First Bike Advice ... +- R30K

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Emissary_Of_Pain

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Hey all ...


I am currently looking around for a bike to use as a work commuter (+- 50km per day)


The problem is that I am +- 1.87m tall and weigh in at a hefty 155kg's ... ... I really don't earn much and am looking in the price range of around R30K.

All the bikes I have looked at so far are either out of my price range or say that the max rider weight is 150kg's.


Also, I need a bike that I will be able to learn on and use as I have never ridden a bike before (but don't want something that has no power once I know how to ride as my daily journey is over a koppie that my current 1.4i golf struggles with in 4th gear)


So far the only bike I could find that looked decent is an Aprilla RS 125 (2008, 17 800kms, R29 900)


All advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards.
 
How about a 2nd hand Strom 650 (06/07) model? Should get them for around 30k. They're real workhorses and have bulletproof engines. The wife and I often ride on mine and together we're closer to 180kg. No problems with it. I think the upright position will also help for commuting in heavy traffic. but I don't know, I avoid it at all costs. A added benefit is being able to ride a dirt road if you want to. Go read some reviews on them, I think you'll find them overwhelmingly positive.

EDIT

Some available on gumtree.

http://www.gumtree.co.za/fp-strom?isSearchForm=true
 
Emissary_Of_Pain said:
Hey all ...


I am currently looking around for a bike to use as a work commuter (+- 50km per day)


The problem is that I am +- 1.87m tall and weigh in at a hefty 155kg's ... ... I really don't earn much and am looking in the price range of around R30K.

All the bikes I have looked at so far are either out of my price range or say that the max rider weight is 150kg's.


Also, I need a bike that I will be able to learn on and use as I have never ridden a bike before (but don't want something that has no power once I know how to ride as my daily journey is over a koppie that my current 1.4i golf struggles with in 4th gear)


So far the only bike I could find that looked decent is an Aprilla RS 125 (2008, 17 800kms, R29 900)


All advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards.
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Dude with that weight you should be looking at a liter bike...something like this. (that is probably one of those scam sales)

I suggest you look for an older,600cc+ second hand bike. Anything below 600 won't carry you very nicely. Just watch out for those sellers with "urgent family crisis, need to sell" excuses. 9/10 you will end up with a broken piece of crap that can't even make it out of the driveway.
 
HDS said:
Dude with that weight you should be looking at a liter bike...something like this. (that is probably one of those scam sales)

I suggest you look for an older,600cc+ second hand bike. Anything below 600 won't carry you very nicely. Just watch out for those sellers with "urgent family crisis, need to sell" excuses. 9/10 you will end up with a broken piece of crap that can't even make it out of the driveway.
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I am currently looking for a decent 600cc ... I just passed the 125 I mentioned on the way home from work today ... lol ...

Are there any good places to look in PTA just so I can get a feel for prices, etc ... (or even websites other than junk mail)



nfbs said:
This
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Oh look ... a fat joke ... very original ...
 
Lord Nikon6 said:
wow, so mean, but so funny :D....I am also looking for a first bike. Was thinking of an 883 harley when I have a decent deposit, but not sure. I am not a superbike fan
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I just want something nippy and cheap ... really will just be used for a quick (15min max) commute to work and then home later ... for everything else I have a car



Beylie said:
Seriously? You let me open the thread again for this? Go bother someone else, we're trying to help the OP with an actual question. Trolls should feed elsewhere.
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Just ignore the idiot ... :) ... clearly he has little-man syndrome
 
Emissary_Of_Pain said:
I just want something nippy and cheap ... really will just be used for a quick (15min max) commute to work and then home later ... for everything else I have a car

So something reliable, but still fast enough not to frustrate you, is R30k your absolute max? You might want to have a look at suzuki gsx models(not gsx-r). THey are popular commuters. You can also pick up BMW GX600's for pretty cheap these days, but they are extremely ugly in my opinion
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Exactly ... I wont be doing more than 100kmph ... if I do push it like 120kmph max as there is a metric F*** ton of speed bumps the route I take, (drive between 60 & 80kmph when in the golf)

Well R30K wouldn't be my max but I will be financing the bike so I want to try keep my repayments as low as possible (I am a part time student when not working retail)

The GSX-R is a dream bike of mine .. ... I have been looking at the gsx models but battling to find something decently priced in and around my area
 
Emissary_Of_Pain said:
Exactly ... I wont be doing more than 100kmph ... if I do push it like 120kmph max as there is a metric F*** ton of speed bumps the route I take, (drive between 60 & 80kmph when in the golf)

Well R30K wouldn't be my max but I will be financing the bike so I want to try keep my repayments as low as possible (I am a part time student when not working retail)

The GSX-R is a dream bike of mine .. ... I have been looking at the gsx models but battling to find something decently priced in and around my area
Click to expand...

