general musings about starting out

wazza300 · 30 Apr 2013 at 13:40

I ride all year round in textile gear,weise I can recommend for jacket/trousers,boots id pickup some sidi as they last for years

gloves can be anything that looks decent quality,i bought some cheap ones off fleabay for £15,id also look for a neck warmer aswell to stop the draft and flies hitting you

gillywibble · 30 Apr 2013 at 13:47

I've worn Gore-tex jacket, trousers, gloves and boots for three years now. I ride 7500 miles a year through every type of weather and not once have I got even slightly wet.

SPG · 30 Apr 2013 at 14:45

Not questioning its waterproofing qualities, its very good. But the breathability aspect of it.

Avalon · 30 Apr 2013 at 15:05

Sorry but the helmet point is just wrong. A helmet's fit and comfort are very important but buying the cheapest one that fits isn't a good idea. Do some research, noise and long term comfort are important, my Arai was nice but my Shoei fits better and pinlock is fantastic for use in the wet, different models have different noise characteristics and last I knew it didn't matter what you ride a crash at 30mph is a crash, you don't get extra pain just because it's a 1,000 rather than a 125. Also speak to your local stockist and go and try them on, I was lucky enough to have a friend who worked in a bike shop and showed me a nitro they'd cut in half, the shell thickness differences from one section to another were very obvious.

As for clothing I do about 2,000 miles a month year round, textiles are easily capable of dealing with that and i've yet to get wet, anything else isn't. Water pressure may affect the breath-ability at the front but the negative pressure at the rear should counteract it quite nicely.

Above all have fun and enjoy it

Dogbreath · 30 Apr 2013 at 15:53

Avalon said:
Sorry but the helmet point is just wrong. A helmet's fit and comfort are very important but buying the cheapest one that fits isn't a good idea. Do some research, noise and long term comfort are important, my Arai was nice but my Shoei fits better and pinlock is fantastic for use in the wet, different models have different noise characteristics

If you are riding a bike above about 30mph without hearing protection then you will damage your hearing in the long term, irrespective of the brand or price of the helmet.

As for pinlock, you can fit them to any helmet, and some of the cheaper brands already come with a pinlock (e.g. Caberg).

Disco Boy · 1 May 2013 at 12:22

Thanks for the advice everyone. My CBT is Sunday as I I'd. And I won't be buying a bike until the start of July, so I've plenty of time to try on kit in a few shops.

edd1e said:
Good read, I see you're from Oxford too.. where are you doing your training / CBT?

Good luck!

Lightning Pass in Cowley.

edd1e · 1 May 2013 at 12:29

Disco Boy said:
Lightning Pass in Cowley.

Hate to say it, but my GF did her CBT with those guys and to be honest they were awful.. although that was a couple of years ago now. I hope they are better for you

Disco Boy · 1 May 2013 at 12:53

edd1e said:
Hate to say it, but my GF did her CBT with those guys and to be honest they were awful.. although that was a couple of years ago now. I hope they are better for you

A friend of mine used them recently and someone on another forum recommended them. But yeah they do get mixed reviews. It depends on who you get I suppose!

Crizzy · 2 May 2013 at 17:42

Recently did my cbt and bought a cbf125, single best thing I've done in a long time! SO much fun!

Sagalout · 3 May 2013 at 07:46

bloodiedathame said:
And I wore a Caberg V2R. That was the most expensive helmet I ever owned, because it is what fit and what I could afford. So no, I've not been taken in by marketing. If you can afford to spend £400 to save your head then great.

So you wear a £100 helmet but are advising someone to buy a much more expensive one?

I had a Caberg V2 for a few years too. It was a decent comfy helmet. I don't believe for a second that the £400 Schuberth I wear now is any safer at all, but it is plusher and lighter - thats where the extra money goes.

eidolon · 3 May 2013 at 07:52

Sagalout said:
So you wear a £100 helmet but are advising someone to buy a much more expensive one?

I had a Caberg V2 for a few years too. It was a decent comfy helmet. I don't believe for a second that the £400 Schuberth I wear now is any safer at all, but it is plusher and lighter - thats where the extra money goes.

I'd probably agree with him too. I've got 2 helmets, a Shark S900 which cost me £150 and it fits perfectly, also got a Schuberth S2 which cost £450 which also fits well however I can't honestly say that it's worth the extra money over the Shark. It's quieter and feels slightly better made but it's not worth 3x the price.

As everyone says, but the helmet that fits you best whether that's £150 or £450.

Disco Boy · 5 May 2013 at 19:03

CBT was today, it went great. The weather was glorious and the only real problem I had was forgetting to cancel my indicators. Silly cars with auto cancelling indicators!

I'm pleased as punch

gillywibble · 5 May 2013 at 19:31

Disco Boy said:
CBT was today, it went great. The weather was glorious and the only real problem I had was forgetting to cancel my indicators. Silly cars with auto cancelling indicators!

I'm pleased as punch

edd1e · 5 May 2013 at 19:32

congrats mate

SPG · 5 May 2013 at 22:09

Gratz, now get some miles under belt and get the test done

SPARC · 5 May 2013 at 22:59

Disco Boy said:
CBT was today, it went great. The weather was glorious and the only real problem I had was forgetting to cancel my indicators. Silly cars with auto cancelling indicators!

I'm pleased as punch

I had the same issue with the indicators. How did you find the emergency stop. I kind of struggled with that as I couldn't get passed the mental block of using my hand instead of my foot for braking. I got there eventually after 6-7 tries

.

Well done for passing. Are you sticking with the 125 or are you now thinking of moving up ?

Disco Boy · 6 May 2013 at 13:30

SPG said:
Gratz, now get some miles under belt and get the test done

SPARC said:
I had the same issue with the indicators. How did you find the emergency stop. I kind of struggled with that as I couldn't get passed the mental block of using my hand instead of my foot for braking. I got there eventually after 6-7 tries .

Well done for passing. Are you sticking with the 125 or are you now thinking of moving up ?

I had one instance when I slammed on the front brake and the clutch and revved the **** out of it... I'm too used to riding a bicycle!

I'm planning on riding a 125 until I turn 24, as I can't be doing with having to do DAS twice for the sake of being able to ride a 250cc for <18 months.

bloodiedathame · 8 May 2013 at 13:05

Sagalout said:
So you wear a £100 helmet but are advising someone to buy a much more expensive one?

I had a Caberg V2 for a few years too. It was a decent comfy helmet. I don't believe for a second that the £400 Schuberth I wear now is any safer at all, but it is plusher and lighter - thats where the extra money goes.

What I said was don't buy a super cheap one actually, and to buy what fits.