Newbie says HI and has a couple of q's :)

[AndyBrad]

Hello folks,

Im new to all this and im hoping you can help me out. Ive been wanting to take my bike test for some time now (am 29 this year) and have never got around to it. In fact ive never even sat one one till last weekend (pushed a 125 around a driveway). So this years the year and im doing my cbt (on sat) and am then going to take my das. All will be well and good in the world (hopefully) However I do have some questions and I would like to call on your expertise I hope.

Clothes.

I have seen a jacket I like (the frank thomas ace textile one) It looks good and has some protection. However some people have said leather is better some have said textile. I will hopefully be riding to work after a few weeks and most importantly want to look good but arrive in a shirt and tie. While I can get changed in the toilets what type of clothing is best. Also how do you take your clothes to work and still keep them straight?


The bike.

Ok jumping in here. Things to consider are im very green to all this. I am short 5.6” on a good day and am not the strongest person in the world (am 10.5 stone) The bike will be kept in my back garden and will not be under cover (can get a plastic bike cover if required) as there is no room. I can carry out general maintenance given instruction (fluids spark plugs etc) but will be lost when it comes to anything like cam timing and safety critical stuff. Oh I should also point out ill be taking out a loan if its over 2k but will go up to 4k for something super good.

So ive been thinking of the SV650, The Ducati monster 620ie and the triumph speed4 as these all seem to be highly recommended. I would like your thoughts/advice etc and am looking forward to what you all have top say.

Thanks

Andy

[Alpinestarhero]

Welcome andy!

First off, lets talk about kit. Leathers will offer best protection, but tend to be cold in the winter and a bit hot in the summer. Textiles are a good and cheaper alternative, but will not protect you as much in an accident. They are generally cooler in the summer and (with the thermal lining in) warmer in the winter. Also, textiles can be (CAN BE) waterproof, but check if what you are buying is! Dont neglect boots and gloves. Obviously you will have to have a helmet; try plenty on and buy the one that fits best, not the one thats the coolest looking.

Also, with wearing stuff underneath, the textiles will be better. Its up to you to decide upon overall safety (leathers) or practicality (textiles). I have both, and for walking around all day, textiles are best!

RE bikes: Ok, your on an SV forum, so I'm going to strongly suggest an SV650! You can have naked or with a fairing; there are two shapes (a curvy shape, 1999-2002, and pointy, 2003-present). A good 1999 curvy will set you back £1500 I reckon, from a private seller.

You might find the SV a little tall, but have a sit on them and see what you think. The naked ones have more upright handlebars, so better for town riding, but the S (faired) version has the fairing, so better for longer rides / higher speeds.

There are many luggage options for bikes. You can have hard luggage (topbox, like me, and hard panniers, but they are a bit wide and could get in the way when filtering) or soft luggage (tail-packs, tank-bags, soft throw-over panniers).

The most important thing I think for you is to try and get as best SV you can for the least amount of money, and then get full kit, probably textiles in your case. You can replace bits of a broken bike, but you might find it harder to replace bits of yourself if you dont protect yourself fully!

I hope this helps, no doubt others will give their opinons.

RE leaving the bike outside: get a ground anchor and an Almax chain to lock your bike to the groun anchor with. Nothing worse than coming down in the monrning to find your bike isnt there. If you dont want to put on alarms (they can cause probs!) then there are alarmed locks (such as disc locks). Do have a bike cover - leaving your bike out in the rain won't do it good at all.

Remember to keep things like the chain cleaned and lubed.

Again, welcome, and best of luck with your CBT and DAS.

Matt

[hovis]

welcome......... 2k will get you a pretty tidy SV, and is a great first bike, im not sure about the other 2.

how about getting a garden shed to put it in?

[AndyBrad]

Cheers for the advice so far.

Yea i know its going to be biased but im going to post on the triumph and ducati forum when i get the chance :)


alpinestarhero Fab, really good info and thanks for that.

