New hobby (hopefully) | GTAMotorcycle.com

New hobby (hopefully)

N

Nursingdude

Member
Hey all,

I am new to this site and new to the hobby. I have been wanting to get into this for a long time but life kept getting in the way and now COVID happened. Anyways, soon to be 32, just got my M1, waiting for courses to resume so I can upgrade to an M2.

Couple of questions for all the veterans and seasoned bikers here:
1. I keep reading that as a starter bike, choose anything in the range of 250 to 300cc and I completely agree with the rationale behind that. Is one type of 250cc bike recommended over another (eg. sport over cruiser) ? Is Kawasaki 300 considered a supers port? I'd love some recommendations for decent starter bikes that are also low on insurance.
2. I know just how important safety gear is, any shops in Vaughan, York region area that you guys would recommend checking out?
3. For bike insurance, what are some important inclusions to have in the policy and what should be ommited or taken out if offered by the broker/company?
4. For a used bike, how old is too old and how much mileage is too much mileage? I have seen some bikes on Kijiji and FB marketplace and was just wondering what to look for when it comes to model year and mileage?
 
I wouldn't think twice about buying something from the 80's if it was in good shape
 
Nursingdude said:
Hey all,

I am new to this site and new to the hobby. I have been wanting to get into this for a long time but life kept getting in the way and now COVID happened. Anyways, soon to be 32, just got my M1, waiting for courses to resume so I can upgrade to an M2.

Couple of questions for all the veterans and seasoned bikers here:
1. I keep reading that as a starter bike, choose anything in the range of 250 to 300cc and I completely agree with the rationale behind that. Is one type of 250cc bike recommended over another (eg. sport over cruiser) ? Is Kawasaki 300 considered a supers port? I'd love some recommendations for decent starter bikes that are also low on insurance.
2. I know just how important safety gear is, any shops in Vaughan, York region area that you guys would recommend checking out?
3. For bike insurance, what are some important inclusions to have in the policy and what should be ommited or taken out if offered by the broker/company?
4. For a used bike, how old is too old and how much mileage is too much mileage? I have seen some bikes on Kijiji and FB marketplace and was just wondering what to look for when it comes to model year and mileage?
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Try to get a newer bike(so nothing from the 80s, think fuel injected and made in the 21st century), when you're starting out you want to learn the fundamentals and develop a good road sense, not wrenching constantly and fiddling with carbs. That can come later

For gear, you can shop locally, I hear GP bikes has a large selection, if you have a tailors tape, you can also try your luck online

I would suggest a standard or entry level sport bike(ninja 300, R3, duke 390 etc)
Im not a big fan of cruisers personally

You mentioned super sports, avoid anything with the following abbreviations (GSXR, RR, ZX-R, R's)

Your insurance quotes will clarify your options for you further, be sure to get quotes before buying

Welcome and be safe.
 
bigpoppa said:
Try to get a newer bike(so nothing from the 80s, think fuel injected and made in the 21st century), when you're starting out you want to learn the fundamentals and develop a good road sense, not wrenching constantly and fiddling with carbs. That can come later

For gear, you can shop locally, I hear GP bikes has a large selection, if you have a tailors tape, you can also try your luck online

I would suggest a standard or entry level sport bike(ninja 300, R3, duke 390 etc)
Im not a big fan of cruisers personally

You mentioned super sports, avoid anything with the following abbreviations (GSXR, RR, ZX-R, R's)

Your insurance quotes will clarify your options for you further, be sure to get quotes before buying

Welcome and be safe.
Click to expand...
What is considered a "standard" vs a an entry level sports that you mentioned?
 
Sign up for a course asap if you want to try it out.
Courses will be starting back up soon, and will be giving priority to those who didn't get a chance last year.
 
Nursingdude said:
What is considered a "standard" vs a an entry level sports that you mentioned?
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They are also called naked bikes, so no fairings, upright handle-bars, comfortable ergonomics, usable power, lighter weight , USUALLY better insurance when compared to supersport/superbikes

So z400, mt03, duke 390, cb300 or cb500 , theyre stripped down versions of the aforementioned entry level sport bikes
 
Baggsy said:
Sign up for a course asap if you want to try it out.
Courses will be starting back up soon, and will be giving priority to those who didn't get a chance last year.
Click to expand...
I am eyeing MTOhp, rti or learning curves? Any other recommendations or are they all pretty much the same?
 
Nursingdude said:
I am eyeing MTOhp, rti or learning curves? Any other recommendations or are they all pretty much the same?
Click to expand...
People will have there own favorite.
It depends a small amount on who is instructing that weekend, which you have no knowledge or influence over.
Check with the closest one first, I would say. Especially, if you're using transit to get there.
The CSC Gearing Up course is standardized, although the nuances will be different at different sites.
You'd have to go to more than one to compare.
 
