Support NeoGAF

[Dougald]

The only reason not to get a litre sportbike... is the insurance!

Same reason I can afford a used Triumph Rocket III but won't be buying one

Oh, speaking of my GS500, I'm coming up on my first 10k miles put on it. It's been a super fun time and I'm looking forward to thousands more.

It's such a great bike. Handles brilliantly and bulletproof

 

[maxheadwound]

The only reason not to get a litre sportbike... is the insurance!

Same reason I can afford a used Triumph Rocket III but won't be buying one




It's such a great bike. Handles brilliantly and bulletproof

Very true that bike it bulletproof... most of the delivery guys use them in London.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yup as bad as it is to have to pay for gas and the (rather high due to added taxes) upfront price of bikes and cars in the Netherlands, I take some comfort in the fact knowing that the cost of insurance in Britain is even worse. At least, I think it is.

The Monster is about 50 euro's a month (all risk) and I've got the Buells insured for 20 each (just 'liability' and theft - not all risk).

 

[RapidCancel]

How much is insurance there for a liter bike in europe?

Here in the states I pay $65/month for liability and theft coverage for my zx10. Any full coverage for bikes is pretty insanely priced.

 

[Dougald]

Well lets say....

For comprehensive cover, I got a quote last year for a 2002 VFR800 and it was £700GBP a year.. on a bike worth under £3000. Now, if you aren't keeping it in the garage and want to modify it... Bear in mind as well that UK insurers consider everything down to heated bloody grips as a "modification"


Now I'm over 25 it has come down a lot. I pay £150/yr comprehensive on my Bonneville, but that's a really cheap bike to insure, I keep it in a garage, I'm not allowed to use it for commuting, and it covers virtually no miles. When I first got it it was £550 for the year. I pay £150 for the Fazer, but that's 3rd party only, though it does include commuting. They really price gouge you here though, especially if you're young. The yearly insurance on my first car was twice its value.

 

[maxheadwound]

Here in the UK its age based and the no claims does help. I was getting charged between 400 to 600 pounds for car or bike insurance the first 2 years I have been in the UK and now its nice and low. Two cars is around 260 pounds full comp cover per car and 170 pounds for the bike. I am 37 and my milage is low as I found that also makes a big difference. This is per year as I don't like doing monthly.

 

[Nander]

Well lets say....

For comprehensive cover, I got a quote last year for a 2002 VFR800 and it was £700GBP a year.. on a bike worth under £3000. Now, if you aren't keeping it in the garage and want to modify it... Bear in mind as well that UK insurers consider everything down to heated bloody grips as a "modification"

Just for fun, I checked to see what a full/comprehensive insurance would be for me, here in Sweden, for a 2002 VFR800 (I tried it with this one).

It came out at 24600 SEK per year. That's £2200 GBP or $3790 USD! The high price is partly because I'm 23, have only had my motorcycle license for less than 3 years and live in Stockholm (the capital). But still, motorcycle insurance is crazy expensive here.

Thankfully, my motorcycles are both more than 20 years old (from 1987 and 1969) and are thus classified as 'classic motorcycles'. Which is why I only pay a flat 1500 SEK/year (£130/$230) for the SRX600 and barely nothing at all for my Lambretta DL125.

 

[RapidCancel]

Full coverage for any motorcycle is generally going to be pretty expensive. My first motorcycle I paid $120 USD a year just for liability. I can imagine my insurance jumping to those insane prices if I were to get full coverage on my zx10, even if I'm almost 30 now.

Dougald: Do you still have to get insurance even if you don't use the bike anymore? Why are you not allowed to commute on the Bonneville?