I would love a garage but its just a shared rear paved patch really around the back of the house (terraces you get the jist) so i carnt really build anything. If i could i would have a garage and a tr6 :)

[carty]

Hello mate, welcome to the site,

I did DAS a few years ago and got myself an SV, absolutely loved it. It has always been regarded as a good 'first big bike' but one of the joys of SV ownership is that it can grow with you as a rider and many experienced and skillful riders still enjoy riding and getting the best out of their SV's. A couple of years down the line I chose to change to an SS600 (which a lot of people do) but that was not due to me getting to the limits of the SV (I wish!), it was purely personal preference on the style of bike I wanted to ride.

Although obviously being an SV site you'll get some heavily biased replies, I / we can all recommend the SV as a great bike to own and learn your trade on. :thumbsup:

I ride to work *cough* in summer *cough* and at the moment I just wear black jeans, shirt and tie and put my jacket on over the top. My 'non-iron' shirts don't look 100% when I arrive but they're about 95% and good enough for me and my boss so that's all that matters to me! A chap downstairs always arrives in full leathers with his clothes in a rucksack and changes here, that's his personal preference but I'd rather have the extra 10 mins in bed! I only come in my leathers (steady! :smt120) on days when I'm going for a blat after work. My commute is taken relatively steadily to account for my reduced protection.

FT textile jacket will obviously be fine for keeping the chill out and giving a degree of protection / confidence but as a new rider I would recommend wearing full protective gear until you feel confident on your commute. I didn't wear just jeans for about a year I reckon, although again, this is obviously down to personal preference.

Regarding your height worries, you should be fine. I had a couple of SV's and from recollection the faired curvy was lower than the naked pointy I had but both were fine for me and I'm 5'8". It's certainly no GS! Maintenance, there's a couple of things to watch out for on older models which more experienced folks than I can help with but generally maintenance is regarded as pretty simple stuff on the SV.

Good luck with your decisions mate :thumbsup:

Cheers,
Matt

[neilfab]

Hi Andy, I'm 5'6" and have a pointy S version and do struggle to get both feet on the ground at the same time. I have a 'lower' seat fitted but haven't gone down the road of lowering the back end, which from all accounts is fairly easy to do.

As Cartwrim said I think the curvies are a tad lower so that may be a more practial solution.

Oh and welcome to the forum, make yourself at home.

[tanis34]

hi andy im 5'8 with short legs and find the sv just right ,the used bike guide magazine shows the seat height of most of the bikes in there as for clothing i wear leathers in summer ( i go faster in the summer ) and textile in winter

[yorkie_chris]

Clothes.


The bike.


So ive been thinking of the SV650, The Ducati monster 620ie and the triumph speed4 as these all seem to be highly recommended. I would like your thoughts/advice etc and am looking forward to what you all have top say.

Thanks

Andy

Clothes... I'd reccomend textile if you're going to be commuting all year round, they're most convenient by far, way better than waterproofs over leathers.

Maintenence, easy on the SV if you take your time with it.

A ducati for commuting is a bad idea IMO.

As is buying anything on a loan, you're going to drop it, so buy a cheap one and learn how to spanner and how to ride properly.

[kitkat]

hiya andy

textiles for commuting and once you have saved up a bit of money leathers for your weekend playing.

im 5 6 with short short legs. the curvy sv was ok but tippy toes the pointy i found depending on what year was higher. 04 I think was extremely tall, couldnt reach the ground at all.

My bike is kept out all year. I have a bike cover (argos I think) which is good and I chain my bike to the lamp post. If you are leaving it in the garden try and get it onto a solid surface. if its grass put a squashed can under the side stand as it will sink into the grass eventually falling over. then you will be posting about what is the best way to pick up a bike. lol

[AndyBrad]

Cheers folks. All very good stuf here ':)

Yea textiles are cheaper than leathers. I dont think im goignt o be going fast at all (or for the first year or so im guessing) so im hoping they will be ok. Will have a look in the shop after my cbt on sat.

What are your thourghts about buying gear off ebay?

