Advice on next bike :)

[steve-d]

Basically I'm 17 in january, doing my A2 lisence as soon as possible.
I like the sportsbikes, but i would also like to take my gf pillion a lot, i was looking at the generic sports 400's but now being more drawn towards a hornet 600 due to the seat positoning.. Do you think a jump from a 50 to a 600 is a bit much, although it will be 33bhp but still going from 5bhp to 33. I can get insurance tpft for about 450 for a hornet and a bit more for a 400, lisence is about 350, how much would a decent hornet be, or do you think im being completly rediculous going for a 600.
Cheers Steve

[fastbiker25]

Just get the bike that takes your fancy, if its restricted it does'nt really matter. when i passed my test i jumped straight on a GSXR 600, so by trying to be sensible you may find yourself losing money!

while i was learning i bought a bandit 600, and kept it 2 weeks and then traded it in for a Gixxer as i got bored with it....................so i lost £500 in 2 weeks. Get the best bike you can afford.......pillions can go on sportsbikes too!!!

[jason]

No I dont think your being ridiculous considering the hornet, Its probably the more sensible answer all things considered...

but personally id rather have a 400 sports bike than a hornet. Purely on the fun factor. Not ridden a hornet so I might be being a bit unfair but it just strikes me as being a bit to bland and sensible.

also if they both have to be parred down to 33bhp I would have thought that would make the hornet duller than dishwater, where as youd expect a 400 sportsbike to still entertain with 33 horses.

on the downside a vfr4 is not the greatest pillion bike (vast understatement!), uncomfy as hell and your gf better be petite!

Just my opinion, It could well be a false perception, but hey you did ask

[steve-d]

Yea i'm not to bothered about my own confort would happily get a 400, but looking at the pillion seats of sports bike, cant be comfy at all and prob a bit scary for her really. Shes only like 5ft 2 but still, i would like her to enjoy being on the back.
God I hate decisons, what do blandits take restrictions like, if the hornets gonna be boring, bit more torque maybe. Any other bikes that have a comfy/ish pillion seat.
Cheers Steve

[Laura]

Can you and your girlfriend not ride a few and get a feel for them and then make a joint decision on what bike to get?? It may be your money and your bike, but she wont want to go out with you on the bike much if its uncomfortable to ride, and it wont feel great for you either if she's sat there "jiggling" around all the time trying to get comfy.

[steve-d]

Yea thats a good idea but very much doubt it will happen, I doubt someone would let me take a bike for a test ride when iv just done my lisence and am on a 33bhp restriction, stupid lisences suck maybe i shouldnt restrict it 200 quid for some washers bah.

[Tom L]

whatever bike you go for dont have a shop do the restricting, worst £240 quid i ever spendt in my life, without a shadow of doubt just buy a set off ebay for about a tenth of the price, its still legal

inless your planning to do touring with the gf i wouldnt really even take her into consideration lets be honest, she'll be on the back of maybe 5% of the rides you go on, dont compromise your fun. Also being on the back of any bike (except a goldwing) isnt exactly going to be like being in an armchair, they're all pretty much uncomfotable, whether some are marginly worse isnt worth worrying about. If someone is on the back of bike, that should be the reason they are there, not because they want a comfty little sit down.

Hornets are generally considered to be the most sporty of the naked 600's, and after your done with your restrictors because they are running detuned cbr engines, replace the carbs, a few tweaks here and there and you can get somewhere round the 100bhp mark

p.s ive got a set of bandit 400 restrictors kicking around in the shed somewhere (also fit gsxr400s someone said).

[A_T]

Have a look at the 00 - 02 zx6r's, I was pillion on one for a while and found it comfy enough, until I got my own restricted Hornet, don't underestimate the power of a hairnet , owned one for 3 years until I got the zx6r, I don't regret owning a Hornet.

If a sports bike is really what you want go for it.....

[steve-d]

I think the zx6r is a bit out of my price range, iv got 17/1800 for the bike max, being young sucks.
But i would be happy with a hornet from reviews iv read there highly flingable and good fun and i really like being able to see the engine an downpipes. Only thing is the poor tank range on the earlier ones and gearbox probs but cant really afford a newer one.
SRADs out the window as well 700 insurance. On the plus side i can get my fs1e insured for 120 fully comp
wonder if i can take her on that.