 

[gunther]

Thanks guys for the tips, I live in chile, there are some courses but is mostly classroom and not so much field training so I'm not very interested in them. I have some friends that are pushing me into buying a bike, ironically I was the one to push them into buying a bike in the first place. I love bikes since forever, guys look at chiks on the street I look bikes, thay catch my atention it is something that invites me.
Anyway my friend is the owner of the ninja 300 that I use on the weekend from time to time. Mostly on street roads and big avenues. Still a noob though I dont think that I have more than 10 hours total of riding.
I think I'll go for a 500cc bike, learning on the 300 has been pretty natural so far and I will want more in a short time. No money thought bu soon....


I'm so looking forward into joining this fine group of men .

Also safety first, fun after that.

 

[Fixed1979]

So looks like I'll be riding a bit more for awhile...got rear ended on the way home today from work. Thankfully it's starting to warm up again although it's still cold in the mornings. I had a trip planned for this weekend and again at the end of the month, that'll be postponed now.

 

[Gritesh]

Alberta plate? Sucks you got rammed from behind.

Imagine if you were on your bike :0


More and more I'm thinking of selling my street bike and going dirt only.

 

[opticalmace]

Sucks about the accident. At least you weren't on the bike though.

Unrelated note, is it wrong to desire like 10 different motorcycles at once? I want a dual sport... and a street naked... and a sport tourer... and a dirt bike.. and a... lol

 

[Dougald]

Dougald: Do you still have to get insurance even if you don't use the bike anymore? Why are you not allowed to commute on the Bonneville?

In the UK all vehicles must now be insured, unless you have filed an off-road notification with the government. The law used to be that it only had to be insured if you drove it, even if it wasn't filed as off the road, but the law changed a few years ago to clamp down on uninsured drivers. In practice that means it's not worth insuring the bike only for the season, as otherwise you need to file a SORN and cancel your insurance in the winter, then un-SORN, tax and ride it in the spring.

I can't commute on the Bonneville because it adds about 20% to the premium cost, and as I work from home and visit the office maybe 3-5 times a year, I decided it wasn't worth the cash. When I went to the office every day, I used to ride in all summer long...

 

[maxheadwound]

So looks like I'll be riding a bit more for awhile...got rear ended on the way home today from work. Thankfully it's starting to warm up again although it's still cold in the mornings. I had a trip planned for this weekend and again at the end of the month, that'll be postponed now.

damn man that is bad luck... I had a a lady open her door on my new (old model) car and it took a bit of the paint off. Man that just pisses me off.

 

[senahorse]

Went for a small adventure ride a couple of weeks ago. I spent some time mapping out a nice ride that was primarily off-road and hit the hard stuff when there was no choice. I mapped out a route that would see us pass through bush, forest, dirt roads, single tracks, creek crossings, a bit of everything really. This is the longest ride (off-road) we have been on so was a good test, not only for the bikes, but for our endurance. Day 1 had us ride around 290km's (180 miles) and Day 2 was a tad shorter at 260km's (160 miles).

We had a lot of new things installed for testing such as, gps hard wired, usb power, tank and saddle bags, new pegs, new helmet (got myself an Arai XD-4 for the occasion), communications in the form of the Sena SMH10 more testing has to be done with these, but they are simply amazing, after a bit of fiddling to get the mics adjusted they were great for talking to each other, listening to music and being notified about directions and waypoints from the GPS. At highway speeds (110km/68mile) they were a little troublesome, but due more to the crosswind/helmet noise then anything else.

I got about 8 hours of gopro footage but haven't had time to upload anything yet. I will have to make a compilation video of the mountains, creeks and tracks we went through, all the cattle we had to drive around and kangaroo's we had to dodge . Anyway here are a few actual phone pics I took along the way:

All in all we had a blast, and am planning another 2 day trip for June, can't wait

 

[Watevaman]

In the bicycle thread, they occasionally post pictures when they go on a nice ride or find a nice view. I'm thinking we should start doing that. Doesn't even have to be a particularly pretty place, just show us where you rode your motorcycle today!