Any tips on gloves and boots?

The back yard is on a slope (is paved york stoe though so no sinking in hopefully :) ) will this be a problem? Also is there a nack to picking a bike up? To be honest i hadnt hourght about itt ill now but i dont really think i could lift comething thats the same weight as me? How do you get on if you fall over at a traffic light etc? And mor importantly how do you keep your pride intact :)

[Mogs]

A textile jacket is the way to go if you plan to look your smartest when arriving at the office, your shirt will look less crumpled. I kept a pair of shoes in the office. To keep your clothes looking their best roll them rather than fold. I also kept a full change (jeans, t-shirt, underwear and socks) in the office for the days when a full soaking occurs, even the best gear will eventually allow some water to get in, usually down your collar or up your cuffs. Have a word with the building manager, you may find that he will let you dry out wet kit in the boiler room.

Parking on a slope if its not too much shouldnt be a problem, just park the bike pointing up hill and in gear. Embarrasment at dropping a bike will make you bionic for a few seconds, you will be able to lift a SV at that moment. Pride will be shattered and is irrepairable.

[yorkie_chris]

Boots, a set of para boots will do the trick if you want cheap, about 40 quid army surplus and very waterproof. There's loads to choose from in boots.

Gloves, personally I like halvarrsons gloves but just buy what fits best, and IMO get the best you can afford because they're the first thing to touch down in an off, and the hardest thing to heal. (except maybe your noggin..)

[carty]

Embarrasment at dropping a bike will make you bionic for a few seconds, you will be able to lift a SV at that moment. Pride will be shattered and is irrepairable.


Haha, touch wood I've never dropped my bike at traffic lights, I did have to pick my first SV up from the middle of the road following a car / bike interface and I can confirm that adrenaline makes you bionic. I picked it up so fast I almost tipped it straight back over the other way!

One hand on handlebar nearest the ground, other hand under rear subframe, bend the knees and lift. No probs.

As Mogs says, pride is irrepairable, luckily bikes can be fixed.

[Odin]

Hi

Firstly the bikes,

Out of the 3 you mentioned I would say the SV is your best bet. Enough around to spot a good n for your budget. You can easily lower the SV even further if you think your height is a real issue. The confidence you get when putting your foot down when first starting out helped all of us.....

If your ride to work is long fast motorways\ A roads then go for faired. Inner city travels, go for naked.

At 2K for a monster and kept outside ....it may just disintegrate in front of your eyes. Like always it may be possible to get a good n but the risk is higher than an SV. The Ducati name may help with the ladies though!!!

Speed 4 pretty similar to the SV. It may lack low down pull up against the SV but should rev higher if that floats your boat. Parts will be more expensive against the SV and I would think the insurance will be higher too.

Clothes

I you go for the frank Thomas, then I would go for the pants too...just so you can easily connect the top to the bottoms...this makes a difference when the weather cools.

Gloves

I would get 2 pairs....1 good summer type (around 80 quid). Try as many on as possible and get the ones that feel good for you. Also get some inner thermal glove (5 quid). This will allow you to wear you summer gloves for longer.
Second winter pair (around 50 quid will do)... You will not get the same level of feed from these and most bikers will prefer not to wear this type, but when the weather turns you will need some.

Boots

Something like Alpinestar smx4 will do. Again don’t be scared to go to different shops and try some on.

Hard hat

Spend about 200 quid on a known make. Again don’t just buy a Nolan 'coos Rossi wears that'. Try some and go what fits. When you know what you want try buying online as you can often get a better deal.

Think about a back protector to replace that excellent piece of foam that frank Thomas has put in your jacket.

As always do not fall for everything the shop sales person tells you....some of the s***e you hear is amazing.

All of the above is just my opinion, but I am never wrong....minding you, my boss has just sent me for a sky hook to go on top of a long stand that I am still waiting for..........

