[lavo]

Just wondering how many motorbike riders are on here. I'm looking at getting my learners soon and my first bike. Obviously a 250, any recommendations on a cruiser-style bike?

[mitty]

Way back when I got my learners and then eventually my full licence and then promptly moved interstate, didn't take the bike with me and never bought another one. Nowadays I'd be to scared to ride on the roads what with all the other idiots, but more power to you.

My bike was a Honda CB250RS, kick start gorgeous machine. Great for learning on, no faring or anything to bump or scratch.

Being in Perth the traffic probably isn't as bad and the weather is better. When I lived there it was more difficult to get your bike licence however.

[jeremy_warnock]

Hay lavo

a while back I got my license. I only got my 250cc nothing higher I always had plans of getting a bigger bike something around the 600cc mark but it never happened and now the idea of me on a bike scares the crap out of the lady of the house sooo cant see it happening for a little while.

I found anything made by Honda great bikes but just tooo small to be comfortable, however your not as tall as I so you could be fine. Back when I was looking I nearly bought a suzki across. I know these didnt have the great rep but I loved the idea of the storage compartment being where the petrol tank usually is. I was studying at the time so the space made perfect sense for books etc.

Thinking about it now Im kinda pissed off I was at the end of crappy relationship and the bike buying never happened, and as I said now with my little son I think the Mrs would kill me if I looked at them seriously

They are good fun though, I got my lessons through alert in Midland I sense to recall. They where great teach offensive riding so you had a chance on the road - you work out that way dont you??

[lavo]

Yep, I'm out in Midland. I'm might give them a call.

At this stage I'm looking at a Virago 250 or a Honda 250 Magna. I don't have much interest in the racing-style bikes.

I won't be a daily rider, just the odd weekend or maybe to work once a week if the weather is good. There are too many idiots on the road to make it a daily thing for me

[banjo]

I ride daily, and have been since the start of the year. It's a little scary at first, but you get used to it. The hardest part is making sure idiots in 4WDs can see you and don't decide that they need your lane more than you do.

Have a Suzuki Across which is pretty nice to ride, though it has a boot (I call it a man-bag) which severely limits the tank size. No fun for long trips down the highway but nice around town.

[Lutze]

With us buying a house in Ellenbrook we were contemplating a second car, but I want a motorbike - I've wanted one for ages.

I guess I will have to figure out what is out of bounds and allowed. Having a full driving licence I earned in the UK I don't know what you need to do here to get a bike.

[jeremy_warnock]

Originally Posted by Lutze

With us buying a house in Ellenbrook we were contemplating a second car, but I want a motorbike - I've wanted one for ages.

I guess I will have to figure out what is out of bounds and allowed. Having a full driving licence I earned in the UK I don't know what you need to do here to get a bike.

Not sure if its changed Lutze but get mine I grabbed a free book from the licensing centre, studied it. Went back sat my learners permit exam and gave them the money and walked out with a learners. I had ridden a little bit before, gowning up in the Hills of Mundaring its hard to stay away from bikes but I took some lessons I was cocky or in a rush so when the instructor said he thought I was ready I booked in for the test. I passed with fly colors even though I stalled the bike doing figure 8's. I was pretty nervous though and the tester said I passed everything else.

it was fairly simple

[Maximage]

"Figure 8's" are no longer used, you simply do a double u turn, so an "figure 0". Seems they suddenly realised that to do a "figure 8" you actually have to ride the wrong way on the opposite side of the road. Effectively they have been making everyone break the law during their riding tests!

[tanguero]

I've been riding for 15 years, everything from old British iron to Ducatis and Jap riceburners, between bikes right now and going nuts.

Try to ride more than just a few days a week so that your skills can improve.
Don't get a cruiser style bike as your first one, they don't stop or change direction as well as other bikes and you look like a Crappy Davison wannabe on a Yamaharley 250.
You will also have your head lower on a cruiser and this reduces your ability to see what's going on around you and be seen by others.