I'll start off with a farewell photo I took of the area around my college. I was off to go on a nice mountain road with sweepers when I swear I heard my bike making a noise. I turned off onto a road I saw and instead of turning around, I decided to go on forward and see where this road led. Well it was definitely a beautiful road to ride on, and it paralleled this creek/river the whole way until it hit another road that I ended up being familiar with.

 

[Dougald]

Great idea Watevaman, looks beautiful.

I have a few scenic single-lane backroads that I like to run down on the Bonneville, next time it's sunny I'll try and get some shots of the British countryside for you guys. There's nothing like chugging along tiny backroads in the countryside on a parallel Twin...



^x3n05, where are you, Australia? That looks *awesome*

 

[maxheadwound]

Went for a small adventure ride a couple of weeks ago. I spent some time mapping out a nice ride that was primarily off-road and hit the hard stuff when there was no choice. I mapped out a route that would see us pass through bush, forest, dirt roads, single tracks, creek crossings, a bit of everything really. This is the longest ride (off-road) we have been on so was a good test, not only for the bikes, but for our endurance. Day 1 had us ride around 290km's (180 miles) and Day 2 was a tad shorter at 260km's (160 miles).

We had a lot of new things installed for testing such as, gps hard wired, usb power, tank and saddle bags, new pegs, new helmet (got myself an Arai XD-4 for the occasion), communications in the form of the Sena SMH10 more testing has to be done with these, but they are simply amazing, after a bit of fiddling to get the mics adjusted they were great for talking to each other, listening to music and being notified about directions and waypoints from the GPS. At highway speeds (110km/68mile) they were a little troublesome, but due more to the crosswind/helmet noise then anything else.

I got about 8 hours of gopro footage but haven't had time to upload anything yet. I will have to make a compilation video of the mountains, creeks and tracks we went through, all the cattle we had to drive around and kangaroo's we had to dodge . Anyway here are a few actual phone pics I took along the way:


All in all we had a blast, and am planning another 2 day trip for June, can't wait

Thanks for sharing the photos mate it does look awesome.

 

[Fixed1979]

Went for a small adventure ride a couple of weeks ago. I spent some time mapping out a nice ride that was primarily off-road and hit the hard stuff when there was no choice. I mapped out a route that would see us pass through bush, forest, dirt roads, single tracks, creek crossings, a bit of everything really. This is the longest ride (off-road) we have been on so was a good test, not only for the bikes, but for our endurance. Day 1 had us ride around 290km's (180 miles) and Day 2 was a tad shorter at 260km's (160 miles).

We had a lot of new things installed for testing such as, gps hard wired, usb power, tank and saddle bags, new pegs, new helmet (got myself an Arai XD-4 for the occasion), communications in the form of the Sena SMH10 more testing has to be done with these, but they are simply amazing, after a bit of fiddling to get the mics adjusted they were great for talking to each other, listening to music and being notified about directions and waypoints from the GPS. At highway speeds (110km/68mile) they were a little troublesome, but due more to the crosswind/helmet noise then anything else.

I got about 8 hours of gopro footage but haven't had time to upload anything yet. I will have to make a compilation video of the mountains, creeks and tracks we went through, all the cattle we had to drive around and kangaroo's we had to dodge . Anyway here are a few actual phone pics I took along the way:


All in all we had a blast, and am planning another 2 day trip for June, can't wait

In the bicycle thread, they occasionally post pictures when they go on a nice ride or find a nice view. I'm thinking we should start doing that. Doesn't even have to be a particularly pretty place, just show us where you rode your motorcycle today!

I'll start off with a farewell photo I took of the area around my college. I was off to go on a nice mountain road with sweepers when I swear I heard my bike making a noise. I turned off onto a road I saw and instead of turning around, I decided to go on forward and see where this road led. Well it was definitely a beautiful road to ride on, and it paralleled this creek/river the whole way until it hit another road that I ended up being familiar with.