[Alpinestarhero]

The winter gloves thing is a good point actualy; I got fed up of not beign able to feel my controls in winter gloves, so for your bike get heated grips, and then for when its realy cold, handlebar muffs. That way, you'll only ever need summer gloves :D

[Biker Biggles]

For clothing you need to make a trip to Peterborough this weekend for the BMF show.Loads of stuff for sale there,and some of it very cheap.Go for textiles,big enough to fit over your work stuff.As for the bike,an older (cheaper) curvy SV bought for cash and do your apprenticeship on that.Easy to work on and not a disaster if you drop it.

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah, what you want to buy is a naked curvy... funnily enough I know someone who'll have one for sale in a week or 2 ;-)

1500 quid will see the keys in your hand :-D

[krhall]

I use my Sv all year round in all weathers!

It is perfect for me and I'm only 5'8", al lot of girls own SV's as they are friendlier for shorter people, I bought mine off of a girl.

It is my first big bike and I love every minute of it. Bought it a week after my test and have commuted 5 days per week since then.

As someone said adrenaline will help you pick it up if you drop it. If not someone will always help you. As for pride - you have a lid on nobody will know who you are and judging by the posts on here it probably won't be your fault!

As for stuff to wear, buy decent motorbike boots, not too cheap, they make a massive difference once you actually get used to them.

I used to textile all year as I only use the bike as a commuter, so it is perfect. I use Frank Thomas ones and they are ok unless you get stuck in a monsoon and you will get damp.

Normally my clothes only get a bit creased where my ricksack has been over my shoulder, but put your suit jacket on and no one is any the wiser.

Keep spare boxers and socks in your desk!!!!

As for gloves I bought some winter gloves Alpine Stars - Dri-Star and the are too thick and too warm for me, so I wear summer gloves and if it is raining I wear a pair of latex gloves underneath. Not ideal but IMO better than thinck gloves.

Although this forum will be slightly biased, there are many non-SV owners on here and a hell of a lot of advice to steer you through SV ownership and maintanence.

Stop your bike search there is only one option Pointy SVS (in sliver).

[yorkie_chris]

One thing to remember if you do drop it, and this is important, hit the killswitch or turn the ignition off ASAP, like instantly!

The curvy carbs will usually make it cut out as it won't draw fuel, the pointy has a tip-over sensor. Neither are fool proof though.

Reason: the oil pick up does not pick up oil with the bike on it's side and will completely shag the engine!

[krhall]

Don't even think about dropping it!

[kitkat]

The winter gloves thing is a good point actualy; I got fed up of not beign able to feel my controls in winter gloves, so for your bike get heated grips, and then for when its realy cold, handlebar muffs. That way, you'll only ever need summer gloves :D


:smt120 id rather have cold hands

[AndyBrad]

well things have been taking a turn for the worst today (appart from a horrible day at wor so far) ive gone and lost the paper bit to my license so ive had to cancell the cbt for this weekend. GUTTED!!!

[Grinch]

I'm 5'6" and I have a lowered seat on the SV which helps a great deal. Mine has also had the forks dropped 10mm and the dogbones on the shock lenghtend to bring the rear down 20mm so that my other hakf Jax can ride it. She's 4'11" so this is always a option if your still troubled.
Also textiles is the way to go in the winter and flexibility in what you where, Hien Gerike do a fine Goretex range and you should be able to get a jacket and trousers for under 400 quid. I myself have goretex trousers, with vents, leather jacket, vented jacket, waterproof winter jacket and a collection of gloves for different weathers. So you might find that not just one item does all weathers.

Also have a look at the link in my Sig, on some tips on all weather riding.

[Ed]

You should ask your CBT instructor to show you how to pick up a dropped bike. It's nothing to do with strength, it's all about technique and where you hold the bike to lift it. If I can do it (and I've had to on a few occasions - oops:rolleyes:) then anyone can.

Do you need the paper part of your licence to do a CBT????? You really must get your DAS done before October - new anti-bike rules come into effect then, will make it much harder.

