Thinking of Getting a Motorcycle

I can also recommend either a NC700 or NC750 XD. This is a fully automatic motorcycle and will help you learn traffic before having to learn traffic and changing gears etc. It will also help you focus on riding and let the bike do the rest.
 
Pox said:
What is your commute route?

And as for bike size, I'd go with what you feel comfortable riding on. Seating position, arm-reach, how the brakes feel to you, easy to get on and off etc.

I have less than maybe 5 years bike riding in total, but I commute (job permitting) on a 135kW machine, but it only goes as fast as I want it to go.

But NB for a first time rider: Get something with ABS
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I'm commuting from Sunningdale to near that King David golf course in Mowbray/Pinelands.
 
KTM also has a series of Dukes which are great for commuting. 125, 200, 390, 690, 1290.....
I would suggest getting a second hand cheapy to get the feel of riding and then once you are happy and confident with yourself, go out and test ride a range of bikes, even if they are not exactly what you think you would ride. This makes the final decision a lot easier.
 
I had a Suzuki DL650 as my first bike. It was a long, heavy, dual-sport bike and I just loved it, spending lots of money adding accessories and features to it due to the huge catalogues of things available for it. When it starts moving you hardly feel its weight at all - it is the same with 1200GS/RT BMWs as well. They are just very well balanced bikes. Sold it when my daughter was born.

I test-rode a Honda VFR1200X w/dual-clutch gearbox during its launch and recently a NC750X. The latter is a fantastic bike and very refined with the 1200's powerful engine making it go very rapidly for a dual-sport. I would not recommend it for a new rider.

I read only good things about the Kawa Versys as well.
 
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porchrat said:
I'm pretty chilled in traffic even stuck in my car so I doubt I'll be ragey on a motorbike. I always thank folks that move out of the way. Still I suppose we all have our bad days.

Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated.

I'd actually like more information on what would be good riding gear to purchase. What to look for in a decent helmet, what are decent kinds of jackets etc. I mean I don't need the best of the best but I want to be safe.
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I find that when I ride a motorcycle, my stress levels plummet. I very rarely get agitated when riding.

As for the aspect of good gear:

  • Helmet. This will be one of your two most expensive purchases relating to gear. The other will be your jacket. Things to consider are:
    • The fit. A helmet should apply pressure to your cheeks and make you perform fish lips. The fit should be firm, but not constrictive. When you fit the helmet, apply upwards pressure to check the ease with which it comes off. You need to give a firm push to get it off. If it slips off, it's too loose.
    • Securing: I'd suggest a double-D chin strap, as opposed to the plastic clickers. If you ever do a track day, the organisers won't let you on the track without said chin strap.
    • Wind noise: Often overlooked, but long exposure to wind noise will give you hearing loss. For this, I recommend you read reviews about wind noise. Open face helmets are the worst, followed by the flip lids. Full face helmets are the best, but you still get variances. Sharks are good for physical protection wise, but their wind protection is atrocious, ergo I make use of ear plugs.
  • Jacket. This will be the other expensive purchase. Two options really, textile or leather. Leather makes you hot and it makes you sweat, but typically has higher abrasion resistance than textile. I ride with a Berik Leather Air-flow jacket. It has small perforations to allow air against my torso. It's a godsend on hot summer days. When considering the fit, the jacket should be firm. It should hug your body quite snugly. The elbow armour should allow a near-full range of motion, without sliding around.
  • Boots. I suggest having a boot with ankle protection, such that in the event of a fall your ankle won't twist, tearing your Achilles tendon. I use a pair of Alpine Stars, semi-touring boots. They immobilise my ankle till about my mid shin.
  • Gloves. Always wear gloves. Leather if you can.
  • Pants. Some people wear jeans, some people wear shorts. None of them will last in a fall. You can get leather chaps, or you can go the textile route and look at XKulcha's Easy-Overs (which I use).
  • Rain gear. When it rains, idiots come out to play. The last thing you want is a distraction of "**** me, I'm getting soaked!" Get a decent rain suit, that FITS OVER YOUR GEAR. Don't be me, who buys a rain suit, puts it on, climbs on his bike and it promptly splits at the crotch resulting me looking like I pissed myself.

porchrat said:
Thanks for the recommendation. I will have a look at the Honda.

So upright riding position is more comfortable than being more crouched over on the bike?

What do you mean by gear?

I take it bike licenses follow the same pattern as car licenses? You do a theory, get a learners, cruise around on that for 6 months and do a road test? Surely on a bike you can't drive around because the tester would have to sit on the back or something? Do they just do it in the testing centre?
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Yes, upright is more sustainable. No pressure on the wrists, and you sit more relaxed.

Gear, as in riding gear.

Yes. The full license is done in the testing yard only.
 
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porchrat said:
I'm commuting from Sunningdale to near that King David golf course in Mowbray/Pinelands.
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So all along Koeberg or marine drive onto m5
Lots of slow traffic, I can see why you want to take the bike. Getting onto the m5 is a pain. But marine drive is reasonably good for bikes, most people leave extra space down the middle.

Just don't hop onto the bike for the first time and go off to work. At the minimum get a weekend of riding in so you get used to the bike.
And when lane splitting wait for someone else and then follow them. Just pick a scooter or something slow to follow when starting out, I've seen a lot of maniacs lane splitting at 50+ km/h faster than the traffic.

Watch for the gaps in traffic because that is usually where someone will change lanes.

Tips: Ride as if you are invisible to other motorists. Assume everyone else is trying to kill you
 
Pox said:
I wouldn't recommend a car without ABS, and the same for a bike.
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True, but then braking in a car vs braking in a bike is quite different. Learning to brake a car basically means stomping on the brake peddle. Braking a bike is bit more involved - back brakes, light of front brakes, heavy on front brakes etc. Not saying it is the case, but in my mind a new rider should avoid electronic assists and learn how to ride a basic bike first to appreciate what all the electronics do for you.

