Hey guys, I'm intending on getting my bike license before the end of the year, I know a fair bit about cars but have no idea about bikes. We'll just say I'm having a quarter life crisis.
Anyway, I know all about licensing and LAMS and it seems the rs125, rvf400 and cbr250 are the ones to go for if I want a 'quick' bike (just by going on info gathered from here + other sites)
However, I'm not necessarily after a "quick" bike, especially for my L's and P's and the bikes I listed seem quite expensive initially and insurance is also quite high.

I was just wondering what is the next tier down form these 3 and what makes/models are more reliable and comfortable to ride. I also don't want to spend too much more than 5k (just for the bike)
I don't mind if it's not particularity fast (I don't want a slug though), but I would prefer something that handles quite well and won't require constant repairs.

Is my request for a bike under 5k reasonable, and are there any bikes that handle well other than the three given ones for the price?

Also what is a high mileage for a bike, I see a lot of people saying 100k as high, unlike a car where 100k is quite reasonable.

If there is anything else I should know, tell me, I am doing as much research as I can before I go and buy a bike? (servicing, things to look for)

any and all replies appreciated, thanks.

Edit: I will be doing a combination of highway and city driving fairly often if this info is relevant to anyones answer.

For a 1st bike stay away from 2strokes imo.

VTR250 Vtwin is a solid bike, good mid range torque, naked so if u do happen to put it down its no big deal, cheap to run, reliable as hell, upright seating position, light and handle well. There are other bikes of course, this is just an example, and since your doing highway id be looking at a 250 at least since the smaller ones tend to struggle @ 120kph. Looking on trading post, $4000 will net a 2002model VTR250 with under 40,000km on it.

100k is high for a bike however like all mechanical things it comes down to how it was looked after. My CBR250RR is approaching the 100k mark and it goes as well (in fact better) then the day it was new. Like cars some bikes are just stonger than others. Think 2jZGTE v 7mGTE.

ok, awesome thanks. I did some research on the VTR and it seems they get some pretty positive reviews. I was also told about these two
suzuki bandit 250 and
kawasaki ninja 250r
They are both light and pretty easy to ride apparantly and fairly robust.
So, am I on the right track in regards to the type of bikes I should be looking at and are there any other ones that I haved missed?

thanks again.

hey mate im in the same position as u. im about to do my bike license and get my first bike. i have been looking at the honda rvf400, they r a very nice bike, also have a look at the cbr250rr they arent bad either, if ur not keen on the older looks of the cbr u can get tyga fearing kits to upgrade the looks of the bike.

hope u find urself i nice first bike mate GL

Click to view attachment

honda cb400, no fairings so cheap to insure, epically reliable, moderate power and it's on the lams list! Possible the best choice of first bike for those that don't want absolute power and handling!

Ryan

Absolutely cannot go past a suzuki gs500. I own one and couldn't be happier with it..They get along very well for a learner bike..very easy to ride, smooth power delivery and about as bulletproof and easy/cheap to maintain as they come..
They come in a fairing model as well as a naked model (i have the naked). You will get a naked one in good condition within your pricerange of $5000 and maybe a faired one if your lucky..just beware fairings are expensive to replace if you drop it..
They also hold their value very well so you would be unlikely to loose much/any money on it when you sell it at the end of your restricted period.

Thanks very much guys, my mate actually has the gs500 and he says they are alright. Seems I have a fair few options then.

edit: How hard are these things to maintain? I do my own work on my car and I'm pretty good with tools, or do bikes require professional servicing and workshops?

These sort of bikes are easy..the gs500 is aircooled and carbied so it requires very little..Keep chain tension adjusted and chain lubed, change oil and filter every now and then which is very easy to do..umm apart from that i guess clean the air filter. there's not much to them..oh maybe check and adjust valves at recomended intervals..i havn't had mine long (put about 1000km on it) so havn't had to do much at all as it was serviced prior to purchase.
More complex fuel injected sportsbikes on the otherhand might be a different story..