Welcome to the madhouse BTW;)

[yorkie_chris]

Do you need the paper part of your licence to do a CBT????? You really must get your DAS done before October - new anti-bike rules come into effect then, will make it much harder.

Yes, afaik you need all of it with you. :-(

[AndyBrad]

YUP you do need both parts. Gutted as the dvla wont help either! grrrrr.

im wanting to get it done asap for the das. Its all going on the credit card so shouldnt be too much of a problem. Will see after my first go on a bike tough :)

[Ed]

Will see after my first go on a bike though :)

You'll love it. You'll love it so much that you won't want to get off!:p

[El Saxo]

Hi & welcome to the site.

I'd echo most people's advice so far re the choice of bike etc, but just to add my 2p worth to the issue of work clothes etc...

If you have a locker or somewhere similar to leave stuff, leave a pair of shoes at work all the time so you don't have to worry about carting them back & forth every day. I don't have to wear a tie at work but you could easily leave a few ties there too. I just carry a pair of trousers & a shirt rolled up in a rucksack each day & get changed when I get to work. It's a bit more hassle but you don't have to worry about getting your work clothes damp or hot & sweaty underneath your bike gear (depending what the weather's like obviously).

Hope you get your licence sorted soon :thumbsup:

[Tim in Belgium]

The SV is a great bike, does it all pretty well, touring, scratching, commuting, trackdays.

Get one, ride it, change the oil, feed it new tyres and liquid hydrocarbons and ride it some more. I can hear mine in the garage whining, itching to get out.

[AndyBrad]

right guys good news. After getting my ass to barnsley last night i found it at my old address :) Booked back in and were all set for tomorrow :) YAY

Any last min tips.

[Alpinestarhero]

Tips: relax, and do what your told. If you can't quite understand something, ask for more advice or ask to be shown!

Once you are comfortable riding, then you dont have to think so much about riding...just get on with being safe and following the rules you've learnt.

Dont forget your mirrors and shoulder checks

Have fun

oh, and dont grab at controls, use everything smoothly and your riding wil also be smooth, making you look much more competant at riding :D

:D

[Paul the 6th]

guessing the cbt was today? how'd it go?

Also, check out some of the ride outs we arrange on here @

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Ncw55pcCU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFIkdbpl7HA

More to come shortly. I've yet to meet an SV rider who's a complete n0bber - they're all sound as feck and a good laugh to meet up with.

[Paul the 6th]

Yeah, what you want to buy is a naked curvy... funnily enough I know someone who'll have one for sale in a week or 2 ;-)

1500 quid will see the keys in your hand :-D

you selling up chris?

[yorkie_chris]

Nah I've got another one I bought a while ago from taylor1975, was going to track it, but I want a speed triple... so I've done the little bits of work it needed and now its for sale

[Paul the 6th]

ah top stuff :)

[AndyBrad]

right folks, The cbt was on sat. I went with brighouse motorcycle training centre

Was a bit scary at first. Having never really sat on a bike before i didnt know where to start. The chap that took us was a really decent bloke (howard) and showed me what was what. That sorted i was off :) To be honest the first time i set off i just sent forward a little bit and it was a feeling somewhere between fear and fun. A bit like going to alton towers. A few more times and i got a bit more relaxed and it all seemed to be good.

Everything was fine appart from if i decided to look at something (god knows how you get on if you see a lass on the street you'll run her over?) i was off in that direction. And if i panicked i was also screwed.

Got out on the open road and WOW loved it. 30 mph never seemed so fast and we were out for a good few hours. TBH my clutch control is pretty poor as i was stil in the need to release it fully mode.

