New Guy!!! Updated Now with pics!! 29/03/10 post #69 ;)
 

Hey all,

Just thought id drop in an make myself known,

(not to sound too much like a personal ad ha!)
Names Tom im 21 from west yorkshire WF15 and currently learning to ride full access ive passed theory last week. have CBT booked for this sat then onto Mod1 and Mod2.

ive been drooling over a brand new 650SV Sport list price just over 5k but planning to haggle for something off that. what are peoples view of this bike ? as ive heard nothing but good things ideal first bike etc but is there any thing im missing.

Next stop is gear helmet Gloves Boots Jacket etc does anyone have advice on good shops in my local area as i really know diddly and dont want to be used as a rag doll. is Arai as good as people say or is it just a good marketing? is leather better then any other material for a jacket etc.

Thanks in advance Tom.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Welcome to the Org. Some are deviants, some are lovely. Enjoy!!! :D

Re: New Guy!!!
 

and others are just plan mad:geek:

Re: New Guy!!!
 

bonjour!

Re: New Guy!!!
 

'Ow do

Yes they are as good as everyone says, this is SV forum, what you expect to hear :-D

I would advise buying used for your first bike. Most people drop them in first couple of months and better to do that on a cheap bike than a shiny brand spanker.


Helmets; buy what fits you, a £500 lid will be worse in comfort, noise and protection than a £50 one if it doesn't fit you.

Gloves; really important, they have a great effect on the feel of the bike and the comfort of riding. I think halvarssons gloves are the absolute b*llocks, but they fit me well. Try some on, and so long as it doesn't have a frank thomas badge on it you should be fine!

Boots, tend to be pricey if you want fully waterproof ones. Again halvarssons are great here but if you want race styling then look at oxtar/TCX brand.

Leather vs textile is a whole other debate. Leather is certainly more protective, but nowhere near as warm and versatile.


Big question is what are you doing with bike, will you be commuting long distances or up the road, or is this a toy for Sundays and the occasional weekend trip?

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Thanks all,

and in response to the above bike will be used for commuting (not high miles) along with few hours play on the weekends.

and as you are "local" are there any shops you would recomend that will help rather then just sell sell sell?

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Croeso! :cool:

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Nope. Jordans in Leeds has a big gear shop, but I wouldn't deal with them again after the debacle with their dyno 'operator'. They might be OK but I haven't dealt with that part of their business.

I'd look on eBay for secondhand kit and on here. First leathers I got were £40. Guy just sold very good condition suit here for £90.

Most important to try on gloves and lid though.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Howdoo and welcome. Nowt wrong in 2nd hand kit (but stay away from helmets) i got my leathers off ebay for 40 quid and they were only worn twice before guy gave up biking so bargains to be had there. +1 to what yorkie chris says as he is a fountain of knowledge. :)

Re: New Guy!!!
 

As for your earlier question. RE Arai. Like YC said, try on all lids within your price range. Set yourself a limit and try what you can, whichever feels most comfortable, thats the one to go with. You may think, "Yeah, but I won't know what is comfortable", then simples......snug, light (if poss), no parts digging in etc. Wear one round the shop for a good few minutes, will soon know if it will give you headaches etc.

Boots, I went for Alpinestars SMX-4 WP. They were £160, which is pricey, but are comfy that you can walk around in, totally waterproof and even look a little sporty.

Leathers / Textiles.....personally, if you are looking at enjoying summer riding as well as commuting, then I would go for leathers. I wear them all year round (when I used to commute) and then just had decent waterproof trousers / jacket to wear over the top. Leathers aren't normally as warm in the winter, but this can be overcome with layers of base clothing or even tracky bottoms over the leathers with waterproofs over them.

Gloves.....aside from the helmet, in my view the most important bit of clothing. A lot of people often buy cheaper gloves etc, but I have come off in cheap gloves......never again!!!! Get yourself a decent set of goretex (if possible) fully armoured gloves.

Aside from that lot, the only other item I would recommend is a decent back protector, either forcefield or knox......as the CE slip in parts are normally not up to the standard.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Welcome and good luck.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Hiya Tom, welcome along :)

obviously we're not going to be biased (it's not like this forum is dedicated to the sv or anything :razz:), but it is a cracking bike. Read any reviews from years gone by or posts from people on here and it's mentioned everytime "Great for new riders looking to build confidence but just as good for experienced riders who fancy something a bit different" etc... The engine has lots of mid range so you don't have to rag the shiz out of it when you wanna make moves, with experience you'll start to find the brakes aren't as powerful as the unit's on full on sportsbikes but they're far from rubbish..