Bike: a cruiser (Rebel, Vstar, Marauder) in the 250-300cc range will be the easiest to ride. A small enduro would also be a good choice however these are a lot taller and don’t do well on highways. Both are cheapest on insurance.

A Ninja, R3 or CBF 250-300 if you want something sportier.

Gear: for beginners I would say just get gear. Inexpensive gear on small bikes is ok. Daytona sports in concord will get you a jacket for $70, pants for same, boots for $40, helmet for $80 and gloves for $20. All good enough for learners riding within the limits of the law.

courses: all are good.

insurance: if you buy a used bike, get only the basic insurance. Collision is a bust for new riders, get a claim and you’ll pay 2x back in premiums over the cost of a claim.
 
Mad Mike said:
Bike: a cruiser (Rebel, Vstar, Marauder) in the 250-300cc range will be the easiest to ride. A small enduro would also be a good choice however these are a lot taller and don’t do well on highways. Both are cheapest on insurance.

A Ninja, R3 or CBF 250-300 if you want something sportier.

Gear: for beginners I would say just get gear. Inexpensive gear on small bikes is ok. Daytona sports in concord will get you a jacket for $70, pants for same, boots for $40, helmet for $80 and gloves for $20. All good enough for learners riding within the limits of the law.

courses: all are good.

insurance: if you buy a used bike, get only the basic insurance. Collision is a bust for new riders, get a claim and you’ll pay 2x back in premiums over the cost of a claim.
Click to expand...
Could you elaborate on the insurance part please?
 
Nursingdude said:
Could you elaborate on the insurance part please?
Click to expand...
Insurance on cruisers and enduros is always cheaper. They are easier to ride and have fewer claims.

on the collision option, a claim on a $3000 motorcycle will give you $3000. As a new rider with less than 6 years experience, your premiums will skyrocket after a claim so the $3k you collect could easily cost you $6k in additional premiums in following years.
 
bigpoppa said:
Try to get a newer bike(so nothing from the 80s, think fuel injected and made in the 21st century), when you're starting out you want to learn the fundamentals and develop a good road sense, not wrenching constantly and fiddling with carbs. That can come later

For gear, you can shop locally, I hear GP bikes has a large selection, if you have a tailors tape, you can also try your luck online

I would suggest a standard or entry level sport bike(ninja 300, R3, duke 390 etc)
Im not a big fan of cruisers personally

You mentioned super sports, avoid anything with the following abbreviations (GSXR, RR, ZX-R, R's)

Your insurance quotes will clarify your options for you further, be sure to get quotes before buying

Welcome and be safe.
Click to expand...
even the entry level sport bikes have R's :ROFLMAO:
 
Nursingdude said:
I just wanna keep my costs low so something that is relatively cheaper in that sense would be better
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R3, cbr300r, ninja 300, rc390

sport bike wise those are the cheapest I would look at.
 
A standard bike for example would be a Suzuki TU250x. A beginner/starter bike, I'd say for the most part is anything 400cc and below. Just look around and see what you think looks best. Ideally you'd sit on it to see if it fits you size wise. Very short, or very tall riders sometimes find it hard to find a suitable bike. Let's say you find 3 bikes you like, then call around and get some insurance quotes.

I started riding last year, on a 400cc naked (finding it perfect so far when it comes to learning). One thing to note, is they usually don't come with any type of windscreen. So if you're planning on doing a lot of highway miles, you're gonna have to deal with a lot of wind. Something to consider.
 
bigpoppa said:
Try to get a newer bike(so nothing from the 80s, think fuel injected and made in the 21st century), when you're starting out you want to learn the fundamentals and develop a good road sense, not wrenching constantly and fiddling with carbs. That can come later

For gear, you can shop locally, I hear GP bikes has a large selection, if you have a tailors tape, you can also try your luck online

I would suggest a standard or entry level sport bike(ninja 300, R3, duke 390 etc)
Im not a big fan of cruisers personally

You mentioned super sports, avoid anything with the following abbreviations (GSXR, RR, ZX-R, R's)

Your insurance quotes will clarify your options for you further, be sure to get quotes before buying

Welcome and be safe.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Lots of great cheap rides form the 80's to had and they don't mean wrenching all the time.
 
timtune said:
I disagree. Lots of great cheap rides form the 80's to had and they don't mean wrenching all the time.
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I think it depends how mechanically inclined somebody is. If you have garage full of tools that you've curated for the past 40 years, and have been wrenching on every vehicle you've owned since your first Pinto... That's a bit different than somebody getting their first bike, lives in an apartment, takes transit etc..

Those are 2 opposite ends of the spectrum, but you get the point.
 
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