Some great shots...keep'em coming! I'll post some when I can, roads and scenery is pretty limited where I am so at least I can live vicariously through everyone else.

damn man that is bad luck... I had a a lady open her door on my new (old model) car and it took a bit of the paint off. Man that just pisses me off.

Yeah I got out of the car pretty hot, but it didn't last long...shit happens I guess. I'm more pissed knowing what a pain in the ass it's going to be to deal with to get it fixed. The guy asked if we should report it and I told him "yes, you have 48 hours", and he said "yeah, it's probably over $1,000"...no fucking shit. Not that it matters as he rear ended me so complete fault lies with him but he was also wearing a cast on his right leg and admitted to "looking down" at the time.

 

[RapidCancel]

In the UK all vehicles must now be insured, unless you have filed an off-road notification with the government. The law used to be that it only had to be insured if you drove it, even if it wasn't filed as off the road, but the law changed a few years ago to clamp down on uninsured drivers. In practice that means it's not worth insuring the bike only for the season, as otherwise you need to file a SORN and cancel your insurance in the winter, then un-SORN, tax and ride it in the spring.

I can't commute on the Bonneville because it adds about 20% to the premium cost, and as I work from home and visit the office maybe 3-5 times a year, I decided it wasn't worth the cash. When I went to the office every day, I used to ride in all summer long...

Wow, that's kind of ridiculous. We only have to insure it here if we plan to take it on the road. My track bike and one of the cars I haven't driven in a while have both been uninsured for a few years now.

In the bicycle thread, they occasionally post pictures when they go on a nice ride or find a nice view. I'm thinking we should start doing that. Doesn't even have to be a particularly pretty place, just show us where you rode your motorcycle today!

That's a great idea, I'll be sure to snap some shots when I'm out next time.

 

[Dougald]

Wow, that's kind of ridiculous. We only have to insure it here if we plan to take it on the road. My track bike and one of the cars I haven't driven in a while have both been uninsured for a few years now.

In practice if you had a track bike you'd just declare it off-road anyway so you didn't have to pay road tax. We have to pay a flat fee based on engine size (for bikes) or emissions (for cars) per year, or declare it as off the road. But you have to renew it every year, and if you forget... bam you get fined for not having insurance or road tax, whereas before you could just tax it for the year and only insure it for the months you're using it.


Just had someone come look at the Fazer, hopefully he'll be back for a test ride (and he wants to bring his mechanic friend.. ugh... luckily I know the bike is solid). Dude already has 2 classic bikes, including a T140 Bonneville, but needs something for a European tour

 

[Gritesh]

Unrelated note, is it wrong to desire like 10 different motorcycles at once? I want a dual sport... and a street naked... and a sport tourer... and a dirt bike.. and a... lol

I don't think so I have my Ducati monster and I'm jonesing hard for a dirt bike right now, I have to convince the wife to let me get one but I want one bad!!

 

[RapidCancel]

^ Same boat here. I have a track/race bike, a street bike and I want a supermoto and cafe racer too right now. Just don't really have the funds to get all of that.

In practice if you had a track bike you'd just declare it off-road anyway so you didn't have to pay road tax. We have to pay a flat fee based on engine size (for bikes) or emissions (for cars) per year, or declare it as off the road. But you have to renew it every year, and if you forget... bam you get fined for not having insurance or road tax, whereas before you could just tax it for the year and only insure it for the months you're using it.

That sounds like a huge hassle/headache. For us, we don't even have to do registration or emissions if its not being driven on the road. The only time you'll ever get fined for it being out of date is if you get caught while on the road.

Hell, the bike I do take on the road has expired registration over a year (I paid it and they never sent me a new sticker) and emissions (keep forgetting to renew it) and I haven't had any issues lol :knock on wood:

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah I got out of the car pretty hot, but it didn't last long...shit happens I guess. I'm more pissed knowing what a pain in the ass it's going to be to deal with to get it fixed. The guy asked if we should report it and I told him "yes, you have 48 hours", and he said "yeah, it's probably over $1,000"...no fucking shit. Not that it matters as he rear ended me so complete fault lies with him but he was also wearing a cast on his right leg and admitted to "looking down" at the time.

tbh, that looks like a whole lot more than a $1.000

 

[daw840]

tbh, that looks like a whole lot more than a $1.000

Especially for a Merc.

