What kind of road bike would you recommend for someone who has never ridden to teach themself to ride on!
therafter1,
Feb 23, 7:52am
If you enter ???learner??
cypherboy,
Feb 23, 7:53am
Do a "Basic Handling Course" hire a scooter to do it. Dont teach yourself you will probably fall off and die!
bjdw,
Feb 23, 7:55am
Average, 35, male, going to work / cruising.
wrong2,
Feb 23, 7:56am
a trail bike
start on the beach
graduate to dirt
after 6 months start trying yourself on gravel roads
i.e. , DONT learn to ride by buying a roadbike & using it on the road
.
desmodave,
Feb 23, 7:57am
I would learn off road 1st , on a bike that is going to handle being dropped without causing much damage. Good luck.
bjdw,
Feb 23, 8:04am
hmm, okay.Sounds like I want to buy to some rugged old piece of siht and chase the cows around the paddock for a little while before I start cruising the streets.
wrong2,
Feb 23, 8:06am
the point being that learning to push the front & the rearin corners is an Essential survival skill on the road
learning to do those ^ things on roadbikes is painfull & expensive
bjdw,
Feb 23, 8:09am
I don't know what that means.
stevo2,
Feb 23, 12:11pm
GN125/250
carkitter,
Feb 23, 7:53pm
I had a look at learner bikes recently and not being up with the play thought that meant a 250cc maximum. Turns out that larger cc is available if the bike fits into a certain class. That means you can consider a 400cc Ducati Monster sport bike which looks the part but is slow enough not to get you into trouble.
r.g.nixon,
Feb 23, 7:58pm
I learned on a Yamaha 90. Then bought a Kawasaki 100. For just around town, anything up to 150cc should do you fine.
daryl14,
Feb 24, 6:09am
I'm pretty sure many new bikers who haven't had the luxury of an off road place to learn have just got on with it and bought a road bike and not managed to maim or kill themselves.
On the flipside I've known plenty of motocrossers who were downright stupid when they got on a road bike and ended up paying for it.
It's going to come down more to your budget and then your attitude on the bike. Have a look at the LAMS list. Most dualpurpose bikes up to 400cc with a set of good road or multi use tyres would be a good place to start. Then you have the advantage that you can go exploring off road on the weekends etc.
Do all the motorcycle skills courses you can get your hands on. Relax, have fun and don't be an egg on your bike.
r15,
Feb 24, 6:29am
i rode a gn125 while i was in rarotonga-as a guy who has spent 25 years on dirt bikes with a sprinkling of sports bikes over the years i think i found the GN the most difficult bike i've ever ridden at slow slow speed or just trying to balance the thing - controls are all in aweful loctations etc-they're a good CHEAP bike,one of the cheapest new bikes available, and although they are a perfectly useful motorcycle i doubt you will get much of a smile riding it at any time.
i dont know what i would suggest, buti imagine there are many better options.
brummoi,
Feb 24, 7:03am
the guy in my local bike shop described riding a GN 250 as like riding 2 pogo sticks and a dog at the same time. Not sure what it meant exactly but sounded funny
brummoi,
Feb 24, 7:07am
you can check out the ACC sponsored Ride Forever training - full day of professional training for a novice rider (me!) for only $20 if you have a learner licence - I'm supposed to be doing this on Tuesday so will report back
splinter67,
Feb 24, 7:10am
Slow enough not to get you into trouble what a crock of crap. I have a friend in hospital after he came off a gn250 which is much slower than a 400cc motorbike. Bad advice
therafter1,
Feb 24, 7:20am
Had a similar experience.Eldest sons first bike was a Yamaha Peewee 50 at 4 years of age, he had off road bikes of varying descriptions from that age right thru until he was old enough to get his licence. His fist road bike was purchased (Yamaha SRX250) and away we went. Once out there on the road it was a whole different ball game with a whole different set of hazards and it was a really scary time seeing him thru it. Sure, off road riding allows you to master a lot of the skills associated with riding a motorcycle, but they are two completely different environments.
austingtir,
Feb 24, 7:32am
FXR150you can use it as a bucket racer if you hone your skills enough on it first.
therafter1,
Feb 24, 8:09am
Good choice, or a road legal enduro type bike, that way you can hone the basic skills (clutch control, gear shifting , balance, steering, braking and so on) in the safer off road environment and then graduate to quieter roads. Make sure that whatever you choose has the ability to maintain whatever legal speed limit you may encounter. Learners waddling along the left hand side of the road at 60 to 70kph in 100kph zones is an extremely hazardous activity !
gunhand,
Feb 24, 9:22am
I agree, I broke 2 ribs falling off a push bike, havent done that on a motorcycle. Mind you ive broken a leg, smashed a foot completly, cut two fingers off and fell off on railway line in the wet. All of those were staionary or close to it. The only high speed Ive had (at about 110kph round a 70kph corner) I dusted myself off and waited for the pick up trailer. Its all about how your brain works in relation to your right hand as far as speeding and stupidity goes. Butagree with learning off road if you can. Thats about falling off in a safeish enviroment instead of a busy road way.
meathead_timaru,
Feb 24, 9:49am
You appear to have misspelled 'ridiculous'.
meathead_timaru,
Feb 24, 9:50am
Absolutely. The GN will teach you nothing - they're a very poor excuse for a bike.
carkitter,
Feb 24, 10:35am
According to other commenters on here the GN 250 is not a great bike so maybe that accounts for your inexperienced friends crash. The Ducati Monster is a sports bike (which the GN 250 is not) and my 'slow' comment had in mind the 250cc 2-stroke race replica Jap bikes my friends were all captivated with back in my youth.
I think you missed my point which was along the lines of 'it's more fun to learn in an MX5 than a Lada'.
splinter67,
Feb 24, 11:45am
Inexperienced rider is not what he is he rides everyday its part of his job he is a motorcycle mechanic. He also races bikes. As for getting a 400cc bike for someone that cant ride is ludicrous you do know that when you fall off a bike it will hurt and the faster you go the more it hurts
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.