You'll probably struggle to get a test ride with being a new rider but if you've only ridden learner school bikes (honda cb500 type things) then an SV will feel like the dogs danglies..

In terms of gear, leathers generally give better protection in the event of an off but won't keep you as warm or dry in crap weather. Likewise, textiles will probably be a little bit comfier and snuggly if you're gonna ride all year round/commute but personally I think leathers look smarter/cooler etc. Not sure if Hein Gericke still do their 0% finance on purchases but you could get kitted out with £300-£400 quids worth of decent gear (lid/leathers or textiles/gloves/boots) and take it over like 9 months and it'll work out around £40/month... Their store in leeds is quite big and I've found the staff to be very helpful.

if your budget won't stretch that far then eBay is generally good for 2nd hand kit but make sure you go and try it on before buying anything or you'll just end up losing money/selling it on eBay yourself.

My first helmet was a £90 caberg, 2nd helmet was an Arai TourX3 - I'll definitely buy Arai again :)

apart from that, pop your head up in the Pennine Massive section - I'm from mirfield originally (wf14) and there's quite a few of us allover the place now.. we all try and meet at squires most wednesday evenings for drinks and a natter, and we also organise big rideouts allover the place throughout the year :)

god I feel like a meet and greet nobster lol

Re: New Guy!!!
 

You are.

Everyone has covered it already about the bikes an about the gear etc.

Im in WF15 also, so your in the cleck'heck'sedge area if you wanna know a little more about the SV's your free to pop round take a look at either the curvy or pointy we're oddly welcoming like that on the org.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

he's a sex offender tom, don't listen to him

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Says the man who does rude things with bagels.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

it was a creme brulee actually, and I only dangled it in there once

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Welcome, you have probably found one of the most active friendly bike related forum on the net.

SV is a great bike, I would go for leather, I always regret buying textiles first.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Oi cake fiddler, stop slowing my progress! Dont you have a baked good violate.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

welcome to the nut house "see posts before mine" :P

personal i wouldn't touch a arai but thats just me, if you have a fair wad to spen then have a look at the agv gp tech helemt can be had for £260 on ebay with a rrp of £440 but try it on before buying

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Just out of interest why not?

They don't fit my head and I find them unbelievably noisey... but with a statement like above you must feel strongly.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

^ well they sort of dont fit my head, and the one that does (arai tour x that my dad has) when i put it on it feelt fine but after a hour started to get light headed, so stopped took it off and when my dad looked at my head it had been punting pressure directly on my temples, but as i sead felt fine up until i got light headed when i first tried it on and all that, but personally after that i wouldn't touch them again

its just the fact that i could have purchased one on the fact that it felt good on my head then went out on a ride and ended up passing out :S put me off for life

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Hello and welcome. Dont feel the Orgers after midnight as they tend to be drunk or busy wetting the bed.

Watch out for those who have animal like qualities in their usernames, they is the one what you wanna watch out for like, innit.
Oh and the Gixxer riding chavs here of course.

Other than that, get an SV cos they rock, get out and ride it and if you feel up to the task of meeting a whole bunch of us for real have a look at the AR threads section and come along and see for yourself what a motley crew really looks like.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Hello and welcome to the nut house!!!!

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Hello and welcome to.......ah, you've heard it enough by now, this is a fab place really ;-)

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Hi bienvenue au forum

Re: New Guy!!!
 

welcome to the org!!

Sv makes a great first bike imo, like YC dont get a new one, there are loads of bargains to be had in second hand SVs.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Alreet from another local person.

TBH Arai are expensive, and personally I wouldn't pay for one as a first lid. You can get much better ones that are cheaper. Try them all on and decide which one is most comfortable. Personally Arai are too big for my little head, but Sharks are my preference as they are more comfortable.
Buy what you can afford as far as gear is concerned, people are always happy to recommend theirs, I am a Halvarrssons walking riding advertisement, but its taken me many years before I could afford their gear.

SVs are excellent as first bikes. Everyone from first time passers to very experienced riders love them.
Watch out in the Pennine Massive section for things going on in our area...and watch out for paul the 6th and his creme brulee persuasions, hes not well!!!

