Getting into the sport this spring

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dan18

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Hi everybody,

I've been coming to this site for a little while now and decided I should post and let everyone know I'm here (actually in downtown Toronto studying mechanical engineering at U of T!).

Since spring last year I've been wanting to learn to ride a motorcycle and I finally decided I would. I've been telling myself the reason is because I'd save on gas, insurance, etc. However false this may be, I still really want to learn to ride. I booked my safety course for May and will be getting my M1 soon.

I don't really know anyone who rides except for my girlfriend's sister's boyfriend and I haven't really talked too much about it with him. So this site seemed like the perfect place to ask questions.

Firstly, am I wanting to ride for the wrong reasons? I like the idea of being a lot more involved in driving and looking cool doing it. I'll be working only in the summer for the next few years so I also wanted to use the bike as a commuter. I am not afraid to get wet, dirty, etc. while riding in the rain as long as I don't die.

Secondly, is insurance and gas really cheaper than a car? Like an old beater a student might drive.

Lastly, I'm looking into which motorcycle I'd get and I've narrowed it down to a few. I know I still have to call insurance companies and get quotes and all that fun stuff before I make a decision, but so far I have (a pretty random list):
-Honda CB-1
-Kawasaki Ninja 300
-Honda CBR250r
-an old Ninja 250

What do you guys think? Should I get my M2 and wait a year for insurance to be cheaper?

Thanks for your advice.

-Dan
 
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As a new (and young) rider myself, all I can say is insurance and gas will almost certainly be cheaper than your car on any of those bikes you listed. On a litre bike maybe not :P. The way I figure it, my bike will be cheaper on insurance and gas, but likely make up for it in tires and accessories (since it is a hobby, too).

Get your M2 and just wait if you can. I couldn't, but I probably have more dollars than sense. Then again, I think we're all a little nuts.
 
I learned to drive in BC, so I don't know what the insurance rates are like here for youngish drivers with older cars, but I wouldn't count on owning a motorcycle being any cheaper. The car I learned to drive on was old (i.e. cheap on insurance) but reliable, not sure what you're driving.

If you're interested in riding take the M1 exit course and see how you like it, IMO. That's what I did.
 
koma said:
I learned to drive in BC, so I don't know what the insurance rates are like here for youngish drivers with older cars, but I wouldn't count on owning a motorcycle being any cheaper. The car I learned to drive on was old (i.e. cheap on insurance) but reliable, not sure what you're driving.

If you're interested in riding take the M1 exit course and see how you like it, IMO. That's what I did.
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I've always found car insurance to be insanely expensive, on the order of at least 250-300/month at my age (and gender) no matter what I drive or how little coverage I have, and that's with a full G for 2 years (6 years licensed). Where my bike insurance is under 250/month (though it's a lump-sum) with an M1 and 0 experience. Had I gotten my license at 16, who knows how cheap it might be!

In any case, I agree, still wouldn't count on saving money, but having more fun.
 
Hmm so I guess the money reason isn't valid anymore :P

Do you guys know of anyone who did the course and decided it wasn't for them? I'm getting pumped for learning to ride. What expectations should I have going into the course?
 
dan18 said:
Hmm so I guess the money reason isn't valid anymore :P

Do you guys know of anyone who did the course and decided it wasn't for them? I'm getting pumped for learning to ride. What expectations should I have going into the course?
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From what I heard, of the people who fail the course about half never show up to finish the test on the re-test day. I've never heard of anyone walking out on it though.
 
Hey great to hear you know your way around. Ill try to generalize what most GTAM people here say, which is also happens to be my opinion.

Your not crazy for wanting to drive a bike. It's sexy and fun. I've always said (and heard) that 4 wheels move the body, but 2 wheels move the soul.

I remember reading a thread where a lot of engineers do ride bikes, ESP with your self being a mechanical engineer, your a dime a dozen I'm sure.

I too am a student (although I am taking time off right now) and insurance in the GTA area is costly, and being young doesn't help. It's up to you to define what you want to spend. Yes it's a hobby, but you want to make sure your bike is safe above all, then flashy to the eye secondly in that order. If you want a point A to B vehicle then you should define that based on what you spend on your bike.

Best way to have gotten around is M1 (with rented gear or cheap(er) gear to do your m2 at a school. If you do decide to spend more, you better be invested and committed to the sport. It's never fun to sell your items through classifieds. After that you wait a year and insurance rates will be significantly lower. You can also skip the year and go with SF if you qualify.

Stick to the smaller bikes and preferably used. Your more prone to dropping and small accidents as a new rider.

As for saving, you can always justify where you save. Whether its parking, gas, insurance. It's all about what Han your dealt.

Hope this helps you out. Get your feet wet with the course, and go from there. Look around the stickies and threads and I'm sure you can come to an informed decision.
 
deejizzle said:
Hey great to hear you know your way around. Ill try to generalize what most GTAM people here say, which is also happens to be my opinion.

Your not crazy for wanting to drive a bike. It's sexy and fun. I've always said (and heard) that 4 wheels move the body, but 2 wheels move the soul.

I remember reading a thread where a lot of engineers do ride bikes, ESP with your self being a mechanical engineer, your a dime a dozen I'm sure.

I too am a student (although I am taking time off right now) and insurance in the GTA area is costly, and being young doesn't help. It's up to you to define what you want to spend. Yes it's a hobby, but you want to make sure your bike is safe above all, then flashy to the eye secondly in that order. If you want a point A to B vehicle then you should define that based on what you spend on your bike.