I would suggest you avoid the gsx-r until you have atleast owned one bike before it. It is scary fast, even the 750 model. Where are you based? If in Gauteng, you can check out Cayenne at Kayalami, they have a huge amount of stock, and a friend of mine picked up a gsx there 2 months back.
 
Based in PTA (Close to Waverly)


I might be heading out that side, I will have a look ...

I won't be getting a GSX-R anytime soon ... I want to live to see 30 thanks ... lmao
 
lol, good call, well if around PTA, have a look at CIT Hatfield from time to time as well, Full throttle in PTA east have some good deals once in a while.

Cayenne has a decent website that lists most of their stock, so have a look before you drive all the way there for nothing :

http://www.cayenne.co.za/
 
Emissary_Of_Pain said:
Exactly ... I wont be doing more than 100kmph ... if I do push it like 120kmph max as there is a metric F*** ton of speed bumps the route I take, (drive between 60 & 80kmph when in the golf)

Well R30K wouldn't be my max but I will be financing the bike so I want to try keep my repayments as low as possible (I am a part time student when not working retail)

The GSX-R is a dream bike of mine .. ... I have been looking at the gsx models but battling to find something decently priced in and around my area
Click to expand...

That's what I also said when I got my cbr 250. A few months later I was on a cbr600. Literally a few months later I was on a fireblade. All were second hand except the 250. Today I'm "commuting" with my father's zx14r aka the mother of all crotchrockets. And I thought I was never gonna go over 100kmph. You will speed, and you will want power -that's inevitable. Ask anyone at the race track why they are there :) .

To answer your question - with that budget you will want to buy private. With a dealership you get more security if something goes wrong, but it's more expensive. I bought mine at automart, there is a crapton of bikes to choose from there. I don't really know of any 2nd hand dealerships around PTA - only bikemanSA and the rest are official dealerships (2nd hand) . But for buying private, check out automart or buymybike.co.za. Stay away from places like iol, gumtree and the likes.

If you do decide to go private, which you should, request to take the bike to a dealership to be inspected. You will pay a bit but its totally worth it. And for the love of peace, please take motorcycle lessons before you buy a bike. Starting on a big bike is very very dangerous for obvious reasons. You don't know the power, you don't know how to handle it, and you won't respect the bike's power. Thinking now, if i started on a 600 I would have probably killed myself. I think Chris from the centurion honda dealership offers lessons for beginners - he will go through all the basics, safety rules , and finally teach you how to drive a bike. Sucks that you are fat though - the weight really limits your possibilities.
Lord Nikon6 said:
Full throttle in PTA east have some good deals once in a while
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Full throttle sells bikes? Since when? I was there a month ago, they sell gear only lol.
 
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Luckily for me I am past the speed stage of my life ... had a turbo'd up champ ... drove a friends subi for a while as well ... ... Also, I am not sure how well you know PTA but Braam Pretorious is not exactly a nice road for speeding, too many stops, bumps and circles


Now I am just after a quickish ride with a much cheaper fuel consumption (2 tanks a month is killing me; +- R1200 a month)


I was actually just on buymybike and there was a few bikes that caught my attention (mainly old 400cc vfr's)

My cuz and a lot of my friends started riding on 650's even though they are powerful, I was told they handle much better and as long as you aren't completely naive and insane can be handled just fine while learning

I already found a nice deal for bike lessons R1000 bucks for 10 beginners lessons and 2 advanced lessons (or I can just ask my friend to teach me for free, I just need a bike cause his doesn't support my weight class)


And yeah ... fat has it's drawbacks but let me remind you that a large weight doesn't mean I am strictly fat ... I have been in the sporting scene for over 10 years and do pay attention to my health, I am not lean but far from being a whale
 
I see a very important question has been overlooked...
Is this 30k just for the bike, or does that include your safety gear as well?
 
If you are commuting, and it's a first bike, REALLY look at a dual-sport type bike. You are higher up, offering better visibility in traffic. Better low speed handling. And your handlebars are higher than car mirrors, making filtering a whole lot easier. V-strom, KLR, f650GS, all doable at 30k.
 
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