** LAMS / Learners Bike Discussion **

[krogoth]

look, the cbr250 is a good learner bike

but, its too common

its too expensive, most ppl charge u a kidney for one, esp in dealers

in ALOT of cases, u can pretty much get a brand new bike wit similar performance to a cbr250

fairings are GHEY, especially for a first bike, mate y are u so into fairings and a sports look?

fairings get damaged easily, u will drop it, and they are expensive to fix, besides, i think fairings are for posers, imo, esp on a 250, because the damn thing doesnt go fast enough to make any use of blody fairings

go do watever u like by all means, get a cbr250 if u want, but i cant stand them....the thing u have to understand is wat u are paying for

cbr250s that go for 6-7k sometimes, that is so much bfs man its not funny, in some cases its an 18year old GREY import, who knows the history behind it here or from japan, and it has some stupid ass body kit on it that costs more than bloody bike itself

if u can find a cbr in good condition, say 1990 model or so, it should be no more than 3k, 3.5 max, but thats rare, because too many learners want to LOOK GOOD on their bikes

imo, u look like a sensible bike enthusiast on something like a vtr, and they look a thousand times better imo than any cbr with a body kit, and they are new

ther isnt a comparison..

[Nax]

ok u guys have convinced me, im out to find a vtr! well played my friends well played.

so im definately better off buying used then eh? specially as ill just upgrade after a year ya?

[Zdster]

so im definately better off buying used then eh? specially as ill just upgrade after a year ya?

Yep. Most learner bikes do a turn around like that - someone owns them new, keeps it for the year, then a new owner for a year and another for year.

Personally, I would look for a 2000+ model, with less than 25,000-30,000km's if you can. Maybe one that has had only a couple of owners, good service history etc. Since you dont know much about bikes, get onto some bike forums and find out where the good SA bike shops are. Go in and make some buddies in there (tell them you are new and just feeling things out). Find out if they do inspection checks so when you find the bike you think is right you can take it to them.

Also, a word of warning, dont buy the first bike you see. In learner bikes there can be some really dodgy ones floating around. There are also some really bad bike shops around (at least in Melbourne - can anyone say Sumoto) so just be weary. Learn lots and dont take what one person says for granted - this should save you money and you will have a better understanding of how things work.

[Nax]

be nice if there were more sa people on here selling/riding bikes ill have to commando it and solo the whole bike industry bwahhahaha. one thing on my side is that i work for honda, and so far in my car buying experience the sales guy shits himself and stops trying to pitch me cuz he knows i can see thro his bs, quite useful, not sure if it will work in bike shops tho.

thers a bike shop very close to my house (ones a duca dealer and ones a honda/seadoo) so ill go and putter around there on friday, get a feel. they have a couple vtrs for 5000 and 7000 so ill have a look.

[Zdster]

be nice if there were more sa people on here selling/riding bikes ill have to commando it and solo the whole bike industry bwahhahaha. one thing on my side is that i work for honda, and so far in my car buying experience the sales guy shits himself and stops trying to pitch me cuz he knows i can see thro his bs, quite useful, not sure if it will work in bike shops tho.

thers a bike shop very close to my house (ones a duca dealer and ones a honda/seadoo) so ill go and putter around there on friday, get a feel. they have a couple vtrs for 5000 and 7000 so ill have a look.

I have said this before, but get on www.netrider.com.au. Should be a few SA members on there of they can direct you to an SA based bike forum. Doing your research about bikes/prices etc is vital IMO.

[Nax]

netrider isnt really too useful for sa, only a small amount of members

[Feverpitched]

You can always buy interstate. Shipping is cheap, or you can make it even cheaper by flying there and riding back.

[Nax]

on a 250?

and i couldnt really inspect before hand if i did that and dont have family interstate or friends. ill just have to see what i can do locally

[Zdster]

Heres one that might be worth checking out as a starting point (although it is from a dealership):
http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automo...kToResult=true

[Zdster]

Oh, just found this after a quick search - http://www.motorcyclingsa.org.au/
Dont know anything about them but could be worth sussing out.

[Nax]

2003 model, no tacko, should i try to get a 2004+ with a tacko or is it not a big deal on a bike?

[Zdster]

2003 model, no tacko, should i try to get a 2004+ with a tacko or is it not a big deal on a bike?

Its sort of like driving a car. You know where to shift by listening to the engine. It is much more convenient though to have a tacho.