BUT - just my opinion. I'm hardly a bike trainer and one day when my son/daughter wants a first bike I'm not sure what I would say to them wrt to ABS.
 
Pox said:
Tips: Ride as if you are invisible to other motorists. Assume everyone else is trying to kill you
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This. Assume that taxi's sliding door is about to open and a poephol is ready to jump out right in front of you.
 
Hamster said:
True, but then braking in a car vs braking in a bike is quite different. Learning to brake a car basically means stomping on the brake peddle. Braking a bike is bit more involved - back brakes, light of front brakes, heavy on front brakes etc. Not saying it is the case, but in my mind a new rider should avoid electronic assists and learn how to ride a basic bike first to appreciate what all the electronics do for you.

BUT - just my opinion. I'm hardly a bike trainer and one day when my son/daughter wants a first bike I'm not sure what I would say to them wrt to ABS.
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for me, the idea of suddenly stopping the only thing keeping you upright is a bad, bad idea ;)
 
IainMarsh said:
After commuting for many years, here is what i have realised:

1. I shall have an accident and probably more than one. I need to be prepared for these accidents so helmet, jacket, pants, boots and decent gloves are the order of the day.
2. by going fast through traffic, one does not have the time to stop when a car sees a gap and cuts you off, so 10 - 20 kms faster than the traffic is good. plenty reaction time.
3. It is no use in getting irritated with drivers in cars, seen a guy in front of me getting worked up, revving the s#!t out of his bike and staring at drivers in their cars as he tried to get past. i ended up laughing at him, cause he was such an idiot. WTF is wrong with some people?
4. Taxis generally move out your way quicker than drivers.
5. a wave does not hurt when someone moves out the way.
6. slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
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Words of wisdom;)
7: There are just as many bad bikers as drivers so revert to point 3.
 
To add, there are helmets, and then there are helmets. In my opinion anything under R5000 is not worth looking at. My preference is Arai,but they are very pricy. As for wind noise, no-noise make comfy quality ear plugs at a reasonable price (review).
 
lcbxx said:
I had a Suzuki DL650 as my first bike. It was a long, heavy, dual-sport bike and I just loved it, spending lots of money adding accessories and features to it due to the huge catalogues of things available for it. When it starts moving you hardly feel its weight at all - it is the same with 1200GS/RT BMWs as well. They are just very well balanced bikes. Sold it when my daughter was born.

I test-rode a Honda VFR1200X w/dual-clutch gearbox during its launch and recently a NC750X. The latter is a fantastic bike and very refined with the 1200's powerful engine making it go very rapidly for a dual-sport. I would not recommend it for a new rider.

I read only good things about the Kawa Versys as well.
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I have a DL 650 bullet proof bike. Low maint and keeps its value.
 
SirFooK'nG said:
To add, there are helmets, and then there are helmets. In my opinion anything under R5000 is not worth looking at. My preference is Arai,but they are very pricy. As for wind noise, no-noise make comfy quality ear plugs at a reasonable price (review).
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From my experience the helmet safety kinda standards tops out around R3000 from there on you are paying for wind noise reduction, weight reduction and other features.
 
Are dealerships able to sell you gear as part of the purchase price of the bike? If I was buying a bike for R70k, I'd happily apply for finance for R80k (as an example) if it meant they'd throw in the gear as well.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Are dealerships able to sell you gear as part of the purchase price of the bike? If I was buying a bike for R70k, I'd happily apply for finance for R80k (as an example) if it meant they'd throw in the gear as well.
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Yes. But their choice might be limited. I'm getting a Shark S700 helmet from the dealer as part of the finance, but their gloves, boots and jackets didn't suit my requirements.
 
Pox said:
So all along Koeberg or marine drive onto m5
Lots of slow traffic, I can see why you want to take the bike.
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Exactly. It takes me like an hour to get to work for 9am. A bike could perhaps halve that time but at worst would shave 25% off my commute both ways.


Getting onto the m5 is a pain. But marine drive is reasonably good for bikes, most people leave extra space down the middle.
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Yea I'm one of those people. I'm always sure to move my vehicle over to the edge of my lane to leave space in the middle for motorcyclists to pass.


Just don't hop onto the bike for the first time and go off to work. At the minimum get a weekend of riding in so you get used to the bike.
And when lane splitting wait for someone else and then follow them. Just pick a scooter or something slow to follow when starting out, I've seen a lot of maniacs lane splitting at 50+ km/h faster than the traffic.

Watch for the gaps in traffic because that is usually where someone will change lanes.

Tips: Ride as if you are invisible to other motorists. Assume everyone else is trying to kill you
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips. I definitely don't intend to just start riding in traffic right away. I want to learn to control the bike first. I'll probably spend a few days out on those new roads in the construction site getting used to the bike.

Following a scooter seems like good advice. It will help me to regulate speed while I'm getting used to riding.
 
porchrat said:
Exactly. It takes me like an hour to get to work for 9am. A bike could perhaps halve that time but at worst would shave 25% off my commute both ways.



Yea I'm one of those people. I'm always sure to move my vehicle over to the edge of my lane to leave space in the middle for motorcyclists to pass.



Thanks for the tips. I definitely don't intend to just start riding in traffic right away. I want to learn to control the bike first. I'll probably spend a few days out on those new roads in the construction site getting used to the bike.

Following a scooter seems like good advice. It will help me to regulate speed while I'm getting used to riding.
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Following the scooter has less to do with regulating your speed, and more to do with them ... um ... being a buffer zone.
 
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