The Honda Spada is a very good first bike, a little more expensive but also a bike that you will be happy to keep riding once your restricted period is over.

DO AN ADVANCED RIDER COURSE BEFORE YOU HIT THE ROAD, I really mean this, especially if you value your ability to walk and take a shit without help.

Good luck and whatever bike you get I will be jealous since I have none.

[evmorg]

@lavo:
I ride a 250 Piaggio scooter to work from Gooseberry Hill a couple of times a week. It's very do-able but like tanguero says, an advanced rider course is a really good idea, given the lack of motorcycle/bike awareness of most Perth drivers. Peak hour traffic can be problematic if you're not on your game. It can be dangerous even if you're paying attention, 'cos often the car drivers aren't.

When I first got my license, I had a couple of spills due to being a) young and foolish; and b) young and foolish and overconfident. Luckily nothing that involved more than a week on crutches. Sorted me out a bit.

@Lutze:
As JW says, you need to get yourself a learners permit, do some lessons, take a test and there you go. Of course, you have to pay for the learners permit and for the test and for lessons. How many lessons you need is up to you and the instructor, I guess. You will only be licensed for up to 250cc capacity bikes for at least the first 12 months. After that, you can apply for an unrestricted license but again, you have to have the learners permit and take a test.

Having had my "L" class (250cc) license for 12 months (way back), I decided to get my "K" class (unrestricted) just in case I wanted to ride a bigger capacity machine. As soon as I started riding a more powerful motorbike (a Suzuki GSX 1100 was what I learnt on) I decided that was the way to go. Once you've ridden a bigger bike, a 250 seems just too slow and under-powered.

That said, I'm back to the 250 'cos I'm hoping that at some stage the missus will get her license.

Good luck on your quest.

[spargo]

I ride a 150cc ET4 Vepsa.

I don't commute on it given the crazies on Qld roads, and that I'm certain my luck will run out quicker if I increase my exposure time; rather it is for a bit of fun on the weekends for trips to the coffee shop and up to Mt Glorious etc when the weather's on.

For a 150cc it goes great guns. My wife and I can do just over 100km/h on it on the flat, and it churns up hills pretty well. Riding a 50cc iteration of the same bike would be suicide, you'd just get left behind in traffic and lack the power to get out of trouble.

[Geoff3DMN]

I currently ride a Suzuki Bandit 1200 (the one in my avatar), although I'm looking to buy a dual purpose adventure tourer type bike so I can include some unpaved roads in my travels.

I will probably end up with a Suzuki DL650 V-Strom as it seems to fit my expected usage.

It's a shame you live in WA as WA is the last state that doesn't have LAMS bikes so you are restricted to a 250cc bike.

The thing is... cruisers are all about low revs and lots of torque and not many gear changes for that relaxed cruisy sort of ride and there isn't a 250 motorbike made (cruiser or otherwise) that's able to deliver that sort of power delivery. The LAMS XVS650 Yamaha works pretty well as a learner cruiser though...

[tanguero]

Originally Posted by Geoff3DMN

I currently ride a Suzuki Bandit 1200 (...

Love your title, I remember seeing Lazy Man's Zen back when it came out, what a classic film.
Certainly much better than Sex and Zen which was pretty crap.

A mate of mine writes for Two Wheels and after his recent review of the Triumph Thruxton I'm thinking of giving one of them a go next. I like my bikes to be nimble but I also need comfortable pillion support for my missus.
Unless there's a MacTalker with a Vincent basketcase that they want to give me......

[soulman]

Originally Posted by mitty

My bike was a Honda CB250RS, kick start gorgeous machine.

That was my first bike too. I loved it to bits. Did 20,000km on it in the first three months I had it and basically rode it to death over the next 10 years or so.