Re: New Guy!!!
 

haha thanks for all the help and welcomes,

just a update ive been shopping and bought this lil number !

http://www.roadbikebitz.com/images/p...cle_Helmet.jpg

And these also !

http://www.ducati-motorcycle-parts.c...TR-BKBK-36.jpg

opinions ?

also ive had a look at gloves but could only see some RST's that appelled to me thoughts? what makes should be avoided and favoured? names ive seen floating about Goretex, Alpinestars, RST, Spada, Wolf?

Re: New Guy!!!
 

IS that an X spirit Shoei?...thought they were for racing? IF so really noisy.
Maybe wrong though.
On the whole though , Shoeis make good lids, and light. Most lighter lids of most brands are noisy these days. My first ever lid was a Nitro, it was cheap and sooo quiet, all my Shark ones have been really noisy, and I have to wear ear plugs. My other half has two Shoei xr1000s, he loves them.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

*noob comment warning*

it says Shoei Raid II, it was light but not as light as the others i tried my 2nd choice was xr1000 i think it had the "1000" bit in there some where haha

Re: New Guy!!!
 

OOoooooo, I like that Shoei, Nice one. I have Arai and it makes such a difference to the riding to get a decent helmet.

Can't go wrong with SIDI, good move and I have RST gloves as seem to be a good all rounder with plenty of protect esp the knuckle bits.

Best advice really is to go for the highest level of protection in each of the ranges and then try things on. The best might not always be the most comfortable as brands can vary in comfort and style. Then there are huge differences in price so it depends what you wanna pay.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

boots are good and so is the lid :) and rst gloves are my personal choice have come off in mine twice and they are still in once piece and good condition

mine are RST moto pilot, there not cheep though ( i paid £90 when they where first released)

http://i.ebayimg.com/14/!BTdBR+!B2k~...inw3w~~_35.JPG

EDIT looking at those boots they look like the ones my dad has, and he's had them for 10 years, still look like new now (un like my SIDI's)

Re: New Guy!!!
 

There almost identical to what i was looking at not sure what they cost the ones i was going to purchase was £54.99

Re: New Guy!!!
 

^ they may have just been the rst pilot's (not the moto pilots) but as i sead i got mine when they first came out so could have dropped in price a fair bit :)

these are the standard pilots
http://www.seastarsuperbikes.co.uk/R...ilot%20gun.jpg

Re: New Guy!!!
 

I have those boots but the Gortex ones. They are great boots, even crashed in em once and they still look good.

Goretex is the worlds leading waterproof liner used in boots, trousers, jackets, gloves etc. It comes with a 5yr waterproof guarantee regardless of the guarantee of the product its in. Always gonna cos a little more to have the best but in the longterm if you ride all year round its well worth it imho.

All my winter gear is goretex and so are my summer gloves cos we all know how reliable a british summer can be :roll:

As for brands its like any other clothing really, how much better is an Armani suit than a Primark suit for example? You get what you pay for mostly but you also pay for having the "name" so shop with that in mind. All the cool kids want A*s but its definatelt not the very best of quality and some "unkown" to you brands will be far better quality.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

im deff a style and quailty to "named" kinda guy. i went to have alook at the bike i want again today *Drools* i wish i got my **** in gear an built this garage faster so i can put it in.

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Speaking from experience, I wouldnt buy brand new for your first bike. I concider myself to be an average rider, not ****, not amazing, but average.

I bought a 2002 reg last year and came off on the first day or riding! If I were you, buy a cheap sv that you wont lose any money on, use it to learn for 6 months, sell it and then buy new.

But obviously, its up to you! Welcome!

Re: New Guy!!!
 

This is good advise, it's what I did (except I didn't drop mine;))

welcome to the org, a strange world somewhere between middle earth and narnia:D

Re: New Guy!!!
 

Hello Tom

Good purchases, thassa Raid 2 isn't it. I had a Raid, replaced with a XR1000 cos it was cheap. I have the same boots as you...

Get those tests done and dusted, and then the fun starts:D:cool:

Re: New Guy!!!
 

I've got XR1000, great lid, I love it. When I crash this one I'll buy another, straight off.

It's done me for 200 miles in the snow, 450 miles in the 'summer', and 200 miles or so in 20+ degrees and the vents keep you lovely and cool.