armour

stuman

stuman

stuman

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27 Aug 2003
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hi guys, in the coming months i'm going to be undertaking my full motorcycle test bits. Just as a thought to work out how much i need to save for the bike and all the gear is there an item available that acts like a leather jacket (safety wise) that would fit under a normal jacket. i say this as i have a nice weather-proof jacket i use for cycling that would work well for keeping the elements out however lack any sort of protection. (http://www.endura.co.uk/Product.aspx?dept_id=123&prod_id=141)

so a slim fitting armour vest of some kind?

also with helmets is there much difference between the £500 lids and the £350ish ones?

ie. is it worth going for an **** rx7gp lid or save a few quid and go for a range or 2 down?

i'm not going to be racing track days but my daily commute and maybe a little weekend riding etc.

also, what is peoples experience with finance, the banks won't touch me for an unsecured loan however i have yet to try for finance secured again the bike itself. is this generally easier to get approved for? does the size of the deposit help?


thanks again.
 
That jacket will probably just get shreaded in an accident, you will be better off buying a nice set of leathers/textiles and be on the safe side. As for the helmet £350-500 seems a bit excessive for your first, you can get something like a HJC/AGV for around the £150 mark that will be pretty much the same.
 
Not sure why you're talking about spending £350 on a lid and pinching pennies on a jacket :confused: As SamPazz says, that jacket will probably be worse than useless if you come off. As you bounce down the road, the material will probably end up melting and then embedding itself into your arms, which you really don't want.

Get yourself down to hein gericke or somewhere and get a decent set of textiles.

Can't help on the finance front - always bought part cash / part bank loan. However, I do know that dealers are usually quite quick to jump on the finance bandwagon (doesn't necessarily make it a cheap / good idea though). What bikes you looking at, and how much are you looking to spend?
 
As above, I really can't see why you'd want to spend so much on your first helmet, and skimp on a jacket. I've been biking for nearly 5 years now, and I've not spent more than £200 on a lid. I'd recommend looking at spending around £100-£150 on your first lid.

Also, look at getting a proper jacket. As you'll be doing it during winter, you should probably look at textile, as this'll give you the protection, and also give you the warmth. And when summer comes around, you can either remove some of the internal in the summer, or maybe look at getting some leathers.

As for finance, I've only ever really looked at it when looking to buy new. That's generally the only time you'll get a good finance deal. How much are you looking to spend on a bike?
 
With getting a helmet its not necessary to spend hundreds of pounds as it doesn't guarantee that you'll be better off than wearing a helmet of half the value and in some cases some of the cheaper helmets are better than some of the expensive brands check out this site for protection ratings. Fortunately for me i checked it sometime after and found mine to be 5/5 :). A lot of the time price comes down to the style and brand.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
 
As someone who cycles and is a biker, I can tell you that a cycling jacket wont work on a motorbike. Cycling stuff is made light weight and is well vented to keep you cool. On a motorbike you're going a lot faster with no physical effort, and you get bloody cold. You'll need the extra thickness for warmth as much as protection
 
thanks for all the replies. yeah i kinda understand now that the cycling jacket is maybe not the wisest idea.

what i had planned was get a good lid now, and then after a few months of saving get a good leather jacket. i guess i could save a few pounds on the lid and invest in some nicer textile bits.

the bikes i'm looking at;

triumph street triple
ducati monster 696
aprilia shiva 750
kawasaki er6n
fz8 (maybe)
BMW f800

something along those lines. budget anywhere between 5 - 7.5k is what I'm looking at.

but once i have my licence i'll put a few hours in test riding them see which one fits best.
 
I take it you havent ridden before? Why not get something for around the 1-2k mark to get you used to it, as for helmets you have to think 1 accident/drop anything like that and they should be replaced, you will be more gutted about dropping an expensive helmet and having to replace it then dropping your first bike and having a few scratches if your unlucky(if you go for a cheaper option).
 
My advice would be to get something cheap, that you won't care tooo much about dropping. Spending 7k on a Ducati will only hurt more when you crash for the first time (you will, because you're not experienced enough yet).

I made that same mistake, spent £5k on an BMW F800s, dropped it within 3 months of owning it. Cost a *lot* to put right. I could have had just as much fun on a CB500 and also had £3k in my back pocket.

That said, on that list, I've ridden the Ducati, Triumph and own the BMW. I liked the BMW best, but the Street Triple is awesome. No ABS, which is a no-no for me though.
 
As long as the helmet meets standards costs need not be too high. You tend to pay for better fit, warranty and venting etc.

You can get textile jackets with padding. I use one if not bothering with leathers.

george white have good sales, you can save a lot of money so is worth a trip.
 
