What ever happened to ‘building up’?

When I were a lad … you got a 50 at 16, rode that for a year, then a 125 at 17 for another year or so … did your test and got a 250/400, then a 600 … then a tou …

Its all good - learning something from each stage and looking forward to the next rung on the ladder …

This appears all but gone these days … people are not starting at 16 these days … just doing their tests and getting straight on a half decent to red hot bike!!

Where is the fun in that?!

Also I firmly bleiave that riders will be better if they have come up the rungs instead of just hopping straight on a fast/big bike …

BTW I think an SV650 is OTT for a first bike … get back out on ya 50s and 125s old skool!!

[rictus01]

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

… get back out on ya 50s and 125s old skool!!

That'd be 50s and 250s then.

Originally Posted by rictus01

That'd be 50s and 250s then.

no, 50cc - 125cc - 250cc (2-smoke)/400cc (4-smoke) - 600+

People need to start doing some 50cc and 125cc pre-test ownership

I think it's costs. Back in the day, a motorbike was a viable and cheaper alternative to a car.

Nowadays, with insurance being what it is, and second hand bike prices remaining quite firm, getting a four wheeled banger on the road is far cheaper. As such, people are getting into motorbike as a lifestyle thing rather than an economy thing, people who make "lifestyle" choices are generally older and wealthier, therefore pass the test and jump straight onto a gixxer, then jump right off (often at speed).

EDIT: Old boy credentials: AR125, RG250, VF400, VFR400, etc. etc.

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by rictus01

That'd be 50s and 250s then.

Yes that was the way I did it....... Well sort of.


never bothered with the 50.. went 250-750-1000.

But had to borrow a 250 for my test as they wouldn't let me do it on my kettle

[the_lone_wolf]

having spent my cbt on a 125 i can't see any attraction of riding something that's slower than my car *with* all the added benefits of being vunuerable to anyone not paying attention, it was terrifying being tailgated by an 18 wheeler cause there was a slight incline and the lawnmower between my thighs had given all it had to give...

if i'd have had to go through a 50, then a 125, 250, 400 etc etc i probably wouldn't have bothered - SV is fine for a first bike, if you actually look at the accident statistics there's little to no correlation between experience and accident rate, but a very strong link between age and accident rate - the only thing i would say is that spending 6 years in a car before doing the bike test has given me a lot more road sense than i had when i was 17...

I think I did the 'building up' (said tongue in cheek)

I did CBT on a 125 (Monday)
I did test on a 500 (Friday morning)
picked up my new SV650S (Friday afternoon)

sorted

i think the idea is, if your're 25+ you have a certain amount of responibility / fear of death that a 16y/o immortal doesn't

i know exactly what you mean blue

ive built up over four years one year on a derbi GPR50 then to a restricted GS500 then rode my RD350LC for a week till it broke (stil got the LC) then i got the SV650 cus i didn't like the handling on the GS caryed on with my restriction then waited about a year after the restiction ( riding de- restricted) (now) and got a R6 2002 model... i think ive moved a litle quickly my self but then in my college/ work there about 3 kids who have jumped on to SV650s i think thats just to quick myself but who can tell them? the dealers want to sell them the bikes n thats it realy... ???? oh and people saying they got experiance of lil bikes from there CBT/ test is s**t!!!!

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by injury_ian

i think the idea is, if your're 25+ you have a certain amount of responibility / fear of death that a 16y/o immortal doesn't

exactly, despite only being 22 i have a healthy degree of fear when i sling myself over the SV which i know i wouldn't have had when i was a lad - the reason the government can't introduce the whole enforced "trading up" in engine capacity scheme is not because bikers wouldn't like it, it's because they can't show any evidence that it's a factor in accidents