Learning to ride a motorbike

[Baj]

only just seen this....

 

get the SV! totally fantastic bike, easiest thing to ride ever.

I think even the experienced riders would disagree with that statement, as would I.

[swannymere]

I think even the experienced riders would disagree with that statement, as would I.

 

Get back in your box :smt117

[keithd]

I think even the experienced riders would disagree with that statement, as would I.

 

ok, maybe a very sweeping statement. but as a first "Big" bike i'm sure you SV ticks all the right boxes. its got grunt, it looks pretty good, its affordable, nimble and easy to ride. you dont have the rag the ar$e out of it to get it moving, anything over 3-3 1/2 thousand revs and it moves

 

plus if you change the can like i have it sounds bloody lovely!!

[swannymere]

ok, maybe a very sweeping statement. but as a first "Big" bike i'm sure you SV ticks all the right boxes. its got grunt, it looks pretty good, its affordable, nimble and easy to ride. you dont have the rag the ar$e out of it to get it moving, anything over 3-3 1/2 thousand revs and it moves

 

plus if you change the can like i have it sounds bloody lovely!!

 

Baj doesn't like the fact that you have to think and ride at the same time ;-)

[St Landrew]

While reading those comments on the SV650, I've actually just thought of the perfect starter bike without breaking the bank. The Honda NTV650. Totally bullet proof, inline V-twin with bags of grunt for the beginner, and because they were so popular, of the type I'm talking about, and are now Hondas middleweight full tourer with panniers, the spares are plentiful. There's plenty of secondhand examples around now, and they are cheapish, although selling owners know full well how good they are. Because they are so well made they hang together nicely too. Here's a pic of a typical one from the era. If you do decide that they might be worth looking at, I wouldn't go for the Deauville/full pannier type, as these are largely made out of Japan, and the build quality suffers. Fear not though, as there are plenty of the older ones around [1994-2000], looking bright and cared for, and they'll be cheaper anyway. They handle well, are economical, have good peformance and will cruise at 70-80 all day. Basically they are entirely fuss free motoring, and the engine is extremely long lived. What more would a beginner want..? If I didn't own my VFR, I would have been happy to have toured one of these for the summer and beyond. They look nicer in red IMO. Don't confuse it with the earlier, almost identical 600 Revere, as they are not quite so good.

 

[swannymere]

Were you a courier in a previous life?

[St Landrew]

No, but I know what you mean. The CX500 was the original Honda courier bike, but now sadly, they are a bit long in the tooth for anyone but an enthusiast to contemplate, although there are plenty of examples. The NTV650 was the courier bike of the 90s, and there are loads of them still going around. As a confirmation of reliability and... well livebility, what better praise than the almost universal opinion of the bike courier.

[Saint in Paradise]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7cf_1193279514 :(

[Baj]

Completely avoidable had he been travelling at a sensible speed, its not like the truck pulled out quickly, the fact that he hit the rear of it despite it turning slowly says he either wasnt paying attention or was doing a VERY VERY excessive speed that he couldnt slow down.