Best way to have gotten around is M1 (with rented gear or cheap(er) gear to do your m2 at a school. If you do decide to spend more, you better be invested and committed to the sport. It's never fun to sell your items through classifieds. After that you wait a year and insurance rates will be significantly lower. You can also skip the year and go with SF if you qualify.

Stick to the smaller bikes and preferably used. Your more prone to dropping and small accidents as a new rider.

As for saving, you can always justify where you save. Whether its parking, gas, insurance. It's all about what Han your dealt.

Hope this helps you out. Get your feet wet with the course, and go from there. Look around the stickies and threads and I'm sure you can come to an informed decision.
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What do you mean by skipping the year? Like don't get a bike/insurance until one year later or is there some loophole I should know about? :P and by SF you mean State Farm insurance right?

I'm planning on sticking to smaller bikes at least for now. I'm just paranoid about buying a used bike and having it turn out to be total ****. As much fun as dealing with carburated bikes sounds, I'd really prefer a fuel injected new one. Has anyone else purchased a brand new bike as their first one?
 
CB1 period. If those are the choices.

Easily the coolest, fastest and rarest of the bunch. Gear driven cams sound like you're riding a fighter jet.......and carbs aren't bad. Set em up good once and forget them for years. And a liquid cooled inline 4 Honda will last way over 100,000 kms if maintained properly.

My kid brother bought a brand new CB1 back in '91 for his first bike. Tame enough and light enough to begin on, but heavy and powerful enough to keep you happy for years and even take sport touring.
 
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Yeah, CB-1 is at the top of my list because it's a 4 cyl and because it sounds amazing. The others are technologically way more advanced but the CB-1 just has something about it that really makes me want it :dontknow:
 
engine mechanically, the CB1 is ahead of things like Ninja twins etc.
The only thing the300 or CBR250 more recent than the CB1 is fuel injection.
I have never ridden either of those two, but the carbeuration on a Honda CBR motor is fantastic. Maybe I am old school, but I prefer the throttle response of a carbed bike over most FI systems. The only bike I have ridden that is FI that can come close to carb smoothness is the CBR929. Don't let carbs scare you off.
 
Macs said:
From what I heard, of the people who fail the course about half never show up to finish the test on the re-test day. I've never heard of anyone walking out on it though.
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One person did in my course (RTI April of last year) -- It was an older woman (maybe 50-60) who dropped her bike somehow. She wasn't injured but decided to quit. Everyone else in my class made it through and passed the test, although that doesn't mean there aren't ever any failures.
 
Im a newbie too, the bike and insurance are the obvious costs but dont forget, helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, boots etc. That stuff adds up FAST!
 
Thanks guys for all your opinions! I'm getting more and more excited for the training course.

I'm willing to spend money on good gear seeing as it's the last thing between me and the road. The one-time costs aren't that much of a concern to me. It's the ongoing costs that I worry about.

Will there be more maintenance costs for the CB-1? Besides the purchase price difference, is there that much of a difference in terms of reliability? Will the CB-1 have trouble starting in the cold (early spring/late summer mornings)?
 
dan18 said:
Hmm so I guess the money reason isn't valid anymore :P

Do you guys know of anyone who did the course and decided it wasn't for them? I'm getting pumped for learning to ride. What expectations should I have going into the course?
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Macs said:
From what I heard, of the people who fail the course about half never show up to finish the test on the re-test day. I've never heard of anyone walking out on it though.
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I was almost one of those people who walked off the course. The first day I was sooooo beyond frustrated I almost walked. Spent a hour or two that night deciding whether or not to go back for the second day. My problem was me and that I was so tense and rigid on the bike I was causing myself a crap load of problems. The next day I showed up, I relaxed myself as much a possible and decided to enjoy the day and see what happened. Well I got perfect on my riding test and had a blast. I hated for the day to be over. Bought my first bike (2012 Ninja 250) two weeks later. Bought my second bike last week, 2012 Ninja ZX6R.

So expectations, thats relative. What do you want? For me it was all about the right attitude, to relax and enjoy myself. Once I remembered that there was no looking back.
 
You are not crazy. I started riding when I was a young engineering student 17...18 ish years ago now lol.

Bikes still cost. You are not going to save much is any money by riding, but it is fun. Insurance is going to be unpleasant, you do save a bit on gas and parking. Gear costs also add up fast. Another thing to know going in is maintenance costs can be higher then you might think. The wear items, like tires and brakes, tend to be replaced more often then a car and you get new things to worry about like chains!
 
The older the bike the more "issues" may arise. Also what you save on the bike you can easily spend on needed item's, upgrades etc. All that being said the only thing you need to ask yourself is this "Do I want to ride?" If you answer YES!!!!! without hesitation then any costs or trouble you face will wash away when your on the open road. Good luck in your venture, keep us posted..
 
Cannot go wrong with an old ninja 250. Cheap/easy to maintain. Over 1 summer it was cheaper than a car. But I did not hit any heavy maintenance items.

If you want to ride then get a bike and ride.
 
hardk0re said:
If you want to ride then get a bike and ride.
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Aha I was waiting for that one.

Well I really do want to ride so I'm going with it. I got my M1 today! I'm going think about which bike I'll get after I try some of them out at the course.
 
Some good info here, but in my experience you may want to call around for quotes to get an idea of what different sized bikes will cost you. Size matters.

I could be wrong, but don't your rates go down the longer you've been insured, not how long you've had your license? I could have my license for 10 years, but it doesn't mean I've been riding all that time.

Riding is still a lot cheaper than driving for me. In fact it even cheaper than the TTC if you're talking Metropass.

Otherwise, ride brother. There's nothing like it. You won't regret it.
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