This is what I'm currently riding, a DL650A:

Great bike. Would recommend it to anyone, as long as you're not too short - I am 170cm and whilst it's fine on the road, it is a bit of a handful on bush tracks for me. Would be no problems for someone taller. It's great on the highway, very capable on windy roads and not too shabby on dirt. I was about to put a TKC80 on the front, which would improve its dirt performance, but I ran out of winter so Im going for a Metzeler Tourance to match the rear. Maybe next year.

lavo: I would recommend you look at a VTR250. It really is the best all round 250 on the market. It's not a cruiser but it's a hell of a bike. If you really want a cruiser you could try a Virago but the VTR is a far superior machine from all accounts.

Geoff3DMN: I've been wanting to check out a Bandit, so if you feel like going for a ride on the DL sometime, we could meet up, or I could meet you next time I'm down your way. I think you'll probably like the Strom. It's a fun machine.

[TheKeddi]

I have been riding for a few years now, have had about 19 different bikes and scooters, never had an accident (touch wood). If your careful and watch out for everyone else you will love it!

If your looking at a Virago, get the newer XVS250 Vstar, but depending on where you are the rules are now for learners that a 650 is ok, then look at the Vstar 650 they are great cruisers!!! But I'm guessing WA is still a 250 state??

I am on in the market for bike 20 at the moment, Looking at the Kawasaki Vulcan 2006 VN900 lovely bike, smaller than what I am used to in a cruiser, mainly had 1500cc ones but it's a good looking thing!!!

Good luck in what ever you choose to get and ride safe!!!!

Kerri

[TheKeddi]

Originally Posted by tanguero

Don't get a cruiser style bike as your first one, they don't stop or change direction as well as other bikes and you look like a Crappy Davison wannabe on a Yamaharley 250.
You will also have your head lower on a cruiser and this reduces your ability to see what's going on around you and be seen by others.

I learned on a 250cc cruiser and have had them most of my riding years, I found them easier to ride as a learner than the others like the Honda CB250 and things.

Maybe it's just me, a shortarse, but yeah, I love them,

Ohh and Harley wannabees??? Give me a break?? The Jap cruisers are better in many ways, I was an inch away from getting a brand new Harley a couple of weeks ago and decided to get another Jap cruiser instead.

if your not happy with the skin your in and are a wannabe then you'll never be happy with whatever you get.

[soulman]

Originally Posted by TheKeddi

I learned on a 250cc cruiser and have had them most of my riding years, I found them easier to ride as a learner than the others like the Honda CB250 and things.

Maybe it's just me, a shortarse, but yeah, I love them

No disrespect to you at all, but I have never understood the appeal of cruisers. Riding for me is about windy mountain roads firstly and I have been known to go to quite a bit of trouble to avoid straight roads. Plus, I live in the country and dirt is a something I have to contend with anyway, so I need a bike that's at least capable in that area. The V-Strom is almost perfect for what I do, though I would buy a new BMW R80GS in a heartbeat if they made one. Life is too short for chains I reckon.

[hoony]

I'd second the VTR250 as a great first bike – loved mine to bits and was very sad to see her go when I upgraded. You quickly get over that sadness when you ride a bigger bike though :P

I ride everyday to work, and have done for the past few years... I never found the traffic scary, just be aware of what's going on around you, and stay out of blind spots.

Good luck & you won't regret it!

[Maximage]

Lavo, third the VTR250. Had one too until recently. A tad more than most of the other 250's on the market, but also it is a V-Twin, most others are singles. Gives you a much smoother power delivery. Whilst I looked a bit weird being 6'4", it still handled me with ease, and knowing you, you will fit perfectly. I have actually just sold mine, and am about to get another 250 as I love the weight and throwability, but about to go to the new Yamaha WR250X which is more a motard style bike. Another couple of K up the charts. It is also a taller bike, but if it wasn't for that, I would still be flogging around on the Honda. Ripper bike!

[conufsed]

Originally Posted by Geoff3DMN

It's a shame you live in WA as WA is the last state that doesn't have LAMS bikes so you are restricted to a 250cc bike.

Wish you were right but Queensland is still < 250 only. Had my motorbike learners 10 years ago in victoria, but never got around to getting my license and it expired.

Just got my Queensland learners last week, as well as my wife who has never touched a bike. She wants a ZX-2R as her first bike