 

[Fixed1979]

tbh, that looks like a whole lot more than a $1.000

Oh I knew it was going to be more, I just replaced my front bumper out of pocket (long stupid story) and that was just under 3k itself. Got a quote done this morning, was ~6.8k CAD and he made a note that there was additional damage that wasn't visible without taking off the bumper, I fully expect it to be close to 8 by the time it's all said and done. Sounds like my preferred shop is booked up for another month so I got quite a wait until this ride is over.


Sun is out here now, but calling for snow again tonight. Can't wait until it's actually riding season and I can safely and comfortably commute...maybe next week.

 

[senahorse]

Some great shots...keep'em coming! I'll post some when I can, roads and scenery is pretty limited where I am so at least I can live vicariously through everyone else.

Thanks for sharing the photos mate it does look awesome.

Great idea Watevaman, looks beautiful.

I have a few scenic single-lane backroads that I like to run down on the Bonneville, next time it's sunny I'll try and get some shots of the British countryside for you guys. There's nothing like chugging along tiny backroads in the countryside on a parallel Twin...



^x3n05, where are you, Australia? That looks *awesome*

Thanks guys, yep this is in Australia, specifically this is between Queensland and New South Wales. Some of the best scenery I didn't take photos of, might be able to get some decent grabs from the gopro footage.

 

[Gritesh]

Wife gave me the nod to pick up a dirt bike so I'm jumping all over that.


Looking for a gently used one now, no need to go brand new for me since it will be my first dirt and I'll probably beat the living he'll out of it.

 

[Jackson]

Please tell me how diferent or harder is the cbr500 vs the ninja 300. The cbr500 is tempting me but maybe is too much.

They're pretty close to each other to be honest. The bottom line I think is that the 300 is a bit more newbie friendly, while the 500 would be more likely to last you a 2nd season if you didn't want to upgrade to a 600+...

CBR500 has more low end torque and is heavier... while the 300 revs to 13.5k and is more agile (smaller front wheel, lighter). My bike doesn't pull till about 7k RPMs, the 500's max rpms is 8k. Top speed, 0-60, qtr mile are all comparable.

I think both are good bikes to start on. I love my 300, but I like his too. The three main reasons I didn't get a 500 is #1 - It's about 2k more new (and I plan on upgrading next season anyway, so why spend the dough?) #2 - with such a weak low end it's easier to make throttle control mistakes (also has a slipper clutch so it helps with downshifting mistakes... and #3 I didn't want to get the exact same bike as him and be lame-o bike buddies.

I think the CBR500 build quality is better, but my ninja looks faster (totally a personal preference.)

You can't go wrong with either to be honest. I do love going to 13.5k RPMs though... so much fun.

 

[Dougald]

Another viewer coming up tonight, travelling quite far (for the UK) so hopefully positive. I hate the stress of buying/selling vehicles

Still in two minds about changing bikes but hopefully will get a day off work next week to go up to Triumph in London and test some triples.. that will set my mind one way or the other!

 

[Fixed1979]

I really wanna sit on the Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07, should be here in Canada next month sometime. MSRP of $7299 CAD.


Headlight is kind of ugly though (and droopy). :lol

Are they still not here? I swear I saw one yesterday...now I'm wondering what that was.

Another viewer coming up tonight, travelling quite far (for the UK) so hopefully positive. I hate the stress of buying/selling vehicles

Still in two minds about changing bikes but hopefully will get a day off work next week to go up to Triumph in London and test some triples.. that will set my mind one way or the other!