[Smiler]

FWIW, don't discount the Hornet as being dull as dishwater. I've had mine for 3 yrs+, its never missed a beat and I still find it entertaining!

Put it like this, say you go get a Hornet (should be a reasonable amt out there for sale?) this gets you riding a "big bike", girlie is reasonably comfy/gets used to being pillion etc ***have a look in Hornetsnest.co.uk if you got any q's***

I think I read somewhere about the restriction kit needing a certificate etc for the plod, tho I may have this wrong as never did the restricted route.

....then, if you really really wanna sports bike, you've more experience on road/on big bike, girlie won't be as nervous to get on the back etc so nothing stopping you and you have a bike thats not going to plummet in value (Hornet)

just my 2p - Hornets are pretty bullet proof, Blandits left me cold when I went trying out 600s, fazers - sorry not for me...

[Ricky_t]

How about the sv650. A very compromised bike but a jack of all trades.

They are cheap to insure, cheap to run, quite quick even restricted as it is quite torquey.

I have been riding for over 2 years now and my two period ends next summer. I rode a 125cc for 6 months before taking my test.

I looked at a hornet when choosing my bike and it is pretty good, i found it a bit pricey to insure and the fuel consumption is quite bad. If I was in the same situation you are in I would get a vfr400 or a cbr400 or an nsr125, I prefer high revvy bikes now after riding a v-twin!

Another option is to get an nsr125r. It doesn't need to be restricted. When you ride a restricted bike it looses some of the fun as you can feel when you are restricted and i don't like that feeling!

The 125cc are really quite nippy and agile and a good intermediate between a 50cc that you can practically lift to a 160kg+ 600cc!

Also, the 50cc could get to 50mph, the 125 to 85mph and the sv can get to around 110mph restricted.

It is quite a big jump from 50mph speeds to over a ton speeds. Don't say that you won't speed as a 125 will get to 70! Everybody says they will be sensible when they are young but they are not! Riding experience only comes with time unless you have been riding on a track for years!

[Ricky_t]

Make sure you get the bike restricted. My insurance company never asked for it or any documents but they stated that any time they could ask for them.

If you crash, the restriction certificate and the evidence of restriction is the first things the crash investigators check for. The penalties are heavy, it is not worth the risk!

[deej]

its not the washers that are expensive but the peice of paper that says its been professionaly installed. my insurers tried to get out of paying 4 the theft of my nc30 on the 33bhp licencse but i had the paperwork to say its been fitted.

any bike can be restricted,i remember years ago that mcn restricted a hayabusa to 33bhp.

bike wise with in your budget i'd choose a nc30/35 or a zxr400 and get it restricted. if your planning on taking the other half on the back for a lot of your riding then i'd go down the bandit/hornet route,all depends on where your planning going and how fast LOL

[TC]

Go for a Gixxer Thou - YKIMS.

Actually, Also consider the Kawasaki ZR-7 - Its similar performance wise to a Bandit 600 and very cheap on the used market. Any of the Hornet, Bandit...etc are all good and they are all going to seem lightning quick to you. I'm sure you'll have fun with any of them. Especially the Gixxer Thou.

[steve-d]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
I have been thinking about what bike i want for a good 4 months now been driving me mad because my 50 bores the hell out of me, its just so frustrating having to thrash it everywhere to keep up with traffic. But tbh what i want is a bike that i can just cruise along on at a few thousand revs.
I may be young but i think i do have good self control, iv rode my sisters bfs suzuki marauder around the block a couple of times and i found it no different to my bike.
I have looked at getting 125's 250's and found none that are apealing. all the sports 125's i really just couldnt see myself riding, and there too small for me. The only 250 iv found i like is the zzr 250 33bhp as standard, but they are quite rare. Then i went to the 400's but recently sat on a vfr 400, and im too big for it, so thats put me off the 400's.
Looking at insurance i can get insured on a hornet for about 450, for a 400 its about 550, so the way i see it is ride it restricted for 2 years then takes the restrictors out, and iv got a new bike for nothing, and yes im defo gonna get it restricted i value my lisence
Sorry for the long post