R licence and what bike to get??....

[DAVA]

Team,
apologies, i know this has probably been done to death, but i really need some specifics that apply to me in particular answered....

OK: the facts: i've been on my RE licence for approx 9 months. Not too many k's to begin with as i only bought a summer jacket and it was fuckin' cold there for a while (cue the WUSS name calling).

So lately i've started ramping up my k's and experience, been commuting every day from Kingsley to the City. Surprising how quickly your confidence and general bike handling improves with 50ks of daily practice....

Anyway, sometime in March i'm busting to do my R class test and trade up from my current 250cc Hyosung to something more "sporty"

So the questions:
- I've totally fallen in love with the Ducati 848. haven't seen one in the flesh and certainly havent ridden one, but i want one just the same.
- So lets say that i'm fortunate enough to be able to afford said motorcycle in approx 90 days time (R test pass assumed).
- Is it ok to jump from a 250cc Hyo to a bike such as the Duke? Obviously i dont want to injure myself or others. I'm 32 years old, so not a kid. consider myself mature. Have crashed enough cars to know what can happen to idiots etc etc
- Should i buy a 600cc or some other kind of "transition" bike, or if i keep my maturity in check, is the 848 easy enough to handle?

Your thoughts and experience it appreciated....

Dave

[potato]

go straight for the duke

and if skills levels concern you theres the ahg and trackdays courses.

get amongst it

[Mish]

I don't think the duke is too much of a jump mate. I went from a 1989 VT250 to a 2007 GSX-R750 and absolutely love it!

The best bit of advice that I got and that I will give to you is: What do you plan to use the bike for?

For me, it was daily commuting to work, weekend scratches with the boyz and girls, melbourne trips for the GP, coast trips with the girlfriend on the back, and trackdays. All those things added up to me needing something with a more useable rev-range then the majority of the 600's out there. The 750 was perfect as it's got power everywhere, yet not the (my favourite quote from a journo), "ohmigawdwotshappening" thing that the thou's have!

If you still plan daily commuting, make sure you're comfortable on it. I haven't read any reviews on the 848 (it does look fuking p0rn tho mate!), but if it's anything like the 1098, then it's a bike that needs to be ridden hard to get the best out of it. It's a very focused bike.

My 2c! Hope it helps somewhat...

P.S. As an indicator, I spent 2 years 1 month on the VT250, approx 17,000km before I upgraded.

[Halo_2]

take the 848 for a test ride, read reviews see if its what you really want.

[Bushyz]

Oh man I wanted to dis you for liking the looks of a duke, and then I saw some pics, add this 848 with the 1098 to hot as dukes, where as the rest sit in the omg who styled that list. It looks expensive...

[XXX3]

Also worth noting the supersport category 600cc bikes aren't "transition" bikes as such - they're producing near enough to 200hp/litre and will still bite your ass if you don't respect them.

I'd go for the duke, i don't think it's worth buying a 600cc supersport then upgrading.

[kwakas]

just buy the duke straight up, it's note gonna bite any harder than a 600 and will be more forgiving than a thou. If you don't get that get a gixxer 750. The gixxer 750 is what I wanted but the missus would only condone a 600, hence I went the kwaka zx6.

[Aphex]

Kwakas you realy are whipped arent ya mate... 150cc & she wouldnt have a bar of it??? Shit mate....

Any wayz... back on topic. Go straight for the bike you want. Too many people get tied up in the whole 600 transition bullshit. If you respect your machine and its power, you'll be fine. I went from 250 to 1700. Bucket loads more torque but its all in the wrist. The first time you open it up on a straight you'll most likely shit yourself anyway. That's usually enough for the sane ones to say.. ok, i really do need to show this one some respect.

No point pussy footing around and getting bored with the power of a 600 in a few months.

[Jonchilds]

The whole engine capacity/power thing is a mute point in my opinion.
The biggest obstacle you will have is the difference in handling and weight of the bike.

If you really like the 848, get it.

[Rayrush]

Go the 848, or if you want a duke with all the fruit on it and alot cheaper than the 848, then buy my 05 749. I went from 250 ninja straight to mine with no issues. Just got to learn the new characteristics of the bike.

[thro]

Just get what you want.

Any of the sports bikes will bite if you're a tard, as mentioned the 600s are pretty angry these days (certainly compared to a 250, anyway - you WILL shit yourself the first few weeks when you open the throttle on an open class sports bike ).

If you're worried about writing off a bike (if you are, one could argue that you should stay on a 250, but... ), step up to something *older* (and cheaper) first, not necessarily smaller capacity....


2c.


edit:
As far as getting bored with the power of a 600 in a few months... heh. Any bike will eventually get boring in a straight line.... how many modded busas do you see because the owner wants more power?

[XXX3]

600s are underestimated anyway, the handling more than makes up any power "deficiency" on anything but a straight road.

And if you ride straight roads, buy a tourer.

[duc13]

Take a demo for a ride. (if you can find one) You like-you buy.
Not to big of a step up imo.

[Karlos]

I went from a gt250r to the daytona 675

No probs! Yes you need to be aware of the different power and handling of the bigger bike. If you go stupid it may end in disaster but a steady hand hand on throttle and brakes is the way to go.

Oh and as thro said a 600 these days is a pretty lethal machine.

test ride a few and see what you think.

[ringo636]

1- Test ride the bike you want + a few more to compare it to.

2- Consider initial outlay in $$ then check running costs, services etc if this may concern you. No point in laying out all your wage on a loan then you realise you cant afford to keep up the servicing.

3- Get insurance quotes

4- Decide what the purpose of the bike is, commuting, sunday blasts etc

5- Will you want after market pipes etc? Get prices

6- Call me and hope I've still got the 636 for sale

Seriously though, I've bought a few bikes just because I wanted it and it wasn't always great, My 748 was a great bike but I bought it at the wrong time of my life when I didn't get a chance to use it properly and ended up hating it because all it did was take me to work, uncomfortably.

There's nothing wrong in buying an 848, 1098, MV, Benelli etc as your first "big" bike if thats what you want.