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#1
Am I being an idiot buying a 2nd hand bike in spring,
Like bicycles or convertibles, prices tend to be lower in winter, but there's less choice. So swings and roundabouts.
#2
What order should I do things?
You can't legally ride a big bike without a licence unless you're on a lesson or test. When you're doing your lessons and test the bike school rent it to you as part of your lessons.
So I guess there's limited point in having a bike you can't ride or insure without a licence... Unless you just ride illegally.
Does that answer your question?
#3
Leathers, best to buy second hand?
Depends on your budget.
I think it was skinny who made a good point and said he couldn't afford to buy lots of the wrong clothing, so just spend £1k upfront on some decent fitting stuff.
The downside to 2nd hand is you don't know how they've been looked after. That said it's never worried me.
I've taken a piecemeal approach from borrowing my dad's jacket & boots with 2nd hand leather trousers to getting my own stuff and upgrading as I go.
There are lots of whingy posts from me in this thread about kit. It's a mission! If you can spare the cash I'd recommend going to the biggest store you can and spending the most you can. One problem though is needing different kit for different weather. And I guess preferences you'll only discover with time on the bike.
#4
cbr600f 2003/4
Just bear in mind if you're in London, it won't be ULEZ complient when that comes into effect.
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Just a follow up post on clothing with my hindsight thoughts:
- Gloves - just pony up and buy a decent pair from the off. I've got a whole load of shit cheap ones. Silk glove liners and heated grips can extend the season. Buy cheaper summer gloves if/when you need them.
- Trousers - you need to match these to your boots due to the cuffs/top of the boots. So have your footwear sorted first. I found decent trousers the hardest thing to find. Easiest thing is to get a half decent synthetic pair to start that cover all the bases: Like these:
- Boots - the easiest and cheapest clothing option - there's so much choice depending on your needs. Get something with decent shin protection if you can.
- Jackets - honestly there are so many options to choose from there's nothing much worth saying. Just check out Revzilla reviews on YouTube, hein gericke, and Sportsbikeshop.com
EDIT: here's a link to one of my posts about various bits of kit I tried: https://www.lfgss.com/comments/13513793/ I'd add Richa leather trousers are fucking useless unless you have a long jacket or want to show off your sexy tribal lower-back-tat. Which is a shame as most in other ways their kit is great.
- Gloves - just pony up and buy a decent pair from the off. I've got a whole load of shit cheap ones. Silk glove liners and heated grips can extend the season. Buy cheaper summer gloves if/when you need them.
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hugo7
@sacredhart
Right, I’m starting to think about bike purchase I have planned for later this year.
A few newb. Questions please.
Am I being an idiot buying a 2nd hand bike in spring, will prices be much higher as I assume this would be be most popular time to buy?
I am planning to do a direct access course to allow me to jump straight on a big bike. What order should I do things? Buying a bike would be tricky as I can’t test ride it or ride it home. Do I rent a bike from the test people?
Leathers, best to buy second hand?
I’m after a cbr600f around 2003/4 if anyone is selling or sees a decent one. Looking to buy in March...