Maintenance isn't really much different for a bike compared to a car. Things are a bit closer together because of space constraints, but you can get at it from any angle so it's good and bad. Additional things like the chain require attention, also they run solid lifters so valve adjustments are necessary every now and then. But if you have basic car know how, and can track down a workshop manual for your model there is little you can't manage.

If you're going to do some highway riding, I'd be looking for at least a 250cc twin. There are a few single cylinder bikes, but they really struggle at higher speeds. Another good all rounder commuter bike is the GPX/ZZR. Decent guts (for a 250), cheap, reliable.

Thanks guys that's answered pretty much everything I wanted to know.
Is there anything else I should know? anything in general or safety wise? Do cops give bike riders much trouble, I don't intend on being a dickhead though, I value my life.

look on www.sumoto.com.au there is usually some nice cheap bikes on there

Cheap?
hahaha

From what I've heard, I'd steer well clear of Sumoto. Do a google search if you want other people's opinions, but they import a bunch of older bikes, swap on some modern fairings, compliance them and sell them as if they're new bikes. Even if it's legal, it's misleading and not something I'd look for in a bike dealer.

That said, for a 250 bike I'd be looking at a private sale for sure. The price difference is substantial, and you'd probably have the same range of quality as a dealer. Pay for a mech inspection if you're really not sure, and just pocket the difference as an emergency fund for any work that needs doing.

Yeah, I was always intending on going for a private sale. When my uncle gets back from overseas he said he will tag along. He is a bike nut so I should be fine.
Do other motorists give you guys any trouble (car drivers) I know I don't personally but some people here seem to have it in for motor-cyclists, and what about police, do they hassle you much or pull you over for "random" inspections as much as they do cars, or does that only apply to idiots?

Not really man. On a bike, you are basically invisible, which has its pro's and con's.

I have never had an issue with the police. At a set of traffic lights a patrol car actually edged up next to me, just to tell me he was intercepting the car in front haha.

I have always been waved through a RBT, I'm not sure why, maybe I would hold up the que getting off my helmet etc?

I have noticed that the MAJORITY of cars behind will tailgate me. Maybe because a bike is smaller than a car they cant judge the distance or something properly . Oh well, you can only do the speed limit. I take some satisfaction in pissing them off by doing the EXACT speed limit. When they start swerving, you know your touching a nerve

If your behind a slow car, they usually pull to the left a bit to wave you through, which is good.

Other than that, I haven't really noticed any ''anti bike'' behaviour. You will get the odd person flick out a smoke, which is really annoying.


Just keep scanning. Check your mirrors constantly, and don't forget your blindspots.

Major range on those two questions. I've never had too much trouble with either motorists or police. Cars will tend not to see you sometimes, and if you're sitting in their blind spot then you WILL get merged on a lot. I always ride a lot more defensively on the bike (compared to car), and this has held me in good stead. I've never seen any real anti-bike stuff, just most people don't think about bikes and won't really look for you. Never had tailgaters myself, but I generally go a little faster than traffic. Being in front is safer than being to the side.

As for cops, they do pull over bikes for random checks more often than cars. But this is because there's a large number of people who ride unlicensed, so the majority of the time it's a friendly license check. If you're properly licensed, then it won't be a problem.

I would not ride a bike from that place if you paid me
Enough said

The hyosung Gt250R/comet 250, and their lams legal 650 borthers are good bikes, if you stay away from the 2006/2007 ones. After that they fixed all their issues

Yamaha 650 Vstar... you'll be hooked for good. LAMS approved

If your a taller person - check out the Honda NX650, LAMs approved, decent size, good sized presence on the road and off road / touring capable.
Si

I'd recommend something cheap to start with, I can almost guarantee you will drop the bike in some type of a minor incident while learning - either parking, doing a u-turn, that kinda stuff. Remember that when you stall a car nothing happens, but if you stall a bike you can easily drop it on the ground.... if you get somethign with flash plastics they can get expensive to repair.

Either get a naked bike, or something a little older and cheaper you don't care so much about.

