will save much heartache later- your mother's if not yours. And learn to obey speed limits-they aren't jokes, they're there to protect people from each other, and themselves.

[KeenGolfer]

Does anyone else have any opinions on the Suzuki GS500 or GS500F? They are learner legal in ACT/NSW. My thoughts are it will take longer to outgrow a 500 than a 250 so should do me for at least a couple of years while I'm learning.

http://www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/modeldetail.php?intBikeID=230
http://www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/modeldetail.php?intBikeID=229

They have a 20 litre tank, what economy do these bikes get? How far will 20l take you?