Thinking of buying a motorcycle/scooter

R

Ron Burgundy

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Hi all,

I might be commuting from newcastle every morning soon and i think a scooter might be a quick wy to get in and out of town.

Never been on a bike in my life and looking for advice......

what to buy, is it any advantage to buy up north and am i mad ?? thinking of a 125.

I'm 30 so insurance shouldn't be too crazy ( i hope)
 
if you're 30 and living in 'the country' your insurance shouldn't be too bad. dont mind the cc of the moped or bike - your licence i think should cover you more on power to weight. (i.e. you could probably get insured on a 1300cc hardley style bike but couldn't get insured on a honda 400 cc CBR type race style bike) i haven't been on a bike in about three years but i drove them before that for about six years - to and from work every day. from what i can remember i'd advise as follows:

dont buy a two stroke;

not sure where newcastle is - is it down beyond wicklow or out near blanch somewhere ??? - if you have a long drive each day buy something that is comfortable to sit on - and offers good cover from the wind and rain - i.e. something with a front fairing and a good sized screen;

if you're not a bike enthusiast and just want something for getting from A to B i'd suggest one of the bigger style 4 stroke 'mopeds' - like a 250cc etc - they would have the advantage of not destroying your shoes with changing gears and they have room under the seat for a lock, wet gear - lunch or whatever few bits you need to bring to work.

i drove more performance style motorbikes and, given my age and location, i could not afford fully comp insurance so i only had third party only - i.e. if the bike was stolen i didn't get a penny from the insurance company - so just check out where you live, who safe you think it is, and where you would be leaving the bike in work and consider what type of insurance you can afford or need - also the nicer the bike the more attractive it will be to the scum-bags out there.

if you dont like the idea of a moped, a good starter bike would probably be (very cheap) an old import honda bros 400 or, if you've a few more quid to spare - and this would be much more comfortable - something like a honda deuville or maybe one of those bmw gs650s - you have the advantage of sitting up higher in traffic and seeing further ahead with the latter two.

good luck ! you have me itching to sell the car and get back onto a real machine now you swine!!


edit - sorry just read your original post again - ignore the stuff about motorbikes so - i'd suggest a four stroke moped, either a 125 or a 250cc - depending on your drive - if you go on motorway type roads or big dual carraige ways - go for the 250 - shouldn't make much difference in price or insurance. check out things like a suzuki burghman - i cant remember the yamaha equivalent - MCN (motorcycle news) has a good website and might be worth a look for reviews etc.
 
cheers for all that.

A 125 or 250 sounds about right. I'm living in laois but i'll drive to newcastle (just outside dublin) and take my bike from there at my uncles house. I have a full cr licence so i'll have a look at the suzuki burghman and get a quotw tomorrow.
 
dont know what a cr licence is.

i'm not recommending the suzuki burghman in particular - although i'm sure its a great yoke. i just mean that type of thing - when you see one you'll know what i mean. there's probably other makes of the same style - check out yamaha anyway.

its much like cars really - japanese are generally reliable - italian are nice looking but might not be as reliable - i'd stay away from aprillia anyway and definatley go for honda, suzuki or yamaha. best of luck with it. also - if you drive a bike you have to lose your car mentality of 'i'm in the right of way' - when you're on a bike people just treat you like you dont exist - on roundabouts, pull outs onto main roads etc - people will just drive right in front of you - so rather than getting annoyed you just have to anticipate that everyone is out to get you and drive accordingly..... not ideal but thats the way it is when you're driving something so vulnerable.
 
car licence i meant to say.

Yeah i like the look of the suzuki burghman, a bit bigger than a typical scooter and looks a lot more comfortable. That is the type of bike i'd like.

I've done the push bike thing in dublin for a few years so i know what drivers are like.

Thanks for the advice. I can get to work quicker by driving to newcastle and swaing onto the bike, than i can if i use public transport. I can shave 45 min in the morning and well over an hour in the evening. So i'll have some sort of work/life balance

Oh and finding a decent bike dealers site in Ireland isn't too easy
 
just consider the burghman 250.

they even make such things in 400cc mode - which might get you all the way from dublin to laoise and back each day.......

be sure and dont scrooge on the safety gear - its funny how many of my friends have spent thousands on bikes and then bought the cheapest helmet and jacket, gloves, trousers, boots etc they can find.
 
you will need to get an A provisional license. Your car license will only cover <50cc mopeds (hairdryers). Be aware that second hand burgmans etc will be expensive but I had a 125 honda varadero for a couple of years and it's a great learner motorbike - v-twin so enough power, very agile, good seating position and there are a few for sale over on www.biker.ie if you're interested. Also they're group 2 insurance but still be prepared to pay between 800 and 900 for insurance.
 
On a provisional A licence, you can't ride bikes with a power output greater than 33hp or a power to weight ratio greater than 0.16.

This rules out a lot of bigger bikes (500cc and over), so check it out carefully before you spend any money.

biker.ie has been mentioned as a good resource, there's also the motorbikes forum on boards.ie. There's an Irish monthly magazine "bike buyers guide" which includes lots of ads from private sellers and bike dealers.

Most important of all if you've never biked before is to get some training.
 
Last edited:
Ron Burgundy said:
I have a full cr licence so i'll have a look at the suzuki burghman and get a quotw tomorrow.
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Just to say, I think most car licences only cover 'A1' and 'B' i.e. cars and bikes less than 125 cc. You may have to do another test to gain an 'A' licence if you get a bike over 125cc.
 
Car licences don't cover you for either A or A1 (125cc and under). A car licence will allow you to ride a moped (as another poster said), with a maximum speed of 45kmph.
 
gipimann said:
Car licences don't cover you for either A or A1 (125cc and under). A car licence will allow you to ride a moped (as another poster said), with a maximum speed of 45kmph.
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I stand corrected, I knew there was some regulation that meant you had to do another test for larger bikes but not the details.

A friend of the family is a complete know it all and regularly shouts at other drivers to 'learn the rules of the road' recently had to sit the theory test to get a bike licence and failed! Oh, I enjoyed sniggering over that one!
 
well i got a quote of 700 for insurance on a 250cc scooter ( third party F&T) so id be very happy with that.

My train ticket is 2000 a year so if yoo work out annual costs ( bike payments, petrol, tax, insurance ) it will work out cheaper and i'll have more time at home.

So i think its a runner !!

I'll have once off costs like lessons and safety gear but they are a must anyway
 
go to Simon Cotters in Ballymount (www.cottermc.com) for a great selection of gear - shop is very topsy turvy but there are lots of bargains and make sure you get a full set - not just jacket, helmet, gloves like most people starting off.

boots are at least as important as gloves (get proper velcro/zip bike boots - last thing you want is for laces to get tied up in bike if you come off)
 
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