People get too caught up in getting a 'quick' bike when in reality choosing the fastest learner bike is like deciding if a 4cyl auto Camry is better than a 4cyl Auto Magna... they're both poo but do their job well.

I'd recommend a GPX250 (a little ugly but very cheap) or a ZZR250. Both of these are almost identical mechanically to the current Ninja 250r. They are very reliable, easy to ride, cheap on parts, and cheap to buy if you look around and don't get too carried away buying the first one you look at. For your first bike don't be scared about getting something with "lots of ks on it"... something around 80,000km is fine as long as it is a good bike (ie. can see it has been serviced and well cared for) but make sure the high ks are factored into the price.

You should be able to buy a GPX250 for under $3k, I've had two for the $2k-$2.5k mark plus a few hundred bucks each to get the RWC.

ive even heard the leave original stickers and fairings on and just paint over the top

Alot of people do that. You will find that alot of cbr250's for example, especially the R's are resprayed and re-stickered as a RR's.

Just do your research, know what parts the bike u want has, so your not conned into buying a lower model bike.

I've heard that they claim the second R is just the shadow of the first, so they're not actually misleading you. Easiest way though, just check out the brakes. The RR model has twin front disks, the R model only has single.

If you like cbr 250's and there is no reason you shouldn't, 5k is heaps to get one, as well as have it completely serviced top to bottom to have it running mint. I have one, and i'm happy with it for the year.

SV650 lams for sure!

Awesome bike with a bulletproof motor, shit all over the gs500

SV650 is a nice bike..Pretty sure only the specific factory 'lams' model is lams aproved though and it was only released fairly recently so might struggle to get one for 5k..could be wrong though.

Yeah you'd probably have to spend a bit more, but then once you're off lams you can de-restrict it and you have a decent bike. Not a GS500 which is the corolla of the bike world.

Hell i'd still love to have my old 00 model back!

From what i can gather from the bits and pieces i've read in mags, "derestricting" a bike is expensive and a waste.

IN all honesty, your CBR 250's and similar are all getting a little long in the tooth now. Most have had the arse flogged out of them, and either have had new clocks added or had the ole drill put in reverse....BUy something with TOURQUE - you'll enjoy it a lot mor ebeing new rider...
Si.

Takes bugger all on those SVs, and I faul to see how its a waste cause afterwards you have an unrestricted 650cc vtwin.

I have an 06 supersport at the moment, and i'd still like my sv back cause they're just that much fun to ride!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think the SV LAMS model could be derestricted. It's done by ECU limiting, but I didn't think you could (legally) get it returned to normal, and it's forever classified as an L's bike, not like other restricted bikes.

Did someone say pandora's box ??
Si

Tis what i'd heard too, it has a "LAMS" ECU which tapers power off the top end. But aparrently old mate up there has derestricted a lot of them and its a piece of piss.

U can derestrict them but they will always have frame / engine number in line with LAMS. So if u derestrict, and it's proven, and u have a bingle - you will not have a leg to stand on...
Si

I'm pretty sure you can do all the paperwork to fix that though, so they have a non lams rego label and all...

As I said i havent really looked into it, there was no lams scheme in tas when i got my licence.

Unfortunately, Suzuki had to sign paperwork when they proposed to LAMS the sv650 - to never allow them to be taken off that list. Your right in saying that the paperwork can be done and ECU changed out, but the cost is enforced to be much, much dearer than actually selling the bike and buying a new one. I think from memory the ECU, harness, mod plate, re engineering plate etc was likely to be in the vicinity of $5k. It's almost like bringing aprivate import into the country and trying to register it. Once you mod the ECU, and if it's on the LAMS list - you have then broken ADR compliance...

Personally, if i were going to buy one, i'd power commander it (sits after the ecu so can change / program to what ever you want) - ride it around as required, then sell it on as still a lams bike....Woud cost about a $1k to set up mapping, ignition etc etc but would recoup some coin on that...prolly to person ou sell it on too lol.

Si

I wouldn't shell out that sorta coin in the first place for a restricted bike. Get something cheaper for 12 months, and then choose a real bike.