It's a complete pain in the ass, but it'll be worth it in the end!

 

[maxheadwound]

Are they still not here? I swear I saw one yesterday...now I'm wondering what that was.



It's a complete pain in the ass, but it'll be worth it in the end!

Agreed....its always a pain to sell something private. Looking forward to hear your feedback after the test drive of the triple

 

[maxheadwound]

Wife gave me the nod to pick up a dirt bike so I'm jumping all over that.


Looking for a gently used one now, no need to go brand new for me since it will be my first dirt and I'll probably beat the living he'll out of it.

What are you looking at bike wise?

 

[Dougald]

Got a firm offer at my (admittedly very fair) asking price, bloke is picking it up tomorrow!

 

[RapidCancel]

Congrats! I might've missed it, but what are you thinking about picking up now?

 

[Dougald]

I've still got a Bonneville and I'm going down to just one bike...

At the moment it's between keeping the Bonneville, or part exchanging it and using the Fazer cash to buy a recent street triple

 

[Gritesh]

What are you looking at bike wise?

2008 or newer 250 four stroke

Prefer Ktm, would consider Yamaha or Kawasaki

 

[senahorse]

Edit: Dp

 

[senahorse]

2008 or newer 250 four stroke

Prefer Ktm, would consider Yamaha or Kawasaki

Road use at all, i.e. Something you can register?

 

[Gritesh]

Nope strictly for track/trail use.

 

[senahorse]

Check out the ktm250exc and Yamaha wr250f

 

[TCRS]

near miss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoWo6wWvBKk

who's at fault here? I have to say the bike rider should have slowed down more and looked properly. but the car driver was also clearly an idiot.

 

[Dougald]

The bike was already well past the give way lines when the car cut across him, I'd say it was pretty clear cut in the bikers favour


Being more careful on the bike wouldn't hurt though, doesn't matter whose fault it is if you end up paralyzed

 

[maxheadwound]

2008 or newer 250 four stroke

Prefer Ktm, would consider Yamaha or Kawasaki

All really good bikes in the end... looking forward to see what you go for

 

[Drinky Crow]

off to the peninsula tomorrow. <plays free bird>

 

[opticalmace]

Nice ride drinky.

On another note, any tips for taking a pillion? I've been watching some YT videos and we did a test run in the parking lot. Felt pretty good but there's a lot of learning to do. Also waiting on the last pieces of her gear.

 

[Stinkles]

off to the peninsula tomorrow. <plays free bird>

Honestly anything over 49cc is a cry for help.

 

[Damaged]

Nice ride drinky.

On another note, any tips for taking a pillion? I've been watching some YT videos and we did a test run in the parking lot. Felt pretty good but there's a lot of learning to do. Also waiting on the last pieces of her gear.

Personally I'd say concentrate on making your riding as smooth as possible, gradual braking and acceleration, leaning into corners gently. This gives your pillon passenger time to react to what's happening and to move appropriately. They don't know exactly what you are going to do so the smoother you are the more relaxed they will be.

Also allow for greater travel in suspension (your front forks will dive more), and reduced braking efficiency. Obvious stuff but it is worth stating.

 

[Dougald]

Good advice Damaged, I'd also add, adjust your suspension if your pillion passenger is a little on the heavier side, and make sure you tell them not to put their feet down when you stop!

2014 Yamaha MT-125. It's absolutely gorgeous for a learner-legal bike!

 

[Fallout-NL]

Finally time to post time pics from the trip last week. Didn't manage to get a great many good bike pictures, but here's what I got:

(yours truly, in the high-vis jacket)

And a small video we took in a corner on a road somewhere between Wiltz and Vianden (Luxemburg). Friend of mine is up first on the Yamaha, then it's me on the Monster:

http://youtu.be/RfsZA2gijSk

off to the peninsula tomorrow. <plays free bird>

Great picture Drinky, good to finally see what you look like and the Z1000 suits you. Very nice.