Just loved it and still buzzing 2 days later. :) :) :) now has anyone got a 125 i can have? :)

[yorkie_chris]

No help on the 125 sorry, but if you're only in brighouse there's a couple of .org people in halifax so come out for a rideout :-D Even if you are on a 125 we don't mind.

p.s if you find one and want me to take a look at it for you just PM me

[Paul the 6th]

Just loved it and still buzzing 2 days later. :) :) :) now has anyone got a 125 i can have? :)

Forget the 125, get your full licence done asap matey. I took my cbt & theory test in 2005 with the idea of doing das/full licence shortly after. I never got around to it until april last year (4 months before my cbt would have expired). I popped into the Bumpy rider training school and booked my test & 18 hours of tuition for ?525 all in - stuck it on the credit card and I've never looked back. If you think the cbt is fun on the 125's (which i did), wait till they get you on a 500cc (bumpy use the honda cb500's - tonnes of fun & easy enough to ride). The 6 x 3 hour lessons spread over 2 weeks leading upto my test was amazing fun and a real learning experience.

The weathers right and you could have your full licence within a few weeks - then you can head out there and get yourself an sv :)...:smt079



failing that, get a 125 and come along anyway :rolleyes::P

[AndyBrad]

Cheers chap,

Yea in the sunny metropolis of brighouse (or ****hole depending on your point of view :) ) I might just take you up on that. Trying to figure out what the best way forward is tbh. The guy who took me out said i could do with a bit of practice before jumping into a das course. Sooooo i can either get a loan and get a 125 for a month then do the das? or spend the money on a 125 lesson and then go for the das (which i think might be cheaper?) what do you think? Only trouble is im away all of july and it needs to be done before the end of sept and i have to do ti at weekend (to time of work due to july :( ) Your thourghts?

on the flip side thay had this **** hot yama 125 race thingy in the showroom. looked mint and i dont like faired bikes :)

[yorkie_chris]

Nahhhhh the YZF125 isn't a "proper" one ... nothing compared to the TZR125 hehe.

don't bother with a loan, it's a waste of money, for the price of a deposit you could buy a 125!

There's a place in leeds down near the armouries who'll loan you a 125 with insurance and the lot. Get a theory done, book DAS course and rent one and potter about for 2 days before the course.


It'll be loads cheaper to do some 125 lessons then DAS, but you might as well just go straight for the DAS and get used to the bigger bike. Edit: not that a GS500 is #much# bigger anyway!

[Paul the 6th]

To be honest when I did my cbt I considered getting a 2nd hand 125 and pottering about for a few months then taking my test. I had a look at the cbr 125, rs125 but found both were too small. I also rang a few insurance companies for quotes on the CBR & RS - average was about 750 quid tpft brick built garage, wf14 (mirfield) postcode, no points on licence and aged 20.

I paid £500 quid fully comp aged 21 on an SV650 more or less after passing my test. Im up for renewal at the end of this month, 1 years ncb now living in york I'm down to 275 quid fully comp - and looking like I might be able to bring it down to 240 at a push :)

I thought a 'big' 600 could be a bit of a handful and that learning on a 125 would be better for me but the instructors 'big bikes' are easy to control - I thought easier than the 125's to be honest.

I guess it comes down to considering your options carefully, there is the temptation to rush into buying a 125 to get out there on the road because a full licence feels like a big hurdle, but I'd seriously recommend taking your time and investing in the lessons & das. You'll really feel a sense of acheivement the first time you ride a big'n

[AndyBrad]

ok will do.

just phoned up brig and they have 4.5 weeks wait for das lessons. Can anyone else recomend a place in the area. Not firstpass as we heard them on the radio and he didnt seem like a nice bloke :(

[Paul the 6th]

ok will do.

just phoned up brig and they have 4.5 weeks wait for das lessons. Can anyone else recomend a place in the area. Not firstpass as we heard them on the radio and he didnt seem like a nice bloke :(


hiya mate, just seen the above reply - I passed first time with bumpy rider training - they're just between morely & birstall - fantastic instructors (one ex-police, one ex-army, and one who's just incredibly good at teaching). Easy enough to get to via the a62 from brighouse.

http://www.bumpy.org.uk/index.php
01924 470432
on the map:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=WF17+0JB&ie=UTF8&ll=53.739929,-1.637778&spn=0.011346,0.029011&z=15&iwloc=addr