If you haven't ridden before, that's an awfully big budget for a first bike. I'd suggest something around the 2k mark, get used to riding, and shouldn't cost too much if you do drop it. I dropped my first bike a few times, but fortunately, I hadn't spent a load on it, and didn't cost me too much to fix as parts were easy to get ahold of.
As for test riding, just be wary some places may not let you test ride if you've only just got your licence. How old are you if you don't mind me asking?
 
2 things that are VERY important:

1) You WILL come off the motorbike at some point either if it is just a misplaced foot and you drop it when stationary or something more serious heaven forbid. Either wayis WILL happen so budget on A) a naked bike first, then crash bungs, or just buy one thats already tatty but good and safe mechanically as that way when it happens it won't p*** you off half as much!

2) Helmet fit - forget all this crap about spending £500 on a helmet coz it's better - complete b&*&*(&( - it's all to do with HELMET FIT. a bad fitting helmet worth £500 will kill you much easier than a properly fitted £100 helmet...

I crashed about 14 times when racing at speeds up to 165 mph.... never spent more than £100 on a helmet but was ok every time. (except once - a Haga rep Arai - i nearly cried when i went through the gravel trap at 100mph.... luckily i had the preesence of mind to keep my head off the deck lol)

The last and final thing - it doesn't matter if it's a £100 helmet or £500 helmet - hit something hard enough and it will kill you no matter what you have on.

Still want a motorbike? ') :p
 
Strange list of bikes, ducati monster 696 and a kawasaki er6n are very different bikes.

As already said, get yourself a cheap sub £2k bike to start with, even if it's only for 6 months till you get some more experience. Everyone thinks they won't drop their bike or come off but the facts speak differently. There will certainly be a time when you ride home, are maybe a bit tired and don't put the stand down correctly and over it goes. (I dropped my first CBR125 and was lucky to only crack my mirror but if it had been my new ZX6R I'd have been gutted)

If you're looking to get a leather jacket for the Summer then now is the time. I was looking at a nice Arlen Ness jacket a couple of months ago and it was £300, eventually bought it last week for £155 so there's some bargains to be had at this time of year.
 
thanks again guys.

i'm starting to see that maybe the saying "buy cheap buy twice" doesn't apply to bike like it does to other stuff.

as for fit of a lid then, what should i be looking for? will most shops selling lids be able to guide me through this process?

the list of bikes was not exhaustive just to give you an idea on what i "think" i want.

ok, so if i was to get a ******* of a first bike which one will return well fuel wise and be a good learning tool? also which bikes do dealers give good part-x for, or is it all pretty much the same?

would you guys go for 500 - 700cc for the first one or would something like a ninja 250 do the same job?

ohh, i'm 25 and have been road cycling for 5 years. a pain in the ass cyclist for the first 2 years then had a bit of a scare using my hip and shoulder as breaks from 25mph after a taxi driver pulled a SMIDSY on me. since then it's opened my eyes a bit as to our vulnerable out there! but touch wood clean slate for 3 years.
 
For bike gear for commuting and weekend riding...

I'd grab a copy of Ride magazine and maybe look here too : http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_cat/17 .Once you've got a rough idea of what you want go to a decent bike shop or three and try some of it on.

Both my instructor friends recommended Weise gear to me and I can't fault any of it. It's good quality stuff that doesn't break the bank. Having recently lost my inner liner for my Weise X-Blade 2 jacket (only £80 but it's been great) I'm looking at getting the Weise Nevada or the hi-viz Hornet for Christmas off the other half (around the £150 mark), as I commute in London.

Come to think of it, I need to pinlock my visor too as I'm misting up now...
 
If I were you I'd just buy something like a half decent ER5 now and get plenty of miles under your belt before treating yourself to something a bit nicer in Summer. Ninja 250s are nice but far too expensive for what they are, just get a cheapo bike for now and get a proper Ninja ZX6R in Summer :D

You could easily get a 2001/2002 ER5 for about a grand now and you'd get your money back (or possibly even make money) when you come to sell it towards Summer time.
 
I bought my current helmet from a Hein Gericke, the staff where more then helpfull when it came to choosing. Most decent stores will probably have someone to help who knows what hes doing.

Generally youre looking for something thats not super tight but if you shake your head it shouldnt feel to loose
 
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With a helmet try it on in the shop if you like it order online. I saved £70 quid doing this. I paid a £250 for my helmet but I wanted a helmet which had better sound proofing. I have tinnitus through biking I don't want to mess up my hearing anymore. On another note wear ear plugs, please, it will save your hearing.

My advice spend around £200 on a good set of boots. Smashed ankles are a pain to operate on and may never recover fully.
 
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